Home

Mohawk College has a rich history including two predecessors, the Hamilton Institute of Technology and the Provincial Institute of Textiles.

The following is updated from Mohawk College, The Years to 1985: A History 1946-1985

The Name Mohawk College

The Board of Governors held its inaugural meeting on September 28, 1966 at which time the name of the College was discussed. For many years, there had been a strong desire to have a college in the City of Brantford. The Government decided that Hamilton was a more appropriate location and the College now serves the Golden Horseshoe, with campuses in Brantford, Stoney Creek, and Hamilton.

Choosing a name to reflect the wider community was a highly delicate matter in 1966. At the time, there seemed to be a preference for Aboriginal names. Joseph Brant, Chief of the Mohawks, had played a prodigious role in the former British Colony, winning respect for himself and his people. Note was made of the fact that the Mohawk Trail School, not far from the site of the College, was being turned into a museum for the celebration of the Canadian Centennial. The name "Mohawk" was comfortable for both Hamilton and Brantford. Thus the name Mohawk College of Applied Arts and Technology was agreed upon as reflecting the special nature of a large area of Brant county, including the Six Nations and New Credit Reservations, the City of Brantford, part of the adjacent region of Haldimand-Norfolk, and the County of Wentworth. Approval for the name was given by the Board on October 17, 1966.