Opened in 1965 as the Alberta Vocational Centre (AVC) in Fort McMurray; the official opening ceremonies were held on January 26, 1966. Opened under the name "Keyano" in 1975; Keyano is a Cree word that roughly translated means "sharing"; the original slogan for the College was adapted from that to be "Yours, Mine and Ours." In 1978 Keyano College went public and became a community college, when the province appointed a Board of Governors to serve as the decision-making body for the institution.