More than 70 high school guidance counsellors from across Eastern Ontario and Western Quebec got more than they bargained for when they participated in this year’s Forum, held for the first time at the Pembroke campus.
Many of the counsellors were visiting the picturesque campus for the first time, and despite a nasty north wind blowing off the Ottawa River, they ventured outside to watch some outdoor adventure students kayak in the choppy waters, just outside the campus.
That was one of several stops as part of a campus tour that also included a show-and-tell of the impressive mobile science unit used by environmental technician students while in the field, and a demonstration by bachelor of science in Nursing students in one of the high fidelity nursing labs.
The day was capped with an inspirational address by two-time Canadian Olympic athlete Melissa Bishop, who reminded the counsellors of the important role they play in helping high-school students make post-secondary choices. She advised them to let their students know that it’s OK to change directions in their life journey, adding, “life begins at the end of the comfort zone.”
Bishop has been pushing herself out of her own comfort zone for years. She graduated from high school and went directly to the University of Ottawa, before transferring to the University of Windsor where she became an elite athlete, leading her to Olympic appearances in London in 2012 and Brazil in 2016.
Her plan was to attend an American university, but when an athletic scholarship opportunity didn’t arise, she chose to attend university in Canada. Bishop now admits her first post-secondary choice didn’t work out, admitting she only applied to one university program. She says had it not been for her aspirations in track and field, she probably would have attended college, but her transfer to the University of Windsor allowed her to earn a degree with a plan to be a teacher when she retires from running.
She won a gold medal at the 2015 Pan Am Games and a silver medal at the 2015 world championships. At the Rio Games, she just missed the podium finished fourth in the 800-metre final. Bishop plans on taking one more shot at an Olympic medal and has already started training for the 2016 Olympiad.
After months of anticipation, the college has been given crucial federal and provincial funding that will allow us to transform the library into a state-of-the-art learning and entrepreneurship centre.
Ottawa West-Nepean MP Anita Vandenbeld was on the campus Wednesday to announce the federal government’s $21.9-million contribution, and Bob Chiarelli, the area’s MPP and the Minister of Infrastructure announced a $2.9-million contribution from the province.
Vandenbeld lauded the project, saying the new centre will help produce “students that will turn ideas into solutions, solutions into jobs, and start-up companies into global investments.”
In her remarks, Cheryl thanked both ministers for their support as well as MP Catherine McKenna, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, who was also on hand for the announcement.
She noted that Wednesday’s groundbreaking for the $45-million transformation, which took place in the C building courtyard, was an exciting moment, particularly because of what it represents.
“We’re excited not just about today’s announcement and groundbreaking, but also about being part of a wider wave of growth and expansion across this city, because that’s what today is really about, city-building.”
The college is one of a number of post-secondary institutions to receive funding from the Department of Innovation, Science and Economic Development’s Strategic Investment Fund and the Province of Ontario’s Facilities Renewal Fund this year.
Earlier this year, the Board of Governors approved in principle to fund up to $20 million from the college’s capital budget and reserve funds.
The new centre, which will be located in a portion of C building, will encompass the Algonquin College Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Learning Centre and the Algonquin College Institute for Indigenous Entrepreneurship.
Cheryl called it “a place like no other,” saying it will be a place that puts entrepreneurship at the heart of everything the college does, a place that pushes the envelope with innovation and ingenuity, and a place that recognizes the unique culture and talent of its indigenous students.
“Since I know the caliber of our learners and the excellence of our faculty,” she said, “and since this announcement guarantees we can create the best possible environment for them to unleash their talents, I will say this: ‘I can’t wait.’”
And she won’t have to. The project is now officially underway.
Information about the project will regularly be posted to myAC so that employees can be kept in the loop. In addition, for all disruption and construction-related news, go to the dedicated website algonquincollege.com/grow.
Photo: From left: Cheryl, Ottawa Centre MP and Minister of Environment and Climater Change Catherine McKenna, Algonquin Students’ Association President Egor Evseev, Ottawa West-Nepean MPP and Minister of Infrastructure Bob Chiarelli, and Ottawa West-Nepean MP Anita Vandenbeld take place in the groundbreaking in C building courtyard.
Don’t try to forecast future health-care demands and work-force needs using numbers, a British expert in health-care modelling told a gathering at Algonquin College on Thursday.
Instead, test the impact of “different futures” by getting expert advice and building scenarios.
About 100 senior leaders from the local health and wellness industry gathered at Restaurant International on Thursday morning to hear Dr. Graham Willis explain what he and his research team are doing differently. Dr. Willis is the Head of Research and Development, Workforce Analysis, Strategy and External Relations, for the Department of Health, England.
“Don’t try and forecast, try and think of a range of futures and use them to try and test your ideas,” he said. “We can use this (method)to explore the system without getting caught in the numbers.”
Dr. Willis’ framework also focuses on skills rather than job titles or functions to further improve the ability to predict future demand. He said this method also moves the analysis away from individual numbers and helps researchers think about the workforce as a whole, working together.
The gathering was the seventh event in the Future of Health and Wellness Speaker Series, hosted jointly by Algonquin College and the Champlain Local Health Integration Network.
Photo: Algonquin College Vice-President Academic Claude Brulé, Champlain LHIN Chief Executive Officer Chantale LeClerc, Dr. Graham Willis, Cheryl, and Barbara Foulds, Chair, Healthy Living Education Steering Committee, left to right.
Sir Terence Matthews to Co-Chair New Advisory Panel on Innovation and Entrepreneurship
with Algonquin College President Cheryl Jensen
Oct. 6, 2016 (Ottawa) — Algonquin College President Cheryl Jensen is pleased to announce a new President’s Advisory Panel on Innovation and Entrepreneurship to help guide the College in the coming years.
Canadian business magnate and high-tech entrepreneur Sir Terence Matthews will be co-chairing the panel with President Jensen, who was recently named to the board of directors of the National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship — making her the only Canadian representative on the board of the American organization.
“I am absolutely delighted to welcome Terry and our other panel members to Algonquin College — each one of them brings a different perspective and different skills to the table,” said Jensen. “Our students already have an entrepreneurial spirit, but this panel is going to give them the edge when it comes to turning their dreams into reality.”
The panel had its first meeting on Oct. 5 and enjoyed a wide-ranging discussion on topics such as 5G networks and building smarter cities.
Other members of the panel who participated in Tuesday’s meeting included:
Eli Fathi, Chief Executive Officer, Mind Bridge Analytics
Ian Faris, President and Chief Executive Officer, Ottawa Chamber of Commerce
Michael Oster, President, Ottawa Community Loan Fund
Paul LaBarge, Founding Partner, LaBarge Weinstein
Peter Charbonneau, Lead Director Mitel
Brian O’Higgins, Executive Fellow, Mistral Venture Partners
Robert Hanlon, Chief Operating Officer, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
The panel will advise on innovation and entrepreneurship initiatives at the College, overall strategic direction, fundraising strategies, potential partnerships and will also provide input on entrepreneurship programming and supports.
Under President Jensen, Algonquin College has increased its focus on entrepreneurship. In February it opened Ignite AC, an entrepreneurship centre for students that offers mentorship, guidance and resources.
More recently the College submitted a multimillion-dollar proposal to the federal government to help fund its state-of-the-art Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Learning Centre and Institute for Indigenous Entrepreneurship. An announcement regarding this proposal is expected very soon.
For more information:
Ruth Dunley, Communications Officer
Public Relations and Communications, Algonquin College
Office: 613-727-4723 ext. 6452
Mobile: 613-406-0970
dunleyr@algonquincollege.com About Algonquin College:
www.algonquincollege.com:
The mission of Algonquin College of Applied Arts and Technology is to transform hopes and dreams into lifelong success. Algonquin College, an Ontario public sector community college, does this by offering hands-on, digitally connected, experiential learning in more than 185 programs. Based in the Ottawa Valley, Algonquin College is the largest polytechnic institute in Eastern Ontario.
Second-year students from the Community and Justice Services program participated in “24 Hours of Homelessness” to raise money for Operation Come Home and to raise awareness of the issues facing people on the street. The 12th annual event was organized by Police & Public Safety Institute professor Cat Baron, who spent her 10th year staying out with the students in Minto Park off Elgin Street. The group raised funds through a Go Fund Me page. Student Alex Cloutier prepared this first-person report.
24 Hours of Homelessness By Alex Cloutier
Walking up to Minto Park at quarter to two on Friday afternoon, I was filled with a sense of excitement, but also a sense of apprehension. It was a busy area, cars and buses constantly streaming past on the street, pedestrians walking their dogs, stopping in to grab a coffee at Starbucks.
I knew that the crowded streets would be optimal for collecting as much money as possible, but I was also nervous about how all of these people walking past would react to us, a bunch of eager college students with handmade signs, interrupting their conversations and streams of thought to ask, “Would you like to donate in support of homeless youth?”
We were all set to spend the next 24 hours living outside, panhandling to raise money and awareness for Operation Come Home, an employment, education and support centre that offers outreach to homeless and at-risk youth.
The afternoon started out with high energy and enthusiasm, small groups of us stationed at various points along the street, eagerly holding out our collection cups and stopping every person that walked by. People were polite and would respond with a “sorry, not today” or “I don’t have any change.”
Those who did donate would ask us about our cause, emptying their pockets or digging through their bags. More often than not though, pedestrians would just pass by us in silence, looking at their phone or staring straight ahead.
As the hours began to wear on, this enthusiasm and energy began to wane. I started to become tired, my voice hoarse from speaking to so many people. I began to feel the wind through my sweater and suddenly the noise of the city seemed so loud.
Nineteen more hours to go. As my mood began to change, I found myself starting to take things personally.
Every person that walked past avoiding eye contact and ignoring my attempt to speak to them made me feel as if I wasn’t worth a glance or the time of day.
After several hours, the message became clear: I meant nothing.
I began to feel myself wishing that I was back at home, snuggled under a blanket on the couch with my dog and doing homework.
And that was an option for me.
I had a home to go back to, filled with warmth and safety. This is not a reality for the hundreds of homeless youth that we were trying to support.
As the night went on, I found it more and more challenging to remain positive, especially as pedestrians became argumentative and aggressive towards me or my classmates.
What got me through the night was knowing that we were in it together and that we were only experiencing a small taste of what it meant to be homeless.
Soon morning came, and while we were all tired and hungry, we felt renewed.
We were humbled by our experience and by the generosity that we were shown. Many people emptied their wallets, some went to the bank and came back with 50s in their hands.
Countless numbers of people took the time to stop and speak to us, to give us their support and encouragement.
Despite those who gave negative comments, lashed out at us, yelled at us or ignored us, it was the overwhelming positivity and generosity of those who donated and spoke to us that will stick with me.
I am so grateful for having this experience and for being able to give back to a community that desperately needs our help and support.
Photo: Claude Brulé, Vice President Academic, top left, and Cheryl, top right, visited the students during their 24-hour stay in Minto Park.
OTTAWA — Following Algonquin College’s announcement last month that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Algonquin College – Saudi Arabia LLC, was investigating the return of its Jazan campus, on September 6, 2016, Colleges of Excellence requested Algonquin work to transfer oversight to the UK-based private-sector provider, Interserve Education and Employment. Since being notified, Algonquin College – Saudi Arabia LLC has worked diligently to ensure a smooth transition of operations to the new provider. The College will maintain a small presence in Jazan through the end of October to complete the transition process.
Algonquin College – Saudi Arabia has committed to costs of $3.2 million, comprised of employee and supplier settlements ($2.95M) and legal fees ($250K) against an estimated cost of $4.3 million. As previously reported, no taxpayer funds are being used to cover these amounts.
Colleges of Excellence is the Saudi authority responsible for establishing relationships with more than a dozen post-secondary institutions from around the world. These international schools support the Kingdom in its bid to expand applied training, particularly in the trades, in order to satisfy the growing need for skilled workers in the desert country.
The Jazan campus, which opened in 2013, is part of the College’s broader international portfolio that is an overall net contributor to Algonquin College’s revenues.
Early birds will want to have caffeine in hand on Friday morning — Algonquin College will be featured in a segment about a proposed new program that’s all about coffee. (And it’s the perfect day to toast with a cup of java since Thursday was National Coffee Day and Saturday will be International Coffee Day.)
The Art of the Barista is a new four-week course expected to start at the College in January. Co-ordinated by AC’s Wes Wilkinson and Michael Bakogeorge, it will feature two weeks of study at the Ottawa campus to learn everything from coffee-brewing techniques to the proper way to foam milk. Then, coffee-loving students will head to Costa Rica for two more weeks of study, this time on a coffee plantation where they’ll learn about agricultural management, coffee varieties, history, and cultural connections with coffee.
Ottawa Morning host Robyn Bresnahan is scheduled to interview Wes Wilkinson and Roberto Dormond, Costa Rica’s Ambassador to Canada, about the new program and the best of coffee this Friday. Listen live at 6:15 a.m. on 91.5 FM.
Delegates to an Ottawa gathering of the brightest young leaders from around the world will be on the Algonquin College campus on Friday to attend workshops and a dinner at Restaurant International.
The break-out sessions at the college follow two days of presentations, panel discussions and networking breaks at the main event centre. Twenty-seven delegates are to attend the college-organized workshop on indigenous entrepreneurship and another 18 will explore the energy infrastructure transformation happening at the college at a Siemens-sponsored workshop.
Delegates from both workshops will gather for dinner at Restaurant International prepared by students in the Indigenous Pre-Apprenticeship program.
Before moving into their sessions, the delegates will be welcomed to the college by Ron McLester, Executive Director and Special Advisor to the President on Aboriginal Initiatives, and Cheryl, who will offer opening remarks.
Founded in 2009 in Britain, the One Young World summit bring together leaders aged 18 to 30 from governments, companies, universities and NGOs and other organizations worldwide along with world leaders to make connections and explore solutions for pressing world issues. Past summits have been held in Bangkok, Dublin, Johannesburg, Pittsburgh, Zurich and London.
The four-day gathering in Ottawa is drawing delegates from 196 countries.
Among the world leaders scheduled to attend the Ottawa summit are Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, former U.S. secretary general Kofi Annan, Canadian Olympic gold medalist Mark Tewksbury, singer and Oscar-winning actress Cher, musician and former child soldier, Emmanuel Jal, WE Movement co-founder Marc Kielburger, actress and activist Emma Watson and musician and political activist Sir Bob Geldof.
U.S. Ambassador Bruce Heyman joined Chef Bob Gelinas and two of his students in the Algonquin College kitchens on Monday, where he engaged in some “food diplomacy.”
The ambassador, whose relaxed manner and off-the-cuff joke easily engaged the students and others gathered for the event, was on campus to promote American produce. He was welcomed to the college by Vice-President Academic Claude Brulé.
Before beginning to cook, Heyman made a few remarks, saying Canada and the United States enjoy the largest bilateral trading relationship in the world, worth more than $40 billion every year.
He pointed in particular to nuts, cheese and tomatoes, the latter of which were ingredients in the tomato tart he prepared with the help of second-year students, Mathew Ju and Thomas Ferraton.
Heyman prepared a tomato tart, which included a pastry base, custard, spinach, Florida tomatoes and an Asiago-style cheese from Wisconsin.
After the tart was prepared, Heyman asked Gelinas a few questions about the culinary program at the college, mentioning that he would be eating the tomato tart and a second appetizer to be served this evening service at Restaurant International.
“What a tough job,” the ambassador joked, to which Gelinas replied, ”Somebody’s got to do it.”
Once the tart was prepared, the ambassador toured other parts of the School of Hospitality, and spoke with
On his arrival, Heyman was greeted by Chef Cory Haskins, who served two U.S. ambassadors as executive chef and who is now the co-ordinator of all culinary programs at the college.
He said it’s great to have the ambassador visit, both for the culinary program and for the students.
“It’s fantastic,” he said. “It’s always great to have dignitaries visit.”
Photo:Students Mathew Ju and Thomas Ferraton, left and second left, prepared a tomato tart with U.S. Ambassador Bruce Heyman, under the direction of Algonquin Chef Bob Gelinas, right.
OTTAWA — Algonquin College is honoured to welcome U.S. Ambassador to Canada Bruce A. Heyman to its Ottawa campus on Monday, Sept. 26, 2016.
Ambassador Heyman will be visiting Algonquin College’s School of Hospitality and Tourism, where he will meet students in our culinary programs and collaborate with Algonquin Chef Robert Gelinas to prepare a special meal featuring American produce.
“We are honoured to welcome Ambassador Heyman to our campus and our kitchens,” said Algonquin College President Cheryl Jensen. “Our culinary program has produced many celebrated alumni who can be found managing kitchens in several embassies right here in Ottawa and in some of the best restaurants around the world.”
Ambassador Heyman is a strong advocate of food diplomacy as a means to create people-to-people connections and to demonstrate the importance of U.S.-Canada agricultural trade.
“Food is a fantastic way to bring people together, and it’s a particularly good way to celebrate the strong relationship between the United States and Canada. Our two countries are each other’s largest export markets for agricultural products. We exchange more than $42 billion in agricultural goods every year. I look forward to working with Algonquin’s student chefs to highlight the safety, quality, and value that our U.S. producers offer. I know from personal experience how talented Algonquin grads are because Chef Dino Ovcaric, the chef at my official residence, went to Algonquin,” said Ambassador Heyman.
Ambassador Heyman will be greeted by Chef Cory Haskins, himself a former Executive Chef to the United States ambassador, now the coordinator of all culinary programs at the College.
“We encourage our students to experiment with ingredients from around the world,” said Chef Haskins, “so we are thrilled to be able to host Ambassador Heyman and have him tell us about fresh U.S. ingredients that we can incorporate into our work.”
Algonquin College is home to more than 2,000 international students from 90 different countries, including the United States. The College also has a series of pathway agreements with American post-secondary institutions to facilitate cross-border studies for students from the United States and Canada.
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When: Monday, Sept. 26, 2016 Where: Algonquin College, Ottawa Campus, 1385 Woodroffe Ave. Location: Philip Killeen Hospitality Centre, Building H, Room H125 Time: Media should plan to arrive at 11:45 a.m. Official visit will begin at noon. Parking: Outside Restaurant International RSVP: Ruth Dunley, dunleyr@algonquincollege.comFor Algonquin College:
Ruth Dunley, Communications Officer
Public Relations and Communications, Algonquin College
Office: 613-727-4723 ext. 6452
Mobile: 613-406-0970 dunleyr@algonquincollege.com
For U.S. Embassy Ottawa:
Nicole Wootten, Media Assistant
U.S. Embassy, Ottawa
Office: 613-688-5316 woottennb@state.gov
The mission of Algonquin College of Applied Arts and Technology is to transform hopes and dreams into lifelong success. Algonquin College, an Ontario public sector community college, does this by offering hands-on, digitally connected, experiential learning in more than 185 programs. Based in the Ottawa Valley, Algonquin College is the largest polytechnic institute in Eastern Ontario.
