Algonquin College becomes the first college in Ontario to take the National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship (NACCE) President’s Pledge.
Bringing an entrepreneurial mindset to all that we do is what drives Algonquin College, President Cheryl Jensen declared at her Ottawa Chamber of Commerce Eggs n’ Icons speech in March.
To cement that commitment to entrepreneurship, President Jensen today signed the National Association of Community College Entrepreneurship (NACCE) President’s Pledge.
“Our goal is to instill in every student, and embed in every program, a culture of entrepreneurship and innovation,” said President Jensen. “This pledge is a reaffirmation of all that we are doing to train tomorrow’s leaders. We look forward to demonstrating that commitment throughout Global Entrepreneurship Week in November.”
According to NACCE President and CEO Rebecca Corbin, Entrepreneurship Pledge is a way for community colleges to advance entrepreneurship and create jobs across the country. Community college presidents who take the pledge commit to these five action steps:
Develop transparency of community college and community assets
Create internal and external teams dedicated to entrepreneurship
Increase entrepreneurs’ engagement in community colleges
Engage in industry cluster development
Create broad exposure to their college’s commitment to entrepreneurship.
“The five action steps were developed based on NACCE’s observations of what was working best on member campuses,” said Corbin. “After observing the entrepreneurship-related activities of our members over a period of years, we started to see commonalities among the more successful institutions. One of the major things that clearly makes a difference is the commitment by leadership to entrepreneurship.”
NACCE includes nearly 300 colleges in Canada and the U.S., representing over 1,400 entrepreneurship education professionals. Through these educators, approximately 465,000 students are exposed to the possibility of putting their newly acquired skills and knowledge to work in their own business, if not immediately then at some point in the future. In addition, countless small business owners and entrepreneurs benefit from education, mentoring, and other important services provided by NACCE members.
The only station to tune to on election night
is CKDJ 107.9 (sorry, everybody else)
Campus community radio station CKDJ 10.79 will be broadcasting its “#AltElxn Night” coverage starting at 9 p.m., with community stations across Canada syndicating the show.
(Ottawa, October 1, 2015) Voices which sometimes get less attention during an election campaign will finally have their say.
Students in Algonquin College’s Radio Broadcasting program will be hosting a two hour election night special focused on the priorities of students, First Nations peoples, those with disabilities, and other underrepresented voices on October 19 as part of what they call “#AltElxn Night”.
The show will contain discussions, stories produced by community radio stations across the country, music, and live election updates. The discussion will be nationally focused, as the show will be syndicated across the National Community Radio Association (NCRA) member stations across Canada. Participating stations will be announced closer to the election date, and those interested in syndicating the broadcast may contact Dan Pihlainen, Coordinator, Radio Broadcasting program at Algonquin College.
“Providing our country with an alternative view point in these elections is extremely important for member stations and their mandates,” said NCRA Executive Director Barry Rooke. “With the NCRA teaming up with CKDJ staff and students to deliver this election night coverage we can provide a national yet distinct service to our listeners, demonstrating the importance of community media in this day and age”.
“This show will provide a real world learning experience to these students and give them the chance to use their skills to help others engage in our country’s political discussion,” added Pihlainen. “The fact they are using their talents to help give a voice to those who sometimes do not have one is an especially great way for us to live out our mandate as a community radio station.”
CKDJ’s “#AltElxn Night” is election coverage you won’t hear anywhere else.
Visit ckdj.net/election to learn more, and to find CKDJ’s live web stream link. Listeners in Ottawa’s west end (Nepean/Barrhaven area) may also tune their FM radio dials to 107.9. Stay tuned for an announcement of the show’s host and other details.
September 30 Update: The Algonquin Students’ Association Board of Directors has pledged an additional $10,000, raising the emergency fund total available to refugees attending Algonquin College to $60,000. The fund could now help as many as 12 full-time refugee students. The original announcement follows.
As many as 10 refugees of the Syrian crisis could have their full-time tuition at Algonquin College fully funded, President Cheryl Jensen announced today.
The College is pledging up to $50,000 to support refugees who apply and are accepted to College programs.
The funds will be applicable to any full or part-time Algonquin College program of study, including language training, certificates, diplomas, or degrees. Depending on the selected program of study, this emergency refugee fund could support up to 10 full-time students within the next year.
“The tragedy unfolding in Syria and surrounding countries is heartbreaking, as a mother, as a grandmother, and as a Canadian,” President Jensen says. “This announcement marks a first step for us, and we continue to speak with our partners across the city about how we can support a broader city-wide response.”
The College also participated in a public meeting in Kitchissippi on Thursday, September 17 to discuss possible responses to the crisis. Algonquin is further announcing its intention to participate in Mayor Jim Watson’s October 1 information session.
Each year, Colleges Ontario celebrates the achievements of Ontario college graduates in the province and throughout the world through the Premier’s Awards. The 2015 Premier’s Awards gala will take place at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, November 16, at the Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel.
The Algonquin College Foundation is pleased to announce this year’s Premier’s Awards Nominees for Algonquin College:
Business: Greg Kells, President, Sunbelt Business Brokers Canada (Class of 1970, Business Administration)
Community Services: Christine Gaitens, Chief of Child and Youth Services, Toronto District School Board (Class of 1991, Child and Youth Worker)
Creative Arts: Janice Dean, Senior Meteorologist, Fox News Channel (Class of 1992, Radio and TV Broadcasting)
Health Sciences: Dean DiMonte, President, Premergency Inc. (Class of 1986, Paramedic)
Technology: Philippe Smith, Owner, Smith and Barber Sculpture Atelier Inc. (Class of 2004, Heritage Masonry)
Recent Graduate: Derek Lothian, Vice President, Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters (Class of 2011, Public Relations)
Modern technologies are re-shaping the building industry. New tools and devices are changing the life cycle considerations of building design, construction, operation and renewal. Mobile devices are enabling new and faster modes of interactions between people.
These technologies bring promise of improved performance and productivity, but place new demands on people and processes. This shift presents a growing opportunity for Algonquin – check out our new Residential Living Lab being worked on at our Perth campus! Learn more.
Doing some home renos? Richard Briginshaw, Coordinator, Green Architecture says, “Don’t demolish – deconstruct” in this Globe and Mail ‘ask the experts’column!
They had the knowledge, and needed the skills and practical experience.
That’s the key finding of a report entitled, “College After University – A Growing Marketing Segment“, a study that examines why some university students chose to attend college after graduation. Statistics provided by Colleges Ontario, which look at Ontario’s public sector college system, indicate 12 per cent of college entrants in 2012-13 had university credentials, and that the number has been growing. So, a group of Algonquin College students decided to look into what was behind this trend.
And these weren’t just any students studying the issue – they have just a bit of first hand knowledge in the subject. The group studying this issue was made up of Algonquin College graduate students, each holding a university degree, who were enrolled in the Marketing Research and Business Intelligence (MRBI) graduate certificate program.
After surveying 1,200 current or interested Algonquin College students, here are some of the team’s key findings:
63 per cent of university graduates attending college said they were concerned with their job prospects, whereas 44 percent of college students were concerned
47 per cent of university graduates said employment opportunities had a bigger influence on their decision to apply to college, while 29 per cent of college students said the same
32 per cent of university graduates are looking for business-related fields to make the connection between their discipline-specific university knowledge and a workplace opportunity
50 per cent of students are looking for work experience from their time at college
Six Masonry—Heritage and Traditional students from the Algonquin College, Perth Campus cemented their training during a recent work-experience trip to Prince of Wales Fort National Historic Site (NHS) at Churchill, MB. Accompanied by their program coordinator, Darrin MacDonald, the students spent two weeks (July 19-August 2) working alongside Parks Canada masons to repair the Cape Merry battery, a mid-1700s battery strategically overlooking the Prince of Wales Fort.
The Masonry program’s collaboration with Parks Canada began in 1991, when Parks Canada was invited to act in an advisory role for the program. In 2009, four Masonry students and an instructor also travelled to Prince of Wales Fort NHS to work on a wall-stabilization project, setting the wheels in motion for this year’s trip. MacDonald is enthusiastic about the opportunities for hands-on learning and mentorship that working with masons at Parks Canada offered his students.
“Parks Canada made our time at the Prince of Wales Fort NHS a rewarding experience. Their masons’ leadership and guidance was monumental for us,” MacDonald said. “I also have to commend the amazing work our team of Masonry students did on Cape Merry. It is so important to have a cohesive team working in such a remote area of the country.”
The students repointed (repaired and reapplied mortar) and stabilized the battery walls. As much as possible, they tried to use the same methods and tools as the site’s original masons would have used. There were a few nods to modern technology however, including the use of a helicopter to transport heavy equipment. While they worked, the Parks Canada masons generously shared their knowledge, taking the time to explain their processes and techniques in detail.
“I learned many things while working at Cape Merry,” said Michael Sobel, a student who was motivated to enroll in the Masonry program by his interest in historic buildings. “I learned the history of the site and its significance to Canadian history. I learned the techniques and procedures necessary for carrying out this type of project. I learned about the people of Churchill. I learned what working in this field of masonry is all about.”
“I decided to take part in this trip the minute I heard about it,” added fellow student Aaron Burke. “I love the North and an opportunity to go up there for a couple of weeks to work on something that is hundreds of years old really appealed to me…. Any extra experience that I can get is a bonus in my books. I am now much more confident at repointing. Before this, I had never worked on a masonry job site, and I have a better feel for it now.”
Now back in Perth, ON, Sobel and Burke are looking forward to their class’s final project before the program wraps up in August: repointing the Middleville Museum, which is housed in a 19th century schoolhouse in Middleville, ON. Like their classmates, these two students are both looking forward to a career with opportunities to travel to heritage locations and pursue their interest in conserving historic resources.
Brand new role, first-of-its-kind in Ontario higher education, will help Algonquin College maintain its leadership in digital technology and innovation among Ontario colleges.
(Ottawa, August 4, 2015) Algonquin College’s President believes Ottawa can become Canada’s entrepreneurship capital, and now that vision has its very own postsecondary champion.
Algonquin College announced its first ever Vice President of Digital Technologies and Innovation on Tuesday, a brand new position and the first of its kind within Ottawa postsecondaries and the Ontario college system.
Marc Fares has more than 17 years of experience in digital and corporate strategy, and has a long career of fostering innovation in the private sector. Fares will champion the culture of innovation at Algonquin College and in the broader Ottawa community.
“At Algonquin, we have done much to establish ourselves as the digital college,” says Cheryl Jensen, President of Algonquin College. “But we know that in order for us to continue to have that leading edge, we need to make smart investments in our digital future. I am confident that Marc will help inspire us to be as innovative as we can, and will help us build on our spirit of entrepreneurship.”
Fares joins Algonquin College following a successful career at Cossette Media, at Bell Canada, and at Air Canada, where he was part of the Corporate Strategy team that led the spin-off of Aeroplan as a separate company.
“As our College community moves forward and helps Ottawa become a leader in entrepreneurship and innovation, it is important to me that we have a voice leading the discussion,” says Jensen.
Fares holds his Master of Business Administration from McGill University, and has additional graduate certificates from McGill in tourism management and international business. He also holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Marketing from Concordia University.
Fares’ first day on the job will be Monday, September 14, 2015.
Hear words of wisdom from President Jensen, valedictorian Emily Robinson, Tony Pollard, Dr. Robert Cushman, Harvey Glatt, Senator Vern White, and Shirley Westeinde! Watch the videos now!
