Algonquin College one of the first Canadian colleges to sign on to protocol, which reaffirms the Colleges’ commitment to Indigenous education.
(Ottawa, December 3, 2014) Today, Algonquin College signed Colleges and Institutes Canada’s (CICan) historic Indigenous Education Protocol. This aspirational document reaffirms the Colleges’ commitment to Indigenous education and provides a vision of how it will strive to improve and better serve Indigenous peoples.
“With 1,000 Aboriginal students, Algonquin College is committed to providing high-quality educational opportunities that honours and respects the culture and values of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit learners,” says Cheryl Jensen, President, Algonquin College. “We are committed to helping our Aboriginal students succeed – through our Aboriginal student centre, the largest in the Ontario college system; through our support services, events, and initiatives; and through our Aboriginal Education Council.”
The Indigenous Education Protocol was developed by CICan’s Indigenous Education Committee, comprising college and institute representatives from across the provinces and territories, as well as through consultations held at the Serving Indigenous Learners and Communities Symposium in December 2013, and the CICan annual conferences in 2013 and 2014. Algonquin College is a member of CICan.
“As key providers of applied postsecondary education for Indigenous communities, colleges and institutes recognize that they have important responsibilities and obligations to Indigenous education,” says Denise Amyot, President and CEO of CICan. “This protocol will encourage our members to be even more inclusive of Indigenous cultures and even more proactive in eliminating the barriers to education that many Indigenous learners still face.”
Fast Facts
This CICan protocol has seven main points, including “Commit to making Indigenous education a priority” and “Implement intellectual and cultural traditions of Indigenous peoples through curriculum and learning approaches relevant to learners and communities.” (Read the Protocol)
Approximately 1,000 students of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit heritage study at Algonquin College.
The College actively consults with local Aboriginal communities and educational organizations about the goals and needs of indigenous learners through the College’s Aboriginal Education Council.
In 1994, Algonquin College established a General Arts & Science program in Aboriginal Studies.
Algonquin College, along with other Ottawa-Gatineau area postsecondary institutions, regularly participates in Aboriginal community activities, such as Pow Wows and an annual graduation celebration.
Galileo Galilei once said, “All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them.”
Discovering truths about how businesses operate and make decisions, and providing a map of the key information about their network of suppliers, partners, processes, lines of business, distribution channels and customers was the goal of the Galileo Interactive Business Navigator project – an Applied Research project undertaken by Algonquin College students and faculty, along with client Global Advantage Consulting Group. The project took first place at today’s Applied Research Day 12.2.
Six students and two faculty members, including Adam Jarvis from the Interactive Multimedia Developer program worked on the Interactive Business Navigator project.
Taking second place at Applied Research Day 12.2 was an eCommerce website designed for Hummingbird Chocolate Maker. The site was designed using WordPress as their main platform, and using Shopify for their new online store.
In third was MicroMetrics Customer Insight Platform, a product that allows companies to survey customers in-store, rather than sending them home with a code on their receipt to use online.
Three times a year, Algonquin College students and employees, together with industry partners and professionals, come together for Applied Research Day. These projects span a variety of programs and business sectors, and aim to solve everyday challenges faced by organizations and individuals.
Over 25 projects, were displayed in Algonquin College’s Marketplace Food Court and shown to students, faculty, and employers looking for talented future employees and collaboration opportunities. The day ended with a short award ceremony for winning projects.
Applied Research Day will kick off another round of projects in 2015.
Local media monitoring company MediaMiser has put out an infographic of the top Canadian colleges on social media – and you’ll never guess who took the top spot! Algonquin was tops in terms of Twitter mentions, with far and away the largest share of the top 10 colleges on Twitter (beating even Hamilton’s Mohawk College).
AC was just a bit behind Alberta’s NAIT in terms of retweets, but the quality of our retweets were better – blowing away the competition with our reach and followers.
Kudos to the many individuals who help make Algonquin College a social media superstar! If you’re not already following the College on Twitter, check us out @AlgonquinColleg. On Facebook it is www.facebook.com/algonquincollege.
Effective immediately, students who transfer business diploma programs from any of Ontario’s 24 colleges to any other Ontario college at the end of first or second year will not have to repeat the courses they have completed.
(Ottawa, November 25, 2014) Ontario’s 24 colleges, including Algonquin, have signed the colleges’ first-ever provincewide agreement that grants recognition for entire previous years’ credits when a student in a business diploma program transfers to the same program at another college.
“Postsecondary students who transfer to another institution shouldn’t have to repeat courses they have already completed,” says Dave Donaldson, Dean, School of Business, Algonquin College. “This new agreement will help eliminate duplication and cut costs for students.”
The agreement, announced by Colleges Ontario and the Ontario Council on Articulation and Transfer (ONCAT), applies to students in accounting, business administration, human resources and marketing programs.
This unique universal college agreement allows students to easily transfer among all college business programs across Ontario.
The agreement means that business students who transfer at the end of their first or second year will receive full credit for their completed courses. Given the high enrolment of business programs, these pathways provide additional flexibility for a significant number of students.
“Ontario’s colleges and universities continue to strengthen their systems for transferring credits among post-secondary institutions,” said Glenn Craney, the executive director of ONCAT. “We are pleased that all of the province’s 24 colleges have signed this agreement which demonstrates their high level of commitment to institutional collaboration on student mobility.”
Expanding credit-transfer options and helping students make informed decisions about their post-secondary education is a priority for the Wynne government. Ontario is investing $73.7 million toward credit-transfer improvements between 2011 and 2016.
“Our government knows a strong credit transfer system will lead to a more effective and cost-effective post-secondary education for students across the province. That’s why we continue to work with our sector partners to make Ontario’s post-secondary education system more seamless, flexible and affordable,” said Reza Moridi, Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities.
Ontario’s colleges are working to develop similar provincewide agreements for other program areas.
Students from the Schools of Health and Community Studies and Allied Health recently raised $2,619 for the Healthy Active Living and Obesity (HALO) Research Group. This amazing group associated with the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) does research, clinical and community work to try to reduce obesity rates in children and youth.
On Wednesday, November 19, over 100 students participated in a “military boot camp” in support of CHEO. Funds were raised by students from both programs through a custom-designed website developed by Algonquin College graduate Olenka Reshitnyk, Special Events and Community Engagement Officer at CHEO.
Students of the Fitness and Health Promotion program led nine different military-themed stations in a fun-filled, exhilarating forty-five minute workout. Pledges were solicited to assist the CHEO Research Institute in their fight against childhood obesity. Following the workout, Dr. Mark Tremblay, Director of Healthy Active Living and Obesity Research (HALO) at CHEO, thanked the students and inspired them as future role models for kids to become more active!
Professors Kristen Hayes of DSW and Pierre Chartier of FHP presented Dr. Tremblay with a cheque of $2,619 for the CHEO Research Institute.
Very early last Thursday morning on November 20, the 16 student members of the 2014 OCMC team awaited in the lobby of C building, ready to board a bus to make the long journey to Collingwood, Ontario to compete in a province-wide Marketing competition OCMC. Before leaving, the students received greetings and well wishes from Cheryl Jensen, President of Algonquin College, and Dave Donaldson, Dean of the School of Business. This provided the students great inspiration.
The journey to Collingwood, was much slower than planned as a result of the wind and heavy snow but, once the students arrived, the whirlwind competition began. On Thursday night, the four members of the Quizbowl team (Aaron Quinn, Benjamin Valente, Hailey Hamilton and Samantha Guyan) battled on stage within their different teams, while the rest of the Algonquin team – students and faculty – raised signs, cheered, chanted and brought on the Algonquin thunder with a BOOM!!! Thank you to the Varsity Athletic department for the thunder sticks! In the end, after almost three hours, the team with Aaron Quinn finished in fourth place and had earned Algonquin their first point of the event.
The Case competitions were scheduled to begin early Friday morning but, after a few technical difficulties, and a 60 minute and then a 90 minute delay, the event was underway. The students and coaches adjusted schedules and handled all obstacles as professionals. After almost nine hours, all students had presented and had a chance to debrief with their Algonquin coaches. It was now just a waiting game to hear the results of the day at the ceremonies in the evening.
The coaches and the staff at Algonquin College are so pleased with the 2014 OCMC team and their performance. This team produced some of the best results of the past four years.
Here is a summary of the teams that placed in the top five: (At this time, we only have the results for the teams in the top five out of the 13 participating colleges)
1) Direct Marketing – Aaron Quinn and Morgan Devries (5th place)
2) Retail Marketing – Cait Cutts and Kaitlin Hay (4th place)
3) Marketing – Faith Pickles and Joey House (3rd place)
4) Prospect Pitching – Samantha Guyan and Ian Lockhart (2nd place)
5) Quizbowl – Aaron Quinn (On a team that finished in 4th)
The entire OCMC team, coaches, Alumni and faculty are so proud of the 2014 OCMC student team. Every week since September, they have been working with their coaches for more than four hours every week training for this event. In the end, they are more knowledgeable, more confident and have developed skills that will be used next week, next month and for the rest of the careers. Thank-you team for all your hard-work and dedication.
When Algonquin College launched plans to replace more than a thousand beds at its student residence, a Waste Management employee in Ottawa helped turn the effort into a zero waste success.
The project took place while students were away for the summer break but the residence was still in use as a seasonal hotel, posing logistical challenges. Led by Sherry Stevenson, area manager, public affairs, Waste Management provided daily project management to ensure the college met its tight timelines and its zero waste goal, completing the project only a week after its July 14 start.
“This was a very big undertaking and we could not have done it without the help of Waste Management,” said Bryan Boudreau, Algonquin College facilities supervisor. “Sherry was proactive and thought of things that we would not have. Her professionalism and dedication to the college were outstanding.”
To achieve zero waste status, Stevenson and the college took a two-pronged approach to salvaging the 1,050 used mattresses, 1,050 box springs and associated metal frames.
First, they partnered with GRRO International, an organization that finds charities to accept donations of used furniture and hospital supplies. GRRO International shipped most of the college’s beds to the Dominican Republic for distribution to families living in poverty, many of whom previously slept on the floor.
“Our search for sustainable solutions for the college ended up boosting the quality of life for individuals in great need,” said Stevenson. “That’s the kind of win-win that becomes possible when we make a commitment to look beyond the landfill.”
Next, Stevenson arranged to recycle any remaining items unsuitable for re-use. Unusable metal frames went to a scrap metal facility and 518 mattresses and box springs in poor condition went to a mattress recycling facility in Laval, Quebec. Crews also placed plastic bags from the college’s new replacement mattresses into a designated compactor and sent them to Ottawa recycler Cascades Recovery Inc. This action diverted 570 kg (approximately 1,257 pounds) of plastic bagging from the landfill.
“Diversion is very important to Algonquin College,” said Boudreau. “Without the recommendations from Waste Management, all these mattresses would have otherwise ended up in the landfill.”
PHOTO (l-r) Mike Pershaw, Andreas Alvarez, Bryan Boudreau, all from Algonguin College, WM’s Sherry Stevenson, and the college’s Doug Batten and Charles McMillan.
This story originally appeared in Waste Management’s employee newsletter.
Their work might entertain you, teach you something, or even save your life – and on November 24, they will be recognized for their achievements at the Colleges Ontario Premier’s Awards. Banner, L-R: Jerry Popowich, Cat Baron, Eli Fathi, Frank Demizio, Shawn Hickey, Trent Correy.
Where can a college education take you? Just about anywhere, it would seem.
Trent Correy can attest to that. In 2009 he graduated from Algonquin College’s Animation program. It took him four years to get into a talent development program at Disney, but when he finally did – beating out 1,300 of his peers – he received a job offer and began work on a little movie you might have heard of called Frozen.
While Trent’s Algonquin College education took him to California, Shawn Hickey’s took him right around the world. Shawn, President of Site Cast Construction Corporation, graduated from the Architectural Technology program in 1988. Since then, he has travelled the world showing local labour forces how to use the technique to build stronger, less expensive homes and buildings.
Building on that theme of Algonquin College graduates helping those right around the world is Frank Demizio. Frank – owner of HRI Healthcare Consulting and 1978 graduate of Respiratory Therapy – has worked from Canada to Dubai to improve not only the treatment of the patients under his care, but also the healthcare systems he’s helped manage and shape.
Of course, many Algonquin College graduates choose to work and live in the Ottawa Valley and become local success stories.
Entrepreneurs like Eli Fathi, Co-founder and Co-CEO Fluidware Corporation and 1976 graduate of Electronics Engineering Technology, has had an impact right in our own backyard, supporting organizations like the Community Foundation of Ottawa and Citizens Academy. For five years, Eli also organized the Corporate and Community Social Responsibility (CCSR) conference held at Algonquin College, bringing together speakers from around the world to celebrate and encourage social innovation.
There are also graduates like Cat Baron, who graduated from the College’s Community and Justice Services program in 1998 and now coordinates that same program! After graduating from Algonquin, Cat worked with homeless and at-risk youth, women fleeing abuse, and teens entering the justice system, providing support, counselling, and sex education services. She’s worked with United Way, the Wabano Centre for Aboriginal Health, the Elizabeth Fry Society of Ottawa (where she served as president for four years), and she founded the Community Adult Justice Network of Ottawa.
And of course there are graduates who pursue great opportunities elsewhere, and then return to our great city. Jerry Popowich, the Executive Vice President of Creative Affairs for Ottawa’s Mercury Filmworks, has worked on a number of projects including The Simpsons, Woody Woodpecker, and Mickey Mouse to name a few. Jerry is another proud Animation graduate, from the class of 1992.
Each of these six excellent individuals have been nominated for Premier’s Awards – an annual awards program organized by Colleges Ontario. The awards will be given out Monday, November 24 beginning at 7:30 p.m. in Toronto. There are six categories, and each of Ontario’s 24 colleges are eligible to nominate a graduate in each category.
As part of Global Entrepreneurship Week at Algonquin College, students will compete in an entrepreneurship tournament to either get “rich” or have fun trying.
Date of event: Thursday, November 20 in the AC Hub, Ottawa campus (Registration)
Students, faculty, community partners and the general public are invited to experience TRACTION, an entrepreneurship simulation game recently featured in Forbes magazine.
The game, developed at and through a collaboration with Algonquin College Applied Research & Innovation, enables participants to develop their entrepreneurial skills in creating a start up company through two phases of pre- and post-revenue.
Students will have the opportunity to compete with and against successful real world serial entrepreneurs. Participants will have a chance to win great prizes, including a dinner and consultation with leading serial entrepreneurs, Starbucks gift cards and more!
Over the course of Global Entrepreneurship Week, students will get to:
“We are thrilled to support Global Entrepreneurship Week and the many entrepreneurial activities going on across the College, ” says Cheryl Jensen, President, Algonquin College. “We believe exposing students – across all of our programs and faculties – to the skills and knowledge they need to become successful entrepreneurs and graduates will enhance the economic prosperity of our community.”
“We gather today at Algonquin College to honour the memory of our parents, grandparents, friends and relatives who gave of themselves in wartime, so that we could live in peace. It is thanks to their courage that we are able to live freely and enjoy all the wonderful benefits of living in Canada.”
With these words, Students’ Association President Christina Miller began the Woodroffe campus Remembrance Day ceremony. Joined by hundreds of students and employees, along with Canadian Forces veterans Mr. Maurice Lavoie and Mr. Ted Lawson, numerous members of the School of Military Mapping, and many others, the College came together for a solemn moment of silence recognizing the sacrifices of thousands of Canadians in conflicts around the world and close to home.
“This year, we are especially mindful of the bravery of our fallen soldiers as we reflect on the tragic events of the past few weeks,” added Miller. “Today we honor the memories of Corporal Nathan Cirillo and Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent, as well as pay tribute to the heroic actions of our first responders and front line staff who continually work to keep us safe.”
Following the introductory remarks, there were four wreaths laid – one was laid by President Cheryl Jensen, on behalf of College employees. The second was laid by nursing students on behalf of Canadian nurses in wartime. The third was placed by Geomatics student Sapper Sebastien Renaud, on behalf of Algonquin College students. Finally, Jason Kicknosway, a Chippewa-Ojibway from Walpole Island and a current College student, laid a wreath in honour of all Aboriginal veterans, past and present.
When Algonquin College launched plans to replace more than a thousand beds at its student residence, a Waste Management employee in Ottawa helped turn the effort into a zero waste success.
