Waterfront Campus Blog

Celebrating a Great 2016 at the Waterfront Campus

A lot has happened in the past year at Algonquin College’s Waterfront Campus. That’s why it’s so tough to put together a top ten list of reflections, but here it goes…

Coming in at number 10: The introduction of an Entrepreneur-in-Residence. Chris Doré joined the campus in January and has brought forward many initiatives that are creating a more entrepreneurial spirit on campus. This includes the development of a student entrepreneurial club, the first TEDxPembroke event and the college’s sponsorship of StartUp Ottawa Valley, a grassroots network that encourage entrepreneurs throughout our region.

#9: The incredible applied research done by students in the Environmental Technician program who spent hundreds of hours tackling a complex environmental issue along the Muskrat Lake watershed in Whitewater region.

#8: The community contributions of our students and graduates. Alumnus Jason Blaine raised a record $80,000 at his third annual charity concert and golf tournament and has now been able to invest more than $200,000 in local community causes. Office Administration-Executive student Wendy Hewitt was elected as Chair of the Renfrew County District School Board trustees and students in our Bachelor of Science in Nursing program participated in a humanitarian mission in Guatemala. Just a few examples of how our students and alumni made a difference in 2016.

#7: The economic impact the Waterfront Campus is having on Pembroke’s downtown. Two privately owned and operated student residences are open and a third is under construction and will be ready for the fall 2017 intake. Several new stores have opened and many buildings that had been neglected are being invested in by developers who are helping build Pembroke’s reputation as a college community.

#6: The development of three new full-time programs that will launch in September of 2017. The new Action Sports Park Development program is the first college program of its kind in Canada, while the Urban Forestry-Arboriculture program will compliment the highly popular Forestry Technician program that has been offered at the campus for more than 45 years. The Applied Nuclear Science and Radiation Safety Diploma program has already been endorsed by Bruce Power for its future hiring needs.

#5: An inspirational visit by Canadian Olympian Melissa Bishop who captured the hearts of all Ottawa Valley residents at the summer Olympics when she just missed a medal in the 800 metre race. Bishop spoke to both students and visiting guidance counsellors during an October stop at the campus and broke news when she announced her intentions to be ready for another Olympiad in four years time.

#4: Having our Loggersports team celebrate a Grey Cup championship with the Ottawa REDBLACKS. While our athletes were prevented from attending the championship game in Toronto by the CFL, they were front and centre when 40,000 fans celebrated Ottawa’s first football title in 40 years.

#3: The hundreds of employers who provided placement and co-op experiences to our students and jobs for our graduates. Employers are critical to helping our college provide the skilled workforce that will ensure our region prospers in the future, and in 2016 our businesses were truly our greatest partners.

#2: Words to live by from former Board of Governor representative Fred Blackstein at our 2016 convocation ceremony. His six words, “Be Algonquin Proud, Make Algonquin Proud,” have become a call to action for the entire Waterfront Campus community.

#1 thing to celebrate is: Another record enrollment of students at the Waterfront Campus. With almost 1,000 full-time students studying at the campus, the college is attracting both local and out-of-town students, helping produce college graduates who can help meet the workforce needs of employers across Canada, and in some cases around the world.

2016 was a great year. We look forward to even better things in 2017 as we celebrate our 50th anniversary!

Posted by Jamie Bramburger, Manager of Community and Student Affairs

Celebrating 50th Anniversary with New Programs at Waterfront Campus

As Algonquin College prepares to celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2017, it will also launch several new programs at its Waterfront Campus.

Building on the success of its unique programs that attract students from across Canada, the campus is adding three programs to its line-up that are expected to draw students from both within Renfrew County and beyond the region’s geographical boundaries.

The most unique of these programs is the Action Sports and Park Development one year certificate program. As skateboard parks, BMX biking trails and snowboarding facilities become common place, this growing industry requires skilled workers who can build, design and maintain these extreme sport parks.

Algonquin College, Action Sports and Park Development

This is the first college program of its kind in Canada, and compliments the already very popular Outdoor Adventure program which was introduced at the campus more than 15 years ago, leading to a significant surge in the campus’s out-of-town population.

Urban Forestry-Arboriculture is also on the docket for the fall 2017 intake. This is also a one year certificate program, and while some other colleges also deliver this program, it will help the Waterfront Campus open up more opportunities for students who are looking for a career in the forestry sector. Over the past several years, the Forestry Technician program has had pent up demand, resulting in some students being placed on a wait list because all of the seats in the program were filled.

Urban Forestry - Arboriculture, Algonquin College

The third program being introduced is actually an expansion of the Radiation Safety program. The program will be renamed to Applied Nuclear Science and Radiation Safety and move from a one year certificate to a two-year diploma program, primarily to ensure the curriculum is meeting the expectations of the nuclear industry.

Bruce Power, Ontario’s largest private electricity generating company, has already endorsed the program by publicly choosing it as among a hand full of programs that it will endorse for its future workforce needs.

Applied Nuclear Science and Radiation Safety student experience

In addition to these new programs, others are changing. The Police Foundations program that has been traditionally offered as a two year diploma, will move to a compressed format allowing students to earn their college diploma in one calendar year.

The General Arts and Science Pre-Nursing and Pre-Health Sciences programs will also be getting a new name. There have also been some curriculum updates to these programs to allow them to offer enhanced pathways to college certificate and diploma programs and college and university degree programs. These changes are province wide and should be announced soon.

2017 will be a very special year of celebration for the college, and there is no way to better celebrate than by offering more programming.

Posted by Jamie Bramburger, Manager of Community and Student Affairs

Co-Curricular Opportunities Help Students Connect to their Campus

Colleges are full of energy and helping students tap into activities that are outside of their daily routine of attending classes can go a long way in enriching a student’s college experience. Unfortunately, not all students take advantage of the many enhanced learning opportunities that are presented on college campuses.

At Algonquin College’s Waterfront Campus, there is a vibrant co-curricular program that gives students an opportunity to volunteer in a structured way that allows them to capture their extra curricular activities on a transcript.

A student’s co-curricular record can be very useful when they are pursuing their first job within their field as it demonstrates to potential employers their motivation, transferable skills and dedication to supporting special projects, all things that most employers are interested in when hiring a new employee. Essentially, it gives a new graduate an advantage when trying to get their resume to the top of the pile.

In recent weeks, there have been a number of great examples of co-curricular activities on campus. These have included students participating in Pembroke’s annual Santa Claus parade, students volunteering at a very successful TEDxPembroke event, and two Outdoor Adventure Naturalist students engaging in an applied research project to develop interpretive signage for the Kiwanis Walkway, that runs next door to the Waterfront Campus.

kiwanis-way-heritage-sign-project-nov2016

Students come to college to obtain a credential and ultimately a career in the field that most interests them, but by broadening their experience to include co-curricular activities, they can expand their network of contacts, feel good about contributing to college and community activities and be rewarded for their efforts.

In a competitive labour market, having an impressive co-curricular record can make the difference in getting your career off to a great start.

Posted by Jamie Bramburger, Manager of Community and Student Affairs.

TEDxPembroke at Algonquin College’s Waterfront Campus

Have you ever been captivated by a speaker who has you hanging on every word that comes out of their mouth? There are few public speakers who have that much charisma, but when it does happen, it’s magical.

Image result for ted talks As a fan of TED Talks, I’ve had that experience. I’ve been mesmerized by thought provoking presentations by ordinary people who had a good idea to share. In a world where ideas are often discovered through digital platforms, there’s still something special about being in the same room as a speaker who has a good story to tell.

TED Talks has been inspiring millions of people around the world to share ideas, primarily in short but pointed talks intended to stimulate collaboration. These talks are delivered in front of a live audience and then shared with others through the internet.

As a non-profit organization, TED has evolved to include independently organized TEDx events that allow communities to make great ideas accessible and to spark conversation. For the first time, a TEDx event is coming to Pembroke through the efforts of Algonquin College’s entrepreneurship initiative.

On Saturday, November 12^th the College will present TEDxPembroke with seven dynamic speakers taking the stage. They will include the Chief Paramedic and Director of Emergency Services for Renfrew County, Mike Nolan and the Chief Executive Officer of Canadian Nuclear Laboratories, Mark Lesinski.

Under the theme of “Dream Big,” Lesinski will explore the potential opportunities that could come from the development of small modular nuclear reactors. Nolan will focus his presentation on innovative leadership in preventative ambulatory care for older adults.

TEDxPembroke, Algonquin College, Pembroke Campus

Mitch Kurylowicz is the founder and driving force behind Project Jenga, a non-profit organization working to promote and fund-raise for gender equality in Kenya. He will talk about how luck influences our lives and how we need to make our own luck.

Craig Gauthier is a self-proclaimed “geek” who has tried many things from film-making to writing books. The Pembroke native will focus his talk on finding your keys to success.

Dr. Duncan Stewart is the Director General of Canada’s National Research Council. His talk will be on the importance of entrepreneurship and innovation, particularly in rural regions. Two students from Algonquin’s Environmental Technician program will also speak, Aarika Charlebois and Emily Krutzelmann, both sharing personal journeys to success.

Image result for tedxpembroke During the event some popular TED Talks will also be shown. The event runs from 3 to 6 p.m. with a few tickets still remaining. The cost is approximately $35 and includes a complimentary non-alcoholic beverage and desserts. Get your tickets here >>.

Bringing a TEDx event to the college is an exciting initiative. It complements the college’s successful speaker series and also supports its efforts to inspire its students, faculty and the general public to embrace entrepreneurialism and innovative thinking. Through the sharing of great ideas and dreaming big, we can all help our region be more prosperous.

Posted by Jamie Bramburger, Manager of Community and Student Affairs

Open House at the Waterfront Campus

As the leaves change colour, it’s time for senior high school students to start thinking about their post-secondary plans. Algonquin College’s Waterfront Campus will be holding its annual Open House Career Fair on Thursday, October 6th, an opportunity for students to meet with faculty, admissions and financial aid officers to have their college questions answered.

The event is held in partnership with the College Information Program (CIP), meaning high school students can also speak with representatives from all 24 Ontario publicly funded colleges. This one-stop shopping opportunity can really help students make informed decisions on where the programs they are interested in are offered, what admission standards do they need to meet, and how much will their college education cost?

Algonquin College’s Open House is normally attended by more than 300 high school students from across Renfrew and Pontiac Counties, and some students also travel from other areas of the province to learn more about the unique programs that are offered at the Waterfront Campus. These programs include two brand new ones that are being offered for the first time in the Fall of 2017: Action Sports and Park Development; and Urban Forestry-Arboriculture.

In the past, the Open House has been a one day event, but this year it will also be offered on Wednesday, October 5th from 6:30 to 8 p.m. in the campus gymnasium. This will allow parents, younger high school students, and mature students to connect with faculty about their burning college questions. The gym will be full of interactive displays for each of the 21 full-time programs that are offered at the Waterfront Campus.

Algonquin College Student Success Specialist

Admission to both Open House events is free. Students who are attending the daytime Open House on October 6th will have access to bus transportation to get to the college. That event will run from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Applications for the Fall 2017 intake will be available soon on the Ontario College Application Service. Now is the time to start exploring your future.

Posted by Jamie Bramburger, Manager of Community and Student Affairs

Orientation Starts Early at the Waterfront Campus

In the world of post-secondary education, there really isn’t any as exciting as orientation week. Each fall, the start of the school year brings together a new group of students who are full of energy and enthusiasm, and eager to meet new people as they start their college journey.

At many colleges, orientation is the first time that students are meeting their new classmates, but at Algonquin College’s Waterfront Campus, in many cases, it’s an opportunity to connect with familiar faces. The reason is the campus has increasingly created more opportunities for students to get to know each other through pre-orientation activities such as Program Awareness Camps held each spring and Jump Start pre-academic preparation programs offered in August.

With about 50 percent of the campus student population having to re-locate to Pembroke, these early interventions have become critically important in helping students succeed. It’s the first step to ensure they are comfortable in their new surroundings.

In fact, many students and families have connected with the campus on several occasions before orientation week arrives. They have attended an Open House, taken a campus tour, or participated in a program awareness camp where students experience what their program is going to be like through interactive learning exercises led by their faculty.

Through these early connections, students have been able to stay in contact with other incoming students throughout the summer months via social media, phone calls, texting or even face-to-face meetings. When they arrive for orientation, the nervousness has subsided because they are greeted by another student who they have already gotten to know quite well.

Orientation week is packed with activities. There are free lunches, whitewater rafting trips, a pub, movie nights, yoga sessions, bubble soccer in the gymnasium, board games and a move in day BBQ for students living in residence. The social activities will continue over the next few weeks as the school year starts, and students gradually settle into their academic programs.

The value of a robust orientation program can never be questioned, but for many of our students it’s just an extension of the relationships they started building with other students several months ago. For younger students, in particular, this approach goes a long way in helping them get off to a good start at college.

Posted by Jamie Bramburger, Manager of Community and Student Affairs

JFK Assassination Series Highlights Continuing Education Fall Line Up

On November 22, 1963, three shots rang out in Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas, fatally wounding the 35th President of the United States. Now, 53 years later, students at Algonquin College’s Waterfront Campus in Pembroke will have an opportunity to delve deeper into the circumstances of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination.

Through a partnership with the Sixth Floor Museum in Dallas, the College will be offering four live webinars that will cover topics relevant to the aftermath of the most investigated murder in North American history. The classes will originate from the crime scene where Lee Harvey Oswald, a general labourer at the former Texas School Book Depository building, leaned out of a sixth floor window, took aim and fired at the President’s motorcade. Two of the shots hit the President, the last one delivering a fatal blow.

Within a few hours, police had arrested Oswald, charging him with the murder of the President and Dallas police offer. J.D. Tippit. Swarmed by reporters, the Dallas police struggled to conduct their investigation and respond to the media’s interest in Oswald. Two days after the assassination, Oswald himself was murdered by Dallas nightclub owner Jack Ruby while being transferred to a county jail.

Beginning October 20th and continuing for four consecutive Thursday evenings, staff at the Sixth Floor Museum will facilitate live webinars that will include question and answer sessions covering topics such as, what did Dallas Police find in the first 24 hours of their investigation? There is also a Living History session that will allow students to speak with John Sparks, a high school trumpet player who performed at the President’s breakfast in Fort Worth, Texas, just a few hours before the assassination in Dallas.

President Kennedy Sparks went on to become a long time Dallas and Forth Worth Television producer who always maintained an active interest in the Kennedy assassination and was instrumental in saving some original television footage of the assassination coverage, when it was in danger of being destroyed.

The JFK series will also include a session with museum curator Stephen Fagin who will hold an open forum with students, allowing them to ask questions about the museum, the conspiracy theories that continue to surround the assassination, and President Kennedy’s legacy.

What do you think happened on November 22, 1963 when President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas? Share your thoughts on this blog.

Registration for the JFK series is now open on the College website and in person by visiting the Waterfront Campus in Pembroke. Space is limited for each of the sessions.

See the full listing of Fall 2016 Night Classes available at Algonquin College’s Waterfront Campus.

Post Script: Algonquin College’s Jamie Bramburger visited the Sixth Floor Museum in July of 2016 and interviewed the Curator of Collections, Lindsey Richardson. Watch the interview here to learn more about the work of the Museum.

Posted by: Jamie Bramburger is the Manager of Community and Student Affairs at Algonquin College’s Waterfront Campus in Pembroke

Premier’s Workforce Panel Recommendations Good Fit for Colleges

It’s in the DNA of colleges to be partners with business. Since their inception in 1967, Ontario’s publicly funded colleges have had a primary focus to prepare students to fill the workforce needs of the province’s employers. They’ve done this by staying connected to industry to ensure the curriculum being taught to students is relevant and by building a huge network of partnerships with employers that allow students to gain on-the-job training while in school.

Now, a provincial panel looking into what Ontario needs to do to keep its workforce competitive has made several key recommendations. The Premier’s Highly Skilled Workforce Panel was chaired by former Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke MPP Sean Conway, who calls the panel’s work, “A matter of urgent and pressing priority driven by changing demographics and evidence that the future net growth of Ontario’s labour force will be provided through immigration.”

Here are the six key overarching recommendations made by the panel:

Building stronger partnerships between educators and employers by establishing a new Planning and Partnership Table, supported by a new Workforce Planning and Development Office within government. Employers, educators, labour, government and others would work through this table to drive solutions for skills and talent development, and for experiential learning. And Industry Tables would address mismatches between the skills that industries need and what the workplace offers
Increasing access to job market information by working with the federal government to help lead the creation of a national system to give employers and job-seekers better access to information such as where jobs exist and which skills employers will need in the future
Expanding opportunities for learning by experience by funding more placements so that every student completes at least one experiential learning opportunity before graduating from high school, and another before finishing college or university
Promoting both traditional and non-traditional career paths by increasing students’ exposure to options including the arts, science, engineering, technology, skilled trades and entrepreneurship
Investing in human capital by launching programs to support training in the workplace and encouraging large employers to share successful training programs with small and medium-sized enterprises
Closing gaps in skills and competencies by finding ways to teach and recognize the skills that students learn, such as teamwork, problem solving and entrepreneurial spirit, and by developing training programs for groups underrepresented in the workplace to allow them better access to employment opportunities.

While preparing its report, the panel visited several Ontario communities and spoke with dozens of stakeholders about the most pressing workforce needs. One of those visits was at Algonquin College’s Waterfront Campus in Pembroke where more than 25 local business and education leaders provided feedback from a rural Ontario perspective.

The benefits of building a strategy to integrate retiring military personnel into the civilian workforce was an idea that surfaced at the Pembroke session and found its way into the report. There was also a lot of discussion about the need for more support to guidance counsellors to help student transitions from high schools to post-secondary and the ongoing need to have timely data on labour market trends and opportunities. These ideas also garnered attention in the report.

During a news conference announcing the panel’s findings, Premier Kathleen Wynne stated, “The panel’s recommendations will not stay on a dusty shelf,” and Minister of Advanced Education and Skills Development, Deb Matthews, called the report “An aspirational document that provides a framework to build a truly integrated partnership that links the education system with businesses.”

There is no question that Colleges will continue to be an integral part of the government’s plans to address its workforce challenges, but the report clearly states that there is still work to do, such as the expansion of co-operative education placements for more college students.

In the final analysis, the recommendations are intended to help Ontario prosper and they place business-education partnerships at the centre of the plan. That’s good for colleges and even better for students and employers.

Read the full Building the Workforce of Tomorrow: A Shared Responsibility report >>

Read more reaction to the Panel’s Recommendations:

Posted by Jamie Bramburger, Manager of Community and Student Affairs

Summer Struggles-Deciding Whether to Apply to College

Bewildered It’s true that most college bound students have their plans in place for this fall, but that doesn’t mean it’s too late to apply to a college program. In fact, every summer there is a small panic among hundreds of students who are frantically trying to get everything in place to enroll in college.

So, why do they leave it so late? In many cases it is circumstances, but more frequently they are dealing with a stomach pit of uncertainly of what lies ahead. Many applicants are simply worried they won’t be accepted into college or they won’t be successful.

One of the great things about today’s college system is that there are plenty of supports to help students succeed, and that support starts before they actually begin their classroom studies. Through the admissions process there will be helping hands from staff who work in counselling, registration, student recruitment and financial aid.

Whether it’s taking a campus tour, having transcripts reviewed to determine whether an applicant has the necessary pre-requisites for a program, or learning about student loans and grants, a summer applicant can quickly get the answers they need to make an informed decision.

While many college programs will now be closed or wait-listed because all of the seats have been filled, there are still dozens of programs that have availability. For example, programs like Business, Office Administration-Executive, Construction Techniques and Environmental Technician at Algonquin College’s Waterfront Campus remain open to applicants.

There’s no question that having a post-secondary credential has become paramount to a person’s ability to progress in the workplace. Increasingly, employers are asking for a minimum of a college certificate or diploma as a starting point to be considered for a job posting. That reality is the primary factor that drives a person’s decision to enroll in a college program.

Colleges have always been accessible to people of all ages and educational backgrounds. Whether it’s a student coming directly from high school, a university graduate who is enrolling in college to strengthen their practical skills within their field of study, or a laid off middle age worker who is training for a new career, there are plenty of options available to students.

So, if you’ve been procrastinating about applying to college, you’re not alone. Hundreds of would-be college students are struggling with the same decision this summer. The good news is, it’s not too late!

If you would like more information you can also register for our upcoming Discovery Evening on Thursday, August 4 @ 6:30 p.m.

Posted by Jamie Bramburger, Manager of Community and Student Affairs at Algonquin College’s Waterfront Campus.

Jason Blaine Does It Again!

Jason Blaine continues to pay it forward. The Canadian Country Recording Artist and high profile Algonquin College Business program alumnus recently held his annual concert and golf tournament in Pembroke, raising a record $80,000 for local organizations in his home town.

Now into its third year, the charity has brought in a whopping $205,000, money that has supported great local causes such as the Pembroke and Area Boys and Girls Club, the capital campaign for Algonquin College’s Waterfront Campus and Mental Health First Aid training for not-for-profit organizations.

With Dallas Smith and Jason McCoy of The Roadhammers in town for the event, Blaine and “A Few Good Friends” put on a great performance at the Pembroke Memorial Centre, while also allowing themselves to be auctioned off for the following days’ golf tournament. The live auction alone brought in $30,000 and set the tone for the fundraiser which has become a signature summer social event in the city.

More than 600 people attended the concert which is intended to be an intimate night with the stars, where fans can mingle and have their photos taken with the artists, while enjoying some of the top performers in Canada’s country music industry. Pembroke native Ben Rutz, the lead fiddler in the Johnny Reid band, the Western Swing Authority and “up and coming,” the River Town Saints also took the stage.

The following morning, with only a few hours sleep, Blaine was up early to appear on the CTV Ottawa Live Morning Show to talk about his charity and to say thank you to the dozens of businesses, organizations and individuals who have supported him over the years. He then capped his day by playing a round of golf with more than 160 others before unveiling how much the event had raised.

While very few Algonquin College alumni have the profile that Jason Blaine does, we know that many are giving back to their community in special ways. We’re proud of all of our graduates and hope that Jason Blaine’s act of kindness is an inspiration. Blaine may live in Nashville, but his heart is in Pembroke and with his alma mater.

Posted by Jamie Bramburger, Manager of Community and Student Affairs

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Pembroke Campus

Waterfront Campus Blog

Celebrating a Great 2016 at the Waterfront Campus

Celebrating 50th Anniversary with New Programs at Waterfront Campus

Co-Curricular Opportunities Help Students Connect to their Campus

Open House at the Waterfront Campus

JFK Assassination Series Highlights Continuing Education Fall Line Up

Premier’s Workforce Panel Recommendations Good Fit for Colleges

Summer Struggles-Deciding Whether to Apply to College

Jason Blaine Does It Again!

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