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Board of Governors |
| Minutes - Meeting 395 | |
DRAFT BOARD OF GOVERNORS MINUTES OF MEETING NUMBER THREE HUNDRED NINETY-FIVE OF THE BOARD OF GOVERNORS OF ALGONQUIN COLLEGE, WHICH WAS HELD ON MONDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2004 AT 5:00 P.M. IN THE ROSSER BOARD ROOM, "C" BUILDING, WOODROFFE CAMPUS Present: Mr. Mike Keller, Chair
Regrets: Mr. Ric Cameron
Vice Presidents seated at the table: Mr. John Hamilton, Finance and Administration Resource Personnel and Observers:
Wendy McMonagle The Chair called the meeting to order at 5:01 p.m., welcomed all in attendance and acknowledged Governors Bryce and Mawani were attending today's meeting via teleconference. While waiting for one more Governor to arrive to achieve quorum, it was agreed to proceed with the non-action items on the agenda.
None declared. 04-02 REPORT OF THE CHAIR In addition to the President and other Algonquin staff, Governors Bell, Georgopoulos, McIntyre and Saifi will attend the 2004 ACAATO Conference to be held in Kingston February 22nd and 23rd. Nominees and Recipients of the 2003 Premier's Awards will be honoured at a Gala Dinner. Algonquin College graduate, Susan Taylor-Schmaltz, a missionary in early childhood education at The Dreamer Center of Antiqua, Guatemala, is the recipient of the Community Services Award. This is the fifth Premier's Award that the College has won in the past six years. The International Women's Week Dinner will be held on Thursday, March 4th in the Woodroffe Cafeteria beginning at 6:00 p.m. The guest speaker will be Patricia den Boer, publisher of Executive Women. Tickets to the event are $20. Members wishing to attend were requested to contact the Board Office to arrange for ticket purchase. Information on the 2004 ACCC Conference to be held in Saskatoon, May 30th to June 1st was on the table. Governors interested in attending this Conference were requested to advise the Board Office as soon as possible so that the College can take advantage of the early registration fee. As is the practice, the Board will send up to five delegates. In the event that more than five Governors wish to attend, preference will be given to those Governors who have yet to attend an ACCC Conference. 04-03 REPORT OF THE PRESIDENT The President reported on the following: 04-04 DECISION ITEMS AND REPORTS Program Approval Process Under New College Charter Members had in their dossiers a document prepared by R. Hanson to apprise the governors of changes brought about in the program approval process as a result of the new College Charter. Mrs. Hanson spoke to the document, attached to the minutes as Appendix "A", which provided an overview on how the process has evolved to date. The Ministry has discovered that a great deal of work remains before colleges can assume the responsibility for program approval. As a result, a working group was formed with representatives from the colleges and the Ministry working together to implement the deregulation of program approval . The group was established to update the credential framework for the college system and to submit a proposal for the creation of a self-regulating system for colleges. This self-regulating system is to provide the system with greater levels of responsibility for ensuring quality and consistency of program offerings within the credential framework. Until the self-regulating mechanism is ready to be implemented, during the transition phase, the Ministry will continue to approve all aspects of new programs of instruction and modifications. Members questioned if this process is one of the reasons that the Ministry is concerned about the level of training received by governors. It was felt that the program approval process should be dictated by the Ministry to ensure conformity across the province. The President reminded members that the initial intent of the Charter was to allow more autonomy for the colleges but it has not turned out that way. The College system is trying to ensure they have conformity by putting in place a measurement system for credentials. It is not the Ministry's intent to take away the ability of the colleges to bring programs forward. The intent was to constitute what the program content should be and meets the breadth of the courses that should be in the program. There is also a strong movement by the Ministry regarding the transferability of credits to allow for movement between colleges. In response to a query regarding increased liability for governors as a result of the new program approval process, R. Hanson responded that it would not change as the College's quality assurance process would remain intact. Quorum having been achieved, the regular agenda was resumed.
RESOLUTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY
None. 04-04 DECISION ITEMS AND REPORTS (cont'd) 2004-05 Tuition and Ancillary Fees Mrs. Deborah Rowan-Legg, Registrar, led members through the proposed fees schedules for the upcoming year which had been distributed in the dossiers. In accordance with Ministry direction, tuition fees for Ministry-Approved programs have been frozen at the 2003-04 rate. There is relatively little change in the schedules presented from last year with the exception of: In response to a query as to the possible recovery of credit card costs for tuition payments which has risen considerably , Mr. Hamilton responded that this is viewed as a normal cost of doing business today and is a service that we provide to our students. The President remarked that the College should commend its students for the new $60.00 Student Priority Fee. This fee, which was approved by the Students' Association Board of Directors, after consultation with the student body through class representatives, is a measure of good faith and an acknowledgment of the College's need for assistance and the realization that we are unable to continue to provide all services given the $7 million shortfall that we are facing going into the budget process. The College will work with the Students' Association to see what their priorities are for the fees paid. It was agreed that a letter should be sent to the Students' Association under the signature of the Chair, on behalf of the Board of Governors, to acknowledge receipt of and appreciation for the new Student Priority Fee. RESOLUTION that the Board of Governors approve the 2004-05 fees schedules as outlined in the documentation provided. CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY Algonquin College Foundation Board of Directors The President spoke to a memorandum on the table recommending the appointments of Directors for the Foundation Board as follows: RESOLUTION that the Board of Governors approve the appointments as detailed in the report provided. CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY Third Quarter Review Mr. Hamilton indicated that while usually the majority of changes take place at mid-year, last year, significant demands were placed on contingency at third quarter. As a result, the College had increased contingency substantially in anticipation of this happening again and since it hasn't continued at the same rate this year, reductions of close to a quarter of a million dollars have been made leaving us quite comfortable going into year end. Major changes occurred at ACERRA in the first two quarters due to the reduction in government contracts for elearning. This business has risen quite substantially once again for the third quarter with ACERRA booking more business in this quarter than in the previous two. Members were reminded that the revenue process for ACERRA is quite different from the College causing for a delay from two to five months from the time business is booked and delivered and when it can be realized as revenue. Management is confident that the business is improving and although at one point layoffs were being considered, they are now so busy that extra staff may have to be hired to meet demand. A shortfall will be experienced this year which is expected to be made up for next year. Contingency funds for the College remain untouched and the deficit to target of $342,000 is expected to be taken care of by year end. In response to a question concerning the sale of the Rideau Campus, Mr. Hamilton responded that a conditional agreement is in place with an extension granted to obtain approval for zoning. It is moving forward; however, given the length of time it usually takes for zoning issues, it may take longer than originally anticipated. In response to a question concerning the costs incurred by the College for sustaining the Kanata property for a possible building site, Mr. Hamilton responded that the only costs incurred are for interest on the bank loan. Update on Funding Advocacy and 2004/05 Budget This item was covered under the President's Report. 04-07 MANAGEMENT SUMMARY REPORT In response to a request by Governor Wilson to provide members with an update on negotiations concerning Access Copyright as part of the next management summary report from the Academic area, the President responded that this matter is under review as part of this year's budget process and a decision will be made at the conclusion of that process. The cost of moving to Access would be approximately $110,000 per year. Access to materials with other institutions and our applied degree programs may require us to change our processes. A further report will be brought to the Board once the review is complete as part of the budget process. Governor Bhindi stated how pleased he was to learn of the training workshops on cross-cultural issues and working with diverse clients being offered by Counselling Services. Governor Wilson asked for an update on current negotiations around developing a safer crosswalk between the College and the Baseline Transit Station as it is a very unsafe situation for our students and staff who use it on a daily basis. J. Hamilton responded that this matter is also of great concern to the College and that extensive discussions are continuing with the City of Ottawa to resolve the situation. Governor Kreling confirmed that the proposals prepared by the College are being reviewed by several areas including the City Manager, the General Manager of Corporate Services and representatives from Police Services and while there has been some movement, with Council currently in capital budget discussions, a decision has yet to be made. Members were assured that the issue of safety is of utmost concern to all parties involved. Governor Holzman noted that there were 3,530 courses on the Blackboard Server for the Winter 2004 term and wondered what the College's goal is for the number of courses to be delivered in this manner. R. Hanson responded that currently we are close to 12% of programs being delivered via Blackboard with the goal of moving to 15% in the next academic year. Governor Holzman asked what the total liability would be if all eligible employees requested to buy back pensionable service as noted on page 7 of the report. J. Hamilton responded that the College could cover these amounts under contingency as the persons eligible for the buyback privilege continues to decline. The complete written Management Summary is attached as Appendix "B" to these minutes. 04-08 INFORMATION ITEMS The following items have been received and are available from the Board Office upon request: Directives 2003-D-2 Group Insurance Benefits - Premium Rate Adjustments Academic, Support Staff and Administrative Staff Groups - Effective February 1, 2004 2003-D-3 Support Staff - Implementation of the Memorandum of Settlement 2003-D-4 Penalty for Late Remittance of Premiums to Sun Life - Effective February 1, 2004 December 4, 2003 Approval to reactive the Office Administration-General program December 11, 2003 Funding parameters for the Bachelor of Applied Arts (Interior Design) December 12, 2003 Release of Police Foundations Program Standard January 5, 2004 Approval to modify the Registered Practical Nurse - Refresher program by the increasing the program hours to 418 04-09 OTHER BUSINESS At the suggestion of Governor Holzman, members were encouraged to return their used dossiers to the Board office for recycling. There being no other items of business, adjournment was moved at 6:05 p.m.
PURPOSE: This document is to apprise the Board of Governors of changes brought about in the program approval process as a result of the new College charter. BACKGROUND With the proclamation of the Ontario Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology Act, 2002, authority to approve programs of instruction offered by colleges of applied arts and technology is transferred from the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities to the college boards of governors. To support this process, the Ministry released to the college system a Binding Policy Directive on Framework for Programs of Instruction (Credential Framework) which came into effect on April 1, 2003. It became quickly apparent to the Ministry that a considerable amount of work was required before colleges could assume the responsibility for program approval. As the Ministry and the colleges needed to work closely together to implement the deregulation of program approval, a Working Group with members from the Coordinating Committee of Vice-Presidents Academic (CCVPA) and from the Colleges Branch, Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities (MTCU) was established to update the credential framework for the college system and to submit a proposal for the creation of a self-regulating system for colleges. This self-regulating system is to provide the system with greater levels of responsibility for ensuring quality and consistency of program offerings within the credential framework. The first step involved the development of a ‘Credential Framework” to reflect the range of programs which Ontario’s CAATs are mandated to deliver. Following broad consultation on this framework, the Committee of Presidents approved the credential framework in April 2003. The Credential Framework establishes seven credentials the colleges are allowed to grant and defines various elements of each credential such as the breadth and depth of the curriculum, the duration of the program, the admission requirements.
The second step was to propose a ‘Self Regulating Mechanism’ within which the colleges would assume responsibility for program approval. The concept of a Self-Regulatory Mechanism (SRM) approved by the Committee of Presidents is comprised of two components: the college Boards of Governors, through their respective program approval procedures, and a system-based Credentials Validation Service (CVS). The establishment of the CVS is proceeding and hopefully it will be in place by the Fall 2004. We have begun to review our internal processes for program approval to ensure they comply with the Credential Framework. Once completed, we will seek your advice on the information the Board will require to review and approve new programs. Another prerequisite of the Charter in granting greater autonomy to the colleges to govern their own programs is quality assurance. The Ministry documentation has outlined two elements of this expectation: quality assurance at the individual college level and a self regulating process at the system level. On the recommendation of the working group and supported by the College Committee of Vice Presidents Academic (CCVPA), the Committee of Presidents have supported the development of a model for program quality assurance for the colleges. Work on the model is proceeding on a quality assurance model for the system and hopefully the work will be completed by June. The self-regulating mechanism, including Board of Governors approval of programs, is to become effective at a date to be confirmed by the Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities when the Committee of Presidents advises that the self-regulating mechanism is ready to be implemented. During the transition phase, the Ministry will continue to approve all aspects of new programs of instruction and modifications. RECOMMENDATION That this Report be received. R.
Hanson APPENDIX B
MANAGEMENT SUMMARY TO THE VICE PRESIDENT ACADEMIC School
of Academic Advancement and Languages School of
Advanced Technology School of
Health and Community Studies School of
Transportation and Building Trades Algonquin
College in the Ottawa Valley Elearning Blackboard has performed well for the start of classes, and the hardware and software changes performed by ITS during the Christmas period appear to have been effective. As of January 21st, there were 3,530 courses on the Blackboard Server for the Winter 2004 term. This represents a higher utilization when compared to the Fall 2003 term. Community
Activity Donations General Motors Canada donated a 2003 Cadillac SRX sport utility vehicle to the School of Transportation and Building Trades. The vehicle, to be used for training apprentices in the ASEP GM program, has a retail value of about $50,000. VICE-PRESIDENT, FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION COLLEGE ANCILLARY SERVICES Food
and Beverage Operations FINANCE
AND ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES PHYSICAL RESOURCES Automotive Training Facility (Stage 2 of the above-noted project) The design includes two labs, a classroom and faculty offices, technical library, reception and display area, meeting room, student lounge and a large multi-purpose training area for automotive repair, truck repair, body repair and painting. The foundation has been poured, the structural steel is 75% complete and the construction is 90% tendered. Facilities Operations and Maintenance Services REGISTRAR’S OFFICE Registration Statistics, 2003 Fall With regard to registration in Continuing Education, the 2003 Fall Term closed with total registrations of 17,771 (95.4% of projection) as compared to 17,646 registrations in 2002 Fall. For the 2004 Winter Term, as at January 16, Continuing Education registrations stood at 13,214 (78.7% of projection), as compared to 14,101 at the same time last year. Registration in 2004 Winter is ongoing and continues throughout the term. International Admissions VICE-PRESIDENT
STUDENT LIFE AND HUMAN RESOURCES On January 10th, the Resident Advisors attended a one-day training session. The morning session was facilitated by Marc Duval, Counsellor, covered the difficult topic of Self-Inflicted Violence. The afternoon session was facilitated by Louise Logue, Intervention Coordinator, Ottawa Police Department and covered the issue of Chemical Drugs, Date Rape and Drug-Facilitated Sexual Assault. A second Resident Advisor Training session was held on January 24th and was facilitated by Audrey Rosa, Intercultural Counsellor, Counselling Services. Audrey covered the topic of RAs working with international students. All new class representatives were invited to The Class Representative/Program Council Orientation Session on January 29th. Students received a warm welcome from the Vice-President, Student Life and Human Resources and were given some training on Program Councils and their responsibilities as class representatives. Students also received information on all services offered by the Students’ Association as well as Student Services. Students were then led in mock Program Council session to help prepare them for their roles on their individual Program Councils. Parents’ Preview was held on Monday, December 15, 2003. An invitation was sent to all parents who had children, 21 years of age or younger, registered as new students for the January intake. An advertisement was also placed in the Ottawa Citizen welcoming anyone who may be interested in attending Algonquin College in the future. Approximately 100 participants attended this information session and tours. Campus Preview took place on Tuesday, December 16, 2003. Approximately 170 students attended this event and received information on our services and were also given a tour of the campus. Students were able to receive their ID Cards and/or bus passes. The Student Affairs and Orientation Office welcomed students and staff back for a new semester with a full week of events. On Monday morning, they were greeted with hot chocolate and donut holes. The following three days of welcoming events were held in the Observatory in collaboration with the Students’ Association. Employment Services Joanne McDonald, Employer Relations Officer, and Carol Ann McGahern attended the Ontario College Career Educator Joint Regional meeting in Toronto in December. Staff from the Rimrock Resort Hotel interviewed students and graduates from the hospitality program over a two-day period on January 6 and 7, 2004. Positions were available for summer students and for graduate interns. Joanne McDonald met with Clarica on Friday, January 16 to discuss on campus recruitment strategies for students with a finance, accounting and/or insurance interest. She also toured their new location near the Dow’s Lake Pavillion. A first time Canadian Forces Mini Job Fair was held on campus in Salon A on January 15th. Eight different military units were represented. Students were hired for jobs in culinary management, nursing, electronics, computers, and other areas. Counselling
Services Carl Daniel has been hired as an Academic and Career Information Specialist. His primary responsibility will be to assist prospective students in selecting appropriate academic programs. This has been proven to be a very significant factor in student retention and reducing attrition. As well, he will be assisting in the area of Diversity Training and sensitizing staff to cross cultural issues. Audrey Rosa and Carl Daniel provided two training workshops on cross-cultural issues and working with diverse clients. One workshop was provided for front-line Registration staff and the other was provided for Residence Advisors as part of their ongoing training. Mary Ann Hansen and Jeff Agate provided a training workshop to Human Resources front line staff on effectively responding to staff that are in distress. Diane Melanson has been seconded on a two day per week basis to work on an applied research project regarding apprenticeship programs. The project was contracted to the School of Transportation and Building Trades by the Ottawa Carleton Research Institute (OCRI). Kimberly Smith-Spencer has been elected President of the Ontario Native Educational Counsellors Association (ONECA). Centre
for Students with Disabilities Representatives from the Paul Menton Centre at Carleton University and The Centre for Students with Disabilities met with the Ottawa-Carleton Catholic School Board to plan the Adopt-A-School and SAIL programs for learning disabled students. These are transition programs for high school students who are planning to attend college or university and are funded by the Learning Opportunities Task Force. A similar meeting is scheduled to take place with the Ottawa-Carleton District Public School Board on January 26, 2004. Dr. Karima Lacene has become the post-secondary liaison on the board of the Learning Disabilities Association of Ottawa-Carleton. The Dr. John Burton Award was hosted by Algonquin College this year. The joint recipients of the award are a student from Carleton University and an Algonquin student, who is a student in the C.E. Palliative Care program. The award recognizes students with disabilities who have made significant contributions towards equality, awareness and integration of students with disabilities in their institution and the community. Dr. Burton worked with students with disabilities at Carleton and Algonquin and taught in the faculty of education at the University of Ottawa. FINANCIAL AID The National Student Loan Service Centre (the loan service provider) was available on campus for a total of 4 weeks in January to assist students in their loan negotiation process. On January 26 and January 29, Financial Aid employees staffed the Financial Management Booth on money matters set up at various locations on campus. HUMAN
RESOURCES Compensation and Benefits We received our data from Heath Lambert for the demutualization exercise on December 19th, 2003. We have met with ITS to identify the data that they are able to provide to reduce as much as possible manual research and data entry. Essentially, we are looking at providing information regarding employees and retirees who were covered by any of the life insurance's in Jan 1998, the activity of said employees from then to present as well as a snapshot of all current employees. We will be providing contact information for any employees who have left the college and are therefore entitled to a lump sum payment. We are planning on having all of the data back to Heath Lambert by the end of February. We have already provided some of the current data which will enable Health Lambert to determine the start date and length of time for the life insurance premium holiday. The proposed increases in CAAT Pension Premiums to 9.1% and 7.3% were confirmed and preparations were made to put the change into effect for January 1, 2004. This information was posted on our web site and links were set up to assist staff looking for additional information regarding the increase. We received D-memos notifying us of the new premium increases for all groups effective Feb. 1/04. All 1100 active staff, as well as approx. 350 off pay/retirees received notification in one form or another. The notices were sent out to advise staff and retirees of the upcoming changes The Support Staff ratified their agreement and we received official notification on December 19, 2003. Our HR web page will be updated with the new information ASAP. New CAAT rates were implemented as of January 1, 2004. The Support Staff rate increases were in place for the pay of January 16, 2004 and the retroactive payments due (from Sept. 1/03) were completed for the last pay of January. OPSEU 415 and 416: Seniority and Probation lists for both groups Academic (including partial load) and Support Staff were posted as per the Collective Agreements. The lists are posted outside HR and are also available on-line through myAlgonquin using the link “Seniority Lists” found on the HR web page for easy viewing by staff. On January 7, 2004 eligible employees received information regarding purchasing pensionable service. Employees enrolled in the pension plan before January 1, 2002 can buy back past service under the old buy back rules until December 31, 2004. To date, we have 85 employee requests to review their pension history to see if they qualify. This could be very expensive for the College due to the fact that "Pre-Enrolment" service is cost shared with the college. HR PD Session: On Jan.9/04, HR employees attended a half day workshop titled "Responding to Individuals in Distress". Our facilitators, Mary-Ann Hansen and Jeff Agate from Counselling provided excellent information to our group. It also opened up the communication flow between our two departments which was extremely beneficial to many of the participants. In the month of December Human Resources issued 2 LTD packages (one support staff member and one academic). In January, 4 LTD applications were issued. All of these have been for academic employees. We currently have 33 support staff, 34 academic staff, and 2 administrators in receipt of LTD benefits. There are 5 pending LTD claims for academic staff and 1 support staff. The New Year has brought about a new series of request for pension estimates. We have already provided 7 employees with pension estimates. Requested estimates are for retirements ranging from this year to 2 years from now. We are still quite active in assisting employees with modified work opportunities. There are currently several employees benefiting from modified work ranging from hours reduction to accommodation for space and a variety of different activities. Employee Services As we move ahead, a Recruitment Officer has been hired, and joined the Recruitment Team on January 26th. He is a welcome asset and will bring a wealth of experience to help the Staffing area as we move forward in accomplishing the challenges and changes required to meet our objectives for the department and the College The re-starting of the bi-weekly HR/Pay Workgroup Committee meetings has resulted in opening the lines of communication between the various stakeholders in the system (ITS/Finance/HRS). A College-wide HRIS security audit has been undertaken. The intent is to implement higher standards in the responsible access and use of employee personal information. The audit will lend itself well to the development of standardized policies and procedures for system use. The HRS website continues to also be an excellent communication tool and resource for HRS and the College community. We have increased the amount of communication that is done through My Algonquin, and have begun to move towards the exchange of information via electronic means, as opposed to traditional methods – a trend that will continue strongly in 2004. STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT GROUP Business Development Division Algonquin Alumni AssociationThe Algonquin College Alumni has recognized the funding pressures of the College and has made the decision to include fundraising as a major part of their many initiatives. This support is reflected in Alumnet (Winter 2004) which devotes much of the content to fundraising and the new Algonquin College Foundation. Algonquin College Foundation A Foundation logo has been designed and communication materials are now being printed. The tag line for the Foundation will be “Expanding Horizons Together.” The Foundation has joined the Ottawa Estate Planning Council, the Canadian Centre for Philanthropy, the Association of Fundraising Professionals and the Canadian Association of Gift Planners. The
Foundation will follow the Donor Pyramid of Giving which will include: Telemarketing: A Student Calling Program is being initiated in February, 2004 to reach out to alumni from the Dental Hygiene, Business Administration (Marketing), Public Relations and Computing Sciences. Students from these programs will be calling alumni from the designated programs to ask for a donation, and to gather the names of past alumni not already in data base. This activity follows closely on the mailing of the “Foundation-focused” Alumnet magazine. Research is being conducted to capture the names of Algonquin College alumni from 1967 onwards. At this time, the database is essentially compiled of graduates from 1990. A special project is being planned to locate and engage alumni who graduated between 1967 and 1990. MAJOR
GIFTS Performance Management Institute Association Police
and Public Safety Institute Association of Fundraising Professionals Educational Seminar INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION CENTRE International student marketing and recruitment activities are continuing with more emphasis on adding to the variety of activities conducted overseas. Two of our recruiters visiting South East Asia and Mexico will be attending education fairs. At the same time they will also be conducting several other activities including 1) visiting high schools to give presentations on the college, 2) joining radio live shows to talk about Algonquin and answer student questions on air, 3) advertising seminars and giving presentations to parents and potential students, 4) conducting enrollment competitions where “early bird” applicants have the opportunity to win a reduced fee in registering at the college, and 5) using local marketing firms to print posters and post cards to send to educational institutions in that country. A cooperative marketing agreement has also been arrived at between the College and the Lakeshore Catholic District School Board. The two partners will display each others signage and promotional materials in international markets. International students can then be offered a smooth transition from secondary schools into our post secondary institutions. The International website is being revised by a group of Interactive Multimedia students. The aim of the revision is to streamline the site, make it more legible as well as more informative while updating the graphics and layout. One additional feature will be an online student application form. In the project area, we have been informed by ACCC that our PDF proposal to conduct an inception visit assessing community needs in Goa, India has been approved. Similarly a $20,000 sum has been allocated to us to establish twinning activities with Agnell Politechnic in Goa. The activities will involve the School of Health Sciences and Community Studies. The Zanzibar project in which we are one of the partners of the Hickling Consortium of Colleges has also been given the approval to start by the African Development Bank. It is anticipated that Linda Cooke will start her assignment there in April 2004. Linda will be involved in training related to skills development and curriculum design. One other project in which the College is mentioned as a potential partner is entitled Capacity Development Through Continuing Education: Empowering Minority Women in Sichuan Province, China. This proposal was submitted to CIDA by CBIE. Initial indications are that it is on its way to receiving CIDA approval shortly. The International Education Centre has a good track record working in this particular province in China in an on-going program, the READ program. The knowledge and expertise gained through this experience can be valuable assets in working in the new endeavour. Student services have been enhanced in 2003/2004 through the creation of a welcoming student services area in the International Education Office. The small renovated lounge allows a student to sit and read while waiting for personalized service. The Center is continuing its work on conducting student focus group meetings to receive feedback on their experiences related to their educational programs and the services they receive. Social and educational activities are also being organized for international students. A highly successful Christmas party was organized by the Centre’s staff on December 5, 2003. More than 120 students attended. A Valentine’s Day party will take place at the Observatory on February 12th. A series of informative presentations designed for international students will be starting shortly. The first of these will be an International Income Tax Service presentation to be given in April. The staff of the Centre have participated in several conferences during December and January. The Director attended the Ontario Colleges International Committee meeting at Humber College on December 5, 2003. Two college representatives attended the Canadian Council of Second Language Conference in Montreal on January 28-30, 2004. MARKETING 2. Throughout December and January, the team has made several presentations in different high school career classes and grade 10 classes, as well as set up one-day info booths at the University of Ottawa, Carleton University, and Rideau Shopping Centre. 3. With the beginning of the new semester, the recruiters have extended an invitation to representatives from each of Algonquin’s Schools to come share any new information related to their programs. Algonquin
Productions 2. Algonquin Productions produced five hundred mini business card style promotional CD-Roms for distribution by the College Marketing Group and The International Education Centre. 3. Additional photographic stills were taken of the Heritage Institute in early January. These stills will be included in the Institute’s promotional video being produced by Algonquin Productions and due to be completed by the end of the month. 4. Preliminary tests have started on new techniques designed to streamline the production process of the program monographs, both in print and on the web. Marketing 2. A radio campaign aired January 6th to the 10th to promote registration for winter Continuing Education courses. 3. The College hosted an Open House on Tuesday, January 13th to promote full-time programs for the fall. All Schools participated and set up displays to promote each of their programs. Feedback for the event was extremely positive and attendance was estimated at approximately 1,200 people. PUBLIC RELATIONS and COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT Government Relations: Public Relations:
Community Relations: Capital Educators Awards: OttawaReads: Kiwanis Bed Race:
Media Relations Media Hits: The following are Algonquin College news stories appearing in the media between November 25, 2003, and January 26, 2004: The College received 126 media hits during this period and 326 media hits since April 1, 2003.
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