News

TV Broadcasting students release their annual holiday video, featuring Canadian Guide Dogs for the Blind dogs in training paying a special visit to Algonquin College students and employees.

(Ottawa, December 11, 2014) It can be a little ‘ruff’ this time of year, being a student.

The perfect winter remedy for that? Taking a ‘paws’ for a surprise visit from Santa and a group of young guide dogs in training! Broadcasting – Television students teamed up with the Canadian Guide Dogs for the Blind and students from the Police Foundations program to help de-stress students before exams.

Watch the dogs in action as part of the TV Broadcasting program’s annual holiday video.

Recently, about 40 first year students in the Advertising and Marketing Communications Management program got a behind-the-scenes look at the new TD Place and Lansdowne Park. The tour was hosted by members of the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group (OSEG), the students’ client for their major project in their marketing class. For five years the first year “adkids” have worked with the 67’s, and now OSEG, on this project which has become known as the Ottawa 67s marketing face-off.

This year the students were taken out on the field so see the new TD place from the field, and then were led to the media room where they were given a presentation by John Mathers, Vice President of Marketing and Ticket Sales for OSEG ,who shared his views on the challenges the organization has faced as it has grown and evolved.

After being provided with a presentation and a Q&A session from the client, the students took in a 67’s game, and then worked in groups to prepare marketing plans to help the client achieve specific goals. Then, on December 2 and 3, the students present their work and creative concepts to the client.

Congratulations to Taryn Albert, Corynn Mountain, Raven Salter, Rosaly Welsh, Chris Burt, and Zoe Easton – part of the first winning team! And the second winning team included Ryan Byberg, Courtney Franks, Monique Jones, Adrianna Hickey, Wes Theoret, and Nicole Meier!

In recognition of the students’ hard work, Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group presented the winning group in each section with Ottawa 67’s jerseys, vouchers for game tickets and concession vouchers to each group member. The first runner up group in each section also received ticket vouchers to take in an upcoming 67’s game.

“It’s been a real win-win…” says Steve Jenkins, the course instructor. “The client receives innovative ideas and a fresh perspective on their marketing efforts while the students benefit from the experience of working with and presenting to a local prominent client.”

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.

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 (5^th place)

2) Retail Marketing – Cait Cutts and Kaitlin Hay (4^th place)

3) Marketing – Faith Pickles and Joey House (3^rd place)

4) Prospect Pitching – Samantha Guyan and Ian Lockhart (2^nd place)

5) Quizbowl – Aaron Quinn (On a team that finished in 4^th)

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.

Please also join me in recognizing and thanking our sponsors. Without their generous support and contributions none of this would be possible.

–Jim Neubauer and Erin Sparks

Co-coaches of OCMC 2014

OCMC Team: (Overall Team Leaders – Erin Sparks and Jim Neubauer)

Quizbowl Team: (Each member is placed on a different team comprised of four different Colleges)

Aaron Quinn (Finished in 4^th place)
Benjamin Valente
Hailey Hamilton
Samantha Guyan

(Coaches: Renay Dixon and Charmaine Akiwenzie)

Case Competitions:

Direct Marketing: Aaron Quinn, Morgan Devries (Coach: Jill Baker) (Finished in 5^th place)
Entrepreneurship: Kristy Fortin, Miranda Moffatt (Coaches: Harpreet Singh, Charmaine Akiwenzie, Jim Neubauer)
Integrated Marketing Communications: Madeha Irshad, Huda Syed (Coaches: Noni Stukel, Erin Sparks)
International Marketing: Hailey Hamilton, Kaitlin Hay (Coaches: John Hennessy and Norm Hotchkiss)
Marketing: Faith Pickles, Joey House (Coaches: Jeremy McQuigge, Erin Sparks) (Finished in 3^rd place)
Marketing Research: Emily Robinson, Benjamin Valente (Coach: Marg O’Brien)
Retail: Cait Cutts, Kaitlin Hay (Coaches: Cheryl Dowell, Nick Mele) (Finished in 4^th place)
Prospect Pitching: Ian Lockhart, Samantha Guyan (Coaches: Bill Garbarino, Jim Neubauer) (Finished in 2^nd place)

Individual Events:

Job Interview: Huda Syed (Coach: Ian Anderson)
Sales Presentation: Scott Fawcett (Coach: Wendy Threader)

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.

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This story originally appeared in Waste Management’s employee newsletter.