Algonquin College students took home five medals from the annual Skills Ontario competition – among them, Carpentry gold medalist Matthew Scharf. He will be competing against Canada’s best next month in Saskatoon.
(Ottawa, May 12, 2015) May is a time both to celebrate and to prepare for Algonquin College Carpentry Apprentice Matthew Scharf. Scharf recently took home a gold medal in Carpentry at the Ontario Technology Skills Competition (OTSC), and has earned the right to compete nationally at Skills Canada National Competition in Saskatoon on May 27 – 30.
“We’re proud of all students and apprentices who competed on behalf of Algonquin College at the Ontario Technology Skills Competition,” says Cheryl Jensen, President of Algonquin College and Past Chair of Skills Canada – Ontario. “This important competition demonstrates the value of applied learning and gives those attending college a chance to test their skills against their peers before entering the job market. Algonquin historically does well at this competition, and we look forward to seeing Matthew’s performance at the national level. A job well done!”
“I am really proud of how things turned out with the competition,” adds Scharf. “I think I had a different approach than the other students and it certainly seemed to pay off in the end. Now I have to switch gears and focus on the Nationals.”
Of the 19 entrants from Algonquin College, five came away from the competition with medals in various streams:
Matthew Scharf – Gold in Carpentry
Matt Polson – Silver in Cabinetmaking
Jordan Biggs – Silver in Truck & Coach Mechanic
Mitch Rosborough – Bronze in Truck & Coach Mechanic
Kelly Johnson – Silver in Culinary Arts
Scharf is one of 40 students moving on from the Ontario-level competition to the National competition at the end of May.
The OTSC is Canada’s largest skilled trades competition, and one of the largest competitions of its kind in North America. With over 67 contests and 2,000 high school, college, and apprenticeship-level competitors, OTSC draws in over 20,000 spectators each year.
Algonquin College previously won the 2013 Carpentry OSTC competition – that apprentice, Cody Malloch, also went on to compete nationally at Skills Canada. He won that competition, and then competed in the 2013 WorldSkills international competition.
Ten-time Ontario award winning newspaper receives national recognition.
(Ottawa, May 1, 2015) Two programs of the Algonquin College School of Media and Design –Journalism and Advertising and Marketing Communications Management – received national recognition recently when the campus newspaper, the Algonquin Times, was awarded top rank for Outstanding Campus Newspaper by the Canadian Community Newspapers Association (CCNA).
This is the first time the nearly 30 year-old Times has been recognized nationally for its content and design excellence, although it has placed first in the Ontario Community Newspapers Association (OCNA) competition 10 times – most recently in 2011 and 2012. Last year, the Algonquin Times placed second overall provincially, and is once again shortlisted in multiple categories for the 2015 Ontario Awards.
The Times is entirely produced by the students of the Journalism and Advertising programs as part the programs’ hands-on curriculum. Publication is primarily funded through advertising sales with limited support from the Algonquin Students Association. The Algonquin Times is truly a collaborative initiative where Advertising students sell, design and produce the paper’s ads, while Journalism students write the stories, take photos and layout the paper during their classes. Students from both programs also work together to produce the online and mobile editions of the paper.
CCNA judges submissions from campuses across the country and evaluates the newspapers’ content including story quality, photography, advertising and layout. Algonquin won based on reviews of April 2014 and September 2014 issues, both of which were produced by the Journalism 2015 graduating class in collaboration with two cohorts of advertising students. Participating students are proud of their accomplishment and honoured to be acknowledged.
Says Michael Robinson, Editor of the Algonquin Times from September to December 2014, and who will graduate this June, “2014 was an incredible year for the Algonquin Times with an incredibly diverse set of stories, striking photography and pristine layout. This win is not only reflective of the strength of Algonquin College¹s journalism programming, but also speaks to the formidability and expert advice provided by faculty who supported us every step of the way as we assembled this award-winning campus newspaper.” Robinson is currently completing a work placement at the Thunder Bay Chronicle Journal as a general assignment reporter.
Robinson’s sentiments are echoed by Stefanie Wlotzki, Ad Manager (September 2014) – Advertising and Marketing Communications Program: “It’s a testament not only to the hard work, high standards and dedication put forth by our peers at the Algonquin Times but also to the strength of Algonquin College – a place where students are given the opportunity to learn first-hand through real world experience….”
“What a way for the class of 2015 to finish off their time here at Algonquin,” said Journalism program coordinator Joe Banks. “They can now say they worked as a team to produce the country’s best campus newspaper.”
“Through collaboration, hard work and excellent mentorship, the students in the program have achieved the highest honour possible,” stated Robyn Heaton, Dean, School of Media and Design. “I am delighted for their success. They so deserve this national recognition for their outstanding efforts.”
Cheryl Jensen, President of Algonquin College, echoed Ms. Heaton’s comments: “The School of Media and Design has continually proven its worth with the number of CCNA and OCNA awards it has won. The award is a testament to our belief in hands-on applied education. The national award is the pinnacle of achievement in student journalism and advertising. We at Algonquin College are truly proud of the students and professors in this program.”
Representatives from the Times will collect their hardware for both provincial and national wins at the CCNA Annual Gala taking place in Toronto on May 22, 2015.
Congratulations to all of those nominated for the Ottawa Business Journal 2015 40 Under 40. This year’s list includes a number of Algonquin College graduates and research partners, such as Aydin Mirzaee andBrandon Waselnuk, and employee Rebecca Trueman, Chair of Applied Science and Environmental Technology.
Algonquin College receives over $650,000 in support of a Harm Reduction strategy to enable the development of a campus wide, comprehensive Harm Reduction Strategy related to drug and alcohol use.
Algonquin College students are giving their school an A-.
2015 Key Performance Indicator (KPI) data, released today by Colleges Ontario, has Algonquin College leading all large Ontario colleges in the student satisfaction metric. The College’s score of 80.2 also beat the provincial average of 76.2 by a wide margin.
“We are pleased with this result, which reaffirms that we are on the right track to fulfilling our mission of transforming students’ hopes and dreams into lifelong success”, says Cheryl Jensen, President, Algonquin College. “With that said, we know we can build on that A-. My commitment to Algonquin College students is that we will work hard to keep our grades up.”
The KPI data is collected from students through a mandatory in-class annual survey each February. Students are asked to rate their satisfaction with their program outcomes, the quality of learning experiences, the quality of services, the quality of facilities and resources, and their overall satisfaction – where Algonquin placed first among large colleges for the fifth straight year.
Please note Colleges Ontario discourages direct college-to-college comparisons because college size, local employment conditions, program mix and graduate demographics are different for each market.
April 16, 2015 – A group of Algonquin College students and professors have been working on Boardspace, an online app to help boards of directors complete administrative tasks more efficiently. Their hard work and time has paid off, as they won best stand-alone project award at Applied Research Day 13.0 on April 10, 2015.
“The Boardspace App helps everybody get organized,” said Chris Elliott, Principal Investigator for the Boardspace project. “We find this software works very well for boards of directors or boards of governors, but it is also effective for a wide range of companies.”
Other winners from Applied Research Day 13.0 were:
Best ARI In-Class Project: Automated Epoxy Application & Curing System. Mechanical Engineering Technology students, in partnership with GasTOPS Ltd, developed a production oven that automates a complex manufacturing process.
Best ARI Voucher for E-business (VEB) Project: BarnDoor Productions: Website Modernization. The project team developed a modern website for BarnDoor Productions/Full Circle Theatre, focused on branding and marketing principles to attract a new generation of theatre goers.
Best Algonquin General Project: Improving workplace environments within hospitals to improve the physical and mental health of healthcare professionals. Healthcare professionals are often left out of health care design. This project recommended design changes that could alleviate stress and strain that healthcare workers experience each day.
Applied Research Day, hosted by the Office of Applied Research and Innovation, is held three times a year at Algonquin College. The event highlights leading edge applied research being conducted at the College in collaboration with industry, institutional and community partners. 120 projects were on display on April 10.
Executive Director, Partnerships and Applied Research thanks representatives from the federal government for their support of Algonquin College’s Construction Research Centre. L-R: Mark Hoddenbagh, Minister Pierre Poilievre, MP Royal Galipeau, and Denise Amyot, CEO, Colleges and Institutes Canada.
The Honourable Minister of State (Science and Technology), Ed Holder, joined by David Sweet, Member of Parliament for Ancaster—Dundas—Flamborough—Westdale, today announced over $40 million in grants to colleges across Canada to support applied research and development activities with industry, including $2.3 million over five years for Algonquin College’s Construction Research Centre.
The funding announced today was awarded through the College and Community Innovation (CCI) Program and the College Industry Innovation Fund (CIIF) Program.
The 38 projects funded through this $40 million announcement will create jobs and opportunities in key areas including manufacturing, green buildings and mobile technology, while training the next generation of highly skilled Canadians. Colleges also received support to purchase specialized research equipment.
Quotes
“Our government’s providing record investments necessary to push the boundaries of knowledge, create jobs, and improve the quality of life of Canadians. Our government is committed to creating the conditions that will allow entrepreneurship to thrive in this country. The collaboration between colleges and local industrial partners generates new products and ideas, creating long-term prosperity for the benefit of all Canadians.” —The Honourable Ed Holder Minister of State (Science and Technology)
“Applied research connects the skills and knowledge of our students and faculty with local businesses to strengthen our local economy. This grant will support those continued partnerships. We thank the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada for their support and look forward to the exciting learning opportunities ahead.” —Dr. Mark Hoddenbagh
Executive Director, Partnerships and Applied Research, Algonquin College
“NSERC is proud to support applied research and technology transfer work at Canada’s community colleges. Building college research capacities to help businesses innovate will create economic growth, and train the next generation of researchers and entrepreneurs. From building specialized equipment to developing new research centres, the College and Community Innovation program supports world-class research and innovation in communities all across the country.” —Dr. B. Mario Pinto
President, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
“In today’s competitive, global marketplace, businesses are now benefiting from having access to state-of-the-art facilities and exceptional research expertise available to them in colleges across the country. The Canada Foundation for Innovation’s College Industry Innovation Fund helps ensure that colleges can position themselves as valuable business research and innovation partners for the benefit of all Canadians.” —Dr. Gilles Patry
President and CEO, Canada Foundation for Innovation
The presidents of Carleton University and Algonquin College and their leadership teams today signed a memorandum of understanding that will benefit students by strengthening pathways between the university and college.
The Transfer Credit Agreement outlines new areas of partnership between the two schools and fosters increased collaboration in program delivery, credit transfer, applied research and entrepreneurship.
The three-year agreement will:
Seek opportunities to develop new collaborative degree or other program offerings that will mutually benefit the respective institutions and their students.
Expand and, where possible, improve on student credit transfer pathways.
Seek opportunities for students to collaborate in applied research or entrepreneurship.
Facts:
Twenty-eight new transfer credit agreements will make it easier for more Algonquin students to attend Carleton.
The focus is on ensuring students receive credit for what they’ve learned and don’t have to repeat it.
The new agreements include one to the Bachelor of Commerce, Accounting (direct entry to third year) and 27 agreements to Carleton BA programs from various Algonquin disciplines, including Museum Studies, Broadcasting – Television, Community and Justice Services, and many others.
Quotes:
“This agreement provides a collaborative model supporting our students in achieving their individual goals while serving the Province of Ontario.’’ Carleton President Roseann Runte O’Reilly
“We know student mobility is important to the Ontario government, and it is important to us at Algonquin College. We are excited by this opportunity to work together and provide more education options to students in our region.” Algonquin President Cheryl Jensen
Once you’re done your study, adding your Algonquin College education is just a click away.
(Ottawa, March 11, 2015) Getting a postsecondary credential is hard work. Adding it to LinkedIn doesn’t have to be.
Algonquin College is proud to be the first Canadian post-secondary institution to take part in a LinkedIn pilot project. The project gives current Algonquin College students and alumni the opportunity to add all of their educational information to their LinkedIn profile with just a click of a button.
“Our mission at the College is to transform hopes and dreams into lifelong career success,” says Eric Hollebone, Director of Marketing and Recruitment at Algonquin College. “This initiative encourages our students and graduates to be proud of what they have accomplished, and helps them make the most of it as they head out into the working world. It is one more tool in our graduates’ kit to help get them to their new career.”
This new LinkedIn feature builds on Algonquin’s reputation as a leader in the social media space – the College was named a top Canadian College on social media by Ottawa firm MediaMiser last year.
Clicking the new “Add to profile” button is an easy way for students and alumni to add their Algonquin College information to the Education section of their LinkedIn profile and become a member of the Algonquin College group. If they are not already an existing member, the button allows students to sign up for LinkedIn more easily.
LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional social network, and is widely used by recruiters, hiring managers, and professionals in hundreds of different industries to search for qualified job candidates. Users with education listed in their profile get seven times more views, and get contacted fifteen times more for opportunities.
Algonquin College is the 2014-15 postsecondary winner of annual Spread the Net Student Challenge, raising the most money to buy bed nets for African families.
With over $13,000 raised, Algonquin College students have once again won the national Spread the Net Student Challenge, defeating all postsecondary challengers.
The announcement was made on Tuesday night’s Rick Mercer Report. The win means Rick Mercer will once again return to Algonquin College to tape a portion of his season finale.
In the past three years, Algonquin College students and employees have raised nearly $64,000 to purchase bed nets for African families through the Student Challenge. This is the third straight first place finish for Algonquin College.
For every $10 raised, Plan Canada purchases a bed net for an African family – protecting them from mosquitos infected with malaria. This means the Algonquin College community has helped protect over 6,400 families through this initiative.
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