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Algonquin College Professional Development Conference for Local Businesses


SPRING BUSINESS AND LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE UPDATE – Registrations on now! Check out the conference website for schedule, workshops, presenters, and registration details. Every year, local businesses spend thousands of dollars sending their staff to big cities like Toronto and Ottawa to access professional development training. To secure this training, they also pay big city prices. High registration fees, costly hotels, rental vehicles, per diems for meals, parking bills and other incidental costs could be avoided if more businesses bought local. Algonquin College is going to make that point in a big way when its hosts its first Professional Development Conference for area businesses on Thursday, May 28th at its Waterfront Campus in Pembroke. The college is promising a “big city” conference here at home! Deborah KimmettBy working with its Woodroffe Campus corporate training division, the College has access to some great trainers. For starters, the college has secured comedian, professional writer and change management guru Deborah Kimmett as its keynote speaker. Kimmett’s marketing title is “One Funny Lady” and she spends a lot of time on stage at conferences across North America making people laugh, while also driving home valuable messages about the importance of flexibility in the workplace in today’s high energy and demanding workplace.

Rosemarie Bugnet has built a reputation for being an expert in customer service. She’s also quite funny and uses humour to make the point that all businesses need to focus their attention on training their staff to be exceptional representatives for their brand, and that starts with anticipating and responding to customer needs. Bugnet will be one of the workshop facilitators on a day of presentations that focus on helping local businesses be smarter, more efficient and better at what they do. Chuck Doyle has been helping businesses become more efficient for almost four decades. His LEAN management workshop will help companies think about their processes and procedures that may be harming their productivity. Doyle will provide tips from things he has learned through his work with dozens of organizations. Jodi Bucholtz is primarily responsible for Algonquin College’s Waterfront Campus social media interaction. A graduate of Algonquin College’s Social Media Certificate program, Jodi has helped elevate the college’s social media presence through her work with Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other platforms. Jodi is an experienced teacher of social media best practices and is a highly engaging instructor. virgin-media-business There will be more presenters announced soon, but consider this blog as an appetizer for what is going to be a great day of learning for local business people, and a very affordable professional development opportunity. It’s also a reminder that companies don’t need to send their people out of town to find great training available at their local community college. Posted by: Jamie Bramburger, Manager of Community and Student Affairs

Celebrating Algonquin’s Iron Men and Women

It takes courage to challenge yourself to do something that most human beings would never dream of doing, but at Algonquin College there is a collection of faculty and staff that are determined to push themselves to the limit. Trekking through a 150 kilometre snow trail on a bicycle is an extreme test of cam day after finishendurance. In fact, Outdoor Adventure Technician, Cam Dube, had tried it once before when he registered in Minnesota’s Arrowhead Ultra race, but he had to drop out about 40 kilometres through because of frigid temperatures that resulted in frostbite to both his fingers and toes. He learned from that experience and was determined more than ever to complete the race, setting a goal of finishing within 30 hours. He did much better, crossing the finish line in just over 19 hours. Business, Technology and Outdoor Training Department Chair, Murray Kyte, has run a few marathons in his lifetime, but he has rarely strapped on a pair of cross country skis. When he was challenged by some friends to participate in the world famous Vassaloppet race in Sweden, he couldn’t say no. He trained for several months and completed the 90 kilometer race in just over eleven hours. Big Swim BannerWhen she was in university, Environmental Technician Coordinator, Sarah Hall, was a competitive swimmer. Winning short sprint races in a pool is very different than swimming in an ocean, but in the summer of 2014, Hall was driven to help raise money for a charity that helps critically ill children when she participated in the “Big Swim.” Hall will do it again this coming summer, as she swims the 15 kilometres across the Northumberland Strait, linking New Brunswick to Prince Edward Island. And then there is Ben Shillington, a skills instructor in the Outdoor AdventureBen Shillington - Faculty Member program, that is the ultimate warrior. Shillington has tackled the most extreme winter conditions on several expeditions including a 300 kilometer ski trek across Lake Winnipeg in the darkest days of winter. He has led an 11,000 kilometre, four-month long mountain biking expedition through Istanbul, Turkey to Beijing, China and he once biked solo across Canada in 27 days. In between expeditions, Shillington has found time to write a book on winter camping while he plans his next great adventure. There are others at Algonquin College’s Waterfront Campus who are planning personal endurance tests, prepared to face the aches and pains that come from these human challenges, but willing to do it for the personal satisfaction of knowing they have knocked one more thing off of their “bucket list.” What’s your “iron man/iron woman” story? Please share. Posted by: Jamie Bramburger, Manager of Community and Student Affairs

Rex Murphy Tells It the Way It Is at Algonquin’s Waterfront Campus

Cross Country Checkup with Rex MurphyRex Murphy is a Canadian icon, and also one of the brightest minds the country has ever produced. The popular host of CBC Radio’s weekly national call in show, Cross County Checkup, has been taking the country’s temperature for more than two decades and recently chose Algonquin College’s Waterfront Campus in Pembroke to tackle the question of whether young people were getting the education they need?

Since his university years at Memorial, Murphy has never shied away from a candid discussion on education. Another Canadian master orator, fiery Newfoundland Premier Joey Smallwood once went on television to tell Murphy, then a student council leader, to never come back to his home province after a controversial speech he had made in Quebec that questioned the Premier’s promise of free tuition for Memorial students.

Murphy called it a “sham” because of the conditions placed by the government on who was eligible for free schooling, raising the ire of Smallwood, who used his most colourful language to chastise the youngster. The public battle between the opinionated student and Newfoundland’s father of Confederation put Murphy into the national media spotlight for the first time in his life, and set the stage for a long career as one of Canada’s top political commentators.

Growing up in Newfoundland, Murphy was a gifted student, completing high school at the age of 15 by skipping two primary grades, and graduating with an English Degree from Memorial University at only 19 years of age. He reads constantly, up to eight hours a day, but it’s not his academic prowess that has made him a household name in Canada. It’s his delicious vocabulary, his quick wit, and his ability to tell it the way it is!

That’s what Murphy did during his Algonquin visit. The host cleverly interviewed several Algonquin College students, employers, parents and educators, creating a rich dialogue that essentially challenged Canada’s post-secondary system to do more to help our young people succeed in today’s competitive job market.

CBC Cross Country Checkup

He celebrated success stories when students talked about how co-operative education programs had helped them gain meaningful work experience or how employers had worked with the college to set up programming to match their labour market needs. But he also lamented the high cost of education for some students and the need to help them make the right choice, citing university students that had enrolled in college after struggling to find work in their field upon graduation.

Cross Country Checkup

Rex Murphy has done what he always does. He has started a conversation, or in this case, deepened a conversation. We are grateful he chose Algonquin College’s new Waterfront Campus in Pembroke to get Canada talking about post-secondary education.

Listen to the entire show >>

Watch Jamie Bramburger’s sit down interview with Rex Murphy

Posted by: Jamie Bramburger, Manager, Community and Student Affairs

Algonquin College Waterfront Campus Says Thank You to Community Donors

There are few things in life that are more rewarding than being part of a “game changing” project. That’s how veteran provincial politician John Yakabuski described the building of a new Algonquin College Waterfront Campus when it opened two years ago, but the project would not have gotten off the ground had it not been for the incredible generosity of the communities the college serves.

Recently, the college celebrated the conclusion of its capital campaign when it announced it had exceeded its goal of raising $2.5-million through community donations. The ceremony included the unveiling of a donor wall that captures the names of all of the individuals, businesses and organizations that helped finance the project.

Capital Campaign members in front of donor wall

Capital Campaign Members, Dawn Dube, Lisa Edmonds, Fred Blackstein, Mark Huckabone, President Cheryl Jensen, Dean Karen Davies, Marie Mask and Jamie Bramburger

The financial gifts that were received extended beyond helping pay for the bricks and mortar. There was also more than $300,000 donated for new endowments which support bursaries for students in financial need.

The building of the new campus is an incredible story of determination made possible by a community that understood the importance of having a college within its boundaries. There were many obstacles to overcome to get the project approved, particularly because very little government funding was available to help. Instead, the college turned to the community and its partners to make it happen.

A generous donation of waterfront land by the City of Pembroke was the first step. Then the Algonquin College Students’ Association stepped up with a $4-million commitment to help cover the costs of building a gymnasium and fitness centre, but in the end the donations from within the community and the enthusiasm shown for the project, is what ensured the new campus became a reality.

Dean Karen Davies, Chair Mark Huckabone and President Cheryl Jensen

Dean Karen Davies, Chair Mark Huckabone and President Cheryl Jensen.

Capital campaign Chair, Mark Huckabone, said it best, “For every enthusiastic student that attends this campus, there was an enthusiastic donor that made it happen.” That quotation is printed above the donor wall at the Waterfront Campus and is a daily reminder that the strength of colleges is how they connect to the communities they serve.

Watch the entire capital campaign touchdown ceremony and be inspired!

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

Congrats! You’ve Been Accepted to College!

There is nothing more exciting for a college applicant than receiving an offer of admission. For thousands of Ontario College applicants that news is coming soon. For most college programs, acceptance offers are made in the first week of February and when they arrive, the real big decisions need to be made.Student getting accepted

Sometimes it’s cut and dry. An applicant receives the offer of admission they were hoping for from the school they want to attend, but what happens if an applicant receives several offers and isn’t sure what one they should accept?

Deciding on what program to enroll in and what college to choose is a big task and it needs to be an informed decision. Researching the decision is paramount. Applicants need to learn as much as they can about the schools that are courting them.

The first step is to make contact with the school and book a campus tour. Talk to the staff. Connect with current students. Learn more about program graduates and what they are doing in their chosen careers. Find out as much as you can about the reputation of the college and the program you are interested in.

First impressions are important. During your campus tour you should get a sense of whether you can picture yourself as a student at the campus. Bring along a parent, spouse or friend so you have someone to talk to about the experience.

Applicants need to make sure they are paying attention to their email account and the mail that is delivered to their door. This information includes key deadlines, invitations to Open Houses, important documents concerning student services and academic areas, and much more.

Waterfront Campus Library

Algonquin College’s Waterfront Campus in Pembroke is holding a March Break Open House on Saturday, March 14th. If you have been offered admission, it would be time well spent to learn more about the campus and why it is a great place to study.

You don’t have to make a decision until May 1st. That’s when you need to confirm your offer of admission to college. You have some time to make this important decision, so make sure you use that time wisely.

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

History of Montreal Expos-Algonquin College Speaker Series

For Canadian sports fans, there are few stories that are more tragic than the Montreal Expos. Despite a 35-year existence in Major League Baseball, the team made the post-season only once, and even though the club produced some of the sports’ best talent, the finances of the game forced the team to sell off its best players leading to attendance problems and ultimately the loss of the franchise.

Expos logo

On Monday, April 6th the history of the Montreal Expos will be dissected by Jonah Keri, one of North America’s leading baseball writers. Keri, who grew up in Montreal and studied journalism at Concordia University, has recently written a book about the Expos. Entitled, “Up, Up and Away,” after the homerun call coined by long-time team broadcaster, Dave VanHorne, the book tells the story of the Expos unbelievable beginning and its sad demise.

It was Montreal Mayor Jean Drapeau’s big dreams that landed his city the World’s Fair in 1967, the Olympic Games in 1976, and Canada’s first professional baseball franchise in 1969. From the beginning, the Expos was a team built with a deck of cards, but despite its ownership, management, stadium, player and financial issues, the team persisted for more than three decades before being moved by Major League Baseball in 2005 to Washington, D.C.

The darkest days came in the fall of 1981 when Dodger pinch-hitter Rick Monday crushed Expos fans with a two-run homer in the ninth inning off of Expos ace Steve Rogers in the decisive fifth game of the National League Championship Series. That homerun prevented the Expos from advancing to their first World Series, but what happened in 1994 was even more devastating.

The Expos had the most talented team in baseball, but a players’ strike in August, wiped out the playoffs and essentially was the beginning of the end for the team. The following season, the Expos had a fire sale, trading many of their most talented players, and blowing up a club that could have been a dynasty.

Expos hat

Keri tells the Expos story beautifully, from speaking about the challenges of fielding the first Expos line-up, the struggles to secure a new stadium that never happened, and the rampant drug issues that led to several Expos players never reaching their full potential.

It is a coup to have Keri in Pembroke as part of the Algonquin College’s Speaker Series. It is one of only three cities he will visit on his Canadian book tour, the others being Toronto and Montreal. Even better, he will be in Pembroke on opening day for most Major League Baseball teams including the Toronto Blue Jays.

Tickets to hear Jonah Keri are $15 in advance and if seats are still available, $20 at the door. Keri will also have copies of his book available for purchase. For any baseball enthusiast, this Speaker Series is a must attend. Play Ball!

Posted by: Jamie Bramburger, Manager, Community & Student Affairs

The Waterfront Campus Top Ten of 2014

As we turn the page on another year, there were lots of great things to look back on in 2014 at Algonquin College’s Waterfront Campus. Here is my top ten!

# 10: College faculty giving back to great causes like Environmental Technician Coordinator, Sarah Hall, who trained for several months for the “Big Swim” across the North Humberland Straight to raise money for a recreational facility that supports critically ill children.

#9: Honouring almost 40 years of teaching by faculty icon Vivian Schutt who decided to retire. In honour of Vivian’s great career, a new award bearing her name will be given to a deserving student in the Office Administration-Executive Program.

#8: Recognizing the great work being done by students and faculty in applied research. For example, students working with community partners to take water samples from the Muskrat Lake as the community grapples with the challenges facing the watershed.

Muskrat River Watershed Project 2

#7: Terrific community support for the Waterfront Campus such as the $50,000 donation made to the college’s capital campaign by Cogeco Communications.

#6: The revival of Pembroke’s downtown, brought on by the new campus development. The best example of new business opportunities resulting from the building of the Waterfront Campus has been a new privately owned and operated student residence.

#5: A commitment made by the Waterfront Campus to train its faculty, managers and staff in Mental Health First Aid. With one in three Canadians expected to experience a mental health condition at least once in their lifetime, this training has better prepared college employees to assist students that experience a mental health crisis.

Purple couch - 5 people

#4: For this first time in its history, the Pembroke Campus hosted a national conference when rural college leaders from across the country attended the Rural Campus Symposium as part of the much larger Association of Canadian Community Colleges annual conference in Ottawa.

#3: The return of the Canadian Football League to the nation’s capital resulted in a partnership between the fledgling Ottawa Red Blacks and the Algonquin College Loggersports team. The team spent all summer at Red Blacks games performing every time the club scored a touchdown.

#2: Another record enrolment of students studying at the Waterfront Campus with more than 45 % of the 900+ students re-locating to the Pembroke area. It made for a very busy orientation at the start of the school year.

#1: The extraordinary work that our graduates do in the community. Here are two alumni that had banner years in 2014. Business graduate Jason Blaine established his own charity and raised more than $50,000 for Pembroke area worthy causes by hosting a concert and golf tournament and Outdoor Adventure alumnus Pete Schmalz gained national attention by winning CTV’s Amazing Race Canada.

Amazing Race CDA2

 

You may have other thoughts on what the top ten should have been for our campus. Please share your own top ten! Happy New Year!

Posted by Jamie Bramburger, Manager of Community and Student Affairs

A Business Worth Steeping

A number of our Business students are on the cusp of graduating and it’s Business alumni like Lisa Banville, co-owner of Tealee who inspire these soon-to-be grads to follow their dreams.

Tealee Logo

After graduating over two years ago, Lisa found she had the basic skills she needed to turn her passion into a business called Tealee.

As a result, the 24 year-old marked her tea business’s one-year anniversary in October. Tealee began when her boyfriend and now partner, Sami Devine, suggested that he could build a website for her own business. That was all Banville needed to run with her idea – tea. She now has created eight original tea blends that are sold at grocery stores around Ottawa.

Both Banville and Devine are continuing their studies with Algonquin College by working towards their Canadian Tea Sommeliers certification. The added certification should help to ease the pressures associated with importing teas from all over the world. Banville and Devine plan to venture into tea plantations and purchase directly from the growers.

Tealee Tea

Tealee has a lot of plans moving forward, including turning this part-time hobby into a full-time venture. They hope to open up a storefront in the Ottawa area in the next five to ten years.

It is success stories like Tealee that continue to foster and encourage innovation here at our Waterfront Campus.

Do you have an alumni success story? We want to hear about it!

Posted by: Jodi Bucholtz, Here 2 Help

Algonquin Remembers Them

More than 113,000 Canadian soldiers were killed during the first two World Wars and close to 1,000 more have died in the Korean War, peacekeeping missions and the most recent conflict in Afghanistan. On November 11th, ceremonies will be held across the nation as Canada pauses to remember its war dead.

Lest We Forget

Algonquin College has always had a close working relationship with the Canadian military, as the Pembroke Campus each year has many students that are directly connected to Garrison Petawawa. This includes current members of the military, retired service men and women that are transitioning to a civilian career, military spouses and dependents. The College also has several staff that are members of military families.

Ron Kinsley

In recent years, the local military community has suffered some great losses. Many of the 157 Canadians that were killed in Afghanistan were based in Petawawa. Others that served in the war torn region were badly injured or left mentally scarred by their experience overseas.

Each year the College holds its own Remembrance Day service in a moving tribute to the men and women that have served their country and paid the ultimate sacrifice. Wreaths are laid by college staff and students in remembrance of soldiers, and a World War ll and Korean veteran lights a candle, a symbol of the eternal flame that glows 365 days a year at cenotaphs across the country. At the end of the service, students and staff shake the hand of the veteran, a small gesture of appreciation to an aging man who remembers the horror of war and stands as a reminder that we must never forget.

On the 11th hour, of the 11th day, of the 11th month, Algonquin College’s Waterfront Campus will go silent. On Remembrance Day, pause to remember them.

Posted by: Jamie Bramburger, Manager, Community and Student Affairs

How to Choose a College – There’s a Method

As a high school student you are more than likely experiencing a variety of emotions right now: ExcitmentStressedBewildered

  1. Excitement – you are finally getting to spread your wings and fly. You know exactly what college and which program you are applying to.
  2. Anxiety – you feel overwhelmed by the number of choices available to you. You don’t feel as though you are in a place to know “what you want to be when you grow up.”
  3. Bewildered – Grade 12 snuck up on you and you aren’t in a position to apply to the program of your choice.

If you are getting ready to apply to college and don’t know how to choose between all your different options, you may wish to read the advice below. We’ll walk you through the things you will need to consider when choosing a school to attend!

  • Consider what you want to study. This is the most difficult part. This is essentially deciding what you want to do with your life. You can always change your mind, of course, but you will want to try to choose a school which offers the program(s) you would like to study. You can choose something you’ve always wanted to do or you start in a more flexible program like our General Arts and Science, which offers flexibility and the chance to explore of a variety of areas.
  • Consider the location – book a tour! Consider where you would like to go to school. This is a place you will be living for anywhere from 1 to 4 years! It is important to choose a location which you will be happy with. This may be a big city, or a smaller more connected campus like our Waterfront Campus. Choose a campus where you will be comfortable.
  • Find out about facilities and available resources. You will want to decide what kind of facilities and resources are important to you. Some schools provide assistive services through their Centre for Students with Disabilities, different schools have different housing options, some schools will have a gym/fitness facility, some might have health services, or any number of other services.
  • Meet with instructors. With the programs you consider, talk to the coordinator of the program which you plan on studying with. Make a list of questions. This will help you get a better view of the kinds of things you will be studying.
  • Be realistic. Understand that some programs are difficult to get into and, though it may be your dream to attend, you might not be able to get in. You can have excellent grades, but perhaps you aren’t prepared for additional admissions testing. Don’t panic. Study and prepare for additional testing, but also have a Plan B in place, perhaps you should also apply to a prep course like General Arts and Science – Pre-Health Science or make sure your have a second or third choice as part of your application.

Preparation Don’t stress too much, just put yourself in the best situation to make an informed decision. Is there a piece of advice that you wish you had been given when you were choosing your college or program? Share you thoughts. Posted by: Jodi Bucholtz, Here 2 Help