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.
#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.
#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.
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
