Algonquin College Waterfront Campus

Parents’ & Families’ Newsletter Summer Edition

Algonquin College Students

We hope that you are enjoying the warm summer evenings and taking some time to relax because the fall semester is right around the corner! Whether your student is a new first-year student at our Waterfront Campus, or a returning student eager to come back to the shores of the Ottawa River, our fall semester is going to be jam-packed with learning and community building activities!

Take a moment to have a look at our Events Calendar! It features recent activities, as well as upcoming opportunities for students and their families.

Our dedicated Parents’ and Families website features links to blogs, interesting articles written by our Student Services staff, and a calendar that notes some important upcoming dates.

Our goal is to keep you informed. While we respect the privacy of our students, the information we will provide in this newsletter will give you a good sense of what is happening on campus throughout the year and will provide you with enough information to have engaging conversations with your student.

Text

Advantage Week Orientation – An opportunity to start the academic year off right!

Before classes start on September 4, 2018 encourage your student to participate in their orientation activities. Orientation for full-time, first-year Fall students at the Pembroke Campus includes two important steps: Advantage Days (Step 1) and AC Day 1 (Step 2).

Both new and returning students are invited to join us for fun events and activities that will help them get to know:

  • Their new college campus
  • Their faculty and staff
  • Their new community
  • Their fellow students!

Our Orientation website is a one-stop portal to all you and your student need to know to get ready for school this fall. Be sure to explore the activities and events, FAQs, and 10 things to know about Algonquin’s Pembroke Campus too.

We also offer an orientation for parents and guardians! Learn more about these sessions >>

If your student is moving to Pembroke from out-of-town, plan on joining us for our FREE move-in day BBQ on Thursday, August 30. Register for the Move-in BBQ here >>

Before orientation, there are a few things your student should know:

  1. Reminder: Algonquin College is a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) College which means that all students are required to have a mobile computing device that meets the technical specifications outlined by their program. The program specific details can be found on our BYOD site >>. It is also recommended that students bring their computing device to their Advantage Day in order to get their technology in place.
  2. Some of our programs require placement documentation prior to the start of college for first-year students. These programs include Early Childhood Education, Personal Support Worker, Practical Nursing and Social Service Worker. The documentation requirements can be found on each of the program pages, but for convenience, we have embedded a link in the program names listed above. The documentation deadline was August 3, so a check-in might be beneficial to your student.

This information has also been shared with all students!

We might be small, but our Support Services are mighty!

Our Waterfront Campus has an extensive number of student support services that might be appropriate for your student including:

Our Student Success Specialist, Shelly Waplington, will be your student’s GPS for student services – guiding them along the path most appropriate to support their success.

A full list of our Support Services can be found here >>

International Students @ Waterfront Campus

Did you know, we have a growing international student population at our campus. Meet Mayowa who is from Nigeria and is currently studying in our Bachelor of Science in Nursing program.

5 Quick Tips to Help Your Student During Their First Month at College

  1. Keep in touch! Quick texts or phone calls to ask how things are going will help you get a feel for how they are adjusting to college life and their program of study.
  2. Know what’s happening on campus. Follow the Waterfront Campus on social media so you can have an enriched conversation with them when they call. We’re on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Flickr and SnapChat (@ACWaterfront)
  3. Send them an inspirational card, perhaps with a photo from home. Nothing says you care like a traditional card that arrives in the mail.
  4. Help them manage their budget. Managing money may be new to them, so don’t be afraid to ask how they are financially. Our Financial Aid Officers are also available to help guide students who are new to managing their own finances.
  5. Coach your student into applying for our bursaries. Registered students can apply for all bursaries administered by Algonquin College through submitting one application. We even build the application process into our Advantage Days Orientation! Here is the step-by-step on how to apply >>

Upcoming Activities That Support Transitioning To College

  1. Thrive @ AC, August 22 – August 29: This series of workshops will help you to thrive at the Pembroke Campus and be prepared for your studies. Learn more about Thrive @ AC >>
  2. The Mature Student Success Workshop is a FREE day-long workshop for students who have been away from education for a few years. Learn more about this workshop on Thursday, Aug. 23 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. >>
  3. Strategic Learning in the College Environment (SLICE) Conference, is a FREE summer transition program offered to individuals with disabilities entering first-year studies at Algonquin College. Learn more about the SLICE Conference on Friday, Aug. 24 from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. >>

Encourage your student to come meet your CAL staff and learn about the support, resources, and services that are available to them as they transition to a college environment.

Dental and Health Coverage

If you have dental and health coverage for your student, your student can opt-out of the college’s insurance plan. However, this must be done within the first few weeks of classes. Withdrawing from the insurance program is easy. Your student just has to go onto the insurance plan website and complete a form. The money that was paid to the college for the insurance plan will then be reimbursed into their bank account.

Have your student visit wespeakstudent.com and complete the opt-out form.

Events on Campus

Fall Games Day

On Friday, Sept. 7 starting @ 2 p.m. Algonquin Administration, Faculty, and Staff will be ready to welcome all first-year and returning Pembroke Waterfront Campus students to the most exhilarating cross-campus orientation event – the Fall Orientation Games!

Students can wrap up their first week of studies with:

  • All kinds of sports including ultimate Frisbee, softball, mini-putt golf and more – all sports are co-ed
  • Carnival activities including buskers, cotton candy, and a free BBQ
  • 5 KM Just for Fun Walk or Run
  • Great prizes to be won including free groceries, gift cards, movie passes and much more

Students can get in on some CFL Action! Ottawa RedBlacks vs. Edmonton Eskimos, Saturday, Sept. 22, 2018

Did you know our Varsity Loggersports Team has a great partnership with the Ottawa RedBlacks football team? Our varsity members and their coach attend each home game in Ottawa and put on quite the show when a touchdown is scored. Our students have an opportunity to attend Ottawa RedBlacks vs. the Edmonton Eskimos game:

  • Saturday, Sept. 22 – Bus leaves the Waterfront Campus at 1 p.m.
  • $20 ticket includes bus transportation to the game
  • Students can stop by the Students’ Association office in Room 100 during Advantage Days orientation to purchase tickets or purchase online!

Thank you for reading our newsletter for parents and families. We welcome your feedback.

Thank you for being part of your young adult’s post-secondary journey.
Jamie Bramburger
Manager of Community and Student Affairs
Algonquin College Waterfront Campus, Pembroke, ON.
PM-Parents@algonquincollege.com

Entrepreneurship Growing at Waterfront Campus

It has been just over a year since the Waterfront Campus became the first regional college campus in Ontario to hire an entrepreneur-in-residence, and the move has clearly paid off. The entrepreneurial spirit is alive and wChris Dore with arms crossed and smiling at cameraell at the campus and has been producing great results.

Since Chris Doré came on board in January of 2016, several initiatives have been launched to create more opportunities for students and faculty to engage in entrepreneurship. For example, a new general education course focused on entrepreneurship was launched a few weeks ago and is getting great reviews from students. The interactive course teaches students the various steps needed to successfully launch their own business, and also introduces them to entrepreneurial terms such as start ups, venture capital, social enterprise and more.

Speaking of start ups, Startup Ottawa Valley was recently launched under the Startup CaStart up Canada Logonada umbrella. Startup Canada is a grassroots efforts to encourage and support more entrepreneurs nation wide. Within the Ottawa Valley, several champions have been identified who will create networking and mentoring opportunities for new entrepreneurs, who can also access all of the tools and resources available through Startup Canada such as grants, pitch events and professional development.

The first TedxPembroke event was held at the Waterfront Campus last fall and brought together 7 speakers who shared innovative ideas that were both inspiring and engaging. There is nothing more entrepreneurial than a Tedx event which purposefully uses the spoken word to start deeper conversations to spark crTedX Pembrokeeative ideas. The College intends to offer more Tedx events in the future given that the first one sold out and was very well received by the community.

The true test of the college’s efforts is the success of its students and graduates to become entrepreneurs. Our confidence was given a great boost recently when first year Outdoor Adventure student, Brennan Lemieux, won first prize at the Wolves’ Den competition at Algonquin’s Ottawa Campus. Lemieux was the only competitor from the Waterfront Campus and took home $1,000 for his impressive presentation to the judges on Outdoor Adventure student, Brennan Lemieux, won first prize at the Wolves' Den competitionhis plans to launch a digital logbook for outdoor adventure leaders.

We know there will be more success stories in the future as we turn the Waterfront Campus into an entrepreneurial hub for our students, employees and the greater community. Exciting times indeed!

 

Posted by Jamie Bramburger, Manager of Community and Student Affairs

Waterfront Campus to Honour Great Canadian Paul Martin Senior at Convocation Ceremony

When Paul Martin Sr. rose in the House of Commons on February 24, 1937 to encourage the federal government to provide scholarships to outstanding students who could not afford to attend post-secondary education, he was reflecting on his own experiences growing up in a low income family in Pembroke.

The future Liberal cabinet minister had attended several higher education institutes including some of the most prestigious schools in the world, but none of those experiences would have happened without the generosity of others.

Paul Martin Sr.Martin’s original plans were to become a Priest and he received help through the Pembroke Diocese of the Catholic Church to pay tuition at a school in Gatineau, Quebec. While studying in Gatineau, he remained enthralled with the happenings at near-by Parliament Hill, where he climbed a tree to watch the funeral procession for one of his early political heroes, Sir Wilfrid Laurier. He had left home at only 15 years of age and by his late teenage years, he knew politics was where he wanted to be.

As a stepping stone to public life, Martin pursued a law degree by first studying at St. Michael’s College on his road to Osgoode Hall in Toronto. His interest in international matters led him to Harvard University in Boston and then Trinity College in Cambridge, England. When he returned to Canada, his quest to enter politics continued as he became involved with the Liberal party, making valuable connections across the country.

After an unsuccessful provincial election bid in his hometown, Martin settled in Windsor where he went on to win ten consecutive elections leading to a 33-year career in the House of Commons.

Paul Martin Sr.Best known for his work as Minister of Health and Wellness, Martin is widely credited along with Tommy Douglas as the fathers of universal health care in Canada. He also initiated the introduction of mandatory polio vaccinations for children, a move that saved thousands of lives. Martin and his son, the future Prime Minister, both suffered from polio as children, and he was determined to eradicate the disease.

Martin’s first cabinet post came ten years after he was elected when he became Canada’s Secretary of State. He was well respected at the United Nations and was a major influence to Canadian social policy following the second World War, advocating programs such as unemployment insurance, a minimum wage and the right of workers to unionize. After voluntarily leaving politics, he joined the senate as the government house leader and finished his political career as the High Commissioner to the United Kingdom.

Paul Martin Sr. was a great Canadian. He served under four Prime Ministers, and while he never had the opportunity to lead his country as its highest elected official, he arguably made some of the greatest contributions to our country though his work as a senior Liberal Cabinet minister.

On June 16, 2017, Algonquin College will pay tribute to his legacy through the posthumous awarding of an Honorary Degree to Paul Martin Senior. The Degree will be accepted by Canada’s 21st Prime Minister Paul Martin Jr., who is deeply touched by the college’s efforts. “This all the more so because of my Dad’s earliest initiative following his fist election in 1935 was to table a resolution in parliament, advocating more student aid which, as he said in his memoirs, reflected ‘my own experience as a boy whose parents could not afford to pay for his education.'”

All graduation ceremonies are special, but given the fact that Canada is celebrating its 150th birthday and the college is marking its 50th anniversary, listening to the address by the former Prime Minister will be a wonderful opportunity for all of the graduates and a life experience that will stick with them long after they leave Algonquin College.

The convocation ceremony will begin at 1 p.m. The ceremony is open to the public.

(Posted by Jamie Bramburger, Manager of Community and Student Affairs)

Spring Conference Delivers Great Professional Development Opportunity

Jim Kyte played a tough brand of hockey, but it’s not surprising he lasted 17 years in professional hockey, considering the obstacles he had to overcome. The NHL’s first deaf player will share his incredible story as the keynote speaker at Algonquin College’s annual Spring Business Leadership Conference on May 25, 2017 at the Waterfront Campus in Pembroke.

Jim Kyte, Keynote Speaker at Spring Business and Leadership Conference, Algonquin College, PembrokeNow into its third year, the conference provides great value to small town businesses in Eastern Ontario by providing high quality professional development opportunities at a very reasonable cost. In its first year, the conference attracted more than 60 people. That number jumped to more than 90 registrants last year, and this spring the College expects the conference to exceed more than 100 attendees, based on the positive feedback it has received on the conference.

Built on a theme of bringing a “big city” conference to the Ottawa Valley, the line-up includes several workshop presenters who have participated in larger conferences in places like Toronto, Ottawa and Kingston. The line-up is supplemented with the continuing education faculty from the Waterfront Campus, providing an opportunity to showcase the high quality trainers the College has available locally.

Amongst the presenters this year is Doug Wotherspoon, Algonquin College’s Vice-President of Innovation and Strategy, who will provide tips on how businesses can build a sustainable competitive strategy. Wotherspoon will introduce his audience to the “playing to win” model, a simple framework that looks to ask five integrated questions to help businesses think ahead and align their company for sustainable success.

Sylvie Rimbach is a human behaviour strategist who will focus her workshop on being a courageous leader in today’s competitive landscape. Rimbach’s session will explore the power and influence leaders have, turning leadership into a verb, not a noun.

Katie Tollis-Flabbi, Spring Business and Leadership Conference, Algonquin College, Pembroke

Katie Tollis-Flabbi is a young entrepreneur with a passion for marketing. As a business owner and part-time faculty member at the Waterfront Campus, Tollis-Flabbi will share six practical and easy marketing steps for a small business. The goal is to share ideas that won’t break the bank, but will generate revenue and much needed exposure for a small business with a limited marketing budget.

Two of the sessions will focus on the pending labour market shortage being driven by an aging population. Angela Hoyt is the President of Evolution Group and for the past 19 years she has helped organizations manage performance. Her session promises to provide the audience with tools they can use to attract the right employees at a time when they will be hard to find.

Chela Breckon is the Coordinator of the Local Immigration Partnership program in Renfrew and Lanark County. A passionate advocate for immigration in rural regions, Breckon will help business leaders build a welcoming strategy that will support their efforts to attract newcomers to their workplace.

There are also workshops on social media and public and media relations, areas that are evolving but becoming increasingly important for businesses and organizations of all sizes. The keynote address by Jim Kyte, lunch and a refreshment/networking break, an after conference social and the awarding of a business innovation award are all part of the conference.

Early bird registration rates for the conference are in place until March 31st and businesses that send three employees will receive a fourth registration free. At $199, plus HST, (early bird rate) the conference is very affordable and for most attendees will not require any additional expenses for overnight accommodation, travel or meal expenses.

The Spring Business Leadership conference has been designed to support small and medium sized businesses in both the private and public sectors. Given its growth since being launched in 2015, it appears it has hit the mark.

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

 

Co-Curricular Opportunities Help Students Connect to their Campus

Colleges are full of energy and helping students tap into activities that are outside of their daily routine of attending classes can go a long way in enriching a student’s college experience. Unfortunately, not all students take advantage of the many enhanced learning opportunities that are presented on college campuses.

At Algonquin College’s Waterfront Campus, there is a vibrant co-curricular program that gives students an opportunity to volunteer in a structured way that allows them to capture their extra curricular activities on a transcript.

tedx-talk-by-students-nov2016

A student’s co-curricular record can be very useful when they are pursuing their first job within their field as it demonstrates to potential employers their motivation, transferable skills and dedication to supporting special projects, all things that most employers are interested in when hiring a new employee. Essentially, it gives a new graduate an advantage when trying to get their resume to the top of the pile.

In recent weeks, there have been a number of great examples of co-curricular activities on campus. These have included students participating in Pembroke’s annual Santa Claus parade, students volunteering at a very successful TEDxPembroke event, and two Outdoor Adventure Naturalist students engaging in an applied research project to develop interpretive signage for the Kiwanis Walkway, that runs next door to the Waterfront Campus.

kiwanis-way-heritage-sign-project-nov2016

Students come to college to obtain a credential and ultimately a career in the field that most interests them, but by broadening their experience to include co-curricular activities, they can expand their network of contacts, feel good about contributing to college and community activities and be rewarded for their efforts.

In a competitive labour market, having an impressive co-curricular record can make the difference in getting your career off to a great start.

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

 

JFK Assassination Series Highlights Continuing Education Fall Line Up

On November 22, 1963, three shots rang out in Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas, fatally wounding the 35th President of the United States. Now, 53 years later, students at Algonquin College’s Waterfront Campus in Pembroke will have an opportunity to delve deeper into the circumstances of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination.

SchoolbookDepository

Through a partnership with the Sixth Floor Museum in Dallas, the College will be offering four live webinars that will cover topics relevant to the aftermath of the most investigated murder in North American history. The classes will originate from the crime scene where Lee Harvey Oswald, a general labourer at the former Texas School Book Depository building, leaned out of a sixth floor window, took aim and fired at the President’s motorcade. Two of the shots hit the President, the last one delivering a fatal blow.

Lee Harvey OswaldWithin a few hours, police had arrested Oswald, charging him with the murder of the President and Dallas police offer. J.D. Tippit. Swarmed by reporters, the Dallas police struggled to conduct their investigation and respond to the media’s interest in Oswald. Two days after the assassination, Oswald himself was murdered by Dallas nightclub owner Jack Ruby while being transferred to a county jail.

Beginning October 20th and continuing for four consecutive Thursday evenings, staff at the Sixth Floor Museum will facilitate live webinars that will include question and answer sessions covering topics such as, what did Dallas Police find in the first 24 hours of their investigation? There is also a Living History session that will allow students to speak with John Sparks, a high school trumpet player who performed at the President’s breakfast in Fort Worth, Texas, just a few hours before the assassination in Dallas.

President KennedySparks went on to become a long time Dallas and Forth Worth Television producer who always maintained an active interest in the Kennedy assassination and was instrumental in saving some original television footage of the assassination coverage, when it was in danger of being destroyed.

The JFK series will also include a session with museum curator Stephen Fagin who will hold an open forum with students, allowing them to ask questions about the museum, the conspiracy theories that continue to surround the assassination, and President Kennedy’s legacy.

What do you think happened on November 22, 1963 when President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas? Share your thoughts on this blog.

Registration for the JFK series is now open on the College website and in person by visiting the Waterfront Campus in Pembroke. Space is limited for each of the sessions.

See the full listing of Fall 2016 Night Classes available at Algonquin College’s Waterfront Campus.

Post Script: Algonquin College’s Jamie Bramburger visited the Sixth Floor Museum in July of 2016 and interviewed the Curator of Collections, Lindsey Richardson. Watch the interview here to learn more about the work of the Museum.

Posted by: Jamie Bramburger is the Manager of Community and Student Affairs at Algonquin College’s Waterfront Campus in Pembroke