Deidra Osier (right) and Jennifer Beck (left) seek information about Durham College’s Biotechnology Technologist program at the Graduate Programs Fair held on campus in January. Also pictured is Sue Todd (middle), associate dean of the School of Applied Sciences, Apprenticeship, Skilled Trades & Technology.

Students explore ways to further their education at annual Graduate Programs Fair

The annual Graduate Programs Fair was held at Durham College’s Oshawa campus last month in the Gordon Willey building galleria. Taking place from noon to 2 p.m. and 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., it provided information on options for further study in various fields to Durham College students and graduates, as well as individuals from other colleges and universities.

Ten information booths offered details on the college’s various graduate certificate programs along with information about financial aid and awards, the Hired Career Services department and Durham College alumni benefits. In addition, a general information booth was set up near the front entrance where a Student Ambassador greeted students and guests and provided campus tours.

“The graduate certificate programs at Durham College help to compliment the students’ previous schooling and give them more practical experience,” said Stephanie Thompson, an admissions and recruitment officer with the college. “They really help narrow down a specialization in their field of choice.”

Completed in one year or less, the programs are designed for college and university graduates who already have three to five years of experience in a related field of study.

Durham College offers 11 graduate certificate programs in many different areas such as paramedic, youth corrections, mediation, paralegal, addictions and mental health, sports management and critical care nursing.

Most programs offer at least one field placement with the Critical Care Nursing program completed mostly online and in a critical care simulation lab. If you are interested in learning more about the college’s graduate program offerings, please visit http://www.durhamcollege.ca/programs-and-courses/graduate-programs.

Durham College nursing students practise hands-on procedures as they gain the knowledge needed to be a competent and professional practical nurse.

Individuals looking to pursue a nursing career in Durham Region have access to one of the best nursing programs in the province according to the College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO). The governing body for Ontario’s approximately 145,000 registered nurses, registered practical nurses and nurse practitioners awarded the college’s Practical Nursing program Category 1 approval in December 2009.

The five-year Category 1 approval, the highest attainable rating given by the CNO, recognizes the two-year program, which provides students with the knowledge, skills and approaches necessary to practise as safe, competent and professional practical nurses.

The CNO is responsible for regulating nursing standards to protect public interest; sets requirements for potential nurses to enter the profession; establishes and enforces standards of nursing practice; and assures the quality of the practice of the profession and the continuing competence of nurses.

“This distinguished recognition from the College of Nurses of Ontario for full program approval for five years is yet another testament to the strong commitment and dedication of the Practical Nursing program team at Durham College,” said Susan Sproul, dean of the School of Health & Community Services. “Acknowledgement and thanks needs to be extended to our faculty, contract teachers, support staff, advisory board members and supportive practicum partners and preceptors. The ongoing support of these dedicated individuals is acknowledged and appreciated.”

The program places a strong emphasis on practical hands-on experience and the opportunity to apply theory gained in the classroom and lab to long-term care, medical, surgical, maternal/child, mental health and community environments.

The goal of the program is to advance students with high standards of health care to instill confidence in patients and allow for success in the nursing profession.

In addition to the Category 1 approval, the program also received more good news last fall when the group of Durham College graduates who wrote the CNO’s Practical Nursing licensing exam last September received a passing rate of 94 per cent.

All practical nursing applicants are required to pass the Canadian Practical Nurse Registration Examination to become registered in Ontario. The exam questions are designed to measure specific competencies required by entry-level practical nurses.

January 8, 2010

Evolution Gala is a once-in-a-lifetime event

OSHAWA, ON. – Fazio’s Restaurant and Wine Experience will add another chapter next week to its storied history in downtown Oshawa, when it hosts the Evolution Gala, a once-in-a-lifetime event that will support students in need at both the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) and Durham College.

While planning a way to mark their family business’s 30th anniversary, Fazio’s founder Tino Fazio and his children felt strongly that the celebration should benefit the community they are so proud to call home. As a result, they made the generous decision to earmark a portion of ticket proceeds to assist students in need. The event will feature a five-course menu paired with carefully selected wines, culinary explanations and lessons about the pairings, an auction and much more.

Financial support is absolutely critical to both UOIT and Durham College, ensuring students can access programs and courses that will lead to untold professional and personal success upon graduation.

Reporters are invited to attend the event and help record this important community milestone and the generous legacy it will leave for students.

Who:
Don Lovisa, president, Durham College
Dr. Richard Marceau, provost, UOIT
Tino Fazio and family

Where:
Fazio’s Restaurant and Wine Experience
33 Simcoe Street South
Oshawa, Ontario

When:
Friday, January 15
7:15 p.m.

Media contact:
Melissa Levy
Communications and Marketing
905.721.8668 ext. 2513
melissa.levy@uoit.ca

 

Disclaimer: The contact information provided in archived news releases was current at the release date. For current information please contact Communications, Marketing and External Relations.

December 8, 2009

Initial phase already training students in next generation of renewable energy systems

WHITBY, ON. – The Honourable John Milloy, Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities and Minister of Research and Innovation, will join Durham College President Don Lovisa and other local dignitaries and college representatives as they celebrate the grand opening of Phase 1 of Durham College’s Whitby campus expansion on Tuesday, December 15.

The event will showcase the initial phase of the planned $30 million three-phase expansion which is LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) gold certified and one of the Durham Region’s most energy neutral and sustainable buildings – further supporting the region as the province’s energy centre. The event will include an official ribbon-cutting ceremony followed by tours of the new space as well as the campus’ existing facilities including the innovative Skills Training Centre.

Phase 1 includes a second storey addition that houses new classrooms and labs; an Incubation Centre, developed in partnership with the Durham Strategic Energy Alliance; and living lab environments in areas including solar water heating, solar cell systems, wind turbines, geothermal technology systems and trombe wall solar thermal collections.

Who:
The Honourable John Milloy, Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities and Minister of Research and Innovation;
Roger Anderson, chair, Region of Durham;
Pat Perkins, mayor, Town of Whitby;
Aileen Fletcher, chair, Durham College Board of Governors;
Don Lovisa, president, Durham College; Judy Robinson, vice-president, Academic, Durham College; and
Paul Luukkonen, first-year student, Renewable Energy Technician program, Durham College.

When:
Tuesday, December 15 – presentation begins at 1:15 p.m. followed by official ribbon-cutting ceremony and opportunities for campus tours

Where:
Durham College Whitby campus
1610 Champlain Drive
Whitby, Ontario

Parking:
Enter off Champlain Drive and proceed to the main parking lot.

For more information contact:
Michelle Roebuck
Communications, Marketing and External Relations
905.721.2000 ext. 2197
michelle.roebuck@durhamcollege.ca

 

Disclaimer: The contact information provided in archived news releases was current at the release date. For current information please contact Communications, Marketing and External Relations.

December 7, 2009

International clothing company chooses college for post-secondary competition

Thanks to the successful track record of its students, Durham College’s Graphic Design program in the School of Media, Art & Design was recently chosen by international clothing company American Essentials, to host an exclusive, in-college packaging design competition.

The company’s Packaging Development Contest was open to third-year students who were asked to create innovative, cost-effective and feasible new packaging for the American Essentials Spa Robe, one of the its best-selling products.

The program was chosen to host the unique competition after American Essentials investigated several colleges across Canada and the United States. Its decision to partner with Durham College was a result of the high quality work done by many of the college’s Graphic Design graduates, which is showcased on the Packaging Association of Canada’s website.

“To have our students recognized and selected by American Essentials and be chosen exclusively to present designs for its product is a direct reflection of the skills, competencies and experiences our students acquire during their three years of study at Durham College,” said Barbara Suen, a professor in the Graphic Design program.

A judging panel made up of American Essentials representatives evaluated each of the 12 mock-up entries based on esthetics, graphic design, innovation, sustainability, economic viability, environmental impact and overall appeal, in addition to each designer’s oral presentation.

While students were allowed to work in teams, it was Kathryn Nichol’s individual entry of a tin bucket with brown detailing that impressed the judges and took first place. For her innovative entry, Nichol was awarded $500 and a $500 gift certificate from American Essentials.

Nichol will also have to opportunity to complete an internship with the graphic design department of American Essentials and be mentioned on its website and in its company newsletter.

“Winning the American Essentials contest is like a dream come true,” said Nichol. “When they called my name I was in shock and I didn’t know what to do until they waved me up! It was and still is an amazing feeling knowing I made the right career choice and been recognized for my work.”

American Essentials is a subsidiary of McGregor Industries, which was founded in 1928 in Toronto, Ontario. It has since evolved into a global corporation with offices in the United States, England and Hong Kong.

Durham College’s School of Media, Art & Design is dedicated to exploring new ways of communication by combining a strong foundation of traditional skills and knowledge with cutting-edge technology to give students the best of both worlds. The school’s faculty is made up of dedicated professionals with a vast array of industry experience who challenge and support students throughout their academic journey.

November 9, 2009

More than 45 donors will gather to recognize academic excellence on campus

OSHAWA, ON. – Durham College President Don Lovisa will join 170 students as they are honoured for their outstanding academic achievements at the college’s annual Fall Scholarship Ceremony on Thursday, November 12. The event will present in-course scholarships, valued at $117,500, to deserving students from the Oshawa and Whitby campuses.

Students will celebrate their educational accomplishments with their families, college representatives and numerous individual, organizational and corporate award donors including Colgate-Palmolive and TD Insurance Meloche Monnex, the newest philanthropic organizations to offer their support to students.

Both join a long list of generous donors including many individuals, businesses and organizations celebrating milestone years of assistance such as Ian J. Ball and the Ontario Association of Certified Engineering Technicians and Technologists – Durham Chapter who are celebrating five years of giving and the Business and Professional Women’s Club of Durham, Durham Lifelong Learning and Sodexo Canada Limited who have proudly offered scholarships to students for the past10 years.

When:
Thursday, November 12
4 p.m. – Donor and recipient meet and greet
5 p.m. – Ceremony begins

Where:
Durham College Oshawa campus
Campus Recreation and Wellness Centre gymnasium
2000 Simcoe Street North
Oshawa, Ontario

Parking:
Enter off Simcoe Street North or Conlin Road and proceed to Founders 3 parking lot.

For more information contact:
Michelle Roebuck
Communications, Marketing and External Relations
905.721.2000 ext. 2197
michelle.roebuck@durhamcollege.ca

 

Disclaimer: The contact information provided in archived news releases was current at the release date. For current information please contact Communications, Marketing and External Relations.

October 15, 2009

More than 275 students on President’s Honour Roll

OSHAWA, ON. – Family, friends and faculty will join more than 500 students in more than 70 programs as they celebrate their graduation at Durham College’s fall convocation ceremony on Thursday, October 22. The ceremony will feature 277 students who have earned a place on the highly regarded President’s Honour Roll standing.

Diplomas and certificates will be handed out to students from the schools of Applied Sciences, Apprenticeship, Skilled Trades & Technology; Business, IT & Management; Communication, Language & General Studies; Health & Community Services; Justice & Emergency Services; and Media, Art & Design.

Matt Canning and Catherine Hunter will also receive the Durham College Student Leadership Award. The award is granted to students in recognition of their outstanding contributions to campus life and the commitment and exemplary leadership they demonstrate during their time at the college. In order to qualify for the Award, students must accumulate a pre-determined amount of leadership points through the college’s Co-Curricular Recognition program, by participating in activities that enhance student life, engage students and encourage involvement in campus activities.

These newest graduates join the ranks of Durham College alumni, which is more than 46,000 strong, as they prepare for the next stage of their lives, whether it’s moving into the working world or pursuing further post-secondary education.

When:
Thursday, October 22
5:30 p.m.

Where:
Durham College Oshawa campus
Campus Recreation and Wellness Centre gymnasium
2000 Simcoe Street North
Oshawa, Ontario

Parking:
Enter off Simcoe Street North or Conlin Road and proceed to Founders 3 parking lot.

For more information contact:
Michelle Roebuck
Communications, Marketing and External Relations
905.721.2000 ext. 2197
michelle.roebuck@durhamcollege.ca

 

Disclaimer: The contact information provided in archived news releases was current at the release date. For current information please contact Communications, Marketing and External Relations.

September 29, 2009

Funds raised will be used for endowments and bursaries in support of post-secondary education for students in financial need

OSHAWA, ON. – The ongoing support of sponsors, auction donors, community partners and other guests at the 2009 Legacy Gala has once again ensured that hundreds of students in financial need will make their post-secondary dreams a reality at Durham College and the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT). 

The eighth annual gala was held on September 18 at Tosca Banquet Hall and Conference Centre in Oshawa and raised $205,000 toward scholarship endowments and student bursaries. The amount includes $102,500 in matching funds provided through the provincial government’s Ontario Trust for Student Support.

“On behalf of everyone at Durham College, I would like to express my wholehearted thanks to all of our partners for their unwavering support of our students’ success,” said Don Lovisa, president of Durham College. “Their generous contributions ensure that our gala is an ongoing success year after year. In addition, thanks to their kindness, we are able to provide our students with the financial support needed for them to access a high-quality education that will allow them to meet the requirements of Durham Region’s workforce today and in the future, helping to ensure a strong economy for us all.”

The event – themed Irresistible Venice – saw guests enjoy an evening in Italy’s most romantic city including Piazza San Marco (St. Mark’s Square) – the inspiration behind the gala’s silent auction event. Guests enjoyed the historic charm and lure of Venice’s landscape through masquerade, music, live and silent auctions, dancing and wine tasting.

Sponsors of this year’s gala included the Albis family, owners of Tosca and Avanti Trattoria; Ontario Power Generation; the Caribbean Event and Grant Morris Associates Ltd.; Bill and Janis Robinson; the Durham College Alumni Association; Metroland Durham Region Media Group; BMO; Campus Living Centres; Durham Regional Police Services Board; KPMG; Manufacturing and Technology Centre (MTC); RBC; and Veridian.

“On behalf of myself, my fellow students, Durham College and UOIT, I say thank you to our honourable donors for their generous contributions toward the education of students,” said Kevin Patterson, a Durham College Advanced Law Enforcement and Investigations student and award recipient. “Thank you so much for your commitment to the achievements that we are capable of because, as we all know, success matters.

The Legacy Gala is held each September to raise funds for students attending Durham College and UOIT. It is designed to relieve students’ financial burden and help them pursue their post-secondary dreams.

About Durham College
At Durham College, the student experience comes first, an approach it has taken for more than 40 years. Through a vast range of market-driven programs that are taught by exceptional professors with real-world experience, students develop the skills required to meet the ever-changing needs of employers and the job market. Moving forward, Durham College’s expansion plans will see its Whitby campus grow by 40,000 square feet including the construction of an energy-neutral living laboratory for new technologies and education that will serve the growing needs of the emerging energy sector. The expansion will also provide new opportunities for skilled trades training, an area vitally important to Ontario’s ability to grow and prosper in the years ahead. Durham College has more than 6,300 full-time students, thousands of part-time students and more than 1,400 apprentices. For more information, visit www.durhamcollege.ca or call 905.721.2000.

Media contact:
Allison Rosnak
Communications and Marketing
Durham College 
905.721.2000 ext. 2333
allison.rosnak@durhamcollege.ca

 

Disclaimer: The contact information provided in archived news releases was current at the release date. For current information please contact Communications, Marketing and External Relations.

September 23, 2009

OSHAWA, ON. – Students from Durham College’s Community Integration through Co-operative Education (CICE) program will have the opportunity to be paired up with companionable students from other programs across the college as part of the new Perfect Pals project being launched at a welcome barbecue on Tuesday, September 29.

The initiative, developed by Student Association (SA) in collaboration with the CICE program, is in its first year and offers one-on-one friendships between CICE students (buddies) and other Durham College students (pals). The unique project hopes to provide an overall, well-rounded college experience, allowing buddies to become more independent while enjoying the benefits of a special friendship and mentorship with their pal.

Students will meet their matches, based on shared interests, at the barbecue. Pals will then accompany buddies to four on-campus events throughout the academic year and will also be encouraged to arrange additional visits outside of regular activities if feasible.

Durham College’s CICE program provides individuals with intellectual disabilities or significant learning challenges the opportunity to experience college life and enhance their academic skills by taking regular college classes which have been modified to fit their academic abilities. Each CICE student receives academic support including curriculum modification, note taking, tutoring and other related supports as needed.

When:
Tuesday, September 29
12:30 to 2 p.m.

Who:
Lisa McInerney, vice-president of Durham College, The SA;
Buddies;
Pals; and
Angela Wood, program co-ordinator and learning facilitator, CICE program.

Where:
E.P. Taylor’s Pub and Restaurant (patio)
Durham College
2000 Simcoe Street North
Oshawa, Ontario

Parking:
Enter off Simcoe Street and proceed to Founders 1 parking lot.

For more information contact:
Michelle Roebuck
Communications and Marketing 
905.721.2000 ext. 2197 
michelle.roebuck@durhamcollege.ca

 

Disclaimer: The contact information provided in archived news releases was current at the release date. For current information please contact Communications, Marketing and External Relations.

August 28, 2009

College president to give media first-hand glimpse of extensive expansion and renovation underway at Oshawa and Whitby campuses

OSHAWA, ON. – As Durham College kicks off the new academic year with more than 4,300 first-year students arriving on campus, Durham College President Don Lovisa is inviting members of the media to put on a hard hat and join him for an exclusive tour of the major expansion and renovation currently underway at the Oshawa and Whitby campuses.

The tour will begin at the Oshawa campus where Lovisa will showcase the new classroom spaces and laboratories in the Gordon Willey building and discuss how the new and upgraded facilities are directly impacting students enrolled in the School of Applied Sciences, Apprenticeship, Skilled Trades & Technology and the School of Health & Community Services.

Attendees will then travel to the Whitby campus where they are invited to join Lovisa for a light lunch, followed by a tour of the Whitby expansion including the new second story addition and recently installed wind turbines.

The expansion will add 20,000 square-feet to the Skills Training Centre in addition to enhancing the learning experiences of students in the college’s new Renewable Energy Technician and Energy Audit Techniques programs, which are both full for September. When complete, it will enable Durham College to meet the new and growing energy industry demand for skilled Ontarians who are able to plan, install and maintain the current and next generation of green energy systems and technologies.

When:
Tuesday, September 8
Morning tour – Oshawa campus: 11 to 11:30 a.m.
Lunch (available to those attending both tours): Noon to 12:30 p.m.
Afternoon tour – Whitby campus: 12:30 to 1 p.m.

Where:

• Oshawa campus (main entrance to Gordon Willey building): 2000 Simcoe Street North, Oshawa,Ontario, enter off Simcoe Street North and proceed to Commencement parking lot; and
• Whitby campus (main entrance to campus): 1610 Champlain Avenue, Whitby, Ontario, enter off Champlain Avenue and proceed to the main parking lot.

Please RSVP by Thursday, September 3 to:
Michelle Roebuck/Allison Rosnak
Communications and Marketing
Durham College
905.721.2000 ext. 2197 or ext. 2333
michelle.roebuck@durhamcollege.ca or allison.rosnak@durhamcollege.ca

 

Disclaimer: The contact information provided in archived news releases was current at the release date. For current information please contact Communications, Marketing and External Relations.