June is Pride month, which is a time to come together and celebrate the 2SLGBTQ+ community and their freedom to be themselves.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact our communities, Durham College (DC) recognizes that many individuals may be experiencing feelings of disconnection and loneliness and that without access to safe spaces, many community members may not be able to live openly.

DC works to foster and sustain an environment of inclusiveness and empowers everyone to achieve their highest potential without fear of prejudice or bias. For DC Pride 2020, the college wishes to encourage everyone to review resources, participate in programming, and virtually connect with their supports. Most importantly, celebrate Pride.

Remember that you are not alone and, though we are apart, we will recognize, celebrate, and continue to support our 2SLGBTQ+ community at DC.

The Durham College (DC) Board of Governors (BOG) is pleased to announce Michele James as the new board chair and Kristi Honey as vice-chair, respectively, effective Monday, July 1, 2020.  The appointments are for a one-year term.

As chair for the BOG, Michele brings over 30 years of leadership in the health care sector to the role. Currently the vice-president of People and Transformation at Scarborough Health Network, Ontario’s third largest community hospital. Michele’s diverse portfolio includes oversight of the human resources function for the organization’s 5,200 employees. Michele also spent several years in the private sector at IBM and PricewaterhouseCoopers.  Michele is a life-long volunteer and has been involved in a number of community organizations.  She is a strong advocate for inclusion and is currently the volunteer chair of the Advisory Committee for the Black Physicians Association of Ontario. Michele has been selected as one of the 100 Accomplished Black Canadian Women for 2020.

As vice-chair for the BOG, Kristi brings over 20 years of private and public executive leadership experience to the role. Currently the chief administrative officer for the Township of Uxbridge, she is also a DC graduate and Alumni of Distinction recipient for her success as an entrepreneur. An active volunteer in the community, Kristi is a champion of human rights and environmentalist causes having been recognized for her efforts by Women of Influence in their Global Series as one of Canada’s leading women driving equality, diversity, and inclusion nationally and internationally.

Michele and Kristi have both served on the Board of DC for four years.The BOG is responsible for the governance of DC. It is accountable to the students, employees and communities the college serves, making sure that it is effectively and appropriately managed to achieve its established mandate and to provide needed services.

As chair, Michele will be responsible for ensuring the board meets its responsibilities and established mandate through leadership, openness and transparency. To learn more about the roles of chair and vice-chair of the board, read the Board policy.

Please join in congratulating Michele and Kristi on their new roles.

Durham College (DC) wishes to congratulate all of the nursing professionals – including a number of DC alumni – who were recently honoured with 2020 Lakeridge Health Nursing Education Bursary Awards.

The annual awards, which were given at the end of this year’s National Nursing Week, are distributed by the various Lakeridge Health hospital foundations to support continuous learning for nurses that enables them to continue providing the safest and highest quality of care.

Special congratulations go out to DC student Arielle Baubie, the recipient of this year’s Dr. George Blake Mentorship & Bursary, on which the college is proud to partner. The bursary provides a student in a mental health nursing placement with the opportunity for mentorship and learning in the specialty of Mental Health and Addictions Nursing.

Durham College (DC) second-year Marketing – Business Administration student, Ryan Ashton, found success at the Great Canadian Sales Competition (GCSC) earlier this year as he advanced through the semi-finals, securing a ticket to the final round in September.

Held annually over the course of several months, the GCSC is the largest post-secondary competition in Canada. This past year, over 2,800 students competed in three rounds to showcase their skill in sales and marketing while connecting with some of the country’s biggest employers. In the final round later this year, Ryan will compete against 18 other finalists for a $10,000 prize while receiving one-on-one mentorship from a senior business leader at Sysco, a GCSC sponsor.

Seven DC marketing students also made it to the semi-finals, including Malcolm Hooper, Adriana Luciani, Brendan Scott, Ashleigh Hutchinson, Harini Amitkumar Thakkar, Dinith Indipa Vittanachchi and Cyprian Villaroel-Mckenley – who achieved Top 3 in his national category. During this round, they had the opportunity to connect with recruiters, learn more about future career paths and attend regional events hosted by GCSC sponsors like Manulife, Shopify, WeWork and Telus.

Congratulations to all DC students who represented the college in the semi-finals of the GCSC, and good luck to Ryan in the next round!

Durham College (DC) is proud to unveil its 2020-2023 Strategic Plan, which includes a bold new mission statement that will serve as the guiding touchpoint for the wide-reaching college community.

“It could seem odd to be launching a new Strategic Plan at a time of so much uncertainty and upheaval but, after much reflection, it was clear to us that the timing actually couldn’t be better,” said DC president Don Lovisa. “In light of the leadership, innovation, collaboration and excellence being demonstrated through DC’s coordinated response to the COVID-19 pandemic, our new mission statement rings true: Together, we’re leading the way.”

The college’s new Strategic Plan was developed over many months, drawing upon in-depth consultations held with every major stakeholder group, including students, alumni, employees and industry and community partners.

“We heard our people loud and clear – the college has evolved and it’s time everyone knew it,” said Ivan DeJong, chair of the DC Board of Governors. “‘The student experience comes first’ kept the college’s commitment to our students at the forefront, but it wasn’t capturing the full story DC has to tell. We’re doing much more than putting the student experience first at DC – we’re reinventing it.” 

Highlights of the new Strategic Plan include a refocused vision statement, refreshed values and updated objectives and strategies to support each of the four pillars that provide the plan’s framework: our students, our people, our work and our community. DC is also unveiling the beginnings of a refreshed brand identity that will continue to evolve with the college. This identity reflects how DC is moving forward, while maintaining a connection to the past that has brought the college to where it is today.

Members of the college and community and public are invited to explore DC’s 2020-2023 Strategic Plan and updated brand through the dedicated microsite launched today.

Durham College (DC) is pleased to announce that its Hub for Applied Research in Artificial Intelligence for Business Solutions (the AI Hub) will receive advisory services and a contribution of up to $300,000 from the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC IRAP). The AI Hub is the applied research centre in AI for the college’s Office of Research Services, Innovation and Entrepreneurship (ORSIE).

This conditional funding, which started in late 2019 and has since been extended, has allowed the AI Hub to develop technology-based solutions for seven small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from across the country and a variety of industries.

“This contribution is a credit to the success of our AI Hub team in creating real business solutions for SMEs by leveraging Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Natural Language Processing, and more,” said Debbie McKee Demczyk, dean, ORSIE. “We are grateful for NRC IRAP’s support which, in turn, allows our team to continue doing this valuable work.”

The NRC IRAP l funding enables DC faculty and student researchers to act as consultants to SMEs, applying their skills and training to solve industry challenges related to innovation and technology adoption. Thus far, the funding has supported the following successful projects:

• Mapping, development and deployment of a fully functional rule-based Database and Administration Portal along with a testing webpage for Calgary-based Cognitive Solutions Inc.
• Development of a suite of Machine Learning applications and scripts, which includes inference functions for on-the-fly textual testing and analysis, for AI agency Atomic X.
• Phase 1 of the AI Wetland mapping tool development for Solstice Environmental Management, an Alberta-based environmental consulting firm.
• Development of an AI tool built into the software of a New Brunswick-based digital services provider, Riddl Tech Inc., that can help client companies manage their social and environmental-impact data.
• Development of proprietary conversational chatbot for Health Espresso/iCare Home Health Services Inc. that answers frequently asked questions about regional healthcare resources in Ontario based on a user’s postal code.
• Creation of an event-based AI engine that envelops multi-faceted AI models to predict the fluctuations of the currency in light of changing global currencies and event indexes for online financial tech services company 4Pay Inc.  

Through their partnerships with the AI Hub, each SME gained access to researcher and student expertise and valuable programs and resources to help facilitate the adoption of AI into their business systems.

“Although the benefits are well known, the ability to develop an effective AI solution that can generate value at scale remains elusive for many companies,” said Dr. Elaine Popp, vice president, Academic. “We are thrilled that this funding from NRC will allow us to further support businesses as they implement AI capabilities into their business systems, all while giving our students more opportunities for experiential learning.”

Durham College (DC) is incredibly proud of our college community members who are serving and protecting others in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and well beyond every day. This includes our students, present and past employees who have returned to the frontlines, as well as thousands of DC alumni.

To honour and shine a light on the incredible work being done by our DC community members, the college is launching a new initiative: DC on the Frontlines.

Whatever your role – from first responder or nurse to personal support worker or social services worker, early childhood educator to volunteer and so many more – we invite you to step forward and be counted among those who comprise DC’s frontline workers.

Using your submissions, we will fill a DC on the Frontlines web page with your stories to build an online gallery of goodwill, community, expertise and dedication.

There is perhaps no greater test of one’s learning and training than the challenge of working in the midst of a large-scale emergency such as a pandemic.

Submit your frontline story and help DC continue to celebrate the important work that you do.

Durham College (DC) is proud to join Canadians across the country in observing National Nursing Week 2020 from Monday, May 11 to Sunday, May 17. We are honouring DC healthcare heroes in particular – our nursing faculty and employees, both present and past, and the thousands of nursing students and alumni who have entrusted us with their training and preparation to not only enter a career but to answer a calling.

The theme of this year’s celebration, as decided by the International Council of Nurses, is Nurses: A Voice to Lead – Nursing the World to Health. It is intended to recognize how nurses are central to addressing a wide range of health challenges. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s theme also captures the ways in which nurses find themselves at the heart of the frontlines.

Working across a wide variety of specialized healthcare areas that include public health, gerontology, pediatrics, mental health, critical care and much more, nurses draw on their clinical judgement and expertise to provide compassionate care to keep the public, nursing home residents and patients safe while providing them with much needed comfort.

Beyond our deep appreciation for the work nurses do, DC remains committed to providing exceptional education and opportunities for professional development at every stage of their careers.

Please join us in thanking nurses this week and every week year-round.

Durham College (DC) is pleased to announce that President Don Lovisa’s contract has been extended for a fourth term. He will remain in the role until March 31, 2024 with an option to renew at that time.

Lovisa, who is DC’s fifth president, was appointed to the role in 2008. Since then, the college has thrived under his leadership, experiencing significant strategic growth in enrolment, research, capital development and market-driven programs.

From the development of the Whitby campus, including a new student residence and the start of its phase IV expansion in support of skilled trades, to the new Centre for Collaborative Education at the Oshawa campus, DC’s physical footprint has grown thanks to Lovisa’s vision, with at least one major capital project completed each year since 2010.

Developing alongside its infrastructure has been the college’s applied research centres. Now with four distinct areas of focus – entrepreneurship, craft brewing, artificial intelligence and mixed reality capture – DC continues to raise the bar for innovation, while supporting student development and community businesses.

During Lovisa’s tenure, the college has also launched two bachelor degree programs and increased its focus on experiential learning both in and out of the classroom, which has contributed to an 85 per cent increase in total enrolments (domestic and international) since 2008.

As the current chair of Colleges Ontario, Lovisa is able to share his experience as a community builder, directly influencing the broader college system across the province.

“It is a great honour to continue in my role as president,” said Lovisa. “Creating, building and working with great colleagues is key to our success and I am incredibly proud of the accomplishments we have achieved as a team. While the past few months have been filled with challenges and uncertainty, I am confident that together, our DC community will continue to support one another, leading the way for a bright future. As a college we are entering this new decade at the forefront of post-secondary education.”

The DC Board of Governors, who oversee the president’s role, is confident Lovisa’s leadership will continue to guide the college through the next phase of its evolution.

“We are inspired by President Lovisa’s unwavering commitment to DC and look forward to seeing all the college will achieve during his fourth term and beyond,” said Ivan DeJong, chair, DC Board of Governors.