Durham College’s Board of Governors is pleased to announce that Ron Chatterton will serve as its chair, effective Monday, July 1, 2013 through to Monday, June 30, 2014.

The chair assists the president in securing strategic partnerships and college funding essential to its operation and advancement; supports and advises the president through collegial partnership; fosters teamwork among board members; presides over executive and board meetings; and communicates board-stated positions and decisions.

Chatterton is the director of Refurbishment Support in the nuclear power plant refurbishment sector of Atlantic Nuclear Services Inc. Previously he was an operations manager with Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. (AECL), supporting the development of its new reactor designs and prior to joining AECL worked at Ontario Hydro as an authorized control room operator at the Bruce Nuclear Generating Station ‘A’. He also spent two years at the Cernavoda Nuclear Power Plant in Romania where he assisted and trained Romanian staff about placing power plant systems into initial service and worked at Ontario Power Generation, holding manager positions in Operations, Outage and Maintenance at the Darlington and Pickering ‘B’ Nuclear Power Plants.

In addition to the appointment of Chatterton to chair of the board, Pierre Tremblay will serve as vice-chair, also effective July 1, 2013 through to June 30, 2014.

The vice-chair assists the chair in his or her role and shares the responsibilities of the standing committee meetings and any special events. Tremblay is a well-respected and dedicated leader in the Canadian Nuclear industry who was most recently appointed deputy chief nuclear officer and executive vice-president, Canadian Nuclear Partners, OPG. A Canadian Nuclear business veteran, his extensive career at OPG has spanned over 35 years. 

Some of Durham College’s most technologically talented students will see if they have the skills to pay the bills at the 24th annual Ontario Technological Skills Competition (OTSC) from Monday, May 6 to Wednesday, May 8.

The event, featuring more than 1,900 elementary, secondary and post-secondary school competitors in more than 60 skilled trade categories, will take place at RIM Park in Waterloo, Ontario. This year, Durham will send nine students to compete in five different areas of competition.

Zachary Winch and Connor Saunders, both third-year students in the Computer Systems Technology program, will compete in the IT & Network Systems Administration category. Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning Techniques (HVAC) students Jeffery Thackery and Dylan Severn will participate in the Heating Systems Technician contest, while Mitch Tempro and Jordan Best, second-year students in the Mechanical Technician – Mechanical Maintenance and Control program, will compete in the Industrial Mechanic Millwright category.

Also competing are Mike Mills and Mark Schubert, Tool and Die (Level 3 – Advanced) apprenticeship students in the Precision Machining category, while Plumber (Level 2 – Intermediate) apprenticeship student Donny Reid competes in the Plumbing competition.

Gold-medal winners in each category (except Heating Systems Technician) will be eligible to compete at the Skills Canada National Competition taking place from Wednesday, June 3 to Saturday, June 8 in Vancouver, BC. Last year, Durham College students took home two gold and two silver medals, including Plumber apprentice Ryan Voscek who eventually won the Plumbing category with a gold at the 2012 Skills Canada competition.

More than 30,000 spectators are expected at the three-day event. 

Durham Region Transit (DRT) will be making route and fare changes that may impact your usage of the Universal Transit Pass (U-Pass).

The U-Pass offers  students savings and free use of any Durham Region Transit bus and selected GO Transit bus operating in Durham Region during the academic year, seven days a week. The cost for the U-Pass is included in your full-time student fees, providing transit service to students at a fraction of regular monthly student pass rates.

The changes will become effective on Saturday, June 29 and students are encouraged to view the DRT flyer or visit the DRT website for details.

The results of the 2012-2013 provincial government’s Key Performance Indicators (KPI) surveys have been released and Durham College graduates continued to impress employers this year with an employer satisfaction rating of 95 per cent, the highest employer satisfaction of all colleges in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and the Eastern Region. In addition, Durham College has the highest graduate employment rate of all colleges in the GTA with 83.7 percent of our students finding employment within six months of graduation.  

For patients who require special assistance, it’s important that they have access to a proper bed while at a hospital. That’s why Durham College and the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) have joined together to support the Lakeridge Health Whitby Foundation’s Buy a Bed campaign.

Lakeridge Health Whitby has a high-priority need for specialty beds for patients with complex medical needs that require long-term hospital stays exceeding 30 days. These technologically advanced beds allow patients and hospital staff to adjust the height of the bed for easier transition from sitting to standing.

With the cost of one bed being $5,000, the foundation had originally hoped to raise $200,000 that would be used to purchase these technologically advanced beds and specialty air mattresses. However, thanks to donors like Durham College and UOIT, the foundation has surpassed their goal and recently announced that they have raised $225,000 thus far.

“This opportunity was a tremendous way to show our appreciation for their partnership in supporting our students’ learning opportunities,” said Susan Sproul, dean of the School of Health & Community Services at Durham College.

In addition to acquiring new beds, the foundation raises funds to ensure that Lakeridge Health Whitby has the best patient equipment and programs possible and invests in capital projects, equipment, specialized services and unique programs that benefit each patient and offer support to their loved ones.

Durham College has a long-standing relationship with Lakeridge Health Whitby that goes beyond donations and beds. Students of the School of Health & Community Services benefit from the opportunity to apply the knowledge they’ve learned in the classroom to real-life situations that include caring for patients in a hospital setting. 

Speaking to a packed house, former professional hockey player and sexual abuse survivor Sheldon Kennedy had Durham College students, staff and faculty hanging on every inspirational word as he described how he dealt with and overcame years of abuse at the hands of his junior hockey coach, Graham James.

Kennedy, who played for the Detroit Red Wings, Boston Bruins and Calgary Flames, answered a number of questions from the large audience as he discussed how far he has come since those dark days, when he visited the Oshawa campus on April 1.

“Pedophiles and sexual predators make up about two per cent of the population,” said Kennedy. “But it’s the other 98 per cent that we need to focus on educating.”

“It’s all about empowering bystanders (to recognize the signs) – it’s about taking action.”

Also included in the audience were a number of victims of abuse who shared their stories and thanked Kennedy for providing them with strength and inspiration. He in turn recognized their courage.

He also emphasized what he believes is the difference in being a victim and a survivor.

“You need to work hard to get out of being a victim, it’s about taking a risk to trust again,” he said. “The goal is to get people from victim to survivor but I don’t believe you’re a survivor until you’ve got your power back.”

Amy Power, a second-year student in the Child and Youth Worker program, saw the chance to hear Kennedy speak as an opportunity to better understand those she hopes to help.

“As a soon-to-be-graduate, Sheldon’s visit was an inspiring learning experience for me as a professional and a mother,” said Power. “I will soon be working with youth with similar traumatic experiences and he not only gave me an increased knowledge on the subject of sexual abuse and prevention strategies, but also advice and ideas that I can carry with me throughout my career to better help my clients.”

Kennedy has turned his troubled past, which included struggles with alcohol, depression and cocaine addiction, into creating awareness about sexual abuse and preventing it. In 2004, he, along with Wayne McNeil, founded Respect in Sport – Canada’s only online bullying, abuse, harassment and neglect prevention program for coaches and community leaders.

Since its inception, the program has been implemented by a number of national and provincial sports organizations including Hockey Canada, USA Triathlon, Sport Manitoba and many more.      

As part of Durham College’s commitment to provide financial aid to students in need, the college hosted a donor reception at the Oshawa campus’s Student Services building on March 26.

Student recipients were able to meet their donors face-to-face and thank them for their assistance during their college journey. In the 2012-2013 academic year, more than $1.6 million was donated to Durham College-endowed bursaries which allows students to pay for essential items like laptops, textbooks and school supplies or for daily expenses like food or clothing.

Durham College President Don Lovisa spoke at the event and emphasized the importance of college donors and what these awards mean to the students.

“Long-term investments in our students by our endowment fund donors, are what helps lead to quality employment and stronger neighbourhoods across Durham Region, Ontario and Canada,” said Lovisa. 

An example of this type of partnership is the contributions of Ontario Power Generation (OPG). In 2010, OPG partnered with the college and the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) for a five-year agreement. As part of the OPG agreement, Durham College will receive $2.95 million for capital improvements, education programs, equipment, training, scholarships and bursaries. 

Students interested in applying for a donor award can do so through MyCampus. For more information on the Durham College Awards program and a listing of awards, please visit the Donor Awards page.

Durham College’s campuses opened their doors and welcomed students, parents, families and other guests to their Spring Open House on March 23. The annual event, which showcases the college, its programs and facilities, saw close to 4,700 people visit its Oshawa, Whitby and Pickering locations.

Showcasing the college’s innovative programs, the event also provided tours of its high-tech classrooms, labs and state-of-the-art facilities while knowledgeable staff and students answered questions and supplied important information about a variety of college programs, processes and departments including financial aid and admissions.

Leading up to the open house, the event generated a large amount of activity on its microsite with 8,653 unique page views and through social media with more than 100 tweets sent through Twitter. Pictures of the event garnered more than 10,500 views on the college’s Facebook page, while digital signage at the Student Services building also displayed live tweeting throughout the day using content from guests, staff and volunteers.

One of the guests was Ashley Barton, a future Durham College student who thoroughly enjoyed her time at the event.

“I am starting the Practical Nursing program at Durham College in September and I’m so excited,” said Barton. “I had so much fun at the open house today!”

Durham College is welcoming yesterday’s federal budget and its emphasis on creating a strong, skilled economy through a focus on skills training, including the new Canada Job Grant, enhanced apprenticeship opportunities, and support for applied research and innovation at colleges.

In particular, the new Canada Job Grant will address Canada’s skills mismatch and ensure a greater number of people are prepared for success in the workplace. Directly connecting skills training with employers that have a plan to train Canadians for an existing or better job, the grant will provide access to a maximum $5,000 federal contribution per person towards training at eligible institutions such as Durham College.

In addition, new opportunities for apprenticeships were announced including ensuring that government contracts and funding for infrastructure and maintenance support the employment of apprentices, which will help increase the completion rate of apprenticeships. The reallocation of federal funding to increase opportunities for apprentices was also announced along with encouraging the use of apprentices in infrastructure projects receiving federal funding and examining the use of practical tests as a method of assessment.

“At Durham College and across the Ontario college system we have worked very hard to draw attention to the need for increased government attention on growing and strengthening Canada’s skilled economy,” said Lovisa. “I am very pleased to see the federal budget has introduced significant steps in that regard through a focus on new opportunities for skilled workers and training, in particular the Canada Job Grant and new apprenticeship measures.”

Given its significant applied research presence in Durham Region, Durham College is pleased to see the government take important steps to help colleges strengthen research partnerships with industry. This includes an investment of $12 million to enhance the College and Community Innovation Program, and renewing the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario) with funding of $920 million over five years to help create job opportunities and encourage economic growth.

“I am very pleased with the government’s recognition of the important role colleges play in preparing skilled employees who will move Canadian communities forward both domestically and internationally,” added Lovisa. “This includes our contribution to the research, commercialization and development of innovative new products and services and commitment to ensuring graduates are well-equipped with the research knowledge and skills needed to stimulate today’s economy.”

Lovisa was part of a panel of senior college and industry leaders from across Canada that met with Diane Finley, minister of Human Resources and Skill Development, in December 2012 to discuss the urgency in advancing a national skills agenda. He is pleased to see much of what was discussed at that session reflected in the budget given their importance to the country’s continued economic success. 

Congratulations to Zain Shafique, the new student governor for the Durham College Board of Governors for the 2013-2014 academic year.

Shafique, a first-year student in the Computer Programmer Analyst program, will begin his one-year term on September 1. Along with all board members, Shafique is accountable to the students of Durham College, their employers, the government of Ontario and the communities the college serves by ensuring that the college is effectively and appropriately managed to achieve its mandate and provide needed services.

Shafique has served as a cultural ambassador to the United States on an exchange program for the 2008-2009 academic year and has been awarded a Gold Medal and President’s Voluntary Award by Barack Obama. He is also an honorary Louisiana State Senator. In addition to hosting Culture Shake, a weekly radio show on Riot Radio, Shafique is an international student mentor.

Thank you to all of the students and nominees who participated in this year’s election and congratulations to Zain on a successful campaign. Good luck in your position!