Being a role model for children with disabilities wasn’t Scott Bremner’s goal when he started his career, but it’s something he is proud of and hopes to continue to be.

Bremner, a Journalism – Print and Broadcast alumnus is host and community producer of DurAbility, a television show that endeavours to improve the lives of people with disabilities by helping them navigate the challenges and opportunities they face every day.

“I got a call from a parent who thanked me for what I was doing because now she can tell her son with a disability to go out and follow his dreams,” Bremner said.

In addition to his TV show, Bremner is also a motivational speaker sharing his personal experiences and the obstacles he has overcome to connect with his audience.

“I talk a lot about bullying, the different types you encounter when you have a disability,” said Bremner. “And about finding the drive in yourself to keep going and the steps you need to take to benefit yourself.”

Bremner credits his professors at Durham College for helping him get to where he is today and he appreciates the lessons he learned in the Journalism program that have helped him to become a good professional.

“The instructors taught me the type of person you need to be to do this work,” said Bremner. “And they taught me you can still be a good person while asking those tough questions.”

Bremner plans to continue to be an advocate and role model for people with disabilities and to contribute positively to the people he comes in contact with.

“It’s great that I’ve been able to do this on my own while still helping my community,” he said. “Attending Durham College helped me a lot.”

Durham College’s International office was pleased to recognize the achievements of Dipika Sharma, an international student in the Human Resources Management graduate certificate program on July 11, awarding her a $500 scholarship.

The scholarship was available to a new international student in either the International Business Management or Human Resources (HR) Management program who attained a 3.0 GPA or higher in the 2013 winter semester. Sharma far exceeded this requirement by achieving a 4.32 GPA.

“I was just totally shocked when I saw the email,” said Sharma. “I was sitting with my friend and he knew what my facial expression was exactly, it was completely shocked and happy too.”

Prior to attending Durham College, Sharma achieved a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Rajasthan in Jaipur, India. Upon the recommendation of friends, she researched post-graduate programs including Durham College’s offerings.

“When I looked on the website it was the ‘Success Matters’ logo that really interested me to go through and research it,” said Sharma. “I was very interested in the HR field out of all the business fields so I pursued the (Human Resources Management) program.”

Sharma attributed her success as an international student to multiple factors including her extracurricular activities that helped her achieve a Canadian experience which included volunteering with Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Ajax-Pickering, Denise House in Oshawa and the Indo-Canadian Culture Association at Durham College. As well, she praised her home stay family and program faculty for providing immeasurable amounts of support.

“It has been a lot different from my Indian experience,” said Sharma. “It has been more interesting and I think that is why I was able to score a high GPA. I was a good student in India to but I felt it was more interesting giving presentations, doing research and making projects, I just love all that.”

Sharma plans on extending her time in Canada as she looks to pursue another HR program either with the college or the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT).

The International Office currently assists approximately 300 international students and will be offering textbook scholarships for the fall 2013 semester for new international students with exceptional International English Language Testing System scores. 

Are you self-motivated and love the outdoors? Then get your hands dirty with the new Horticulture – Food and Farming program at Durham College’s Centre for Food (CFF) beginning in September 2013.

This program focuses on disease and pest management, plant propagation, soil and plant nutrition, food and agriculture regulations, food processing and other food quality skills. Students also benefit from instruction in entrepreneurship, marketing and sales.

Program coordinator Corrie Stender says there’s more to farming than planting and harvesting and this program prepares students to be successful agricultural entrepreneurs.

“Regardless of your best intention, if the business plan isn’t in place you can’t make a living or sustain a farm,” she said. “The business aspect of the program is to assist the students in considering what needs to be included to make a viable and sustainable business. And it’s not always the most obvious things.”

This program also informs students about the pressures of running a farm aside from just producing a bountiful harvest and addresses external issues that may be overlooked by farmers.

“It could include things like insurance, advertising, hydro costs, water costs – even if a student chooses to work for someone else, and perhaps even optimize or troubleshoot these issues for their employer,” said Stender.

Students will have the opportunity for hands-on work in the areas of soil amending, planting, tending and harvesting; the characteristics of soils; which soils support specific vegetation; and ways to amend these soils.

“This program is really meant to take students on a journey of the whole process, right from preparing the soil and planting the seeds all the way through to the final sale to the customer and every process in between,” said Stender.

Durham College celebrated the academic achievements of approximately 150 Durham Region secondary school students from the Centre for Success program on June 17.  The program, hosted on campus through the School College Work Initiative, helps students graduate from secondary school by engaging them in a college environment as well as demonstrating that they can be successful in post-secondary education. 

Gail MacKenzie, manager of Strategic Initiatives at Durham College, attributes the continued success of the program to its ability to be an alternative route for secondary school students.

“The change of venue, to get them out of their traditional high school environment where they haven’t been successful for a number of reasons and all of a sudden put them on a college campus where they feel like college students, they instantly mature and become responsible for their own learning and success,” said MacKenzie.

This year’s event marked the seventh successful year of the educational initiative.  The project has grown significantly over the years from the first pilot project in 2006 with 14 students to the current program that will see almost 300 students enrolled between September and June at both the Oshawa and Whitby campuses.

Adriana McDonough, co-ordinator with the Durham Catholic District School Board points to the yearly success of the program for its longevity.

“It has been a hugely successful program right from the start. We have had success rates anywhere from 80 to 92 per cent,” said McDonough. “These are students that have struggled with credit completion in high school and they come here and they seem to thrive and succeed and see a bright future ahead of them.”

In addition to the Durham College administration and staff, students were joined by their families, teachers and representatives from the partnering school boards:  Durham District School Board, Durham Catholic School Board, Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board and Peterborough Victoria Northumberland Clarington Catholic District School Board.

Struggling with some of your program’s courses? Take a deep breath and pay a visit to the Student Academic Learning Services (SALS) office for the help you need, delivered the way you need it.

SALS has been helping Durham College (DC) students excel academically and earn the credits they paid for through strategically organized workshops for more than 10 years.  Their services offer a variety of classes that directly reflect student life as well as each individual learning techniques to ensure optimal results and a good grade.

Located on the second floor of the Student Services building, SALS is open Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and has staff to assist students in their quest for academic excellence. They also offer services at the Whitby campus from Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Nicky Patel, Manager of SALS, says these resources have become even easier for students to access since the addition of SALS to DC Connect last September. “You don’t even have to go to (the office) if you don’t want to, everything you need is right online,” she said.

Recognizing that each student has specific learning styles, SALS has developed their workshops to meet the unique methods each person uses to store information most efficiently.

Since the launch of SALS on DC Connect, there have been 2700 self-registered members who have downloaded the tool for extra help. There are currently 469 resources available online through SALS as well as video modules, quick tips and a personality test to determine your own learning style, as well as practice tests and quizzes created by faculty to allow students to get the most out of these workshops just by putting in the effort.

“As a student who has been out of school for a long time, readjusting back to studying and being in a class was extremely hard for me,” said Jimmy Whorms, a first-year student in the Mechanical Technician – Mechanical Maintenance and Control program at the Whitby campus. Then I decided to try SALS. I was suddenly able to understand math formulas, and as a result, I was able to salvage my grades for the first semester, now I’m looking forward to making the honour roll for my second semester!”

Patel has seen the positive results of SALS first-hand and says if help is sought soon enough there is no reason any student should ever have to fail a class.

“84 per cent of students who came for help last year received their credit,” she said.

Some say those who can’t do teach, but whoever said that hasn’t met Durham College Professor, Kevin Fraser.

Teaching in the Digital Video Production program, Fraser is also a TV writer, editor and documentary filmmaker who was recently nominated for a Golden Sheaf Award in the Documentary and Arts Culture category at the Yorkton Film Festival for his short film, Analogue.

Held from May 23 to 26, the Yorkton Film Festival is the longest running festival in North America and showcases the best of the best in Canadian short cinema. Fraser was honoured to have gained recognition.

“I was really happy (to be nominated),” said Fraser “When you start a project from scratch, especially an artistic one, you’re never sure how it will turn out, much less that people would take it in such a positive way.”

Analogue follows a group of artists who use outdated or antiqued processes in a world that is becoming digital. It expands on the importance of individual craftsmanship and the beauty that comes from doing things the old fashioned way, capturing the true essence of hard working composers.

It took Fraser about two years to finish his documentary all the while balancing his job, getting his masters and raising his daughter. Fraser holds a master of fine arts degree in Documentary Studies from Ryerson University and has written for a variety of TV projects for many years.

Before becoming a professor at Durham College, Fraser worked as a new media producer for a commercial production house and his love for creating cinematic adventures stemmed from his experiences.

After five years of work, he completed his first documentary, Living as Brothers, in 2011. The movie is a story of Jamaican migrant men who work in the orchards of Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont., sometimes for 20 years or more.

This is Fraser’s first nomination and he shows no signs of slowing down on his movie-making career and how he can incorporate his passion into his teachings.

“As a professor at Durham, I’m always looking for the next thing so I can share them with my students, whether it’s a non-linear documentary, crowd sourcing or online collaborations,” he said. “I think my next project has to incorporate some new ways of working, just to keep things interesting!”

Durham College’s Gary Gannon, professor and program co-ordinator of the Human Resources program in the School of Business, IT & Management successfully defended his dissertation titled Human Resources Programming and Its Impact on Leadership within Governing Boards of Ontario Community Colleges from the Department of Leadership, Higher and Adult Education at the University of Toronto. To reach his personal goal, Gannon worked tirelessly over the course of seven years toward his PhD, drawing motivation from his own resolve and that of a respected colleague.

“At the time when I was thinking about my PhD, former college President Gary Polonsky was doing his PhD in the same program that I was in,” said Gannon. “So I thought here’s a man that is running a college, and he’s doing his PhD. If he could do it, perhaps I could too.”

Gannon is no stranger to hard work, having previously earned a Master of Arts in Theory and Policy Studies in Education, a Master of Health Science in Health Administration, and a Bachelor of Arts in Social Sciences. His interest in the business of human resources and education, specifically the board of governors and their operations, led him on this path of discovery.

Gary credits his wife for continually reminding him that yes, in fact there was a finish line approaching, even if it was seemingly moving out of reach.

Gary has his proudest moments from this journey, “Being able to work with one of the leading experts in higher education governance in Canada, Dr. Glen Jones who was most supportive, I was proud of having him as an advisor,” said Gannon. Furthermore, hearing “Congratulations Dr. Gannon” upon the defence of his dissertation certainly solidified his dream becoming a reality. 

Durham College and the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) are extending their congratulations to several faculty members and students from the Durham College and UOIT Nursing – Collaborative (BScN) program and the Registered Practical Nurse (RPN) to BScN Completion Collaborative program, for their recent recognition by several provincial organizations.

This includes the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario (RNAO), Registered Nurses’ Foundation of Ontario (RNFOO) and Council of Ontario University Programs in Nursing (COUPN).

On April 12 the Nursing – Collaborative (BScN) program received the prestigious RNAO Promotion in a Nursing Program Award at the RNAO Leadership Luncheon in Toronto, which is given to nursing schools that have made outstanding contributions to the nursing profession in Ontario. In addition, Dr. Angela Cooper-Brathwaite, an adjunct assistant professor with collaborative nursing program, received the RNAO’s Leadership Award in Political Action, which recognizes a registered nurse (RN) who initiates and partakes in political action that benefits the health of individuals/ clients or profiles or positively positions nursing.

“This overall recognition illuminates the tremendous support for our nursing program, our students and our partners from not only within the program, but across the whole Faculty of Health Sciences,” said Dr. Sue Coffey, director of the Collaborative BScN program, Faculty of Health Sciences, UOIT. “I’d also like to congratulate the faculty, staff and students associated with our award-winning collaborative nursing program.”

Several RPN to BScN Completion Collaborative program students were also honoured for their positive contribution to nursing education including:

• Bahar Karbalaei, a fourth-year student, who received the RNFOO Gala Post-Diploma Scholarship and COUPN 2013 Excellence in Professional Nursing Practice at the Undergraduate Student Level Award.
• Mary Michalski, a first-year student, who received the RNFOO Undergraduate Scholarship.
• Wei Wang a fourth-year student, who received the RNFOO Mary Brunning Harkin Scholarship.

“On behalf of Durham College I extend my sincere congratulations to everyone – faculty, administrators and students – in the collaborative nursing programs for this wonderful recognition,” said Susan Sproul, dean, Durham College School of Health & Community Services. “It is a true reflection of our commitment to delivering a nursing program designed to graduate professional nurses committed to excellence and innovation in assessing and meeting the nursing needs of society as well as the dedication of our students to acquiring the knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary to practise as safe and competent nurses.”

The Nursing – Collaborative (BScN) program is also acknowledging its community partner the Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Services for receiving the 2013 COUPN Agency Recognition Award. Letters of support from Dr. Ellen Vogel, dean, UOIT Faculty of Health Sciences and Dr. Wendy Stanyon, a professor with the Nursing – Collaborative (BScN) program and a long-time research and practice collaborator, were submitted to COUPN in support of the Ontario Shores nomination.

A designer’s job is to know good design from bad and pay attention to every detail, no matter how small, while creating unique ideas and displaying them for the reaction of others. The result of all this meticulous work – having your work presented in the 12th annual graphic design show held every April at the Creative Blueprint Gallery in the Foundry Buildings in Toronto, Ont.

This year’s exhibit – Beyond Black and White – opened on April 18 and will run until Tuesday, April 30. Showcasing recent work from Durham College Graphic Design students, the concept of the show is to “…symbolize the design process from the beginning to end, with just paper and a pencil or a product printed in full colour,” as stated by Emily Neuman, second-year Graphic Design student. 

Neuman, along with classmate Dana Snow, created the poster for this year’s annual event. The Beyond Black and White concept is reflective of the decisions designers make from typographic choices, colours, materials, etc. Creative videos from the design program’s annual Crow Awards category will also be shown.

“Dana and I worked together to come up with the final concept for the show,” said Neuman. “It was a wonderful opportunity to have our work chosen to represent Durham College and to be able to work together and with our teachers to bring our ideas to a final printed piece.”

The unique opportunity to have their work displayed in a Toronto gallery gives Durham College students a distinct advantage to finding field placements at agencies and studios during the school year and potential job opportunities after graduation.

Admission is free and the exhibit is open to the public. 

Art enthusiasts will have the opportunity to view the fine works created by the talented students of the Foundations in Art and Design and Fine Arts – Advanced programs at the 11th annual Juried Art Show.

Showcased at the Whitby Station Gallery from April 17 to Sunday, April 28 the students’ works include paintings, drawings, photographs, digital art, videos and various 3D creations.

“This is a great opportunity for our students to participate in the process of showing their work in a professional environment,” said Herb Klassen, professor and program co-ordinator of the Foundations in Art and Design program. “We very much appreciate the contribution the Station Gallery is making to the education and development of the up and coming members of Durham Region’s artistic community.”

The theme of this year’s show – Just Mess With It – reflects the belief that modern life needs to be messed with in order to cope with the rapid changes imposed on society.

“We were able to reflect on our accomplishments and progress and then share our creations,” said participating student Kevin Cormier. “Having our work displayed in a local gallery allows us a taste of what it is like to be an artist.”

The official reception and presentation of awards will take place at the gallery on Thursday, April 25 at 7 p.m. The exhibition benefits the students as they prepare to take the skills they’ve learned in the classroom and apply them to future opportunities, according to Klassen.

 “Having work on display in a professional gallery has a profound impact on the confidence of the emerging artist and/or designer.”