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.”

Zain Shafique is not your average college student. When his birth country of Pakistan was hit by floods, Shafique chose to volunteer with UNICEF to help victims. After aiding his countrymen, he decided to study abroad in a country with a much different culture and climate, a decision that turned out to be a great one.   

Since arriving at Durham College in 2012, he has been elected as the Board of Governors’ student representative; serves as an international student mentor and; hosts his own radio show on Riot Radio. All that on top of his academic studies in the college’s Computer Programmer Analyst program.

“The one and only factor that motivated me is my mindset of giving back to society as much as I can in order to make a positive difference,” said Shafique.

The focus of his radio show, Culture Shake with Zain, is to reach out to international students and raise their awareness of the activities and opportunities available to them at Durham College. Shafique encourages students to get out of their dorm rooms and take advantage of what the campus and surrounding area have to offer.

“I know that there is still a huge population of students that do not know about the different activities which are present on the campus,” said Shafique. “It is really beneficial for them to know how to get involved.”

While behind the microphone Shafique draws on the experience he obtained while working in Pakistan as part of UNICEF where he was part of Achay Dost, a radio show for the Youth of Pakistan. On Culture Shake, he stresses that international students need to embrace the diversity of the people and experiences that Canada has to offer and get out of their comfort zone and try new things. 

Lauren Toyota has had one wild ride since graduating from the Music Business Management (MBM) program in 2003. From hosting and producing a string of Vancouver-based television shows to interviewing celebrities on MuchMusic, Toyota has definitely been busy in the close to 10 years since leaving Durham College.

Breaking into the television industry isn’t an easy task, but starting in the right place always helps. For Toyota, who attributes a lot of her success to her instincts, personality and work ethic, Durham College was the start of a successful and exciting career.

“The practical components of the Music Business Management program, such as running music festivals, networking and being involved in all aspects of that, were beneficial to what I did as a television producer and host when I first started my career,” said Toyota. “It was just encouraging to have teachers who actively worked in the music industry leading by example and helping the students, especially myself, with networking and job opportunities even after graduating.”

Now, Toyota appears on air daily as a host for MuchMusic’s flagship show, NEW.MUSIC.LIVE. (NML). As the co-host of NML, Toyota conducts high-profile artist and celebrity interviews such as Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Will Ferrell and world-famous boy band One Direction; shoots field segments; travels across the globe for television, film  and music video on-set visits; researches assigned topics; writes scripts; and completes other pre-show preparation.

“The best part of my job is interviewing people and being on air everyday doing different things,” added Toyota. “No day is ever the same!”

The sky is the limit for this Durham College grad, who sees herself one day hosting her own show on a network in either Canada or the USA.

“School can provide you with great job placements and connections but you also have to make your own opportunities happen while in school,” added Toyota. “Don’t wait until after you graduate to start looking for work and make those calls. Keep up the momentum!”

The first graduating class of Durham College’s Digital Photography program presented an exhibition titled DC Vision at the Ajax Public Library on April 4.

The second-year students participated in the exhibit as part of their final project for their Field Trips and Visiting Lecturers’ class. The exhibition is designed to showcase a variety of photographic styles and genres using studio or environmental portraiture, street, landscape and still-life photography.

One of the college’s newest course offerings, the Digital Photography program is designed to prepare students for commercial success, allowing them to gain technical, aesthetic and critical thinking skills.

The exhibit will be on display until Thursday, April 18, during regular library hours. Please call 905.683.4000 for room viewing availability as the gallery space is occasionally used for library programming and may not be open to the public at all times.

The highly anticipated Toronto 2015 Pan Am/Parapan Am Games (TO2015) won’t kick off until July of 2015 but the Games’ organizers are already urging community members to become a part of the nearly month-long athletic competition.

Students in the Sports Administration, Sport Management and Sport Business Management program welcomed two members of TO2015 to Durham College’s Oshawa campus on March 27 and listened as they enthusiastically described the elements and excitement involved with hosting and co-ordinating an event of this magnitude.

Ian Troop, CEO and Louise Lutgens, senior vice-president, Community and Cultural Affairs, were on-hand to not only describe what the games entail but how they can change the area around them.

“These Games get the whole community engaged,” said Troop. “That’s why they call it the people’s Games’, they’re not as formal and they give fans a chance to meet the athletes.”

Organizers expect 10,000 athletes from 41 countries taking part in 51 sports at more than 40 different venues. Some events will also serve as Olympic qualifiers for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

In addition, the event will generate 15,000 jobs as well as thousands of volunteer and internship opportunities – something that caught second-year Sport Management student Brian Stoute’s ear.

“With my graduation happening next year and the Games starting in 2015, it could present the opportunity for future employment with them,” said Stoute. “I think this visit is very important to meet (Troop and Lutgens) and create a network with them.”

“This is going to be a huge event and I would love to be involved in it.” 

The 2015 Pan Am Games will be held from July 10 to 26 while the Parapan Am Games will take place from August 7 to 14. While Toronto, Ontario is the host city, venues for the event stretch as far south as Welland, as far north as Minden Hills and as far east as Oshawa, where they will host boxing events at the General Motors Centre.

Ashleigh Graham, a graduate of the Legal Administration/Law Clerk program is a perfect example of planning out your future by using all available resources.

After obtaining an English degree, Graham felt she needed more education in order to find a rewarding career. She decided that the hands-on experience obtained from a college program that included an internship would give her an advantage over the competition when it came to applying for a job after graduation.

“I did my homework and looked at the successful hire rates of graduates and compared Durham College’s curriculum to other schools in Ontario,” said Graham. “In the end, I decided Durham College offered much more.”

Graham interned with the Town of Whitby’s Solicitors Office and at a small, private firm in the region as part of her program’s requirements, providing her with the opportunity to apply the knowledge she had learned in the classroom.

During her internship, Graham attended a job fair hosted by the college’s Legal Administration Club. Motivated to find her dream job, she met with representatives from McMillan LLP, a large legal firm located on Bay Street in Toronto, Ont. With her drive and passion, as well as the real-world experience obtained from Durham College, she landed a one-year contract with the firm before she had even graduated.

Graham is now a permanent employee at McMillan LLP and assists three of their lawyers in the Financial Services department.

Like many students graduating from high school, Caley Bedore’s first career path didn’t turn out to be the right one for her. While enrolled in a sports administration program at a university it became clear to Bedore that her love of creative writing was the direction she wanted her education – and ultimately her career path – to go.

Once she decided to follow her passion she had to find the right fit, both in terms of a school, and a program. That fit proved to be the Journalism – Print and Broadcast program at Durham College.

“I applied to a few different colleges for journalism and creative writing and I ended up choosing Durham College because it’s close enough to home, yet far enough from home, and when I came here to visit it just gave me a good feeling,” said Bedore. “The sense of hands-on learning that is going to work in the real world was so nice.”

While in the Journalism – Print and Broadcast program, Bedore discovered a new interest – television journalism. From this realization, she applied for and obtained an internship at CHEX Newswatch in Peterborough, Ontario.

Things continued to fall into place for Bedore and upon completion of her internship she was offered a permanent position at the station. She is now working as a videographer and has had the opportunity to anchor the news; produce shows; and forecast the weather.

“Durham College helped me get my foot in the door and gave me a grasp of what I had to do,” said Bedore.