Durham College (DC) today announced that it has welcomed more than 11,100 full-time post-secondary and apprenticeship students to its Oshawa and Whitby campuses and Pickering Learning Site since classes for the 2014-2015 academic year officially began on September 2.  With the college one of only three in Ontario to experience growth this year, the number marks an overall enrolment increase of more than 2.5 per cent over fall 2013 including more than 5,600 new students, and a new college high of 459 international students from more than 32 countries around the globe.

“As we reach the end of the first month of the academic year it’s evident from our enrolment numbers that more students than ever before, including those from abroad, have discovered that at Durham College, the student experience truly does come first,” said Judy Robinson, vice-president, Academic. “From being one of only three colleges in the province to see growth this year – a direct result of our commitment to fostering student success through high-quality academic programs designed to meet the needs of today’s employers –  to the introduction of new programs in areas including health, justice and engineering; our commitment to providing students with opportunities to gain real-world work experience;  academic pathways; and more, we continue to be dedicated to working with our community and business partners to ensure we are offering programs in high-demand areas that will enable to students to serve critical industry needs post-graduation.”

New programs at the college this year include Activation Coordination in Gerontology (graduate certificate), Law Clerk Advanced (fast track) and Mechanical Engineering Technician – Non-Destructive (compressed, fast track), all offered at the Oshawa campus, and Event Management (graduate certificate) and Hospitality Skills, which are offered at the Centre for Food (CFF) at the Whitby campus.

In addition to increasing the number of students on campus and rolling out new programs, September marked other important milestones for the college including the launch of Experience DC, the most progressive marketing campaign in the college’s history. The campaign illustrates the college experience via a unique group of students representing a wide cross-section of programs, personal interests and personalities, through a specially designed website, personal interaction and social media platforms. It was created and to uniquely support the college’s recruitment strategy, enhance reputation and build the DC brand including attracting the attention of the Durham Region, Peterborough/the Kawarthas and Markham/Vaughan markets with robust campaign marketing initiatives in all three areas.

DC also recently launched its first-ever crowdfunding campaign, Field to Fork: Sowing the Seeds of our Community. Inspired by the college’s commitment to bring field to fork, the vision of bringing locally sourced, quality produce from field to table, to Durham Region, the online campaign aims to garner support from the community for the completion of the landscaping and planting needed at the CFF. Supported by ambassador and celebrity chef Jamie Kennedy, the CFF can accommodate approximately 900 students studying in programs based on the field-to-fork concept.

In total, the college offers more than 140 full-time programs through its nine academic schools, along with more than 450 pathway opportunities with universities in Ontario, Canada and around the world.

Durham College (DC) acknowledges Dr. Leo Groarke on his installation as Trent University’s eighth president and vice-chancellor.

Judy Robinson, vice-president, Academic, DC, attended the installation ceremony at Trent’s Symons campus in Peterborough, Ont. on Monday, September 22.

With campuses in Peterborough and Oshawa, Trent and DC have enjoyed a long and co-operative partnership that Dr. Groarke recognized in his installation speech as important to providing post-secondary growth in the area.

Providing students opportunities to earn additional credentials following graduation is one way DC’s dedication to the student experience extends beyond convocation. This includes many agreements with Trent, as well as campus partner the University of Ontario Institute of Technology, that exist for DC students to potentially obtain a degree without having to leave the City of Oshawa.

Durham College (DC) is a long-time supporter of local community events, helping in many different ways year after year. The college recently donated DC-branded umbrellas to 67 students at Port Perry High School to help prepare them for a music trip to London, England.

The students, made up of seven school bands and choirs, toured England and Wales, with each group performing at least twice, including in a coal mine and at Old Trafford Stadium. The brollies came in handy, keeping them dry from the British drizzle, and the students were proud to show some local love overseas. 

The strategic mandate agreement (SMA) between Durham College (DC) and the Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities (the Ministry), is a testament to DC’s response to the rapid growth taking place within Durham Region, as well as its dedication to meeting the needs of all learners; its broad-based academic strengths; and its commitment to applied research. 

“The student experience comes first at Durham College,” said Don Lovisa, president, DC. “All of our programs, campus supports and community partnerships are created and executed with this mission in mind. The Ministry’s recognition of our ongoing successes within this SMA further solidify Durham College as a premier post-secondary destination for students who succeed in a dynamic and supportive learning environment.”

Highlights include:

• A leader in designing programs with and for high-growth industries, DC is at the forefront of the business, accounting, financial and materials management; media arts, agriculture, culinary and hospitality; and health and technology sectors. The college works closely with industry and employers to meet the needs of the labour market while providing opportunities for graduate success through such initiatives as the job portal for employers and job fairs held jointly with the University of Ontario Institute of Technology and showcasing employers offering jobs on the spot.

• DC students learn from the best of the best; the college employs expert faculty who lead students on the path to success. In addition, opportunities for experiential learning bring another dimension to students’ post-secondary education, with more than 75 per cent of programs incorporating practicums; field placements; internship placements; complex high-fidelity simulation scenarios; capstone projects; and applied research projects with a particular focus on health and biomedical sciences research. The development and use of a wide variety of e-learning courses and programs also provides a number of flexible delivery options for full-time and part-time students.

• With DC’s primary focus on student success, a full range of learning skills; supports; and services have been developed and implemented for all students, including students direct from high school; mature or indirect; first generation; Aboriginal; and international students; as well as students with learning challenges. Examples include online learning modules, an e-mentorship program, learning facilitators, modified curriculum, work-study programs, resources, referrals and more.

The current SMA is in effect until March 31, 2017.

Durham College (DC) would like to offer special thanks to the Alumni Association Board of Directors, which recently approved a donation of $10,000 to help with landscaping at the Whitby campus’ Centre for Food (CFF). This donation contributed to the completion of the landscaping for the north side; in particular, the plants located at the front entrance.

A special bench for the front entrance of the CFF, beautifully handcrafted by Whitby campus faculty member, Don Fishley, was unveiled during the Alumni Association Annual General Meeting on September 17 to mark this contribution.

“On behalf of the Alumni Association, I want to personally thank Durham College for honouring us today with a commemorative bench recognizing our commitment and support of Durham College students through our substantial contribution to both the Whitby campus Building for our Future campaign and Landscaping initiative at the Centre for Food,” said Lesley Wagner, president, Alumni Association.

The Alumni Association is governed by a board of alumni who dedicate countless hours to serving the DC community through the funding of scholarships and bursaries to students; attending and promoting functions for the college; and contributing to the development of new programs and facilities.

In addition, DC recently launched Field to Fork: Sowing the Seeds of Community, an online crowd-funding campaign to garner support from the community for the completion of the landscaping and planting needed at the CFF.

Field to Fork: Sowing the Seeds of our Community offers a unique opportunity to support many aspects of the CFF’s landscaping, all of which will be used by our students, engaging them in the growing, harvesting, storing, processing, packaging and selling of delicious food. This includes:

• The planting of fruits, vegetables, herbs, trees, shrubs, vines, wildflowers and arboretum.
• Garden tools.
• A walking path.
• New soil.

The CFF is supported by ambassador and celebrity chef Jamie Kennedy and houses Bistro ’67, a teaching-inspired restaurant, and Pantry, a unique retail store that brings student-created goods straight from the culinary classroom to the community.