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DC receives $900,000 from Weston Family Foundation to build new Centre for Organic Regeneration

Durham College (DC) is pleased to announce that it has received $900,000 in funding from the Weston Family Foundation to create a new Centre for Organic Regeneration at the W. Galen Weston Centre for Food.

A 1,500-sq. ft. facility and composting system, the Centre for Organic Regeneration will enable DC to complete the field-to-fork (and now back-to-field) loop by processing food waste from the Whitby campus and returning it to the earth, specifically the W. Galen Weston Centre for Food fields. This will reduce food waste on campus by 90 per cent while lessening the need for compost from outside sources.

The new facility will also create research and work-integrated-learning opportunities and will be incorporated into the curriculum for related programs.

“Sustainability in urban farming has always guided the development of the Weston Centre,” said Don Lovisa, president, DC. “The new organic regeneration facility is one more way we can continue to lead the way in best practices for food and farming.”

This donation represents the Weston Family Foundation’s ongoing commitment to ecologically based agriculture practices, and its overall goal of delivering measurable impacts to the well-being of Canadians.

“We are pleased to help bring this world-class facility to life at Durham College,” said Emma Adamo, chair, Weston Family Foundation. “We hope the Centre for Organic Regeneration will not only significantly reduce food waste on campus, but also provide a model for other like-minded institutions to emulate moving forward.”

DC is proud of the continued growth and innovation at the Whitby campus and recognizes the integral link between this success and the generous history of support from the Foundation. Past donations have helped establish the W. Galen Weston Centre for Food, as well as the vertical and hydroponic facilities and expanded greenhouses, in addition to funding scholarships and bursaries for students studying programs through DC’s School of Hospitality & Horticultural Science.

“Just as it takes a team of faculty, students and employees to bring our fields, gardens and orchards to life each year, it also takes a network of businesses and organizations to help the college achieve its goals,” said Lovisa. “We are extremely grateful to the Weston Family Foundation for their support of the work we do each and every day to drive positive change and innovation in food and farming education.”

DC’s Academic Upgrading office helps Indigenous students pursue millwrighting trade

Durham College’s (DC) Academic Upgrading office is delighted to announce the successful completion of the Introduction to Millwright project at the Ontario Power Generation (OPG) Darlington Energy Complex.

The six-week training program was delivered to a cohort of eight individuals from Indigenous communities in the area who made significant life changes to commit to the program with the goal of being successfully indentured into the Millwright Regional Council of Ontario (MRCO) as first year apprentices.

The program consisted of two weeks of in-class academic upgrading to prepare students for the communications, math and spatial reasoning segments of the Millwright aptitude test, as well as a four-week Introduction to Millwrighting course delivered by qualified MRCO sister training instructors with weekly support from the Academic Upgrading team.

In addition to DC’s Academic Upgrading program, the following organizations were involved in the creation, funding and delivery of the Introduction to Millwright project:

  • Aboriginal Apprenticeship Board of Ontario
  • First Nations Power Authority
  • Indigenous Opportunities Network
  • Kigita Mikam Aboriginal Employment & Training
  • Millwright Local 2309
  • Millwright Regional Council of Ontario
  • OPG
  • Organization of Canadian Nuclear Industries

This successful partnership between DC, industry, union and community-based organizations is a testament to what can be accomplished when there is a demonstrated commitment to improving opportunities for Indigenous candidates into the trades.

FastStart launches the Start Market to showcase DC’s student and alumni entrepreneurs

On December 3, FastStartDC, Durham College’s (DC) on-campus entrepreneurship center launched an online marketplace called the Start Market, showcasing some of the incredibly talented student entrepreneurs here at DC.

We see it every day – students coming to FastStart to turn their passion, craft or hobby into a business. With the rise in online-based businesses, the FastStart team is really excited to launch the Start Market and give the college community an opportunity to support our local entrepreneurs. While we have hosted holiday markets in the past, this new marketplace will be a year-round initiative that highlights student entrepreneurs who sell products as well as those that provide services, so if you’re looking for talented photographers, graphic designers, social media experts or content creators, Start Market has a dedicated section of freelance services offered by our students.

Earlier this fall, FastStartDC launched a new Maker2Market program to help participants get their businesses up and running in six weeks, providing DC’s student entrepreneurs an incredible opportunity to share with the world what they have to offer in time for the holiday shopping season. We’re excited to feature some of our recent Maker2Market program graduates in the online store.

The Start Market has something for everyone. You can enjoy ethically sourced coffee, roasted by Journalism student Andrew Neary from Kettleboy Coffee or check out some unique apparel from talented Data Analytics student Rita Aboagye-otoo of Aleaza Collections or Sustainable Stitches by our Animal Care student Meera Mohindra. If you are looking for art to brighten your space, or unique décor for your home or as a gift, check out Art Blizz by Vidhi Mehra, from DC’s Data Analytics program and City Lights Studio by Fine Arts student, Josiah Chung. Fill your home with warmth and light with a candle by Advertising student Shantel Loague-llewellyn at L’Amour Jae and pick up some treats for your furry friends from Sassypants Pets Bakery by PR & Strategic Communications student Afrika Nieves-Bentley.

FastStartDC’s alumni entrepreneurs also have some great gift ideas. Check out the incredible charcuterie boards from Katherine Polack, beautiful and timeless jewelry from Judda, incredible art pieces from Jasmine Rutschhman or sustainable apparel from our friends at 3eeHive.

Built and maintained by students, the Start Market is an innovative way to get first-hand experience at building an online enterprise. New businesses will be added regularly, so visit often to see the incredible offerings of DC’s talented entrepreneurs.

Durham College receives more than $106,000 in funding to support first-ever postdoctoral fellowship

Durham College’s (DC) Office of Research Services, Innovation and Entrepreneurship (ORSIE) is pleased to announce its first-ever postdoctoral fellowship, thanks to a Mitacs Accelerate grant totaling $106,666, including a contribution and collaboration with the City of Oshawa’s Fire Services through TeachingCity Oshawa.

Working with principal investigator Dr. Michael Williams-Bell, professor and research coordinator in DC’s School of Health & Community Services, Postdoctoral Fellow Dr. David Brian Copithorne joins the ORSIE team for a two-year term to support an innovative new project using virtual reality to simulate uncontrolled fire scenarios and improve training for firefighters and other Public Safety Personnel using immersive, life-like simulation.

“It’s an honour to be chosen as the college’s first postdoctoral fellow,” said Dr. Copithorne, who received his PhD from the University of Western Ontario. “The work we are undertaking using novel virtual reality simulation training is really going to enrich the firefighting training experience.”

Thanks to technology found in DC’s Mixed Reality Capture Studio, the physiological and psychological responses of firefighters that often occur during uncontrolled fire scenarios will be elicited. This will allow participants to be better prepared by learning to manage stressors and optimize their performance and well-being in real-life emergency situations, without the risk of injury, an outcome the City of Oshawa is looking forward to.

“We congratulate Durham College on its first-ever postdoctoral fellowship and we are excited to partner on this collaborative project,” said Oshawa Mayor Dan Carter. “The virtual reality simulations developed by DC will complement real-life training scenarios and help Oshawa’s firefighters master their skills.”

The grant has also funded two undergraduate intern positions, which are being overseen by Dr. Williams-Bell.

“The Ontario government is proud to support initiatives where the talent and expertise of Ontario’s PhD graduates is being leveraged to solve real-world problems through research and innovation,” said Jill Dunlop, Minister of Colleges and Universities. “By investing in research internships, we are preparing the next generation of talent with the experience they need to get good jobs after graduation. We’re also supporting employers, who are looking for students and graduates with hands-on experience so they can make an immediate impact in the workforce.”

The addition of a post-doctoral fellow is one more way DC is expanding its applied research innovation and reach. “This is a very exciting opportunity for the college,” said Debbie McKee Demczyk, dean, ORSIE. “As with all of our projects, faculty and students benefit from hands-on experiential learning, working to solve real-world challenges, while our partners are able to take advantage of our expertise and technology.”

This is the third Mitacs Accelerate grant the college has been awarded. “We are proud to support Durham College’s first postdoctoral fellowship and its commendable dedication to driving research and innovation in Canada,” said Mitacs CEO Dr. John Hepburn. “Dr. Copithorne’s virtual reality research will improve training for firefighters and safety for workers. We are very pleased to leverage provincial and federal funding to drive innovations that improve the lives of Canadians.”

Durham College recognized as a Greater Toronto Top Employer for eleventh year

Durham College (DC) is proud to announce it has once again been named one of Greater Toronto’s Top Employers for 2022. Awarded to organizations for their progressive, forward-thinking employee programs, this marks the eleventh time the college has received this honour.

Among the many reasons for selection as a Top Employer, DC was specifically recognized for its diversity and inclusion – 65 per cent of its executive team are women – as well as its family-friendly policies and excellent maternity and parental leave benefits, including paid leave for mothers, 35 weeks of paid leave for partners and adoptive parents, and 93 per cent salary top up benefits.

The selection committee also acknowledged other employee supports offered by DC, including tuition assistance for employees and their dependents, a defined benefit pension plan with employer-matched contributions and a new remote work policy, which supports the option for some roles to continue operating remotely in a hybrid capacity beyond the pandemic.

It was also noted support does not stop once a DC employee retires. From retirement planning assistance prior to their departure to maintaining the connection between retired employees and the college through the Retiree Association, DC encourages and helps its employees at every stage of their career, from those just starting out, to those ready to transition into the next chapter of their lives.

“We owe so much of our success as a post-secondary institution to our employees, whose dedication, passion and expertise provide our students with an exceptional education and college experience,” said Don Lovisa, president, DC. “Ensuring their professional fulfillment and personal well-being is a top priority, as we are only as strong as our people and together, we are leading the way.”

Greater Toronto’s Top Employers is an annual competition organized by the editors of Canada’s Top 100 Employers. This special designation recognizes Greater Toronto Area employers who lead their industries by offering exceptional places to work. Organizations are judged on several criteria including physical workplace; work and social atmosphere; health, financial and family benefits; vacation and time off; employee communications; performance management; training and skills development; and community involvement. Employers are compared to other organizations in their sector to determine which offer the most progressive and forward-thinking programs. 

More information can be found on DC’s Greater Toronto Top Employers profile.

More than 1,500 visitors explored DC digitally at Fall Virtual Open House

November 13 marked Durham College’s (DC) fourth Virtual Open House event in two years, as DC’s dedicated employees, faculty and students logged on to welcome more than 1,500 prospective students and their families as they explored DC online. Checking in from across the globe, visitors from 50 countries benefited from the immersive, virtual format as they got an inside look at DC and gained access to important information that will help them prepare for their college experience.

Through informative live program information and student support services sessions, visitors had the opportunity to ask questions about DC’s more than 140 market-driven programs and learned about financing their education, living on campus, career outcomes and everything in between.

Guided virtual tours of campus spaces, including learning environments, residence, applied research centres and wellness facilities, allowed visitors to envision themselves on our campuses. Attendees also had the chance to enter to win a $5,000 tuition credit, fall 2022 semester parking passes, Flex Dollar meal cards and DC swag.

Since last year, DC has welcomed more than 12,000 visitors to virtual student recruitment events and information sessions, providing the opportunity to create the meaningful connections between visitors and DC community members that are a hallmark of the college’s pre-pandemic in-person events.

For more information on applying to DC and upcoming student recruitment events, please visit www.durhamcollege.ca/student-recruitment or reach out to recruitment@durhamcollege.ca.

DC receives more than $472,000 from Global Skills Opportunity to support faculty-led learning abroad for students

In the current Canadian context of urgently needed Reconciliation, Durham College (DC) has been awarded more than $472,000 in funding from Global Skills Opportunity, the Government of Canada’s Outbound Student Mobility Pilot Program, for an innovative international learning opportunity designed to engage with Indigenous and traditional communities around the world.

Offered through DC’s Faculty-Led Classroom Abroad (FLCA) program, FLCA@Home and Away will begin with virtual activities, followed by future global travel opportunities to participating countries.

“We are very excited to be offering this program to students,” said Janine Knight-Grofe, manager, International Education at DC. “Based on previous education abroad experiences between the college and communities in Guatemala, we’ve gained valuable insights into the rich learning and transformation that takes place when we engage in authentic interactions with Indigenous peoples. FLCA@Home and Away is a timely extension of that work, which will allow students to interact and exchange knowledge and skills with these groups from other countries. It is through these experiences that students develop a foundation for Reconciliation at home.”

By taking part in the FLCA@Home and Away initiative, students will increase their knowledge of intercultural competencies and hone their professional networking skills while demonstrating cultural awareness, adaptability, resilience, creativity, and self-awareness, particularly in understanding the unique perspectives and contributions of Indigenous peoples. They also will learn to respond positively to written, spoken, or visual messages in a manner that ensures respect of cultural differences, while developing the ability to recognize and interpret cultural perspectives without bias. In addition, demonstrating respect for the diverse opinions, values, belief systems, and contributions of others will be emphasized as they cultivate transferable skills for their personal and professional development.

FLCA@Home and Away was designed in collaboration with DC’s International Education Office, faculty, the First Peoples Indigenous Centre, the Access and Support Centre and the Career Development Office.

The first offering, FLCA@Home: Storytelling will take place virtually over the winter 2022 semester for students from the college’s School of Media, Art & Design. Future projects are also being planned for students across the college’s other academic schools.

More information about FLCA@Home and Away can be found at www.durhamcollege.ca/flca.

Details about the Global Skills Opportunity program are also available online.

Durham College students recognized in Oshawa’s Culture Days

Artwork created by Durham College (DC) students was recently featured by the City of Oshawa during in its Culture Days, which took place virtually and in recreation centres across the city from September 24 to October 26.

Held annually each September, Culture Days is a national celebration of arts and culture, promoting and fostering meaningful connections between creators and the public, while highlighting the importance of artistic and cultural practices. This year’s theme, Re:Imagine, inspired creators to conceptualize a post-pandemic world and how we can each contribute to that picture being brighter.

Developed as part of the TeachingCity initiative – a collaboration between the City of Oshawa and its education and research partners to address urban issues – students from the Journalism – Mass Media and Personal Support Worker programs in the 2019-20 academic year collaborated to interview a selection of older adults from the Oshawa Senior Community Centres (OSCC55+). The interviews were then interpreted by Fine Arts students in DC’s Community Collaborations course, and recently installed throughout Oshawa as part of the city’s Culture Days.

Virtual exhibitions are available for viewing online. For more information about Oshawa’s Culture Days, visit oshawa.ca/culturedays. To learn more about Culture Days in Canada, visit culturedays.ca/en

Durham College teams up to protect bees

By Leah Drewette, second-year Public Relations student and brand ambassador, FastStartDC

Named a BeeCity for a third consecutive year, the City of Oshawa and its branch of education and research partners, TeachingCity, worked with Durham College (DC) to raise awareness and empower social action to support and protect pollinators.

TeachingCity collaborates in applied research and experiential learning to tackle urban issues affecting the City of Oshawa. As an education partner of TeachingCity, DC rallied its interdisciplinary team of faculty members from the School of Science & Engineering Technology (SET), students from the Architectural Technology and Environmental Technology programs and the college’s entrepreneurship centre, FastStartDC, to investigate the impacts of introducing an urban beekeeping program in Oshawa and deliver an awareness campaign on the importance of pollinators.

It was the perfect opportunity for FastStartDC’s student team to help achieve the city’s goals of advancing its Bee City designation. Social enterprise and EnactusDC project 3eeHive supported the initiative by running the campaign through their platforms. As strong advocates for pollinator habitat restoration, 3eehive sells branded apparel equipped with plantable paper tags that feature wildflower seeds for consumers to plant in their own backyards. The team’s work was celebrated at the 2021 Oshawa Peony Festival, held virtually for the second year in a row from June 1 to June 27.

With the support of FastStartDC, DC students developed and executed a digital marketing campaign to raise awareness among Oshawa citizens on the importance of pollinators and what you can do to help. The campaign also included hand-delivering wild-flower seed packets to Oshawa residents, encouraging Oshawa residents to sign the Pollinator Pledge and producing a video for the Oshawa Peony Festival.

The video, produced by Meagan Secord, a FastStartDC work-study student from the college’s Photography program, offers interesting facts and presents fun and informative quizzes pertaining to plants and pollinators and highlights the efforts of individuals and groups, including the Oshawa Garden Club, local biologists and private business owners who are all doing their part.

“The experience from the very start has been incredible,” said Cullen Smith, an Entrepreneurship and Small Business program student researcher at Durham College. “It is a joy to work with such talented, passionate and motivated people.”

With 25 DC students involved in the project, the digital campaign boasted an online community reach of 17,000 people and 1,100 “likes.” The research and literature review aspects of the project will help to guide policy in the city with respect to urban beekeeping.

“I am grateful to have worked on a project of this nature,” shared Shane Kenyon, a DC student enrolled in Environmental Technology program. “I have learned a lot about what we can do as citizens to help encourage conservation.”

To hear testimonials from DC students involved with the project, view the TeachingCity – Bee City Challenges: Urban Bee Keeping and Pollinator Campaign video.

For more information about TeachingCity Oshawa initiatives, view the 2020/2021 Progress Report.

DC faculty Brian Legree wins Exemplary Leadership Award for innovation in journalism studies

Durham College (DC) would like to congratulate Brian Legree, professor, School of Media, Art & Design (MAD), and award recipient of the Chair Academy’s 2021 Exemplary Leadership Award.

The award recognizes achievements that advance academic and administrative leadership in higher education organizations. For 30 years, the Chair Academy has hosted the International Leadership Conference as an opportunity for leaders from all levels to share ideas, issues and challenges faced in the higher education sector.

Each year, award recipients are honoured at the Chair Academy Conference Awards Gala. This year’s event, set to take place on November 18 in Scottsdale, Arizona, will recognize both 2020 and 2021 award recipients and the incredible impacts they’ve made to education.

Nominated for his work as program co-ordinator of DC’s Journalism – Mass Media program, Brian successfully introduced the “working newsroom” concept in 2018 as a teaching and learning model that combines work-integrated learning, collaboration with community partners and international opportunities to provide students with a rich educational experience.

“Brian’s ability to uncover and incorporate innovative methods that support the study of journalism has truly been inspiring,” says Greg Murphy, dean, School of Media, Art & Design. “As the industry continues to evolve in response to digital technology, Brian has demonstrated that journalism programs are worthy of continued investment at a higher education level, and we are very fortunate to have his sense of perseverance and passion at Durham College.”

Anyone who has crossed paths with Brian, whether as a student or a colleague, has likely heard his mantra: “It’s a good day for journalism.” The DC community shares Brian’s sentiment today, and offers their congratulations on receiving this momentous award.

For more information about the Exemplary Leadership Award, please visit the Chair Academy’s website.