With the 2020-2021 school year fast approaching, over 550 Durham College (DC) employees gathered virtually on September 1 for Academic Kickoff. Designed to engage and inspire, this annual event sets the tone for the academic year ahead.

Thanks to its online webinar format, DC faculty, as well as administrative and support staff, enjoyed a diverse program including college updates and a discussion about the impact of COVID-19 from a ministry and provincial perspective from President Don Lovisa, a sneak peek from Dr. Elaine Popp, vice-president, Academic, into DC’s new Academic Plan, and video presentations from various employees about transitioning to remote learning and the creative solutions they have implemented to enhance the overall education experience for students.

The videos can be viewed on DC’s YouTube page via the following links:

• Discussing remote-learning strategies
• Exploring re-engagement
• Fostering online communities

Attendees also had the pleasure of hearing from keynote speaker Dr. Britt Andreatta, an internationally recognized thought leader who creates brain-science based solutions for today’s challenges. As CEO and president of 7th Mind Inc., and having been both a professor and dean in post-secondary education, Dr. Andreatta draws on her background in neuroscience, psychology, leadership and learning to unlock the best in organizations and their people.

Through an exploration of the way the brain functions when learning and retaining information, Dr. Andreatta provided insight into how modern educators can help enhance the academic experience for students. Stating “we are all biologically hardwired to learn,” she provided a number of strategies and suggestions for those teaching in the coming academic year.

DC’s fall 2020 classes will begin on Tuesday, September 8 and will be delivered via a blended-learning approach which includes remote and remote/in-person delivery.

​September is right around the corner! We can’t wait to welcome back returning students and meet our new cohort of first-years as they embark on their exciting post-secondary journey at Durham College (DC).

To support students as they navigate a unique new year, including changes to operations and course delivery, we’ve launched a new DC Ready microsite to help students get started and get settled. Full of helpful links and resources, the site is also home to our DC Ready Guide, a valuable academic success tool preparing students for their fall semester.   

With COVID-19 changing the way we work, teach and learn, the DC Ready homepage will act as a hub of information so students can find the support and guidance they need to be successful at DC.

To visit the DC Ready microsite, please visit www.durhamcollege.ca/dc-ready.

Durham College (DC) is pleased to share that its 2019-2020 Annual Report is now available. As one of Canada’s Greenest Employers for a fourth consecutive year, DC is sharing its successes in a fully electronic format.

“Given 2020 marked the start of a new decade, this Annual Report gave the college an opportunity to take stock of the past ten years while also considering the future ahead,” said Don Lovisa, president, Durham College. “We’ve got a lot to be proud of and always welcome the opportunity to share those accomplishments with DC and the broader community.”

The report is filled with examples of leadership in action. Driven by the entire DC community and marked by innovation, growth and excellence in education, DC has a lot to be proud of.

Second-year Graphic Design student Kristin Cornell can make a major addition to her resume after placing third overall, and second in the People’s Choice Award, in the annual Packaging Association of Canada (PAC) Student Competition in May.

Representing Durham College (DC) after being voted in by classmates and faculty, Kristin competed against peers from across Ontario.

Nestlé Canada hosted the 2020 competition, offering up an interesting creative brief that focused on sustainability. Competitors were tasked with designing a completely plastic-free package for Nestlé’s KitKat Minis chocolate bars.

Kristin and her classmates worked on their designs for the competition as an in-course assignment. Although the competition became more challenging due to COVID-19 and the move to remote delivery for the remainder of the winter semester, Kristin powered through and finished her design in time to compete.

After presenting her final concept to representatives from Nestlé Canada and other industry experts, Kristin received valuable feedback that she’ll now take forward into her career as she continues to hone her design skills.

PAC added the Student Sustainable Packaging Design competition in 2008. Students are given a product to redesign and present to a packaging community audience and winners receive monetary rewards and high-profile industry recognition, which often leads to career opportunities.

DC congratulates Kristin on her achievement and takes great pride in the efforts of our Graphic Design students to make packaging more sustainable.

While Durham College (DC) condemns anti-Black racism and oppression of any kind, we are not blind to the fact that there is more work to be done on campus and beyond to fully dismantle the systemic barriers faced by BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Colour) students, employees and community members.

We need more than words. We need meaningful, specific action.

Recognizing this need, DC is proud to announce that on July 17, President Don Lovisa signed the BlackNorth Initiative’s CEO pledge, joining more than 200 leaders from across Canada in committing our organization to realizing specific actions and targets designed to dismantle anti-Black systemic racism and create opportunities for all those in the underrepresented BIPOC community.

The pledge commits DC to implementing and reporting on measurable efforts, including new policies, procedures and practices, aimed to not only address systemic anti-Black racism within the college but to actively work to educate others and dismantle the barriers negatively affecting the lives of Black Canadians.

As a signatory to the BlackNorth Initiative CEO pledge, DC is committing to increasing its delivery of unconscious bias and anti-racism education and, by 2025, ensuring that 5 per cent of its student positions and 3 per cent of its donations create opportunities for the Black community. The college is also committing to working to attract, develop and advance talent to contribute to a target of 3.5 per cent of executive and Board roles based in Canada being held by Black people in the same timeframe. The college’s actions and progress will be accountable through reports to its Board of Governors.

Joining the BlackNorth Initiative reflects DC’s core values of diversity, inclusion and respect that are named in the 2020-2023 Strategic Plan published earlier this year. Our participation is also a significant extension of the work both completed and currently underway at the college to identify and eradicate anti-Black racism, discrimination and oppression of all kinds.

This summer, the college’s Social Justice Week committee, together with the DC Black Student Success Network, Office of Student Diversity, Inclusion and Transitions and DC Students Inc., launched a series of online community dialogue sessions to create a safe space for students and employees to share with and learn from each other about experiences of anti-Black racism. Other recent initiatives include:

• Establishment of the college’s first Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Working Group.
• DC representation on the City of Oshawa’s first-ever Community Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee.
• Development of a college Equity policy.
• Ongoing delivery of unconscious bias training for students and employees.
• Formation of a DC Black Student Success Network.

Signing the BlackNorth Initiative CEO pledge is a powerful next step towards effecting significant, positive change on our campus and well beyond.