Durham College (DC) proudly celebrated as more than 3,700 students walked across the stage to receive their credential during the 2017 Spring Convocation ceremonies. Whether beginning their career or pursuing further education, these individuals will continue their journey knowing they have the skills they need to succeed.

Held from June 12 to 14 at the Tribute Communities Centre in downtown Oshawa, graduates from the Centre for Food and schools of Business, IT & Management; Continuing Education, Health & Community Services; Interdisciplinary Studies; Justice & Emergency Services; Media, Art & Design; Science & Engineering Technology and Skilled Trades, Apprenticeship & Renewable Technology received their diplomas and certificates, cheered on by family, friends and college employees.

Guest speakers at each ceremony included DC alumni and its immediate past vice-president, Academic:

• Shelley Jones, lawyer and registered trademark agent and graduate of DC’s Legal Administration program;
• Rob Leth, Global News sports anchor and graduate of DC’s Journalism program;
• Judy Robinson, immediate past vice-president, Academic at DC;
• Brent Lessard, co-founder of the online think tank rLoop and graduate of DC’s Mechanical Engineering Technology program; and
• Nancy Shaw, CEO and general manager of the Oshawa Chamber of Commerce and graduate of DC’s Nursing Assistant program.

Emeritus Award

As part of the college’s commitment to building on its positive reputation, the outstanding contributions and exemplary service of retired faculty and staff members were recognized through the honorary designation of emeritus:

• Ben Kelly, a professor in the School of Skilled Trades, Apprenticeship & Renewable Technology received the title of professor emeritus; and
• Judy Robinson, immediate past vice-president, Academic received the title of vice-president emeritus.

Honorary Credential

DC also awarded its seventh honorary credential, a diploma in Community Development, to Edith Alger, during Tuesday afternoon’s ceremony. A long-standing Oshawa resident, Edith has volunteered with and financially supported many non-profit organizations focused on advancing education and improving access to healthcare in Durham Region, including DC.

Alumni of Distinction

Three past DC graduates also received Alumni of Distinction awards, in honour of the extraordinary contributions they have made to society while achieving career success:

• Richard Gauder – Marketing Administration, 1984;
• Joyce Hunter – Journalism – Print, 2003; and
• Brent Lessard – Mechanical Engineering Technology, 2014.

The full videos of each ceremony will also be posted later this month for those who missed the ceremony or want to relive the moment.

There was much to celebrate at this year’s Roger Anderson Charity Classic, as the golf tournament marked its 20th anniversary and the fact it has now raised more than $6 million to support local youth since its inception.

One of Durham Region’s most popular and well-established fundraising events, 220 golfers took to the Deer Creek golf course on June 8, raising $403,000 to support students in financial need at Durham College and the University of Ontario Institute of Technology, as well as child and youth programs at Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences.

“This golf tournament was started to raise valuable funds for local youth, and we’ve had two decades of fun doing that,” said Roger Anderson, Durham Regional chair and chief executive officer. “I am so grateful for the support of the community – from the golfers, many of whom represent local organizations and businesses, to the volunteers who tirelessly dedicate their time – for helping make this tournament a success every year.”

Karim Mamdani, president and CEO, Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences; Tim McTiernan, president, UOIT; and Don Lovisa, president, Durham College, attended the evening’s cheque presentation, offering their own thanks for the hard work and dedication of the tournament organizers and the generosity of its sponsors.

Tournament organizers also give recognition and gratitude to all sponsors and volunteers for their generous and continued support.

Beginning Sunday, June 11, and running through to October, Durham College will host the North Oshawa Farmers’ Market every second Sunday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Founders Lot 2.

The gates to the campus parking lots will be up during these times to welcome market patrons and so that anyone who typically parks in Founders Lot 2 can access alternative parking.

Started by a group of local residents, the market hosts a wide variety of local produce, meats, pastries and other goods.

For more information on the North Oshawa Farmers’ Market please visit: www.northoshawafarmersmarket.ca.

“Allow the way to your great work to be guided by your service to others.” – Mollie Marti

On May 27 and 28, Durham College (DC) Dental Hygiene students who are in their fifth semester gained on-the-job experience while putting their skills to work for a worthy cause by providing dental hygiene care to clients of Health Mission Outreach in Brampton.

Thirty-six students, as well as seven program graduates and four faculty members, made a significant impact on the not-for-profits’ patrons, treating over 100 people who otherwise would not have had access to basic dental care.

A culmination of their program studies, the opportunity for the students to serve some of the community’s most vulnerable members proved to be equal parts challenging and rewarding. With faculty guidance, the students were able to practise many of their dental hygiene skills while providing assessments, periodontal debridement, fluoride treatments and oral hygiene instructions.

Previous to their work with Health Mission Outreach, the students had gained experience treating clients through DC’s Dental Hygiene Clinic, field placements and additional volunteer work, including the provision of education and dental screenings at The Refuge youth shelter in Oshawa.

Working with vulnerable populations helps students to develop greater capacity for bringing empathy and compassion to their dental hygiene practice, a skill in itself that is vital to their success and a hallmark of DC’s Dental Hygiene program.

Durham College (DC) students from the School of Media, Art and Design’s (MAD) Fine Arts – Advanced program, recently grew their experiential learning in the community through a project that allowed them to paint on the windows of the Arts Resource Centre near Oshawa City Hall to commemorate Canada’s 150th birthday and other milestone anniversaries being celebrated by community partners in 2017.

As part of their work in the Community Collaborations course, each student was tasked with filling a window with a design that would capture an organization’s spirit or certain period from its history.  In addition to recognizing DC’s 50th anniversary, the project also captures the following milestones:

• Francophone Organizations Council of Durham Region / Conseil des Organismes Francophones de la Région de Durham – 30th Anniversary
• Oshawa Art Association – 50th Anniversary
• Oshawa Church Hockey League – 70th Anniversary
• Oshawa Historical Society / Oshawa Museum – 60th Anniversary
• Parkwood Estate National Historic Site – 100th Anniversary
• Robert McLaughlin Gallery – 50th Anniversary
• Simcoe Street United Church – 200th Anniversary

“This has been such a fabulous experience for our students, staff and faculty,” said Greg Murphy, executive dean, MAD. “We need partners who give us an opportunity to make a contribution to the cultural landscape of Oshawa, and the city has been a great partner.”

Durham College (DC) is pleased to announce that it has been selected for a second partnership in support of the capacity-building goals of the Kenya Education for Employment Program (KEFEP).

Humber College (Humber) is the lead of the Canadian consortium which will also include DC, Vancouver Island University (VIU) and Selkirk College (Selkirk). The Canadian institutions will collaborate with three Kenyan institutions, Kisumu National Polytechnic, Kisii National Polytechnic and Sigalagala National Polytechnic. DC will be the direct institutional partner of Sigalagala National Polytechnic in supporting their goals of developing a Renewable Energies Program.

The goals of this project are in line with DC’s other KEFEP initiative – to exchange knowledge and help our Kenyan partners strengthen their technical and vocational education and training (TVET) systems. DC is the lead institution on the previously successful project bid with an institutional focus on leadership and curriculum development in the sectors of agriculture and civil engineering.

Katie Boone, manager, International Projects and Partnerships, led DC’s responses to the request for proposals (RFP) in partnership with the other Canadian institutions. In both cases, the proposals were shortlisted for a virtual interview and then selected for the projects by our Kenyan partners.

“The college is proud to play a role in supporting the development of our Kenyan partners’ technical and pedagogical expertise in designing and delivering inclusive, market-driven programs,” said Boone. “We are excited to support this curriculum development in a way that is innovative, applied and inspiring.”

The KEFEP project is a five-year initiative focused on strengthening and supporting technical and vocational education and training in Kenya. It is funded by the Government of Canada through Global Affairs Canada and facilitated by Colleges and Institutes Canada. These partnerships are great examples of partner-driven capacity-building projects that work towards sustainable results and professional development opportunities for all parties and are a critical component of DC’s internationalization strategy.

Durham College (DC) was proud to welcome 300 guests to campus on May 24 as host of The Cypher: Black Male Empowerment Conference.

The conference, an initiative of the Durham District School Board (DDSB), provided black male students from grades 8-10 with the opportunity to learn about future academic pathways and positive transitions, while also experiencing the college’s unique learning environment.

Students also met with community leaders, including award-winning spoken word poet and conference keynote speaker, Dwayne Morgan and DDSB alumni youth speaker, Francis Asheri who won the TD Scholarship for Community Leadership in 2014. Throughout the day, students participated in a variety of presentations from DDSB alumni, teachers and community members.

On May 13, Durham College (DC), along with the University of Ontario Institute of Technology, showed Durham Region families just how fun science can be during Science Rendezvous 2017, Canada’s largest celebration of science and engineering.

An annual festival that takes science out of the lab and onto the street, Science Rendezvous works with Canada’s top research institutes to present a free coast-to-coast open house and festival.

Held at the college’s Oshawa campus, DC co-hosted the Durham Region event that featured a day of family fun with over 60 activities, known as INVENTours, for science lovers of all ages to explore. Among the numerous stations, guests were able to make their own lava lamps and lip balm, try cool science magic tricks, build their own ecosystems and much more.

Nearly 100 volunteers, including faculty from DC’s schools of Health & Community Services and Science & Engineering Technology, as well as local high school students, helped make the day a success.

The excitement wrapped up with a grand finale celebration that included cake, music and prizes to mark Science Rendezvous’ 10th anniversary, DC’s 50th anniversary and Canada’s 150th birthday – all being celebrated in 2017.