In celebration of Durham College’s (DC) 50th anniversary, 50 origami paper cranes, all made by Sara Donner, administrative assistant, School of Health & Community Services (HCS), hang delicately in the HCS office window.

Each is a crisp and colourful work of art in the tradition of origami – ori meaning “folding,” and kami meaning “paper” – often associated with Japanese culture. The paper crane is considered to be the most classic design.

Sara taught herself the craft and also recently shared the skill with the HCS faculty:

“I am on the Social Committee for HCS and thought it would be a nice idea to teach our faculty how to make the cranes since our theme was health and wellness at our All School meeting,” said Sara.  “This was fun and challenging and I have a new found respect for teachers!”

To see the display, visit HCS at SW106 at the Oshawa campus.

 

Have you envisioned a way to help combat climate change? Do you have some ideas to ensure a sustainable agricultural system? Or, maybe your inspiration is going to change information technology (IT), media or fashion as we know it. If you’ve spent time on any of the topics listed below, it’s time to take your idea and Pitch It!

FastStart invites students at Trent University, Durham College, Fleming College and the University of Ontario Institute of Technology to submit their innovative business ideas for the third annual Pitch It! competition for aspiring entrepreneurs.

The event will showcase up to five contestants pitching their idea from these various business categories:

• Agriculture and food.
• IT and media.
• Clean-tech and the environment.
• Trades and retail business.
• Lifestyle and fashion.

Applications must be submitted by noon on Friday, September 22. The final Pitch It! competition will take place at Fleming College’s Sutherland Campus on Wednesday, October 4 and is open to the public. It is a Dragons’ Den-style pitch competition before a panel of industry judges. Participating students can meet other like-minded entrepreneurs, get help to bring their innovative idea to the market, and win $500!

Visit the Pitch It! website for more information or to download a submission form.

The Pitch It! competition is sponsored by FastStart, an entrepreneurial training partnership designed to increase the entrepreneurship skills and awareness of university and college students, and help them develop solid business plans and take products to market.

On September 13, the Durham College (DC) Brewing Memories Coffee Tour went global, as alumni from five countries came together in real time to share memories of DC and updates on their careers. Participants also learned about new college developments and took questions from audience members watching live, both in-class and on the web.

Hosted by Global Class founder and DC professor Lon Appleby and DC president Don Lovisa, the event broke down worldwide borders, uniting the graduates who are currently residing in Turkey, Romania, Japan, London, England, and across Canada in British Columbia for a DC Brewing Memories stop unlike any other.

The participants were:

Matt Warburton, Vancouver, British Columbia
Graphic Design, 1983
2015 Alumnus of Distinction

Jennifer Iacob, Bucharest, Romania
Nursing, 2004
2011 Alumna of Distinction and 2012 Premier’s Awards nominee

Rustu Ataman, Istanbul, Turkey
Renewable Energy Technician, 2015

Cameron Munro, Tokyo, Japan
Business Administration – Operations Management (now Supply Chain and Operations Management – Business Administration), 2012

Bob Wheller, London, England
Graphic Design, 1983
2015 Alumnus of Distinction

Advice shared with those watching the Global Class broadcast, both online and in class, included recognizing the importance of lifelong learning, seizing opportunities and not being afraid to stand up and ask questions. For full biographies of each DC graduate, or to view a recording of the Global Class session, please visit the Global Class page.

Hosted by DC’s Office of Development and Alumni Affairs, the Brewing Memories Coffee Tour is a travelling series of 50 events, held in honour of the college’s 50th anniversary celebrations in 2017. To-date 35 stops have been made across Ontario, giving DC the chance to re-connect with its graduates, to hear their success stories, learn about their career paths and share all the new and exciting things happening at DC – all while enjoying free coffee, tea and baked goods.

More than 1,500 members of the community helped celebrate Durham College’s (DC) 50th anniversary in a big way at the college’s Homecoming Weekend on September 8, 9 and 10. Students – past, present and future – along with DC employees, retirees, their families and more came together for three fun-filled days of music, meals and memories to commemorate the milestone birthday.

Beginning with a kick-off event that featured live music from local soul band Professors of Funk and rising Canadian country music star Eric Ethridge, the first stop on the Colleges Ontario Amazing 50 mobile exhibit tour and free pizza, ice cream and giveaways, the weekend crackled with energy from start to finish.

Media personalities also got in on the action. Steve Paikin, host of TV’s The Agenda, spoke to a packed room about former premier and Ontario college system founder Bill Davis. Then TSN’s Kate Beirness – former voice of the Durham Lords – gave the keynote address at the DC Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremony that saw nearly 100 athletes, coaches and team staff from four historic DC teams honoured.

The weekend’s Family Day festivities drew DC supporters of all ages, while the Party Through the Decades on Saturday night took partygoers back in time with themed food stations, bars, displays and attractions, then treated them to a live performance by Juno-award-winning singer-songwriter Colin James.

Rounded out with a double feature of movies on the lawn outside the college’s Student Services building, varsity vs alumni games in volleyball, baseball and softball, and a special prix fixe dinner menu and brunch at Bistro ’67, there was truly something for everyone at DC’s Homecoming Weekend.

The year-long party continues next with DC’s 50th anniversary speaker series (details to be announced shortly), commemorative elements at the upcoming fall convocation ceremony on Thursday, October 26, fall Open House on Saturday, November 18 and a skating party that will wrap up the college’s amazing 50th year (date to be announced shortly as well).

To learn more about DC’s milestone anniversary, history and upcoming events, visit www.durhamcollege.ca/50.

#amazing50 celebration the place to be @durhamcollege! Come check it out! #dc50 #dchomecoming #cdnpse pic.twitter.com/1UCnH4lvrc

— Colleges Ontario (@CollegesOntario) September 8, 2017

Durham College (DC) is a nominee in the Toronto Sun’s 24^th Annual Reader’s Choice Awards in the Best College section. Voting is open until Tuesday, September 12 so share your love for DC by casting your ballot.

After filling out your personal information you can vote for Durham College in the Consumer Services category.

Flag-raising ceremonies are taking place across Durham Region on Tuesday, September 5 as part of proclamations declaring September 5 to 11, 2017, Durham College (DC) Week in commemoration of the college’s 50th anniversary.

Municipal dignitaries, DC leadership and employees, students and members of the public will be in attendance at the following ceremonies being held throughout the day:

9 a.m.	Town of Whitby Town Hall flag pole, 575 Rossland Rd. East
9 a.m.	Municipality of Clarington 40 Temperance Street at the Cenotaph
10:30 a.m.	City of Oshawa SE corner of Civic Square, City Hall, 50 Centre St. South
10:30 a.m.	City of Pickering City Hall, 1 The Esplanade South
10:30 a.m.	Region of Durham Regional Headquarters, 605 Rossland Rd. East, Whitby
11:30 a.m.	Township of Scugog 181 Perry Street, Port Perry
Noon	Town of Ajax Ajax Town Hall, 65 Harwood Ave. South
3 p.m.	Township of Uxbridge Uxbridge Town Hall lobby, 51 Toronto Street

The proclamations mark the start of an historic week for DC that will culminate with the 50th anniversary Homecoming Weekend being held September 8, 9 and 10, which will bring together the entire community for three fun-filled days of music, meals and memories.

Learn more about DC’s 50^th anniversary and Homecoming Weekend, including a complete schedule of events and how to purchase tickets for the Party Through the Decades taking place the evening of Saturday, September 9.

With the new school year fast approaching, Durham College (DC) employees gathered on August 29 for Academic Kick Off.

Led by DC’s vice-president, Academic, Dr. Elaine Popp, the event served as the launch of the 2017-2018 academic year, giving colleagues a chance to reconnect while also preparing to welcome new and returning students to campus when classes begin on Wednesday, September 6.

Following an interactive warm-up exercise, attendees enjoyed a keynote address from John Seely Brown, PhD. During his speech, Dr. Brown, who is co-author of A New Culture of Learning and co-chairman of Deloitte’s Center for the Edge, challenged DC employees to think about what kind of learners we need for this rapidly changing world. He highlighted the importance of content and context and the need to cultivate imagination and play within the classroom. He also noted that while education previously focused on a “push” model, where knowing was the goal, learning has evolved into an era where a student’s imagination quotient is equally as important as their intelligence quotient. Attendees were left with the assurance that where imagination happens, learning happens, inspiring all employees to create a dynamic environment on campus for DC’s students.

Other topics covered included the college’s commitment to internationalization, both on campus and with our global partners.

Durham College (DC) is excited to share and celebrate the efforts of faculty who are working to Indigenize the curricula for several academic programs including Broadcasting – Radio and Contemporary Media; Police Foundations; and Protection, Security and Investigation. The initiative to update course materials was launched in response to specific calls to action included in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s (TRC) final report released in 2015.

Working closely with the Aboriginal student advisors and visiting Elders in the college’s Aboriginal Student Centre (ASC), faculty members have significantly increased the Indigenous content in their programs and will begin implementing it for the 2017-2018 academic year.

The objective of curricula Indigenization is to give students a better grasp of Canada’s shared history and issues connected to Indigenous communities in order to inform the ways in which they approach and work within their chosen field. It is also intended to provide Indigenous students with a greater sense of their cultural backgrounds being valued and positively reflected on campus and in their studies.

Indigenizing curricula is largely focused on learning outcomes – the measurable skills or competencies a student who successfully completes a course can expect to have – which will now be reflective of Indigenous stories, issues, cultures and practices. It can also extend to the ways in which content and instruction is delivered, such as holding classes outdoors or using the learning circle formation for classes.

In addition to faculty from the schools of Media, Art & Design and Justice & Emergency Services, professors with the School of Health & Community Services have similar work underway for several of their programs.

Members of the ASC and the Centre for Academic and Faculty Enrichment (CAFE) have created resources for the college community and faculty to support reshaping the classroom and indigenizing the curriculum. In this year’s orientation program for new full-time faculty, the faculty were welcomed to the ASC where the Aboriginal Student Advisors began the day by acknowledging the lands and territory on which DC is situated, the faculty participated in a Smudge ceremony, and spent the morning in discussion about indigenizing the curriculum, the proper protocol to invite elders, and the significance of tobacco.

DC is a signatory of Colleges and Institutes Canada’s Indigenous Education Protocol for Colleges and Institutes, which serves to underscore the importance of structures and approaches required to address Indigenous peoples’ learning needs and support self-determination and socio-economic development of Indigenous communities. The college also recognizes that it is situated on the traditional territories of the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation.

In celebration of diversity, Durham College’s (DC) Bistro ’67 has launched its first-ever Heritage Series Prix Fixe, allowing culinary students and employees to create and prepare a three-course meal honoring their unique background and culture.

Under the guidance of Bistro ’67 Executive Chef Raul Sojo, restaurant employee Tamara Green, a graduate of the college’s Culinary Management program, recently kicked off the series at the end of July by drawing inspiration from her Indigenous heritage, to create and cook a meal representing the Haudenosaunee (Six Nations) people. With a menu inspired by food that was available before settlers arrived, guests dined on fried Mohawk beans and cornbread, hay roasted venison and enjoyed a dessert of ground cherry and honey sorbet.

The series continues with another prix fixe meal offered tonight (Friday, August 11) and Saturday, August 12, this time prepared by Oliver Yin, a second-year Culinary Management student. Inspired by his heritage and homeland, Oliver has designed the menu and created dishes that will highlight Chinese cuisine. Guests will enjoy his appetizer, a take on a traditional Cantonese dish – Har Gow – this time served as a roll, and a main of Dongpo pork featuring braised pork belly, baby bok choy and steamed rice. Dessert will consist of mango sticky rice cake.

Those interested in experiencing Oliver’s menu can call Bistro ’67 to reserve their spot. The Heritage Series Prix Fixe will continue to run on Fridays and Saturdays into the fall, based on student availability. Please watch Bistro ‘67’s Facebook page for upcoming dates and menus.