Congratulations to Durham College’s (DC) Dr. Lynne Kennette, Professor of Psychology, School of Interdisciplinary Studies & Employment Services, who will receive the Wayne Weiten Teaching Excellence Award – an award given to people who teach at the two-year college level.

The award will be presented at the annual American Psychological Association (APA) Convention held in Toronto this August. Criteria included the use of innovative teaching methods, developing interest and awareness of psychology, and developing a professional identity off campus.

“I am so grateful to the Society for the Teaching of Psychology for recognizing my teaching efforts with the Wayne Weiten Teaching Excellence Award,” said Kennette.

Kennette’s teaching methods may be unconventional, using TV programs like Big Bang theory and Family Guy to better relate psychological concepts to her students; however, it’s this unconventional method that engages her students and drives their interest in psychology.

“Teaching well requires a lot of planning, and it can be a very challenging profession at times, but I love it,” she explained. “I have so much fun designing learning activities for my students. Witnessing their ‘aha moments’ when the concepts we discuss in class come to life in classroom experiments or demonstrations makes all the planning and hours of preparation worth it.”

Kennette is DC’s only full-time psychology instructor, but her work in mentoring students has encouraged some to pursue a bachelor’s degree at the university level. She also shares her lessons with, and helps guide, part-time staff on campus to provide the best psychology education the college can offer even though it’s a general education course rather than a dedicated program.

But what means the most to Kennette is being a professor that students are genuinely excited to see on and off campus. She has also made such a difference in the lives of her students, that she often sees their friends sign up for her class in following years.

The award process consisted of a self-nomination form and letters of support required from students, faculty and peers.

“It is truly humbling to have my peers, who are typically previous award recipients, review my application materials and deem me worthy of such an honour,” she said.

The award comes with a plaque and $1,500 as well as a mention in the fall issue of one of the APA’s journals, Teaching of Psychology.

Teresa Engelage and Lindsey Thomas, nurses at Durham College’s Campus Health Centre are now chair and co-chair of the Ontario Campus Health Nursing Association (OCHNA), a newly-created Registered Nurses Association of Ontario (RNAO) special interest group. OCHNA represents nurses who work in post-secondary institutions all over Ontario with a goal of working with other RNAO groups to spread knowledge as well as discuss issues concerning campus health, policies and nursing.

“We know how a student’s health often affects their academics and we support and counsel our students with mental health needs,” Engelage said. “We can speak out and advocate for our consumer population as well as our members to address emerging issues that impact health on our campuses.”

Building momentum for the group took about a year and contacting more than 40 campuses across Ontario. The group garnered enough interest to become a Provincial Special Interest Group in March, 2015.

“I am very proud to be able to have a strong lead in this movement,” Thomas said. “There is a lot of positive work that we see coming from our vision, and I am excited to help lead the way in accomplishing what we are setting out to do. It is demonstrating the strong leadership that comes from Durham College’s nursing staff as well as our passion to achieve the best care for our student populations.”

Working with students on campus to help develop services concerning both physical and mental health as well as providing students with tools to help prevent and treat disease is an important aspect of their work, however they are also developing a voice for nurses who work on school campuses across the province.

“Our executive has decided as a group to start writing a proposal to the RNAO executive group to lobby the provincial government about the importance of student health on campuses,” Engelage said.

This ability to advocate is a key factor for colleges and universities since it allows campus nurses to promote students and their health issues and requirements to the provincial government.

“It’s important to let the government know about the important work that goes on at this level,” Engelage explained. “We teach young adults about their health, how to make healthy choices in life; educate them early about physical and mental health; work to keep students healthy and in school; and graduate to become a functioning, resilient and healthy adult in society.”

Art lovers got a glimpse of Durham College’s (DC) most talented artists at the Third-Year Thesis and Grad Show, which took place at the Robert McLaughlin Gallery from April 14 to 26.

The third-year Fine Art Advanced students welcomed the public to see and experience the culmination of their year’s work during the exhibition, which included an artist talk and reception on Sunday, April 19.

“We are extremely proud of this group of graduating students. They have met and exceeded our expectations as artists, and they are very fine people too,” said Charlotte Hale, associate dean, School of Media, Art & Design. “Outstanding faculty and our continued partnership with the Robert McLaughlin and Whitby Station Galleries makes the Fine Art program an exceptional learning opportunity in Durham region.”

The exhibition allows students to experience what an art show is like in a gallery-setting. Works exhibited ranged from paintings and sculpture to art installations.

To learn more about the Fine Art Advanced program and others offered through the School of Media, Art & Design, visit our website.

Durham College (DC) would like to congratulate Anna De Grauwe, career advisor and part-time faculty member, who was recently named the recipient of a prestigious award honouring research in community college education.

De Grauwe will receive the Central Michigan University/Ontario College Administration Staff Association (CMU/OCASA) Award for Outstanding Research for her paper: College Faculty’s Perceptions of Career Information that was submitted as part of her Master’s Degree with CMU. The award-winning capstone paper focused on the formal and informal methods used by faculty to deliver career information to students outside of class, and analyzed how such efforts could be better supported.

The award, which recognizes the high quality research being conducted in Ontario by CMU graduates, will be presented at the Leaders & Innovators Conference on June 22 at the Kingbridge Conference Centre and Institute in King City, Ont.

In 2003, De Grauwe joined DC as a support staff member and has since moved into a career advisory role. She graduated from the Career and Work Counsellor program at Fleming College and holds an Honours BA in Sociology from Trent University.

This is not the first time a DC staff member has won this prestigious award. Past recipients have included Kara Woods, director, Strategic Enrolment Services in 2012 and Michelle Cole, manager, Program Development and Quality Initiatives, Office of Research Services, Innovation and Entrepreneurship in 2011.

Pam Stoneham, associate dean of the School of Skilled Trades, Apprenticeship & Renewable Energy at Durham College (DC), delivered a TED talk at Sinclair Secondary School on Saturday, April 18.

The event featured four speakers including Stoneham, who spoke to the students about the importance of getting the full college experience and how improving study habits before college will help to achieve a fulfilling education and help with landing a successful career after graduation.

“I told the story of my educational journey which started when I was 18,” Stoneham said. “I became an Electrical Engineer, then about 25 years later I went back to school for a Bachelor of Education, and now I’m an associate dean at Durham College.”

TED is a non-profit organization that features experts, artists and performers, and gives them a platform to share their ideas, and TEDx is a way to extend that practice to smaller, more local events. The talk at Sinclair, TEDxSinclairDDSB, is part of the larger initiative that aims to share information, and they named the conference Off the Beaten Path as the speakers discussed unconventional paths to education.

“My message to the high school students was to view their post-secondary education as the beginning of their professional development and to start developing the behaviours they would want an employer to see in them,” Stoneham explained.

Before arriving at DC, Stoneham worked at General Motors (GM) for more than 16 years where she held multiple positions in the engineering sector, including a team member on the development of the Chevrolet Equinox and the GMC Terrain. Stoneham then achieved her Bachelors of Education at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) and soon after graduating from the program she began teaching at DC, and is now an associate dean.