On August 30, Durham College (DC) employees officially launched the start of the new academic year at the 2022 Academic Kickoff. After being held virtually for the past two years, the in-person event was nothing short of exciting, as more than 400 employees from all areas of the college gathered for a morning of inspiration and motivation.

Led by Dr. Elaine Popp, executive vice president, Academic, DC colleagues were greeted with a hot breakfast and the chance to reconnect with each other before the morning’s events kicked off with a keynote address from Dr. Henning Beck, neuroscientist and best-selling author. Exploring methods for better thinking and ways to identify the ideal environment to generate innovative solutions, Dr. Beck left employees feeling inspired to think in new ways.

For many, the event was an opportunity to meet new colleagues, as it was the first employee gathering on-campus since the college announced the realignment and renaming of our academic faculties in June 2022. In addition to hearing about updates and successes from the Academic Plan, the agenda also featured an Exemplary Faculty panel discussion, where members shared experiences and sparked new ideas to showcase how DC is leading the way in the student experience, both inside the classroom and beyond.

The event concluded with the announcement of this year’s nominees for the Employee Awards of Excellence, which recognize our employees’ outstanding achievements from the past year. The winners will be announced later this fall.

With the majority of classes set to start on Wednesday, September 7, the campus community is feeling energized and excited for the new year ahead.