College welcomes new key leaders
Lethbridge College President and CEO Dr. Paula Burns finished filling some key leadership positions last November when the college welcomed Stuart Cullum and Michel Béchard to campus.
Cullum is the new vice president academic and chief operating officer. His role is to champion academic transformation, applied research, and teaching, while supporting the vision, mission, strategies and goals of Lethbridge College. Before coming to the college, Stuart had worked as Vice President, Agriculture for Northlands, Canada’s largest and oldest agriculture society. Prior to that, he spent nearly four years at NAIT as the Executive Director of novaNAIT, directing the Edmonton-based post-secondary institution’s work in applied research, entrepreneurship and company incubation activities. He and his wife also owned and operated a commercial turkey and cattle operation in Three Hills, Alta., for more than nine years. Cullum received his Bachelor of Arts degree in history and Bachelor of Education degree with distinction from the University of Lethbridge in 1995. He earned his Master of Business Administration specializing in technology transfer from the University of Alberta in 1999.
Béchard is the new executive director of public relations and communications. His role is to advance the public’s understanding of and advocacy for Lethbridge College, and he provides strategic direction and leadership in the areas of fundraising, communications, marketing, media and public relations, and government relations. Before coming to Lethbridge, Béchard had owned his own independent marketing communications company in Sudbury, Ont., for four years, providing market research, branding, communications and project management expertise to clients. Before that, he worked for six years as the director of public affairs for Laurentian University and for more than 10 years in a number of different positions at post-secondary institutions and non-profit organizations in Ontario. Béchard earned a Print Journalism diploma from Canadore College in North Bay, Ont., and an MBA from Queen’s School of Business at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ont.
The other members of Burns’ executive leadership team are Simon Griffiths, Coreen Roth (Business Administration 1985) and Gayle Weeks (Business Administration 1992).
Griffiths has been the college’s vice president corporate services and chief financial officer since May 2010. His role is to provide leadership to the financial, business and investment interests of the college. He is responsible for the broad management of all college financial affairs, budgeting, legal affairs, technology requirements and infrastructure, student services and the planning and development of all campus facilities, including the Trades and Technologies Renewal and Innovation Project. His role also covers collective bargaining for employee groups and the coordination of the acquisition of operating and capital funding for the institution.
Roth came to Lethbridge College as the director of human resource services in 2007, a position she held until she was appointed executive director, human resources, in July 2013. She is responsible for the leadership, direction and management of human resource functions, including employee recruitment and onboarding, organizational development, professional development, compensation and benefits administration, HR information systems, and labour relations, as well as occupational health and safety, and security.
Weeks started working at Lethbridge College as a financial analyst in 2005. She was promoted to Director of Institutional Planning and Reporting in 2006 and served in that role until July 2013, when she was appointed executive director, planning. She is the executive lead on the implementation of the strategic plan and will provide oversight for the process, among other duties.
Jespersen re-designated as board of governors chair
On Sept. 19, Randy Jespersen (Business Administration 1973) was reappointed as a member of the Lethbridge College Board of Governors and re-designated as chair of the board until September 2016. Randy, who has served as chair of the board of governors since 2010, marks the 40th anniversary of his graduation from Lethbridge College this year. The college is delighted that he will continue to lead the board as the college works to achieve its vision of leading and transforming education in Alberta.
College named one of Canada’s 50 top research colleges
Lethbridge College ranks 39th on a list of Canada’s top research colleges, according to Research Infosource Inc., which released its inaugural ranking of Canada’s Top 50 Research Colleges in October. According to the study, the college attracted a total of $1,076,000 in research funding in 2012, an increase of nearly 43 per cent compared to the $754,000 attracted in 2011. Lethbridge College sees some 500 students exposed to applied research projects each year. The college’s Aquaculture Centre of Excellence (ACE) was cited as one of the primary centres attracting research funding, although work with bio-products such as algae and giardia, the college’s Citizen Research Lab and corporate partners have also brought in research dollars.
Congratulations to the Kode-iaks
The “other” Kode-iaks were in Edmonton in October competing in the Association for Computing Machinery’s International Collegiate Programming Contest. This contest challenges teams of college and university undergraduates from around the world to solve problems and write programs to demonstrate those solutions. Lethbridge College sent its “Kode-iaks” team of Travis Cumming, Mike Paulson and Joel Sigurdson, and they placed 33rd overall in their group. They were the only two-year college team competing in a field of four-year university teams. The team has already started training for next year to build on this accomplishment.
Two-day early childhood education conference on campus in March
The Child Care Director’s Association of Southwest Alberta, in partnership with Alberta Human Services, will host a two-day conference for early childhood educators on March 7 and 8. The conference will feature keynote speaker Lisa Murphy, an early childhood specialist and the founder and CEO of Ooey Gooey, Inc., who is known for her ability to link hands-on activities to educational standards, her outspoken advocacy, and her commitment to creating child-centered, play-based early childhood environments. The conference is open to the public.
College to host child and youth care conference in May
Lethbridge College will host this year’s Child and Youth Care Association of Alberta Conference from May 5 to 7. The conference will be held on campus and participants will be staying in residence. The association is designed for professionals in the child and youth care field who are interested in expanding their professional development and serves professionals by providing support, education and opportunities to enhance their skills and abilities. The association supports quality care for the children, youth and families of Alberta. For more information, check out the association’s website at cycaa.com.
FNMI Days introduces Aboriginal Traditional Games
This year’s First Nations, Métis and Inuit Days celebration included a new event – Aboriginal Traditional Games – made possible by a partnership with Lethbridge College’s Be Fit for Life program, FNMI Services and Opokaa’sin Early Intervention Society, an Aboriginal child and family organization designed to provide support services to Aboriginal families in southern Alberta. One of the goals of bringing the games to campus was to link the development of physical literacy skills – running, jumping, kicking, etc. – with the discovery of Aboriginal traditional games. The games include materials from nature. Participants included many students and staff, including Dr. Paula Burns.
NSO keynote speaker donates tie to support student awards
New Student Orientation in September featured keynote speaker Daryn Jones, who has been a writer and a weekly correspondent on Rick Mercer’s Monday Report since the program debuted on CBC Television in January 2004. He is also the star, writer and producer of Buzz, a long-running series on The Comedy Network, and the host of CBC TV’s Over the Rainbow. During his well-received presentation to new students in the Val Matteotti gym, he received many offers via Twitter for his tie, including “a $25 Subway card and 30 euros.” He decided to donate the tie to be auctioned off at the 30th annual Golf Tournament later that week to raise funds for student awards instead – and that small gesture raised $750.
College instructor’s business a hit on CBC’s Dragons’ Den
Lethbridge College’s Sheldon Anderson and his business partner made a successful pitch in November on CBC’s Dragons’ Den. Anderson (a 1987 grad of the college’s Automotives program, a trained mechanic and the chair of the college’s Crooks School of Transportation) and his partner were offered multiple deals and received a huge amount of praise for their innovative business, InspectaCAR, on the popular CBC show. Anderson opened the local business in Lethbridge in 2010, expanded to Calgary and now has the financial support to grow even more. The business takes the stress and worry out of purchasing a used vehicle or getting a common inspection by putting the consumer in the driver’s seat. You can watch their episode here: cbc.ca/dragonsden/pitches/inspectacar. “The whole experience has been exciting and the knowledge we were able to gain from the Dragons has been incredible,” says Anderson. “We are planning on expanding quickly and we really appreciate the support we have had locally. Southern Alberta has been a great place to start and grow a business.”
Be Fit for Life recognized for work promoting healthy living
Lethbridge College’s Be Fit for Life Centre was one of two Lethbridge organizations to be recognized in November by Communities Choosewell for its work making the community more aware of active living and healthy eating options. The efforts of the City of Lethbridge’s Recreation and Culture department and the college’s Be Fit for Life Centre were acknowledged with two awards – Building Community Capacity and an Overall High Achiever Award. Activities that have been promoted in Lethbridge include the Healthy Eating Challenge that took place in September, the Acts of Random Physical Activity Challenge in June, and an Iron Chef Challenge – Battle Squash, which took place last fall. The Overall High Achiever award also came with a grant that the Be Fit for Life Centre will use to help provide free activities to engage youth and their parents in active living. Suggestions for fun, low-cost healthy living activities can be found on both websites and through following Facebook and Twitter.
Extreme Career Makeover launched at Lethbridge College
Lethbridge College launched a major new marketing campaign, the Extreme Career Makeover, in November that will offer two Canadians the chance to embrace a different future thanks to a free two-year education at the college. In exchange for tuition, books and residence fees, the two winners will spend the two years chronicling their experiences as a Lethbridge College student in videos, blogs and social media. Applications for the contest were accepted through Dec. 15. Right now, the judges are narrowing down the list and will announce the top 10 in the coming weeks. Videos will be produced of the top 10 finalists, which will be available for viewing online for two weeks in March. Check out the college’s website (lethbridgecollege.ca) to vote for your favourite applicants. Online voting will determine the four semi-finalists, and from that smaller group, the college will select the two winners. The names of the winners will be announced in April 2014, and the winners will be expected to start their studies in September 2014. The contest has a total value of around $25,000 for each student.
President shares new mission and vision with regional communities
Lethbridge College President and CEO Dr. Paula Burns and members of the executive leadership team held community roundtable gatherings in the Crowsnest Pass, Taber and Lethbridge last fall to engage in conversation with the college’s community partners. For many in attendance, it was their first look at Lethbridge College’s new mission and vision statements, which were approved by the board of governors last June. Working on regional stewardship is part of Lethbridge College’s process to best serve the communities of southern Alberta while building on its strengths and becoming a centre of excellence. Among those who attended were elected municipal and local school officials, alumni and industry partners.
32nd annual Lethbridge College Career Conference a success
Lethbridge College hosted its 32nd annual Career Conference in October, bringing thousands of students, prospective students, Lethbridge College programs and services together with employers and post-secondary transfer institutions from across Canada. More than 115 exhibitors were on campus interacting with students and community members and perhaps enticing them to a career upon graduation. Many of the exhibitors have been long and loyal participants in the conference. Those that were honoured for five years of participation were: Ace Vegetation, Blood Tribe Police Service, HoneyBee Manufacturing Ltd. and Royal Bank of Canada. Those that were recognized for 10 years of participation were: Parascak Family Chiropractic and Stantec Consulting Ltd. CBI Greystoke Home Health were honoured for 15 years of participation and Green Acres Foundation was honoured for 20 years participation. Alberta Parks and Lethbridge School District #51 were both recognized for 30 years of participation.
New student services staff to provide campus-wide student support
Lethbridge College is pleased to welcome two new staff members who will work to enhance the student experience at Lethbridge College. Shelley Carter-Rose, who is the new director of student services, started work at the college in late November. She brings significant post-secondary education experience to this new position, having previously served in the role of Dean at Algonquin College – Perth Campus and Associate Vice-President of Student Success at Nova Scotia Community College. Shelly is a strategic leader with a strong commitment to student success. Her responsibilities include Student Engagement and Retention, Recruitment, Ancillary Services, Athletics and the Wellness Centre. Charlene Bruised Head-Mountain Horse, who is the new FNMI Student Advisor, started work at the college earlier in the fall. She is a member of the Blood tribe and a well-respected member of the local FNMI community, and she will bring a wealth of expertise and knowledge to her new role from her previous work in the area of human services, including social work, children’s services and community development. Located in the FNMI Services and Student Lounge, she will be responsible for providing prospective, new and continuing FNMI students with referrals to student support services both on- and off-campus, as well as enhancing the student experience through cultural support, events and activities.
Two more builders named in The College Home partnership
The Canadian Home Builders’ Association Lethbridge Region (CHBA) and Lethbridge College announced the next two builders in year two of the College Home partnership in November. Avonlea Homes Master Builder and Stranville Living Ltd. will carry the project forward in 2014, following up on the successful work done last year by Galko Homes Master Builder and Ashcroft Homes Master Builder. The College Home project is an innovative five-year partnership between the college and the CHBA. CHBA builder members partner with their suppliers and tradespeople to build two homes per year and have the proceeds from the sales of each go towards the Trades and Technologies Renewal and Innovation Project at Lethbridge College. Lethbridge College furthers its commitment to promoting accessible post-secondary education by donating a $2,500 award to the home buyer for each of the ten homes.
LCSA donates $15,000 to support new soccer, baseball fields
One of the most frequently asked questions around campus last fall was this: what, exactly, is going on in the field down by the soccer centre? The answer is: an exciting project. The college is relocating the existing soccer/baseball field on the south end of campus to six acres of fields on the north end of campus, across the street from the city’s soccer centre and existing soccer fields. Instead of a shared field, two separate regulation-sized fields – one for soccer and one for baseball – are planned. The existing field is slated to be part of the Trades and Technologies Renewal and Innovation Project, and college officials want to be prepared to move quickly once construction starts. Facilities staff members hope the first games can be played this fall. The Lethbridge College Students’ Association has pledged $5,000 a year over three years to support this project.
Community , college mourn passing of Del Allen
Lethbridge College was saddened by the death of southern Alberta businessman and philanthropist Del Allen, who passed away on Oct. 9 at the age of 70. Lethbridge College President and CEO Dr. Paula Burns said Allen made the community a better place by building meaningful partnerships with so many people and organizations.
Known as an enthusiastic community volunteer, a successful entrepreneur, a proud sport and youth programming advocate, and a dedicated supporter of post-secondary education, Allen was perhaps best known in the Lethbridge College community for the generous gift made in 2000 by his company, D.A. Electric, which gave the name to the college’s oldest building – the D.A. Electric Barn.
The company, which at that time included Del, his brother Don and his son Doug Allen, gave $200,000 to the college’s TEC2000 Capital Campaign. In appreciation for this generosity, the historic Lethbridge College Barn was renamed the D.A. Electric Barn. At the announcement of the gift and renaming, D.A. Electric had about 80 employees; the Allens said that most of them had either gone through the Electrician Apprenticeship program at the college or took other kind of training at the college.
Allen, who was born in Medicine Hat, started his own electrical business in Lethbridge in 1975. Over the years, he emerged as a forward thinking visionary who encouraged the economic and cultural vitality of the city. One of his grandest and most memorable undertakings was negotiating with CP Rail to light up Lethbridge’s High Level Bridge. In 2009, in honour of the bridge’s centennial, he achieved what many had only talked about before and arranged the illumination of the bridge he called one of the wonders of the world.
Allen and D.A. Electric were regular supporters of many different college events and causes, including the annual wine auction, which he had attended since 1999, and the golf tournament, which he had supported since 1992. In addition, Allen and his company have funded an annual student scholarship since 1998. He had served as a member of the Foundation Board from 1998 to 2003 and helped spearhead the TEC 2000 campaign. More recently, he became involved in the college’s Wind Turbine Technician program and had served as a program advisor. His presence, experience and good humour will be missed by many in the Lethbridge community and at the college.
