Colleges Ontario

(Toronto, Dec. 11, 2007) – A Toronto outreach program run by Centennial College is among eight winners of an award for excellence in Ontario’s college sector.

Working with nine community partners, Centennial College provides a tuition-free, six-week summer training program called Helping Youth Pursue Education (HYPE). The program targets at-risk youth living in three east-end Toronto neighbourhoods. Now in its fourth year, HYPE provides employability skills training and classes in a variety of subjects including audio recording and business entrepreneurship.

The program’s success has earned it a Community/Corporate Partnership Award, one of eight awards presented annually by Colleges Ontario, the association representing Ontario’s 24 colleges.

The Colleges Ontario Awards were established in 2000 to recognize individuals, organizations and volunteers who have made an outstanding contribution to the advancement of Ontario’s college system.

“We salute all the award winners for their commitment to excellence and contribution to the success of Ontario’s colleges,” said Linda Franklin, president and CEO of Colleges Ontario. “Their enthusiastic efforts and achievements are an inspiration and exemplify the important role volunteers and community organizations play in supporting students and college programs and services.”

The list of other 2008 award winners includes:

Wayne Cormier, Wm. G. Davis Community Volunteer Award. Cormier played a key role in establishing a positive relationship between Canadore College and the Parry Sound community after Canadore opened a campus in the region in 2004. Cormier was integral to the community consultation process, establishing the Canadore College Parry Sound Area Community Advisory Committee. He helped introduce the college to the community, creating dialogues between the college and local organizations and businesses.

Sergeant Kerry McCowell, Wm. G. Davis Community Volunteer Award. McCowell is a dedicated advocate for Sheridan College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning’s Police Foundations program. Working with the college he has provided students with innovative learning opportunities and has inspired students to become more involved in their communities. As part of the Police Foundations Advisory Committee, McCowell has been integral to the expansion of the internship program, allowing more students to gain valuable work experience.

Tim Onyschuk, Distinguished Service Award. Tim Onyschuk is a faculty member at Sheridan College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning. Whether working on a provincial initiative to set college-wide standards for the Police Foundations program or creating new curriculum and methods of teaching, Onyschuk combines learning with volunteerism, enriching the student experience and the greater community. Among his accomplishments, Onyschuk spearheaded the Justice Mentor Program, an initiative that partners second-year police foundations students with young boys in the community to help them progress and grow in positive ways.

Martin Rutledge, Student Leadership Award. A third year student in the Bachelor of applied Arts (Animation) program at Sheridan College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning, Rutledge was integral to improving the animation student lab space and worked with Sheridan’s Career Center to establish a new group tutoring model that increased access to help for arts students. As a volunteer teaching assistant he works with 120 students in five classes, helping them understand complex 3D applications.

Niagara College Student Administrative Council, Student Innovation Award. The Niagara College Student Administrative Council (NCSAC) worked with Niagara region transit authorities to develop a universal transit pass. The NCSAC U>Pass program provides Niagara College students with access to transit on all Welland, Niagara Falls and St. Catharines transit systems for just one price.

Educational Partnership in China (EPIC), Collaborative Educators Award. In 1999, Lambton College launched the Educational Partnership in China (EPIC), an international initiative that brings together five schools in three countries: Jilin University (JLU) and Southern Yangtze University (SYU) in China, Lambton College in Sarnia and College of the North Atlantic in Newfoundland, and the American Northwood University in Michigan. In China, large population and limited infrastructure restrict access to post-secondary education. Through EPIC, JLU-Lambton and SYU-Lambton, Chinese students have another option to develop their English language skills and learn valuable technology and business skills, while completing diplomas and degrees.

Loyalist College in Second Life, Innovation Award. As the first Canadian college to establish a college and teach in the virtual world, Loyalist College in Second Life is recognized for the innovative learning opportunities it provides. Second Life is a 3-D, virtual world where people can interact with others from around the world. Joining Harvard, Stanford and approximately 200 other academic institutions from across the globe, Loyalist College in Second Life is both an online presence and a tool to enhance the learning experience. Second life allows students in the Community and Justice Services Worker program to safely participate in workplace simulations; Child and Youth Worker students can participate in role-playing in a simulated environment; and e-Journalism students gain experience in a cosmopolitan environment.

The awards will be presented Feb. 11, 2008, at the Colleges Ontario annual conference in London.

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For more information:

Heather Howe
Special Events and Public Relations Coordinator
(416) 596-0744, ext. 249
howe@collegesontario.org