encore - Spring 2015

encoreAPPLIED DREAMS.

THE MAGAZINE OF NIAGARA COLLEGE CANADA | niagaracollege.ca | 2015

Making the grade Proud staff and student achievements that put the ‘NC’ in excellence

Just add waterAquaponics makes a splash at NC Greenhouse and beyond

In a Mann’s world Faculty member’s passion for skilled trades sparked right here at the College

Rising up the ranksMeet Premier’s Award winner Captain (Navy)Rebecca Patterson

Innovation lives here New research centre powers up Niagara’s manufacturing scene

BENCHMARKBENCHMARK

WINERY

BREWERYBREWERY

SPA

GREENHOUSEGREENHOUSE

Teaching is our Passion.

Learning is their Passion.

Indulgeyour Passion.

The Learning Enterprises at Niagara College’s

beautiful Niagara-on-the-Lake campus offer visitors

a unique experience where food, wine and beer

combine to treat your senses, a spa treatment will

relax you and the aroma from the greenhouse will

send you home smiling.

We invite you to experience Niagara College in a way

you never thought possible - an oasis of hospitality

and indulgence.

As we tell our students...

You’re going to like it here!

niagaracollege.ca

NC RESTAURANT

NIAGARA COLLEGE TEACHING


NIAGARA COLLEGE


2015 | niagaracollege.ca | encore 3

myCollege4 President’s welcome

5 At a glance

6 Guestbook

8 Making the grade

10 Recipe for success

11 CFWI stars shine at OHI gala

12 Dr. Amy Proulx pushes research boundaries

12 CFWI leading food and beverage innovation

13 NC story living on video

13 NC wins top environmental education award

14 A new home for innovation

16 $1.2-million donation kicks off Achieving Dreams campaign

17 Celebrating athletic excellence

18 Aquaponics making a splash

19 Entrepreneurship takes off at NC

19 NC among Canada’s top research colleges

myStory20 Grad profile:

Rebecca Patterson

22 Faculty profile: Sarah Mann

24 Faculty profile: Janet Jakobsen

myConnection26 Greenhouse projects

go global

27 Me to We trip lays foundation for giving

27 The house that applied learning built

28 Niagara College Achieving Dreams campaign

29 Alumni council

30 Seafood Gala sets record

30 Niagara Casinos: 10 years of support

31 Scholarships support student success

32 Thank you to our supporters

34 Scholarships and bursaries

35 Alumni benefits and services

ON THE COVER

Left to right: student researchers Ben Laurence and Stephanie Bucknall join NC researcher, professor and industry liaison Costa Aza at the site of the new Walker Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Centre at the Welland Campus.

Encore is published annually by Niagara College Canada.

Mailing address: Niagara College Canada 300 Woodlawn Road Welland, Ontario, Canada L3C 7L3

Director Marketing and Communications Dorita Pentesco

Director Development Foundation and Alumni Relations Lyn Russo

Editors Julie Greco, Michael Wales

Contributing writers Julie Greco, Michael Wales, Carolyn Mullin

My Connection writers Lyn Russo, Helen Armstrong, Wendy Dueck, Brianne McGrath

Photography Luke Gillett, Julie Jocsak, Julie Greco, Michael Wales, Sandra Ozkur

Graphic design Mark Hughes

Comments are welcome. Contact [email protected]

14

17

22

26

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Welcome to the 2015 issue of encore.

INNOVATION IS WEAVED THROUGHOUT THE FABRIC OF NIAGARA COLLEGE and it will soon have

a new home at our Welland Campus. Construction is underway on the Walker Advanced Manufacturing

Innovation Centre, which creates a dedicated space for the faculty and student-led applied research

projects that help our local manufacturers create new products and processes, and become more

productive and competitive. Along with an expansion of our Canadian Food and Wine Institute, the

Walker Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Centre is the first phase of our Capital Vision 2016

expansion project.

The Centre is named for Niagara’s Walker Family and its company, Walker Industries Holdings

Limited, which supported this project with a $1.2-million gift – the largest corporate donation in our

college’s history. This generous gift marked the launch of our Achieving Dreams Campaign, which

aims to raise $7 million in support of Capital Vision 2016. Learn more about our exciting plans and

the campaign on pages 14-16 and 28 of this magazine.

One of the great strengths of Niagara College is our faculty, whose commitment and expertise

contribute greatly to our students’ success. Sarah Mann (page 22) and Janet Jakobsen (page 24)

are wonderful examples of how our faculty’s wealth of experience and strong industry ties enhance

the applied education that we provide.

The Premier’s Awards celebrate the outstanding achievements of Ontario’s college graduates and we

at Niagara College take enormous pride in our nominees and recipients. We were extremely pleased

that Captain (Navy) Rebecca Patterson (Nursing, 1987) was recognized with the 2014 Premier’s

Award for Health Services. After graduating, Patterson joined the Canadian Armed Forces in 1989,

and now leads its 1 Health Services Group – as one of the highest ranking women in the Canadian

military. Her fascinating story can be found on page 20.

That’s just a small sampling of the exciting news, compelling stories and special achievements

contained in this issue. I hope you enjoy the magazine and, as always, we’d love to hear

from you. Please feel free to share your comments, feedback, questions or story ideas at

[email protected].

Dan Patterson, PhD

President, Niagara College Canada


myCollege

At A Glance

College raises $40,000 for United Way

The spirit of giving is strong at Niagara College. As part of its 2014 United Way Campaign which wrapped up in December, the College donated more than $40,000 to the United Way of South Niagara. Funds were raised by staff and faculty pledges, and revenue from a variety of campaign fundrais-ing initiatives since the campaign was launched in August 2014.Pictured: UWSN representative Deanna Pope (left) accepts a cheque from NC president Dan Patterson (second right), and NC’s United Way co-chairs Karen McGrath (second left), and Matthew Davies (right).

RISE AND SHINEA new initiative by the Niagara College Student Administrative Council is helping to take a bite out of student hunger. Called Rise and Shine, the student-driven initiative began last fall offering a free breakfast twice per week to students at The Core (Welland Campus) and The Armory (Niagara-on-the-Lake Campus). It is expected to return for a second helping in September.

BRANCHING OUTNC hosted its first-ever Earth and Arbor Day celebration on April 25 at the Welland Campus. The College community and the public were invited to attend a ceremonial tree planting for an edible orchard to be planted on the southwest end of the campus, and participate in a roster of activities and demonstrations focusing on sustainability. The event was organized by NC’s Office of Sustainability and was made possible through donations from the Niagara Community Foundation, while the edible orchard is being funded by Tree Canada’s Edible Trees program.

GAME CHANGERNC and Brock University have agreed to launch a unique partnership that will allow students to earn a bachelor’s degree and an advanced diploma in game development in only four years – a process that would normally take seven. Under the GAME program, students will study at both institutions concurrently, and earn both an advanced diploma in Game Development from Niagara College, and a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) degree in Game Design or a Bachelor of Science (Honours) degree in Game Programming from Brock University. The program will welcome its first cohort in September 2016.

PAM SKINNER APPOINTED VP CORPORATE SERVICESIn April, the College welcomed Pam Skinner as the vice president, Corporate Services. Skinner arrived at the College

from the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities where she was chief administrative officer and assistant deputy minister, Corporate Management and Services Division. As a seasoned senior executive with the Ontario Public Service, she brings more than 30 years of public sector experience, including eight years as CAO and assistant deputy minister responsible for Corporate Services. As vice president, Corporate Services, she has executive responsibility for the operations of Facilities Management Services, Financial Services, Human Resources and Information Technology Services, as Teresa Quinlin moved to the newly-formed portfolio of Business Development.

NEW CHEF MANAGER AT benchmarkAlex White has joined the College’s Canadian Food and Wine Institute team as the new chef manager at Benchmark Restaurant. White relocated to Niagara from Toronto. Working at Marben Restaurant with long-time friend Misha Nesterenko and Top Chef season two winner, Carl Heinrich, all meat and produce was ordered whole and processed entirely in-house. “Ingredient inspired and locally driven” became White’s nose-to-tail/farm-to-table passion which he has brought with him to Bench-mark, and is reflected in the teaching restaurant’s new menu.

6 encore | niagaracollege.ca | 2015

myCollege

GuestbookA glance at the special guests who have visited our campuses, strolled our hallways, toured our facilities and classrooms, and spoken with our staff and students since last fall.

U.S. Ambassador Bruce HeymanU.S. Ambassador to Canada Bruce Heyman visited Niagara

College’s Niagara-on-the-Lake Campus on May 15, 2015.

Ambassador Heyman was accompanied by his wife Vicki

Heyman and U.S. Consul General Jim Dickmeyer.

His tour included stops at the Wine Visitor

+ Education Centre where he sampled

the NC Teaching Winery’s Prodigy

Icewine (2012), as well as the

NC Teaching Brewery, and

culinary and research

labs at the CFWI.

Hon. Elizabeth

Dowdeswell As part of her first visit to the

Niagara region as Lieutenant Governor of

Ontario, The Honourable Elizabeth Dowdeswell

visited Niagara College’s Niagara-on-the-Lake Campus on

December 10. Her Honour toured the Wine Visitor + Education

Centre and Teaching Winery, 40-acre teaching vineyards and the hops

yard, the NC Greenhouse, as well as the Canadian Food and Wine Institute

and CFWI Innovation Centre. She visited classrooms and discussed research and

innovation projects with college students and officials.

Danny RaposoMasterChef Canada’s Danny Raposo made a special appearance at the Niagara-on-the-Lake Campus

April 1, attending the World’s Largest Dessert Party. Hosted by students in the College’s Event

Management (Graduate Certificate) program, the event was a fundraiser for the College’s Many Hands

Project that supported renovations to Strive Niagara. Raposo wasn’t the only celebrity appearance

at the event; a video message from Entertainment Tonight Canada’s Rick Campanelli was played

for the crowd, to wish them well on an attempt to break the Guinness World Record. MasterChef

Canada’s Danny Raposo is pictured (left) with Event Management student and event chair

Madison Vine, Welland mayor Frank Campion, and Event Management program faculty Teri

Canestraro.


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Max Eisen

Holocaust survivor

Max Eisen delivered

a powerful message to the

College and the community on

April 8. His presentation, held in the

Applied Health Institute auditorium at the

Welland Campus, described the emotions of

those who, like him, experienced the horrors of the

Auschwitz-Birkenau camps. The event was organized by

the College’s School of Justice and Fitness Studies.

Jeff Leal On March 5, The Hon. Jeff Leal, Ontario’s

minister of agriculture, food and rural affairs, visited

NC’s Wine Visitor + Education Centre to deliver good news for

the province’s wine and grape industry. With local industry

representatives in attendance, the minister announced two new

programs aimed at increasing innovation in the wine and grape

sector while growing sales of VQA wines and boosting tourism

in Ontario’s wine regions. Following the announcement, the

minister toured the Niagara College Teaching Winery, sampled

its wines and learned about student projects.

Bernd SienerGerman chef Bernd Siener travelled across the Atlantic

to visit the College’s Canadian Food and Wine Institute.

On March 21, he became the first European chef ever to be

featured as part of the College’s Chef Signature Series. Siener

combined techniques and food trends from his homeland with

Canadian ingredients to produce a menu that wowed a sold-

out crowd. Siener was assisted in the kitchen by members of

Junior Culinary Team Canada for the event. The team had the

opportunity to meet Siener in Marburg, Germany in November

when they prepared dinner at his restaurant – the Michelin-

starred Marburger Esszimmer. Siener was also a guest speaker

and gave demonstrations for the College’s culinary students

during his time in Canada.

Dan GheeslingEntrepreneur, author, and coach Dan

Gheesling, who is best known as winner of the

popular CBS Reality TV show Big Brother, visited

NC on March 26. Gheesling spoke to guests about the

importance of action-based leadership and motivation.

The event was hosted by the College’s Centre for

Student Engagement and Leadership,

and the Niagara College Student

Administrative Council.

Danny RaposoMasterChef Canada’s Danny Raposo made a special appearance at the Niagara-on-the-Lake Campus

April 1, attending the World’s Largest Dessert Party. Hosted by students in the College’s Event

Management (Graduate Certificate) program, the event was a fundraiser for the College’s Many Hands

Project that supported renovations to Strive Niagara. Raposo wasn’t the only celebrity appearance

at the event; a video message from Entertainment Tonight Canada’s Rick Campanelli was played

for the crowd, to wish them well on an attempt to break the Guinness World Record. MasterChef

Canada’s Danny Raposo is pictured (left) with Event Management student and event chair

Madison Vine, Welland mayor Frank Campion, and Event Management program faculty Teri

Canestraro.

Ewald Notter and Paul JoachimDecadence 2015, the CFWI’s

celebration of chocolate and Icewine

was held February 21-22. It featured a sweet

roster of celebrity chefs who gave demonstrations at

the CFWI’s Hilton Culinary Theatre, including world-famous

chocolate sculptors Ewald Notter and Paul Joachim.

Joachim is pictured working on a sculpture of

Culinary Management grad (2013) Megan

Proper, who is a member of Junior

Culinary Team Canada.


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Sweet success BREAKING A WORLD RECORD wasn’t just a pie in the sky idea for the

College’s Event Management (Graduate Certificate) students. On April 1,

they smashed the existing world record for the World’s Largest Dessert

Party with 910 guests and more than 5,200

desserts – 4,100 consumed! – at the

Niagara-on-the-Lake Campus.

The previous record was

set by Friendly’s Ice

Cream in Wilbraham,

Massachusetts in July

2013, including

794 people and

more than 3,800

desserts. NC’s recipe

for success proved to

be a true testament

to applied learning

at Niagara College,

involving hard work and

extreme attention to detail.

The event had to be tracked and

counted meticulously and a video

recording sent to Guinness World Records

for official verification. An estimated $7,000 was raised for the College’s

2015 Many Hands Project which supported Strive Niagara – the icing on

the cake!

Grape expectations A STUDENT-DESIGNED LABEL was selected by representatives from

Pillitteri Estates Winery and the LCBO to appear on one of

Pillitteri’s wines as early as this summer. The winning

label, True North Riesling, was designed by Lisa

Mancini (Graphic Design, third year), Nadia

Dubeau (Winery and Viticulture Technician,

first year), Paula Reile (Sales and Marketing,

first year) and Warren Short (Wine Business

Management). Four teams of NC students

competed for the winning label for Pillitteri

this year. “The future of wine branding,

production, marketing and sales are in good

hands with the students and graduates of

Niagara College,” said Jeff Letvenuk, marketing

manager at Pillitteri Estates Winery.

Raise a glassMADD VIRGIN CRAFT

BREWED LAGER has

been shortlisted for

the Grand Prix New

Product Awards

of 2015. The

alcohol-free craft

brewed lager which

was a collaboration

between the College’s

Canadian Food and

Wine Institute and MADD

Virgin Drinks, was nominated

by Tree of Life Canada in the

Food Category. Released to the public

last summer, MADD Virgin Craft Brewed Lager

won a gold medal at the U.S. Open Beer Championships in 2014.

Toronto-based MADD Virgin Drinks, which offers a full line of alcohol-free

drinks and donates 10 percent of its net sales to Mothers Against Drunk

Driving (MADD) Canada, turned to Niagara College about three years ago

to develop a recipe for a great-tasting craft lager with a 0 percent alcohol

content, unlike similar products which contain up to 0.5 percent. The

company tapped into the unique expertise and facilities of the College,

which is home to Canada’s first teaching brewery as well as programs and

capabilities in food and fermentation science, and sensory analysis.

Making the gradeThere has been plenty of ‘NC’ in excellence over the past academic year. Check out some of our College’s proud achievements.


myCollege

Picture perfect DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY

GRAD (2014) KATIE WYATT captured

first place at the 2015 Emerge Media Awards in April. Her photo, A

Karsh Emulation of George Bernard Shaw, was completed during her

time as a student at Niagara College as part of her second-year advanced

portraits class. Her submission was among 30 entries in the photography

category and three finalists shortlisted for the category were from NC.

Eight NC students were shortlisted for this year’s EMAs: three for Digital

Photography, three for Digital Design, and two for Audio Storytelling.

Pictured above left: A Karsh Emulation of George Bernard Shaw. Pictured above right: Katie Wyatt (middle)

with professors Stephen Dominick (left) and Grace Wileichuck-Smith.

Brighter smilesSINKING THEIR TEETH INTO ORAL HEALTH earned staff and students

from NC’s Dental Hygiene program an award from the Canadian Dental

Hygienists Association. Last fall, Niagara College was announced as

winner of the CDHA’s Oral Health Promotion Award in the Dental Hygiene

School category (sponsored by Crest Oral-B), for the promotion of oral

health and the profession of dental hygiene in practice, schools and the

community through creative initiatives. It was granted for the efforts

of Dental Hygiene professor Jennifer Turner and the graduating Dental

Hygiene class of 2014 who marked National Dental Hygienists Week with

a special event. Below, from left: Morgan MacLean, Hannah Vandelaar, Jessica King, Codie Peek

and Kimberley Mizzi celebrate the profession they are training to enter at the Applied Health Institute

Feb. 27.

Defining excellenceTHE COLLEGE’S TRADITION

OF CELEBRATING EXCELLENCE

continued on Niagara Day in August when three 2014 Awards of

Excellence recipients were honoured. Winners included Fiona Allan,

interim dean of Academic and Liberal Studies (Administrative Award

of Excellence); Steve Collins, Pre-Health Sciences professor (Faculty

Award of Excellence); and Jill English, academic advisor for the School

of Environmental and Horticulture Studies, and Academic and Liberal

Studies (Support Staff Award of Excellence). Pictured above from left: Jill English, Dan

Patterson, Fiona Allan and Steve Collins.

Sparkling sensationNIAGARA COLLEGE TEACHING

WINERY’S inaugural sparkling

wine is giving three graduating

students a new reason to

cheer. Chelsea Whipps

(Graphic Design), Gaurav

Ashwani (Wine Business

Management), and

Christian Scagnetti

(Winery and Viticulture

Technician) designed

the winning label

selected by a panel

of judges in March to

appear on the Teaching

Winery’s soon-to-be-released

Sparkling wine. The label uses

one of the Teaching Winery’s existing

brands, called Balance, for the new product.

Expected to hit the store shelves later this year, the

College’s first-ever Sparkling wine marks a significant achievement for the

Teaching Winery that serves to enhance the student experience and meet

a need in the industry. Pictured (from left): Guarav Ashwani, Chelsea Whipps and Christian

Scagnetti holding a bottle bearing their winning label design.


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Recipe for successCanadian Food and Wine Institute savours victory

TEAM CANADA RANKS FIFTH IN WORLDThe World Culinary Olympics may be a year away but a team from Niagara College’s Canadian Food and Wine Institute is already making its mark on the international culinary scene.

Junior Culinary Team Canada – made up of CFWI students and recent graduates – won two medals at the Expogast Villeroy and Boch Culinary World Cup 2014, held in Luxembourg from November 22-26: a gold medal for its hot program and a silver for its cold program. While the gold and silver medals were awarded for points the team achieved in the hot and cold programs respectively, the team was ranked fi fth in the world at the competition among 14 other countries.

“It’s important to see where you rank in the world. I think that getting to the top fi ve teams is exceptional,” said dean of the Canadian Food and Wine Institute, Craig Youdale. “I am proud of our team and look forward to moving that ranking up for the World Culinary Olympics and showing that the team from the CFWI can top the world.”

This was the fi rst international competition for Junior Culinary Team Canada. The team gained its title in a victory over culinary teams from Humber and Holland colleges at The Canadian Culinary Federation of Chefs and Cooks Junior Culinary Team Selection Competition in October 2013. In addition to representing Canada at international competitions for three years, it won the distinction of representing Canada at the 2016 World Culinary Olympics in Germany.

MAKING EMERIL PROUDA team from the CFWI won bronze at a recent Research Chef Association’s Culinology student competition, a product development challenge held at its annual conference and expo in New Orleans on March 26. Led by chef professor Ted Reader (pictured right), the CFWI team – called Northern Exposure – included three third-year students from the College’s Culinary Innovation and Food Technology (co-op) advanced diploma program: Gaetano Pugliese, Scott McInerney (of Junior Culinary Team Canada) and Beatrix Princz. They were among six teams selected to compete in the fi nals in New Orleans. The team was tasked with creating a retail/consumer food item from Chef Emeril’s Barbecue Shrimp with Rosemary Biscuit recipe. On the day of the competition, the team prepared the gold standard original recipe, while the judging panel made the team’s retail food item, with the goal of creating the perfect match.

NC’S OWN ‘IRON MAN’Master Brewers Association of America awarded the Iron Brewer trophy to college staff member Alan Brown last fall for his Highland Gale Highland Ale. The competition challenges competitors to create at least 10 litres of beer in any style from a bag of specialty ingredients including several varieties of brewing grains, hops and yeast. Brown, who is the support liaison for the college’s Brewmaster and Brewery Operations Management program,

is also a graduate of the program (2013). It was the second Iron Brewer win for Brown, who won third place in 2013 for his Spiced Winter Ale. Brown is pictured left with Paul Dickey, event organizer and member of the NC Brewmaster Program Advisory Committee.

SWIMMING SUCCESSStudents Junghoon You and Katherine Kidnie earned feathers in their cap after winning gold at the Great Amazing Duck Race on March 28. The farm-to-fork culinary competition hosted by King Cole Ducks in Newmarket had teams of second-year students from Ontario colleges – including George Brown, Fanshawe, Durham, Fleming, Centennial, and Humber colleges – competing for the title of Great Amazing Duck Race Chef Champion and

cash prizes. This was the third year for the competition and an opportunity for the Canadian Food and Wine Institute to prove it has its ducks in a row – three, to be exact – as fi rst-place champion each year of the event.

ALL HOPPED UPThird year Brewmaster and Brewery Operations Management student Nick Bobas proved that his beer recipe can stand strong against professionals. In March, his recipe won third place at the Great Ontario Hopped Craft Beer competition. Hosted by the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Convention, the event brings Ontario hop producers and the Ontario brewing industry together to promote the use of Ontario-grown hops. Bobas partnered with Collingwood area hops farm Clear Valley Hops for the competition.

DISHING OUT GOLDBenchmark Restaurant received the eighth annual Golden Plate Award from Les Clefs d’Or Niagara in December. The prestigious award is voted on by members of the local hotel concierge association, who select their top fi ve restaurants adhering to strict guidelines pertaining to cuisine, service, atmosphere, guest feedback, and accommodations to a concierge calling for a reservation. In winning this award, Benchmark joins a list of some of Niagara’s fi nest dining establishments who were announced as previous winners including Peller Estates, Stone Road Grille, Toi Restaurant, Trius Restaurant at Hillebrand, AG Restaurant, Ravine Vineyard, and LIV Restaurant at White Oaks Resort.

Pictured are Korey Rorison, public relations director, Les Clefs d’Or Canada (left); and Jamie Clarke, VIP concierge, Niagara regional director of Les Clefs d’Or (right); presenting the Golden Plate Award to Craig Youdale, dean of Niagara College’s Canadian Food and Wine Institute (second left); and Sarah Scott, manager of dining operations, Benchmark Restaurant (second right).


myCollege

CFWI stars shine at Ontario Hostelry Institute galaTHE ACHIEVEMENTS OF CFWI staff and grads

were in the spotlight at the Ontario Hostelry

Institute’s awards event on April 23. Held

in Toronto, the annual event celebrates the

achievements of professionals in the culinary,

hospitality and tourism industries.

CFWI dean Craig Youdale was inducted as a

fellow of the Institute – a recognition program

for professionals in Ontario that show leadership

and vision in the Hospitality and Culinary

Industry. The honour is awarded in recognition

of professional achievements, dedication and

contributions to the culinary, foodservice wine

and hospitality industry.

“Everything about being a fellow of the OHI

applies directly to Craig Youdale. He is one of

those people who does wonders for food and

wine management,” said J. Charles Grieco, chair

and president of the Ontario Hostelry Institute.

“Great things are happening at Niagara College.”

“The honour is important to me in that it

recognizes the growth and development here

at NC and that what we are achieving is being

noticed by those in our industry,” said Youdale.

Youdale joins a cohort of industry leaders

who have been honoured as a Fellow of the

OHI including Donald Ziraldo, Anita Stewart,

Mario Pingue, Anna Olson, Del Rollo and Debi

Pratt; as well as other NC staff members such

as Dave Taylor, Jon Ogryzlo, Jeff Stewart, Peter

Rod, Michael Olson, Peter Blakeman and Mark

Picone.

NC was also well represented among the

OHI’s Top 30 Under 30 Rising Stars.

Brianne Hawley, wine student liaison who

also coordinates social media and is a part-time

instructor at the CFWI, received a Top 30 Under

30 award. Hawley is a graduate of NC’s Tourism

Management, Business Development Co-op

program (2008), as well as its Wine Business

Management graduate program (2009). The

award recognizes her work at the College as well

as her former position as a marketing and event

coordinator for California Wines.

“Winning this award is a real thrill and a

very special honour. It was so nice to see my

accomplishments being recognized among some

superstars in Ontario’s hospitality industry,” said

Hawley, 27.

Another Top 30 Under 30 recipient was Ben

Lillico, a graduate of the college’s Culinary

Management, and Bachelor of Applied Business

and Hospitality programs (2014). Lillico, 21,

is a member and current captain of Junior

Culinary Team Canada and chef de partie at

Langdon Hall Country House Hotel and Spa in

Cambridge.

“I am very grateful for this award and I

cannot thank everyone who helped me to where

I am now enough,” he said. “Lots of hard work,

training and networking combined helped

me achieve a level where I was eligible to put

together a portfolio to represent for this award.”

LUCK OF THE IRISHIrish eyes are smiling on Brewmaster Strong Ale, making it the latest award-winning beer on the scene at the NC Teaching Brewery. In February, the 7.5 percent strong-yet-subtle ale won a silver medal at the Alltech Dublin Cup. It was the first time the beer had ever been entered in a competition. Representatives from Alltech visited the Teaching Brewery in late March to present the award to College brewers and students.

Brewmaster strong is available for purchase at the Niagara College Teaching Brewery, located at the College’s Niagara-on-the-Lake Campus (135 Taylor Rd., Niagara-on-the-Lake).

Pictured from left are NC Teaching Brewery head brewer Rob Doyle; Alltech’s North America coordinator for Educational Initiatives Victoria Liu; NC brewmaster Jon Downing; Alltech sales and marketing assistant Jami-Rose Laing; first-level Brewmaster student Vandra Ruppel; and NC Teaching Brewery lead brewer Tanner Hinrichson.

FLOUR POWER AT SKILLS ONTARIOCFWI students proved they were the best in the province at the 26th annual Ontario Technological Skills Competition with two gold medals and four overall in the Postsecondary Baking and Culinary Arts categories. Sophie Maille (Baking and Pastry Arts) won gold and Anita Armenti Nadon (Baker-Patisserie Apprentice) captured silver in Baking; while Ramel Fortes (Culinary Management) won gold and Jesse Wallace (Culinary Management) won bronze in Culinary Arts. The largest skilled trades competition in Canada, the event was held in Waterloo in May.


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CFWI leading food and beverage innovationAMONG THOSE CELEBRATING THE

OFFICIAL LAUNCH OF THE CANADIAN FOOD

AND WINE INSTITUTE INNOVATION CENTRE

this past fall was Vikram Vij – a chef and

entrepreneur whose celebrated restaurants and

former high-profile role on CBC’s Dragon’s Den

have made him a household name in Canada.

Speaking at the grand opening ceremonies

in November, Vij praised the Centre and its

team of student, recent grad and faculty

researchers for its innovative approach.

The Canadian Food and Wine Institute

Innovation Centre, located at the Niagara-on-

the-Lake Campus, provides solutions for small-

and medium-sized businesses in the thriving

field of food and beverage innovation.

Since the initiative was first announced

in 2012, the Centre has transformed into

four fully operational labs with specialized

equipment and infrastructure to conduct

projects involving, but not limited to,

microbiology, shelf-life analysis, food

chemistry and sensory analysis.

The Centre offers a full suite of services

to support industry innovation and

commercialization of new products and

processes, including new recipe development,

shelf-life testing and nutritional labelling,

as well as sensory analysis and consumer

preference studies.

“Leading in research and innovation is a

key strategic priority for Niagara College,”

said College president Dan Patterson. “The

Canadian Food and Wine Institute Innovation

Centre leverages our expertise in food and

fermentation sciences to provide solutions

for a key sector while creating exceptional

real-world learning experiences that link our

students and faculty to industry.”

In addition to working with Vij, the Centre

has been involved in a broad range of

innovative industry-based projects, including

a partnership with MADD Virgin Drinks to

develop a craft lager with zero alcohol. From

recipe development to creating the label, the

research team was an integral part of the

process. Today, MADD Virgin Craft Brewed

Lager has North American distribution and

earned gold in its category at the U.S. Open

Beer Championships.

The Canadian Food and Wine Institute

Innovation Centre, located at the Niagara-

on-the-Lake Campus, was supported with

significant funding from the Government

of Canada through the Canada Foundation

for Innovation, the Ontario Research Fund,

and the Natural Sciences and Engineering

Research Council of Canada (NSERC).

Food scientist pushes research boundariesSHE’S GAINED WORLDWIDE RECOGNITION FOR HER INNOVATIVE APPROACH TO RESEARCH, AND HAS BEEN A KEY INGREDIENT TO THE

DEVELOPMENT AND GROWTH OF THE COLLEGE’S CANADIAN FOOD AND WINE INSTITUTE INNOVATION CENTRE.

Meet Amy Proulx, PhD, professor and academic program coordinator for Niagara College’s Culinary Innovation and Food Technology program.

Last year, she was the only North American to be named among the world’s top young food scientists by the International Union of Food Science

and Technology. “Her selection as one of IUFoST’s Young Scientists recognizes that Dr. Proulx exemplifies excellence in the food science and

technology profession,” said IUFoST president Pingfan Rao, PhD.

Proulx joined Niagara College in 2011 as a professor and academic program coordinator

for Niagara College’s Culinary Innovation and Food Technology program. She is also technical

research leader at the Canadian Food and Wine Institute Innovation Centre.

She holds undergraduate and master’s degrees in food science from the University of Guelph,

and a PhD in food science and human nutrition from Iowa State University. Before arriving at

NC, Proulx worked as a visiting research scientist with the United States Department of Agricul-

ture in Ames, Iowa, as a research fellow with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, as well as at the

Guelph Food Research Centre, and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.

Her work as part of NC has included tests for the award-winning recipe for MADD Virgin Craft

Brewed Lager, a high-quality non-alcoholic lager created in partnership with MADD Virgin Drinks;

as well as testing in the creation of a botanical beverage with Niagara Essential Oils and Blends.

“I’ve always been someone to push boundaries and expectations. How we approach research

in an academic setting here at Niagara College is very revolutionary. We take an industry-first

approach where we focus on providing solutions to help industry succeed – very different than

most academic research where the researchers assume their findings will advance knowledge in

the industry and find an application in the long run,” says Proulx. “It really is science in service

to the industry which is what good applied research should be.”


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NC story living on videoTHE NIAGARA COLLEGE STORY has come to

life through a series of student-centred videos.

The videos build on the College’s brand and

tell captivating stories of how Niagara College

makes ‘Applied Dreams’ come true.

The project is part of a coordinated social

media campaign that uses the #myNCstory

hashtag which creates a searchable link to the

videos across different platforms, and allows

students, staff, alumni and others to share

their own NC stories through social media.

The videos also play a starring role in NC’s

2014-2015 student recruitment campaign.

The videos were developed by the Marketing

and Communications department last spring

and summer, and represent hundreds of hours

of video shoots, interviews and editing. Thirty-

eight videos have been launched so far, with

more in the works covering all of the College’s

main program areas.

“The videos are an effective tool for

helping students understand the full range

of benefits and experiences that come

with Niagara College’s unique approach to

applied education. These are the stories

that define our tagline of ‘Applied Dreams,’”

said Dorita Pentesco, director of marketing,

communictions and recruitment. “The videos

also give the public an inside look at Niagara

College life and allow us to share with the

public our student and graduate success

stories, which are the heart of Niagara

College.”

View the videos by searching #myNCstory

on YouTube or visit niagaracollege.ca/video.

NC wins top environmental education awardONE OF CANADA’S LEADING

ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION NETWORKS

has recognized Niagara College for its efforts

in raising the profile and understanding of

environmental issues.

The Canadian Network for Environmental

Education and Communication (EECOM)

selected Niagara College as the 2014

recipient of its Outstanding Postsecondary

Institution Award at its annual EECOM Awards

of Excellence Ceremony in Ottawa last fall.

The EECOM Awards recognize individuals

and organizations who have collectively

influenced Canadians, and helped implement

one of EECOM’s key goals – to advance

environmental learning.

“Niagara College’s enthusiasm for

protecting and enhancing the environment

was apparent through its operational efforts

and student life,” said Nadine Lafort, an

EECOM director and co-chair of the awards

committee. “The variety of programs offered

– that focus on energy, waste, carbon, paper,

water, biodiversity, student engagement and

more – highlight just how much sustainability

has been integrated into all areas of the

College.”

NC was nominated for the award by the

Niagara Sustainability Initiative (NSI) – a local

non-profit organization with a mandate to

connect government, industry, community and

academic sectors. Niagara College is a partner

of NSI.

“Niagara College has demonstrated its

commitment to environmental education and

awareness for students, employees and visitors

by actively implementing a variety of unique

projects at Niagara College,” said Katrina

Kroeze, NSI’s executive director.


The College’s Research and Innovation division

has been doing great work supporting the small- and medium-

sized manufacturers in our region.

Walker Industries shareholder Sheila Bonapace

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THIS PAST MARCH, SHOVELS HIT THE GROUND on the Walker

Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Centre – a specialized facility that

will house the labs, equipment, and student and faculty research teams

that assist local manufacturers.

Through applied research projects facilitated by its Research and

Innovation division, Niagara College has been helping Niagara’s advanced

manufacturers innovate, compete and create new jobs. The College has

long had the expertise and equipment that advanced manufacturers need,

but it has lacked the dedicated space. The Walker Advanced Manufacturing

Innovation Centre changes that and will significantly enhance NC’s capacity

for research projects that help manufacturers innovate.

“Manufacturing accounts for 16 percent of Niagara’s GDP, with more

than 900 companies employing 21,000 people – or one in nine Niagara

workers,” said Marc Nantel, Niagara College’s associate vice president of

research and innovation. “We’re committed to helping them grow their

business and with growth comes opportunities for new jobs.”

The Centre has been named in recognition of a $1.2-million

contribution from Niagara’s Walker family and its company, Walker

Industries Holdings Limited. The contribution is the largest corporate

donation in Niagara College history.

“The College’s Research and Innovation division has been doing great

work supporting the small- and medium-sized manufacturers in our

region,” said Walker Industries shareholder Sheila Bonapace. “We see

our gift as enabling many more success stories by supporting the next

generation of innovators who will impact the prosperity of our region.”

First conceived in 2008, the vision for Niagara College’s Walker

Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Centre has evolved with the industry

itself. And what those seven years have shown is that there is a great

need for the expertise, equipment, and resources that NC’s Research and

Innovation division brings to the table.

It’s a need that has been recognized by the Province of Ontario,

which stepped in with a $4.2-million investment toward the

development of the Centre.

“The manufacturing sector is critical to our prosperity and that’s why

we are investing in the sector’s future by helping to build the Advanced

Manufacturing Innovation Centre,” said Ontario finance minister Charles

Sousa at the groundbreaking event in March. “We’re also investing

in these NC students, who will go on to be highly skilled workers and

contribute to Ontario’s success. Smart investments like these are part of

our economic plan to make Ontario a better place to live, work and invest.”

The Centre will specialize in engineering design, 3D digital scanning

technology, lean manufacturing processes and additive manufacturing.

Research teams work with small- and medium-sized manufacturers to

bring ideas to life from concept through to the development of working

prototypes.

The facility will offer 15,000 square-feet for innovation. The ground

floor will include specialized labs with 3D printers, scanners, and other

equipment along with office space for student and staff scientists, and

researchers. It will also offer flexible lab space that can be used by

industry partners as incubation space.

The top floor will house Niagara College Research and Innovation

offices, and space for ncTakeOff – the College’s entrepreneurship hub.

Research and Innovation’s digital media and web solutions group will also

be on the second floor, along with meeting and conference space.

While advanced manufacturers are the obvious beneficiary, it’s great

news for faculty, students and the community.

“I always say that the beneficiaries are the students, who get a better

education through hands-on experience with real problems, with real

deadlines, real budgets and real industry partners; the faculty, who get

professional development and who get to teach in a different way; and the

company that’s getting a solution to its problem, a new product, a new

process or a new service,” said Nantel. “It benefits the College, which

strengthens its role in economic development, and it benefits society in

general by creating jobs and increasing productivity.”

A new home for innovationThe expertise, innovation and ideas that drive Niagara’s advanced manufacturing sector will soon have a new, bigger home.


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Innovative solutions for industryBUSINESSES THROUGHOUT NIAGARA have been able to boost their

productivity and competitiveness by working with NC researchers.

The Brauweiler Group is one of them. The company turned to

NC’s research team after designing an all-metal foldable medical

compression stocking donner, a device used to help people with mobility

issues. The challenge was to reduce the cost per unit on the product.

The College’s student-faculty research team improved the design and

the cost per unit was reduced by more than 36 percent. The research

team also produced a folding, injection-molded donner prototype that

could further reduce the price-per-unit, along with engineered drawings

and a 3D printed working prototype that Brauweiler Group can use to

showcase to potential distributors.

“It has been truly inspiring working with the research team,” noted

Ted Beaudoin of the Brauweiler Group. “They have shown us a lot of

impressive techniques and abilities from which we have gained valuable

knowledge on product design and how to improve our product.”

Niagara Falls-based Easily Moved Equipment (EME) is the only

crane fabricator that offers a five-tonne aluminum gantry crane. Facing

the challenge of dealing with the increasing demand for a 10-tonne

aluminum gantry crane, they tapped into the expertise and resources of

the College’s research team. Using the existing five-tonne gantry crane

as a benchmark, College faculty and student researchers worked with

the company to design a new 10-tonne aluminum gantry crane that

incorporates many of the parts currently used in the five-tonne model.

College researchers also provided engineered drawings for new parts,

along with stress analysis reports for the new crane, validating its usability

and safety. Thanks to this work, the company has secured a $25,500

purchase order for a new crane and hired a new staff member.

“We now have the sense that we have a resource with the Innovation

Centre. We can take the resource to our engineer and we can have

confidence that when we build the prototype, it will work the first time,”

said company president Mike Flynn. “It’s not seat-of-your pants any

longer for us. They were professional, they were open and when they said

they were going to do something, they did it. And the results speak for

themselves.”

Artist’s rendering of the Walker Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Centre at Niagara College’s Welland Campus

Real-life research enhances applied educationWORKING AS RESEARCHERS, NC STUDENTS are able to gain valuable

real-world experience working with industry partners.

Stephanie Bucknall is in the middle of a several research projects

with the College’s Research and Innovation division. While her previous

studies involved the culinary arts and welding, the Mechanical Engineering

Technology student says that time spent in the working world helped her

see herself pursuing a different path.

“I was looking at the types of jobs and where I could take my career.

I didn’t want to be just a labourer; I wanted to be a little more creative,”

she said, noting that she has not only found that creative outlet through

her current studies, but through her project work at the Walker Advanced

Manufacturing Innovation Centre.

By working on industry projects, such as designing a specialized

cleaning machine for a landscape company, Bucknall is able to gain

relevant experience in 3D design and related software programs, while

learning the subtler art of business relationships, meeting clients, and

dealing with their wants and needs.

“Some days it’s experimenting, some days it’s working on the

computer, some days it’s meeting with the industry partner to get over

the hump of some stumbling block. I enjoy being able to design, to

create, but also to learn the administrative side of business as well. It’s a

well-rounded experience.”

Ben Laurence’s long-term goal is to pursue aerospace engineering,

but in the meantime, he has been gaining valuable experience with >>>


$1.2-million donation kicks off Achieving Dreams CampaignNIAGARA’S WALKER FAMILY, AND ITS COMPANY, Walker Holdings

Limited, announced this spring that it will provide $1.2 million – the

largest corporate donation Niagara College has ever received – in

support of the Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Centre.

Allan Schmidt, president and CEO of Vineland Estates Winery and chair of the Niagara College Board of Governors; Dan Patterson, Niagara College president; Marc Nantel, Niagara College associate vice president of Research and Innovation; Niagara College students Dave McKechnie, Nahieh Toscano Miranda and Ben Laurence; Sheila (Walker) Bonapace; and John Fisher, president and CEO of Walker Industries.

The donation was announced at the Niagara College Foundation’s

Seafood Gala in April, in front of a crowd of more than 650 business,

education and community leaders. It marked the launch of the

foundation’s Achieving Dreams Campaign, which aims to raise $7

million in support of the Capital Vision expansion project.

“All of us at Niagara College are extremely grateful to the Walker

family and Walker Industries for their generosity,” said president Dan

Patterson. “While this is a gift to Niagara College, it also supports

innovation and economic development in the Niagara region. It’s a

true cause for celebration.”

Walker Industries is a fi fth-generation family business with its roots in

Niagara, and facilities across Canada and the U.S. It is comprised of a

diversifi ed group of companies, including aggregates and road building,

emulsions and waste management businesses. The company’s head

offi ce is in Niagara, as well as several of its operating facilities.

“On behalf of our family and our employees, we are incredibly proud

to invest in Niagara College through its Achieving Dreams Campaign,”

says Sheila (Walker) Bonapace, a Walker Industries shareholder.

“For businesses like ours that depend on skilled workers that our

college educates and trains, it’s important that we support this

campaign. The future of our region depends on it.”

Named the Walker Advanced Manufacturing Centre in recognition

of the Walkers’ generosity, the Centre will signifi cantly enhance NC’s

applied research projects, where faculty and student research teams

work with small- and medium-sized manufacturers to innovate and

solve operational challenges. It is a key element of the College’s

Capital Vision 2016 expansion project – the fi rst phase of which will

also include an expansion of the Canadian Food and Wine Institute, to

help meet a growing demand for Niagara College’s culinary, wine and

brewing programs.

Learn more about Niagara College’s Achieving Dreams Campaign on page 28.

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the short-term goal of helping industry clients in need of advanced

manufacturing solutions.

The research associate graduates this spring from the Mechanical

Engineering Technology program. While he has been with Research

and Innovation for the past two-and-a-half years, he recently took on

a supervisory role overseeing aspects of all projects, while maintaining

a full course load and consulting with industry to keep his skills and

knowledge up to date.

“I love that there is something new to pursue every day. Every

few months we are working on a completely different project that

challenges us,” he says. “Because of my work with Research and

Innovation, I have absolutely fallen in love with everything research and

development and I now know that I’m going into design work – whether

in prototypes or in designing novel things. I’ve found my calling, you

could say.”

“Having the students work with us in the Centre gives them great

opportunities to work directly with industry, to gain that real-world

experience they just can’t get in the classroom alone,” says Costa Aza,

researcher and industry liaison. “As a faculty member, I can also keep

current with what industry wants and needs, and then go back and

integrate that into the curriculum to share with all the students.”

A homecoming for centre managerTHE WALKER ADVANCED MANUFACTURING INNOVATION CENTRE

will be managed by Jim Lambert, a graduate of Niagara College’s

Mechanical Engineering program who knows the capability of the

College’s researchers fi rst-hand.

Lambert comes to NC after a 33-year career with local manufacturer

Bosch Rexroth Canada, where he rose from a designer-draftsman to

CAD administrator and design engineering manager.

Lambert calls his new position a homecoming. In addition to being

a grad, he’s been actively involved in the mechanical engineering

program advisory committee and alumni board. In addition to

government- and industry-funded research projects, the Centre offers

a way for industry to access the equipment and services through a

fee-for-service program. Lambert will be responsible for overseeing this

program.

While at Bosch Rexroth, he saw fi rst-hand how NC faculty and

student research teams can help a company solve challenges – in his

case it was through leading-edge 3D technologies.

“I really connected with what the College is doing for those in

manufacturing in our region,” he said. “I understand the challenges

that exist with smaller companies in the region, wanting to have a

competitive edge but being too small or not having the resources to

gain the needed traction.

“The Centre and the College infrastructure allow us to offer industry

this new technology and to give them a competitive edge.”

continued


IT WAS A BANNER YEAR FOR THE

NIAGARA COLLEGE KNIGHTS.

The 2014-15 intercollegiate athletics

season saw NC teams capture fi ve national

and provincial medals, including the 32nd

Ontario Colleges Athletic Association

provincial and seventh Canadian Colleges

Athletic Association national championships

in school history.

In October, women’s golfer Lorelle Weavers

won the 2014 CCAA women’s golf national

championship in a rain soaked affair at the

Club du golf Lorette, just outside of Quebec

City. Weavers’ two-round score of 154 saw

her fi nish two strokes ahead of the second-

place competitor.

The win capped off one of the most

dominant golf seasons in CCAA history.

En route to the CCAA Championship,

Weavers was nearly perfect, shooting the

lowest women’s score in eight of her nine

competitive rounds. She captured three

invitational tournament championships and

the OCAA women’s golf silver medal.

In recognition of her athletic

accomplishments, Weavers was named

the seventh CCAA All-Canadian in Niagara

College history.

Joining Weavers on the medal podium

in 2014-15 was the Niagara College men’s

volleyball program. After fi nishing the regular

season with an impressive 12-6 record, the

Knights captured the OCAA men’s volleyball

provincial championship in emphatic

fashion, defeating the top-seeded Mohawk

Mountaineers, along with the Fanshawe

Falcons and host St. Clair Saints to secure

provincial gold. The win marked the fi rst

team sport OCAA Championship for the

Niagara College Knights since 2004.

The Knights then headed to Charlottetown,

PEI for the CCAA national championship.

After an upset in its opening match, the

team rattled off three straight victories

to capture the fi rst-ever team sport CCAA

national medal in Niagara College history.

The women’s volleyball program also

enjoyed a dominant 2014-15 season. The

team fi nished the regular season with an

impressive 15-3 record, and headed to

Redeemer University College in Ancaster

looking for its fi rst medal since 2003.

After dropping the opening match, the

Knights dominated its next three opponents,

including an emphatic three-set sweep over

the Trent University Excalibur to capture the

OCAA bronze.

The Knights also enjoyed a fantastic

year in regard to academic performance,

as a record seven Niagara College student-

athletes received a prestigious Academic

All-Canadian award. The recipients included

three members of the men’s volleyball

program (Bailey Cochrane, Steve Stone

and Aaron Vanderlugt), two members of the

women’s soccer program (Jackie Lawther and

Nicole Forbes), women’s volleyball player

Lucy McLay, and women’s golfer Lorelle

Weavers.

Weavers’ selection marks the second

time in NC history that a student-athlete

has been named an Academic All-Canadian

and All-Canadian in the same season, while

Cochrane is the fourth Knight to be named a

two-time Academic All-Canadian.

The 2014-15 intercollegiate major awards winners include:Jeff Scott, Male Athlete of the Year/men’s

volleyball; Lorelle Weavers, Female Athlete

of the Year and Top Female Scholastic/golf;

Anthony Stranges, Male Top Scholastic/

men’s soccer; Courtney McPherson, Female

Rookie of the Year/women’s basketball;

Delroy Grandison, Male Rookie of the Year/

men’s basketball; Miranda Ross, Female

Leadership/women’s basketball; and Steve

Stone-Male Leadership/men’s volleyball.

Celebrating Athletic Excellence

Lorelle WeaversCCAA women’s golf national champion

Men’s VolleyballCCAA Nationals

Men’s VolleyballOCAA Champs

Men’s Volleyball CCAA Bronze Medals

Women’s Volleyball OCAA Bronze win

Intercollegiate award winners

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Aquaponics makes a splash

WHAT STARTED OUT AS ONE STUDENT’S

class project has turned into a teaching and

research focus across several areas of learning at

the Niagara-on-the-Lake Campus.

Joshua Petzold, a student in the Greenhouse

Technician co-op program, put together an

aquaponics project in the winter of 2014 for one

of his courses. Aquaponics is the combination

of aquaculture (raising fish) and hydroponics

(growing plants without soil) into one closed-

loop, sustainable system that uses the fish

waste to provide an organic source of nutrients

for hydroponically grown plants. In other words,

sustainable food production happens both in the

water and above it.

When the project concluded, Petzold’s small

system remained in the greenhouse, tucked

away in a corner reserved for the projects of

the College’s Agriculture and Environment

Innovation Centre.

Tanya Blankenburg, Horticulture and

Greenhouse professor and a researcher with

the Innovation Centre, took over the feeding

and care once the school term was over, and

began researching how to further incorporate the

aquaponics system into the College.

“Managing both sides (aquaculture and

hydroponics) together is new for most people

and can be challenging to be successful, but

it is certainly worth pursuing if we can expand

our local food sources and choices,” notes

Blankenburg.

By the following term, Blankenburg had

integrated teaching the system into her

Sustainable Food Production course, and

assisted the Innovation Centre with a successful

federal funding grant to put a bigger, proper

system in place.

In March 2014, the Natural Sciences and

Engineering Research Council of Canada

awarded Niagara College funding from the

Applied Research Tools and Instruments

Grant to purchase and install two independent

aquaponics systems, including four 110-gallon

fish tanks and eight grow beds with a total of

144 square-feet for hydroponic growing, along

with aquariums for breeding.

Today, the bright blue fish tanks and pale blue

growing boards filled with leafy greens take up

a little more room in the main greenhouse. The

greens are being harvested on a regular basis

to be prepped by the students of the College’s

Canadian Food and Wine Institute, and served in

Benchmark restaurant. Eventually, tilapia will be

grown in the tank to be harvested and served at

Benchmark – the College’s teaching restaurant.

“The majority of tilapia come from foreign

waters where water conditions are questionable.

Having fish travel a short distance to your plate

from a closed and controlled system where

water quality is a high priority makes it a very

attractive project to pursue,” Blankenburg notes.

Blankenburg will continue fine-tuning the

new system, while offering a living teaching tool

for both horticulture and culinary courses. The

Innovation Centre team is also actively recruiting

research projects with industry partners, by

exploring the production of different, potentially

higher-value crops than leafy greens, as well

as studying the possibility of raising koi, trout,

bass or other fish using this system. Trout

could potentially be used to recharge natural

areas, while this type of research would also

work in concert with yet another program at the

College: the Ecosystem Restoration (Graduate

Certificate).

Petzold’s experience in the classroom and

through research projects with the Innovation

Centre helped him land a job offer before

graduation. He will be working with Great

Northern in Leamington in the very near future.

Pictured above: Professor and researcher Tanya Blankenburg

works on aquaponics in the NC Greenhouse.

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Having fish travel a short distance to your plate... makes it a very attractive project to pursue.


Entrepreneurship takes off at NC

A NEW ENTREPRENEURSHIP HUB is weaving

a spirit of entrepreneurship throughout NC.

Called ncTakeOff, the initiative expands the

College’s entrepreneurship activities across all

programs, while increasing student access to

experts, mentors, events and on-campus and

community opportunities.

“ncTakeOff strengthens the spirit of

entrepreneurship that exists at Niagara College

and across the Niagara region,” said president

Dan Patterson. “It benefits students and

local business, and it reflects our College’s

commitment to providing unique learning

environments directly linked to our regional

economy, driven by entrepreneurial thinking.”

Led jointly by the College’s Business,

Hospitality and Environment and Media, Trades

and Technology divisions, ncTakeOff leverages

synergies with NC’s Research and Innovation

division and collaborates with existing resource

centres for entrepreneurs in Niagara.

Since its launch in February 2015, ncTakeOff

has hosted programming on campus including

mentor presentations, networking events and

entrepreneurial education workshops, while

facilitating connections between student

entrepreneurs and off-campus service providers.

ncTakeOff launched an on-campus think

tank earlier this year, and joined the College’s

Research and Innovation division and other

partners to showcase the Niagara region at this

year’s Ontario Centres of Excellence Discovery

conference.

ncTakeOff is funded by Niagara College and

the On-Campus Entrepreneurship Activities

(OCEA) program. OCEA is an initiative of the

Government of Ontario, under the Youth Jobs

Strategy, and is managed by Ontario Centres of

Excellence.

Ontario is investing $295 million over two

years in the Youth Jobs Strategy to help 30,000

more young people connect with the tools,

experiences and entrepreneurial support they

need to find employment or start their own

businesses. More than 20,000 jobs have already

been created under the Youth Jobs Strategy.

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NC among Canada’s top research colleges

FOR THE SECOND STRAIGHT YEAR, Niagara

College is among Canada’s top 15 colleges for

research funding, according to a new national

study released earlier this year.

In its report, Top 50 Research Colleges,

Research Infosource Inc. ranked Niagara

College 12th based on total research funding

numbers for 2013. This represents one move

up from the inaugural report in 2014, which

placed the college at 13. For the second

year in a row, Niagara College was also fourth

among Ontario’s five leading colleges.

The study also shows that Niagara College’s

research funding increased by more than

24 percent between 2012 and 2013, up to

$4.036 million in 2013 from $3.246 million.

The 2013 figure represents a 52 percent

increase from two years previous, when

research funding totalled $2.644 million in

2011.

Research funding allows the College

to partner with small- and medium-sized

businesses in the region to conduct projects

that provide innovative solutions for industry.

These include producing and testing

prototypes, evaluating new technologies, and

developing new or improved products and

processes.

President Dan Patterson noted that

supporting economic development in Niagara

by leading in research and innovation is a key

strategic priority for Niagara College.

“This report shows that we’re making

important progress in that regard. The

research funding we’re able to attract funds

projects that help local companies innovate

and create jobs, while connecting our students

and faculty to industry,” said Patterson.

“We’re grateful that the provincial, regional

and federal governments have made these

important investments in innovation in

Niagara.”

Innovation Centre

Agriculture & Environment Agriculture & EnvironmentInnovation Centre

Canadian Food & Wine InstituteInnovation Centre

Innovation Centre

Innovation Centre

CanadianFood & WineInstituteInnovation Centre

Advanced Manufacturing Advanced Manufacturing

Research& Innovation

Pictured: Rachel Crane, project manager of ncTakeOff, addresses the crowd at the launch on Feb. 4.


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WHETHER IT’S THE THREAT OF BIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL

WEAPONS, the thundering boom of a grenade just steps away, or

conditions so severe there is no clean water to help the injured – none

of these could stop Captain (Navy) Rebecca Patterson from tending to

patients and serving her country since she enrolled with the Canadian

Armed forces as a young navy nurse. They’ve only made her stronger.

Now, this self-professed “navy girl,” who graduated from NC’s Nursing

program in 1987 and has had a series of deployments in war zones

overseas, is at the heart of the Canadian Armed Forces – and one of the

highest ranking military women in western Canada. As the Commander of

1 Health Services Group with the Canadian Armed Forces headquartered in

Edmonton, AB, Patterson leads all military medical units located between

northern Ontario to British Columbia and including the Northern Territories

up to the Arctic, and is responsible for the delivery of healthcare to all

army, navy and air force personnel located in the area as well as ensuring

all military medical personnel are fully trained and ready to deploy overseas

or in Canada for any type of military mission or operation.

Patterson’s highly successful career has earned her several military

commendations from 1991 to 2013, as well as civilian awards, including

the prestigious Premier’s Award in Health Sciences in November 2014 and

a Global Edmonton Woman of Vision award in December 2014.

Daughter of a Canadian submariner and British navy nurse, Patterson

(nee Gowthorpe), has had her course set on adventure since childhood. A

“vagabond child,” she was in high school when her family moved to St.

Catharines. She attended Lakeport Secondary before travelling to Australia

as part of an exchange program with the Rotary Club of St. Catharines. It

was her love for travel led her to pursue nursing, after a visit to a Canadian

Forces recruiter told her that her first choice – becoming a pilot of a ship –

was not an option for women at the time. “They said, ‘you can’t be a sailor,

you can be a nurse,’” she recalls. “I always had a very adventurous spirit.

And I loved M*A*S*H… it was my favourite show.”

She enrolled in NC’s Nursing program which was a three-year diploma

program that ran out of the Mack Centre of Nursing Education in St.

Catharines. For Patterson, NC was not only where she acquired the skills

that laid the foundation for a highly successful career, it is where she

discovered her niche. The more she succeeded in the classroom and clinic,

the more confidence she gained, along with a can-do mentality that has

served her and her country well over the course of her career. “That’s when

I realized, ‘I can do this. I’m actually good at this,’” she recalls.

Patterson excelled at NC, rising to the top of her class. She earned the

Top Student award when she graduated and became the valedictorian

for the Class of 1987. She still remembers how she felt addressing the

auditorium crowd on convocation day, wearing her little white dress and

lace-trimmed nursing cap. “I was terrified,” admits the now frequent public

speaker. “My message to the graduates was that it’s OK to question what

you’re doing because it will make you better in the long run.”

As a top student, Patterson was selected for a placement at St.

Catharines General Hospital and continued her work in the Intensive Care

Unit there after earning her Nursing diploma. She continued to work at the

hospital as well as a job as an occupational therapy nurse at Fraser Paper

in Thorold until joining the Canadian Armed Forces as an officer in 1989.

After completing her basic officer training, basic nursing officer training

and military training courses, she was sent to the National Defence Centre

in Ottawa as a ward and critical care nurse. The Cold War had just ended

and then Iraq invaded Kuwait, marking the beginning of the first Gulf War

(the Gulf and Kuwait Conflict) in 1991. The young navy nurse did not shy

away from the prospect of working in a war zone.

“We did a happy dance,” she says, recalling how she and her friend felt

when they received news of her first overseas deployment to Saudi Arabia

with 1 Canadian Field Hospital. “I’m an adrenaline junkie. It’s the thrill

and the excitement of youth and people who seek out the unusual. This is

me and who I am. It was like, ‘I’m so privileged and honoured to be there

under the Canadian flag.’”

Patterson was among the only Canadian ground troops during the Gulf

and Kuwait Conflict, and was part of the medical team sent to augment a

British Army field hospital. As a 23-year old critical care nurse, she found

that NC had trained her well. She was completely prepared with the skills,

nursing knowledge and patient-centred approach needed. “The challenge

wasn’t how to provide basic nursing care in that environment, it was the

type of threat from the enemy and what could happen to us while we were

trying to do our jobs,” she said. “As a young nurse, I had to protect myself

against the threats that would kill me in a flash and at the same time be

able to continue treating casualties and get them to a safer place and out

of further harm’s way. You have to have the basic nursing skills there so you

Grad profile

Rising up the ranks Rebecca Patterson


myStory

can focus on your protection in order to protect the life of your patient.”

That was just the beginning of Patterson’s overseas missions. She

was deployed to Somalia where she was in charge of a section of

medical technicians who provided medical and surgical care to the

Canadian Airborne Regiment. She also voluntarily provided humanitarian

development work at a Somali hospital. The mission changed her

profoundly. From an ethical standpoint, she says, Somalia grounded her.

It was where she became aware that, as a nurse, she could express what

she believed as a professional, as well strongly advocate on behalf of her

patients or reduce their suffering and ensure optimum outcomes. She

learned how best to protect her subordinates from things that could hurt

them psychologically or professionally in the long run. Later, while pursuing

her BScN and nurse practitioner degree in Ottawa, she was asked to testify

at the federal Inquiry into the Somalia mission and was asked to participate

in a cultural assessment of the Canadian Airborne Regiment that was

completed as part of the Inquiry process.

Even with the threat of danger around her as she worked in the austere

desert conditions in Somalia as a member of the Canadian Airborne

Regiment, or while she was tending to the local critically injured Somalis

while doing humanitarian work in the civilian Belut Heun hospital

emergency room, Patterson’s sense of duty and confidence in her soldier

and nursing abilities outweighed her sense of fear, allowing her to rise to

any challenge. “I have always done better when it’s complex and chaotic. I

have learnt in retrospect that I have an ability to create order out of chaos.

It sounds crazy but I think it’s what critical care nurses do,” she says. “I

think at the base root of me, I always want to save people. I feel fear like

everybody else but I trust my training to protect myself and my patients.”

After Somalia, Patterson was hand-picked for additional leadership

positions, including training medical personnel for overseas action and

supervising the care for Canadian Forces personnel injured during conflicts

in Bosnia, Croatia and Rwanda. She became the head of training at the

Canadian Forces Medical Services School for all non-commission members

(such as paramedics, preventative medicine technicians and physician

assistants) then progressed to chief instructor and eventually commandant

of the school, where she led the project to accredit the Canadian Forces

physician assistant training program to become nationally recognized by

the Canadian Medical Association, which has subsequently become the

standard for all civilian physician assistant education in Canada.

In July 2011, Patterson was deployed on what has become the most

important overseas mission of her career in Kabul, Afghanistan. She

spent 13 months as the team lead and command advisor to the Afghan

Armed Forces Academy of Medical Sciences where she led a multinational

team of medical advisors who assisted the Afghan Army and police force

to re-establish their medical education and training system which had

been destroyed by the Taliban. Under her leadership, her team worked

collaboratively with their Afghan counterparts and among many educational

programs, succeeded in developing the medical curricula for seven

physician medical specialties which were subsequently adopted as a

national standard of education for Afghanistan in 2012.

Being away from her family for more than a year was difficult. Even at

home however, as a mother of two teenaged children, a “hockey mom,”

and the wife of an air force logistics officer who is currently posted in Cold

Lake, AB, Patterson admits it can be challenging to juggle the demands of

her career with those of parenthood. “Work-life balance, I think, is a myth

created by some sociologist,” she says. “I think it means being able to

make priorities with a vision of the long term – to weigh the impacts of the

professional decisions of a job I love doing, based on the love I have for my

family and the fact that they will be with me forever,” she says.

It’s a challenge only few in the military can relate to. With women

representing only 14 percent of the military, Patterson has always found

herself in the minority – overseas or at home. In Somalia she was among

only nine women of the 2,000 deployed. In her current post, there are no

other females of her rank. Consequently, she has become the Edmonton

Regional Champion for the Defence Women’s Advisory Organizations.

“From when I joined in 1989 to now, I have never been limited by my

gender in any way,” she says.

She finds the challenges of her occupation well worth the rewards –

the greatest of which has been the opportunity to serve her country by

providing the best care possible to those that serve.

“Because we [in the military] have what is called unlimited liability in

the work we do, which means we are expected to do our jobs up to and

including the point to which our life can be lost in order to achieve the

mission given to us by the Canadian people, I firmly believe that if we

want to put Canadians into harm’s way to protect Canadian interests at

home and abroad, that they have the right to have access to the best care

possible,” she says.

Even though she no longer works as a nursing officer in the Canadian

Armed Forces due to her leadership position, Patterson says she will always

remain a nurse at heart, just like back in her days at Niagara College.

“It’s always been my frame of reference. It’s how I do my job and it’s

what brings credibility to what I do,” she says. “I still think like a nurse.”

They said, ‘you can’t be a sailor, you can be a nurse.’

MILITARY AWARDSThe Gulf and Kuwait Medal with Maple Leaf (1991) for deploying as a member of 1 Canadian Field Hospital to Saudi Arabia after the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait during Operation SCALPEL

Canada 125th Anniversary Medal (1992) for exemplary performance as a Nursing Officer in the Canadian Forces

Chief of Defense Staff Commendation (1993) for saving the life of a critically injured Somali during Operation DELIVERANCE, Belet Huen, Somalia, 1993

The Somalia Medal (1993) for deploying as a member of the Canadian Airborne Regiment during Operation DELIVERANCE

South West Asia Medal with Bar (2012) for deploying as the Team Lead with the NATO Medical Training Mission – Afghanistan under Operation ASSURANCE

Meritorious Service Medal (2013) for exceptional work in helping the Afghan Army Armed Forces Medical Services School re-establish a medical training and education system in order to improve the quality of medical care to the Afghan Army and Afghan Police Forces

KEY APPOINTMENTSEdmonton Regional Champion, Defence Women’s Advisory Organization

Vice Regal Escort, Royal Canadian Navy Representative, Lieutenant Governor of Alberta


myStory

ELECTRONICS AND INDUSTRIAL AUTOMATION MAY BE FIELDS

of work and study traditionally occupied by men, but that has never

short-circuited Sarah Mann’s ambitions; it has only sparked an intense

desire to succeed.

As the College’s Electrical Engineering Technician coordinator,

Mann enjoys passing her passion and expertise in the field to the next

generation. She still sees few females in her classroom – a situation

which hasn’t changed much since her days as a student.

As a young girl, Mann had never considered a career in technology.

After a summer job in a law office made her realize her long-held

dream of being a lawyer wasn’t for her, she enrolled in Niagara

College’s computer engineering program. It was there that she first

became exposed to the world of electronics. College sparked a passion

for the field within her, leading Mann to switch into the Electronics

Engineering Technology program, opening the door to a new career

path.

“I discovered that I loved taking things from a design side to

building it to fixing it, troubleshooting it,” she said. “People don’t

understand what they do in electronics, thinking they just fix TVs and

component levels, but they do some very advanced and cool stuff,

especially when it comes to communications.”

Unlike many of her male classmates, Mann had so little previous

exposure to electronics and with little background in math or science –

she had always focused on social sciences in high school – she found

the program challenging, driving her to work extra hard to catch up.

“A lot of the males in my classes had been tinkering around since

they were 10 years old, but as a girl I hadn’t even considered doing

something like this,” she recalled. “But I got here and found out it

was all very cool, and I found that people wanted to see me succeed

because I was the minority.”

Mann’s efforts paid off. She not only graduated with honours, but

with job prospects. The ink was barely dry on her diploma when, at

age 21, she set off to her first full-time job at Jungbunzlauer, which

was then a new chemical plant in Port Colborne. Being the minority in

the classroom was nothing compared to what she encountered in the

workforce.

“I remember going in the first day with my coveralls and hardhat

and my boots, no makeup on, and one guy said to me, ‘are you even

old enough to be here?’ There were no other women there and it was a

challenge because the guys expect you to prove yourself to them,” she

said. “When another guy comes in they don’t always expect that.”

Once she did prove herself however, she found that being a minority

often worked in her favour. As she showed an interest in expanding her

skills, more opportunities opened up to her.

During her eight years at Jungbunzlauer, Mann earned the respect

of her colleagues and accumulated varied skills. As the process

technician, she oversaw the process of production and was involved

in the initial testing for commissioning and programming. She

became interested in learning more about how power was produced

at the cogeneration facility. She helped to commission the plant’s

expansion. She also earned her fourth-class stationary engineering

ticket (certificate) which built upon her electrical qualifications. She

also became part of the plant’s hazmat team. Because she could crawl

more easily into narrow spaces that colleagues could not, she was the

one to squeeze into boiler drums to inspect for cracks and volunteer

for space rescues.

“I found that because I was the only female, people took more of

an interest because I stood out. Because I was interested in learning,

they wanted to teach me,” she recalled. “I remember one of the men

said to me, ‘when you’re here the plant runs better.’ That was a huge

compliment.”

The varied experience she gained led her back to NC, where she has

been applying it to instruct students in Electrical and Electronics, as

well Industrial Automation. Mann is particularly passionate about the

latter – a specialty she gained in working at Jungbunzlauer. About five

years ago, she helped the College develop a course in an interactive

training simulation system for programmable logic controllers. The

games-based technology program, known simply as ITS PLC, exposes

students to manufacturing applications they would encounter in a

real plant. NC was among the first educational institutions in Ontario

to introduce this technology and Mann notes how beneficial it has

been for the students. Students enter the course with no programming

In a Mann’s worldFaculty profile

Sarah Mann


myStory

knowledge of the software but, at the end of the 14-week term, they

gain skills they may use to help troubleshoot or work on baseline

programming. “It’s a very lucrative career for students to get involved

in. Companies need instrumentation techs and process techs,” she

said. “Students can use skills to do different things like the wiring,

the inputs and outputs, to the programming, or the troubleshooting.

There’s really no limit for those who have the skills.”

Mann enjoys witnessing ‘a-ha moments’ as students click into

the logical mindset that automation programming requires. “These

students come in with no programming knowledge at all of this

software and at the end of this 14-week term they’ve all gained

something out of it,” she said. “They all have that moment where they

get the sense of pride … even if they struggled all the way along.”

While she would like to see more female students in her class,

the numbers are still low. She hopes to encourage more girls to enter

skilled trades and technology programs – a message she tries to

instill as a mother of three young daughters, as well as professionally.

Earlier this year, she spoke to girls from high schools across the

Niagara region to promote these fields of study, sharing her story and

experiences. “I told them it shouldn’t matter what gender you are.

Sometimes a lot of women look at fields such as engineering and think

it’s just not a traditional role for them,” she said. “As women, I think

we bring our own skill sets to this field like being multitaskers and

thinking outside the box ... and use them to our advantage.”

She believes that misconceptions about women in technical fields

are not intentional. “Once I was able to break through those fallacies,

opportunities flooded me and I wholeheartedly felt that people wanted

to see me succeed,” she said. “I really just want people to see that

when we succeed as women in our field, it is not just a celebration for

ourselves but for those whose footsteps we followed and those who will

follow in ours.”

While a part of her misses the ‘dirty work’ at the plant, Mann finds

it rewarding to pass on her skills and watch her students progress. The

fact that she has the opportunity to do this at a leading-edge college

that is also her alma mater makes it even better.

“I couldn’t have routed my life any better. I don’t know anybody

I went to school with who wouldn’t say the time we spent Niagara

College wasn’t the best time of their lives, and I get to come back

here,” said Mann. “I feel like I hit the jackpot. I hope I can do as

much for my students as my professors did for me.”

While a part of her misses the ‘dirty work’ at the plant, Mann finds it rewarding to pass on her skills and watch her students progress. The fact that she has the opportunity to do this at a leading-edge college that is also her alma mater makes it even better.


myStory

JANET JAKOBSEN WILL TELL YOU SHE HAS AN MBA AND AN MVA:

a graduate degree earned at Queen’s University, and her “most

valuable asset” – her Rolodex.

Jakobsen, a professor in Niagara College’s Bachelor of Applied

Business – Hospitality Operations Management (BABH) and Event

Management (Graduate Certificate) programs, brings a world of

hospitality knowledge and experience to the classroom, but it’s her

network of industry contacts – built over more than 30 years in the

industry – that serves her students so well.

It’s through her wide web of industry connections that she secured

a unique opportunity for 14 BABH and Event Management students

this spring: working alongside industry professionals at the American-

Israeli Policy Conference in Washington, D.C. Even for an industry

veteran like Jakobsen, the event was large-scale, drawing more than

16,000 delegates. With Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu

among the speakers, security measures included a secured and total

buy out of a major downtown hotel – something Jakobsen had never

seen.

The opportunity was supported through the college’s Be World

Ready program, which promotes international learning experiences for

students and staff.

“It was phenomenal and I was pleased that so many students

participated,” she said. “The students were treated like employees.

They were given a lot of responsibility and they worked with seasoned

professionals.”

The students were part of the “blue shirts” assembled for the

conference, taking on a variety of roles that ranged from greeting

delegates and answering questions, to checking room sets, audio

visual assistance, catering, VIP handling, and even holding umbrellas

for delegates walking in from the rain.

“(Organizers) loved our students – they never dropped the ball.”

A self-described “hospitality brat,” Jakobsen’s professional course

was set at birth as a fifth-generation hotelier whose fondest memories

are built around the family hotel in the Muskokas. After earning a

hospitality and tourism diploma, she started the way many hospitality

Janet Jakobsen’s professional course set at birth

Faculty profile


myStory

professionals have: through the Student Work Experience Program

(SWEP) at CP Hotels in Lake Louise.

From 1980 to 2008 she was on active duty, working positions with

Fairmont Hotels, the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Delta Hotels

and Resorts and others. In 2001, while she was a working mother

in her 40s, she earned her MBA. She also worked as a consultant,

providing services to several high-profile organizations, including the

Schulich School of Business, York University and Metropolitan Hotels.

For the next phase of her professional life, Jakobsen chose to follow

her father – a hotelier and accountant who finished his career teaching

in the University of Guelph’s hotel and food program. A teaching

opportunity at Niagara College came along and was a perfect fit: her

new husband lived and worked in Niagara, and it was a chance to

help prepare the next generation of hospitality professionals. To use a

phrase coined by her longtime colleague David Berry, she wanted to

help make hospitality grads “Monday morning ready.”

“I took a page out of my dad’s book and thought that maybe this

would be a next step for me,” she said. “It speaks to my philosophy of

being a mentor.

“I’m not an academic; I bring my passion for the industry and my

experience into the classroom,” she added. “Part of the satisfaction I

get is the linkage I can create between the students and industry.”

Jakobsen prepares her students for the world of hospitality by

setting expectations that mirror the standards in the workplace. She

expects her students to dress for success – the student uniform of

hoodies and jeans doesn’t cut it – especially for guest lectures or

industry events. She’s famous for assigning hand-written thank-you

notes – the cards she has her students write to industry reps and

alumni who give of their time and experience.

“When our industry colleagues come in to speak to us, the business

of their business is ongoing, so you can imagine how many emails

they’ll have by the end of the day,” she explains. “But how many

thank-you notes do you think they’ll have?”

Her involvement in the industry is ongoing. She was the longest

serving member of the Meeting Professionals International Canadian

Foundation, and she’s currently a mentor for the organization’s Board

of Directors. She’s served the Professional Convention Management

Association in a variety of capacities and she was the first supplier to

chair the PCMA’s education committee, which she did in 1998. She

was also one of the first Canadian suppliers to earn a Certified Meeting

Professional designation.

By staying connected, Jakobsen keeps her lessons current.

The hospitality game is always changing: it’s become much more

globalized and opportunities are growing beyond the traditional core to

new areas like extended living.

It’s also a connection that goes both ways: just as industry partners

support the hands-on nature of the program, Jakobsen also acts as a

conduit that connects the industry with the emerging talent that NC’s

programs are producing.

“It’s about industry engagement and getting people into the

classroom,” she said. “It’s definitely a win-win.”

Jakobsen’s contributions were recognized in 2014 when she was

inducted into Meetings + Incentive Travel’s Hall of Fame as the 2014

Industry Mentor. The honour recognizes an individual whose expertise,

professional influence or academic position has provided others with

the opportunity, inspiration or ability to pursue excellence.

“To be recognized by industry colleagues and former team members

was both humbling and gratifying,” she said. “Mentoring to me is a

form of philanthropy and, like philanthropy, the reward is actually

enjoyed more by the giver than the receiver.”

Part of the satisfaction I get is the linkage I can create between the students and industry.


NIAGARA COLLEGE’S ON-CAMPUS

GREENHOUSE ISN’T THE ONLY PLACE

STUDENTS ARE WORKING ON AQUAPONICS.

In February, School of Environmental and

Horticultural Studies professor Bill MacDonald

and a group of students brought a form of the

sustainable food production system that is going

strong at the NC Greenhouse to the Dominican

Republic. Their mission: to help boost the

greenhouse industry in an area outside Los

Cacaos.

As part of a 10-day International Field

Studies trip, 16 students from a variety of

programs not only gained a new cultural

experience and an opportunity to participate in

a several activities in the Dominican Republic,

they also combined their efforts to help make a

difference.

They had planned to use 55-gallon barrels to

create a barrelponics system, similar to one set

up at the NC Greenhouse that uses waste from

fish to help fertilize plants. This would allow the

residents of a local compound to raise fish and

grow greens that would not only be beneficial

as a personal food source, but could be sold

at restaurants, helping to get their plans of

ecotourism off the ground.

“We had to improvise in the field,” said

MacDonald who noted that after they arrived,

they found out barrels were in short supply,

despite what they had been told prior to the

trip. “We had to use five-gallon buckets instead.

Everyone used their innovation and it worked.”

For students like Andrew Menezes, in his

second-year of the Environmental Technician

program, it was a positive experience. “I had

never done aquaponics before and it turned

out really well. It was a good team-building

experience,” he said. “It feels really good to

know that I played a role in an initiative that will

help this community and continue to grow.”

In addition to the ‘bucket’ ponics, the group

laid the groundwork for building a greenhouse

using a metal-framed structure donated by local

greenhouse manufacturer Growers Greenhouse

Supplies. They also organized sporting activities

and developed strategies to teach English at a

local school.

This was MacDonald’s third visit to the area

since he began visiting in February 2014. On

the earlier trips, the students brought treadle

pumps they had learned to build – then

taught locals how to build. The foot-powered

treadle pumps which resemble makeshift

elliptical machines are a method of irrigation

in greenhouses – particularly beneficial where

power is scarce and cost prohibitive.

“Our students have had a huge impact there,

and we also learn so much,” he said, noting that

he plans to keep returning to the area twice per

year.

MacDonald and a group of students

have also established a NGO called Global

Community Growers to continue their efforts

in the Dominican Republic as well as other

developing countries. They plan to put together

kits for treadle pumps as well as for small

15-square-meter greenhouse structures that

would enable individual families to grow produce

for their own consumption and to sell. The

kits would also include compost teas that help

control disease on crops.

myConnection

Greenhouse projects go global

Pictured: A group of students travelled to the Dominican Republic in February as part of an International Field Studies trip and brought a form of aquaponics to help locals boost their sustainable food production.


myConnection

Me to We trip lays foundation for giving

LIKE MANY COLLEGE STUDENTS, they packed their bags for warmer

climates during the February Reading Week, but for a group of NC

students their mission wasn’t catching rays on the beach.

Jim Norgate, program coordinator from NC’s Police Foundations

program, led a group of 21 students to Ecuador. The trip was part of a

Me to We volunteer travel experience to help empower young people to

change the world. In the heart of the remote Amazon Rainforest, NC

students worked to help rebuild a medical clinic which had fallen down,

leaving access to a medical clinic a day’s journey away. The new clinic

will be used by several surrounding communities.

The students spent their days in the intense heat and humidity, digging

through clay and sand to lay the foundation for the clinic. Materials to use

also had to be gathered. Students travelled by canoe up a river to collect

rocks and sand, filling up 100 canvas sacks with the makeshift gravel,

before loading them in the boat and returning to the build site.

“I could see their lightbulb moments as the students began to realize

the extreme poverty that people live in and the lack of opportunities

given to them,” he said. “I think it’s impossible for an experience

like this to not be life-changing. I think it will impact each individual

student’s life and inspire them to make changes in their lives.”

The group’s focus on helping others began months before they packed

their bags. They raised $12,000 to help finance the trip for participants

who wouldn’t have been able to afford the trip. Each student in the

group was involved in fundraising, regardless of his or her own financial

situation. This was the second student volunteer trip Norgate has led.

In February 2014, a group of students travelled to Nicaragua where

they helped construct a Grade 2 classroom for a school. A follow-up trip

is already in the

works; 28 students

have signed up

for the next trip

to Nicaragua for

Reading Week

2016.

Check out #myNCstory video Niagara College Me to We: Nine day trip, life changing experience

The house that applied learning built

IN SEPTEMBER, A FAMILY WILL HAVE PLACE TO CALL HOME,

thanks to the efforts of Habitat for Humanity Niagara and Niagara

College.

From September to April, more than 70 students from the College’s

Renovation Technician and Construction Techniques programs worked

on building the home at located at 236 Martin St. in Welland.

The house equips construction students with real-world learning

experience.

“The Habitat partnership has become an integral component of

our programs and we take great satisfaction from the fact that our

Niagara students have helped to construct 10 homes for deserving

area families,” said Colin Robinson, Construction Techniques program

coordinator.

The house is not being given away but thanks to a unique

arrangement with Habitat and its partners, it is sold to the family

at fair market value at a zero percent mortgage. What makes

Habitat’s homes affordable is that the total payments including

utilities, mortgage and taxes, is within and below 30 percent of the

homeowner’s total income. The family has also contributed 500

hours of ‘sweat equity’ in the home which is one of the key criteria for

participation.

“Each year our relationship with Niagara College produces a

well-built, quality house for a family in desperate need of a safe and

permanent place to call home. This year is no exception,” said Alastair

Davis, CEO of Habitat for Humanity Niagara. “The students and

instructors have worked very hard in this ‘living classroom’ to ensure

that our partner family can start fresh and build a better future in this

beautiful home. All of us at Habitat thank everyone involved for what

they have accomplished and can’t wait to start our 11th home with

Niagara College in the fall!”

A home dedication ceremony for is scheduled for September.

Pictured: Police Foundations coordinator Jim Norgate and a group of Justice Studies students spent Reading Week in Ecuador’s Amazon Rainforest as part of a Me to We travel experience.

Pictured: NC students who worked on a Habitat for Humanity build gather in front of the completed home on Martin Street in Welland.


Walker Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Centre

THE ADVANCED MANUFACTURING INNOVATION CENTRE is a key

element of the College’s $55-million Capital Vision 2016 expansion

project which will provide new and expanded facilities at the Welland

and Niagara-on-the-Lake campuses to support growth, enhance

the student experience, and expand Niagara College’s research and

innovation capabilities.

Capital Vision 2016 is funded by the provincial government, Niagara

College funds, and the Achieving Dreams Campaign which will raise the

community portion of the project.

The $1.2-million commitment from the Walker Family and Walker

Industries Holdings Limited brings the total raised to $3 million

towards the $7-million goal thanks to generous support from more than

400 donors to the Achieving Dreams Campaign.

Canadian Food and Wine Institute

THE EXPANSION OF THE CANADIAN FOOD AND WINE INSTITUTE

supports Niagara College’s position as Canada’s premier college for food

and fermentation sciences, and will help meeting growing demand for its

culinary, wine and brewery programs.

This expansion will provide additional space for full-time postsecondary

programs, training for industry professionals and continuing education

offerings. It will allow us to increase enrollment and build on existing

diploma/apprenticeship programs in culinary, bakery, viticulture and

brewery operations, as well as an advanced diploma in Culinary Innovation

and Food Technology, a new program in Baking and Pastry Arts, and

planned programs in Sommelier graduate certificate, and Distilling

Sciences certificate.

myConnection

Niagara College’s Achieving Dreams CampaignTHE CAMPAIGN’S AIM IS TO RAISE $7 MILLION in support of the Capital Vision project, including:

> $4 million to support campus redevelopment;

> $2 million to provide student scholarships, bursaries, study-work abroad and student leadership development opportunities; and

> $1 million to purchase instructional equipment and learning resources to help make students work ready.

The first phase of the project includes the Walker Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Centre at the Welland Campus, and a significant expansion of the

facilities housing the Canadian Food and Wine Institute at our Niagara-on-the-Lake Campus, which will begin in the summer of 2015, scheduled for

completion in fall 2016.

Modeled on best practices from around the world combined with strong applied research programs, our culinary programs, together with our Learning

Enterprises, put our students at centre stage of an increasingly popular Canadian culinary tourism industry.

Enhanced spaces for Academic Support and Student Life, Health and Wellness

SUBSEQUENT PHASES OF CAPITAL VISION 2016 will include

enhanced spaces for academic support and student life, and support

Niagara College’s enhanced model for student services. The plan

features inspiring learning spaces and environments and new fitness and

recreation spaces that support students’ health and wellness.

BECOME PART OF THE ACHIEVING DREAMS CAMPAIGN

NC educates and inspires the next generation of entrepreneurs and

innovators and we support the local economy by providing highly-skilled

graduates who benefit from our unique approach to applied education.

With your help, the Achieving Dreams Campaign will take NC – and our

students’ experience – to a new level of excellence.

Join us in investing in our students – the next generation of employees, employers, entrepreneurs and innovators.

donate.niagaracollege.ca 905-735-2211 ext. 7569


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NEW MEMBERS1 Anna Cobian

Web and New Media Co-ordinator, Niagara Health System. Owner, Anna Cobian Designs. New Media Web Design Diploma 2011

2 Lori Laird Community Services Co-ordinator, Town of Lincoln Recreation & Leisure Services 2000

3 Colleen Lowe Manager, Communications, Canadian Red Cross Public Relations Graduate Certificate 2002. 2005 Premier’s Award Nominee in Recent Graduate category

4 Dave Maciulis Principal, Natural Landscape Group Horticultural Technician Diploma 1991. 2014 Premier’s Award Nominee in Creative Arts & Design category

5 Orel Ruiz Manager, Funded Projects, Workforce & Business Development, Niagara College Business Administration-International Business 2011

6 Chris Sinclair Vice President, Business Development, Brand Blvd Inc. Business Administration-Marketing 2004

7 David Tsang Technical Services Consultant, City of Welland and Sales Representative, Peak Performers Realty Survey Technician Diploma 1981 2007 Premier’s Award Nominee in Technology category

8 Jennifer K. Warren Ecommerce Co-ordinator, CAA Niagara Business Administration-Operations Management 2008

ALUMNI VOLUNTEERS9 Lindsey Aubertin

Human Resources and Communications Coordinator, Procon Constructors Inc. Public Relations Graduate Certificate 2011

10 Lauri Brady Manager, Development, YMCA of Niagara Early Childhood Education 1983

11 Catherine Kuckyt Registered Nurse Care Co-ordinator, Hamilton Niagara Haldimand Brant Community Care Access Centre (CCAC) Nursing 1978 and Nursing Refresher 2004

12 Jim Lambert Manager, Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Centre, Niagara College Mechanical Engineering Technician 1983. 2008 Premier’s Award Nominee in Technology category

13 Daryl Ledwon Senior Account Manager, Group Sales for Venngo Business-Sales and Marketing 2007

14 Julie Linton Constable, Hamilton Police Service Environmental Management & Assessment 2006

15 Anthony Luongo Producer, TVCOGECO North Halton Broadcasting - Radio, Television and Film 2009

16 Flavia Orvitz Registered Social Worker, Brick by Brick Therapy & Wellness Inc. General Arts & Science 2001 and Social Service Worker 2003

17 Shelley Schaubel Hotel & Restaurant Administration, 1989

18 Matthew Wilson Border Services Officer, Canada Border Services Agency Police Foundations 2007

19 John Clark President, Niagara College Retirees Association

20 Shane Malcolm President, Niagara College Student Administrative Council Bachelor of Applied Business Hospitality Operations Management 2014

EMERITUS MEMBERS 21 Liz Aldrey

Library Technician 1971

22 Doug Willford Library Technician 1972

23 Joanna Zalewa Library Technician 1976 and Library Computer Network Operations 1996

NC Alumni Council OUR MEMBERS ARE ENTHUSIASTIC AMBASSADORS for NC and

remain engaged through a variety of activities, such as class visits,

recruitment and orientation activities, and mentoring graduating

students. We welcome eight new members who joined our dedicated

alumni volunteers.

New Members

Alumni Volunteers

1 2 3

4 5 6

7 8

9 10 11

12 13 14

15 16 17

18 19 20

21 22 23


From left, members of the Niagara College Junior Culinary Team Canada: Scott McInerney, David Ross, Jeremy Gilligan, Ben Lillico, Daniella Germond, Trevor Littlejohn with Craig Youdale, team manager and dean of the Canadian Food and Wine Institute; Dave DiFelice of Canadian Tire Financial Services; and team member Megan Proper.

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Seafood Gala sets record raising $160,000THE NIAGARA COLLEGE FOUNDATION’S

26TH ANNUAL Seafood Gala on April

11 set a record raising $160,000 for

equipment and learning resources to help

make students work ready, and scholarships

and bursaries to ease the financial burden

of a postsecondary education.

“The support that we receive through

the Seafood Gala is truly remarkable,”

said Sean Kennedy, vice president of

student and external relations and the chief

executive officer of the Niagara College

Foundation. “It plays a significant role

in the ongoing success of our students,

and enhances our ability to provide the

high quality, innovation-rich educational

environment that is directly linked to our

regional economy.”

The sold-out event was attended by 680

guests at the Fallsview Casino Resort in

Niagara Falls. The evening featured exciting

entertainment by singer, songwriter Mark

Lalama and Chorus Niagara, an amazing

Mark Lalama opens the Seafood Gala playing his original song ‘Beautiful’ accompanied by Chorus Niagara.

Guests enjoy the sumptuous buffet featuring seafood and more.

Thank you for 10 years of support NIAGARA CASINOS HAS BEEN A MAJOR supporter of Niagara

College and the Niagara College Foundation. This year marks

a big milestone for the partnership as it is the 10th year that

the casinos have supported the Seafood Gala. Over the past

decade, Niagara Casinos’ corporate giving program has invested

close to $1-million into Niagara College Foundation initiatives.

“As one of the largest employers in the region, Niagara

Casinos has a vested interest in highly-skilled graduates

entering the workforce, especially in the areas of hospitality,

culinary and tourism – many who go on to have successful

careers at Casino Niagara and Fallsview Casino Resort.” said

Greg Medulun, director of communications for Niagara Casinos.

This long-standing partnership has helped more students

unleash their full potential by making postsecondary education

more accessible and affordable. Once again, Niagara Casinos

continues its legacy of giving with another donation of $25,000

to fund equipment and learning resources, and scholarships

and bursaries to support student success.

array of silent and live auction packages and

a sumptuous buffet.

Fallsview Casino Resort was the presenting

sponsor for the Gala; The St. Catharines

Standard, The Niagara Falls Review and

The Welland Tribune were presenting media

sponsors and Rankin Construction Inc. was

the Admiral sponsor.

Mark your calendar for the next Seafood Gala

on Saturday, April 9, 2016.

From left: Allan Schmidt, president and CEO of Vineland Estates Winery and chair of the NC Board of Governors; Greg Medulun, director of communications for Niagara Casinos; Dan Patterson, Niagara College president; Sean Kennedy, CEO, Niagara College Foundation; and Bob Watson, CEO, PenFinancial Credit Union and chair, NC Foundation Board.


LIVINGSTON INTERNATIONAL HAS A TRADITION OF HIRING NIAGARA

COLLEGE STUDENTS FOR ITS NATIONAL SERVICE CENTRE IN FORT ERIE.

Livingston established a scholarship to highlight top talent and provide

students the opportunity to pursue their career goals. The scholarship recog-

nizes the most promising graduating student of the Protection, Security and

Investigation – Customs

Brokerage program, based

on academic excellence,

leadership skills, com-

munity and co-curricular

activities.

Focused on customs

brokerage and compliance,

Livingston also offers inter-

national trade consulting,

global trade management

and freight forwarding. Liv-

ingston employs more than

3,200 staff at 125 key

border points, seaports,

airports and other strategic

locations across North

America, Europe and Asia.

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MERIDIAN HAS DONATED $100,000 to Niagara College’s Achieving Dreams Campaign to support

students and promote a spirit of entrepreneurship in the School of Business and Management

Studies.

The donation will create the Meridian Scholarship, which will provide more than 100

scholarships over the next four academic years, ranging from $1,000 to $1,200. The scholarships

will be awarded on the basis of academic achievement, as well as demonstrated leadership and

volunteerism.

Small businesses and entrepreneurs play a critical part in fostering a prosperous and vibrant

economy. Meridian’s donation not only provides important financial assistance for students, but it

also benefits the broader community by helping to create the business leaders of tomorrow.

“Entrepreneurial and leadership skills and perspectives are crucial in today’s economy,” said

Vivian Kinnaird, dean of Business, Horticulture and Environmental Studies. “Our business programs

foster these important characteristics and help transfer student ideas and skills to the marketplace.”

The scholarships will be renewable, which means Meridian Scholars will have the opportunity

to receive this support through to graduation. The dean of Business and Management Studies will

also nominate Meridian Scholars to participate in Niagara College’s Leadership Exploration and

Development (LEAD) program. Offered through the College’s Centre for Student Engagement and

Leadership, the LEAD program equips students with the experience and knowledge required to

develop as leaders.

The first Meridian Scholars will be awarded in November 2015.

With more than 70 years of banking history, Meridian is Ontario’s largest credit union, helping

to grow the lives of its more than a quarter of a million members, including more than 21,000

business members. Meridian has $11-billion in assets under management and delivers a full range

of financial services online, by phone, by mobile and through a network of 67 branches and seven

business centres.

Meridian has contributed to student success at Niagara College in many ways over the years, and

the College is very grateful for the ongoing support.

Meridian scholarships will promote a spirit of entrepreneurship

Livingston Award

Some of the NC grads working at Livingston International include, front row left: Leah Bremner and Emilee Keus; centre: Justin O’Brien, Ben Erb, Petar Vidak, Emily Lampman and Kevin Osztermayer; and back row: Daniel Boughner and Taylor Dolan. Other NC grads on the Livingston team include: Taylor Blanchette, Shannon Bremner, Cory Cunningham, Jonathan De Jager, Colin Fear, Paige Garvey, Tayler Genders, Michael Lacroix, Christian Mancuso and Tim Marshello.

SCHOLARSHIP FUND SUPPORTS TECHNOLOGY AND TRADES The Niagara Valley of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite

of Freemasonry presented a $50,000 gift to Niagara College

to establish the Niagara Valley Scottish Rite of Freemasonry

Scholarship Fund.

“As the educational wing of masonry, and given the connection

to historical stonemasons and the building trades of Europe, it

was deemed appropriate that the Scottish Rite here in Niagara

establish a scholarship fund at Niagara College to aid students

in the Schools of Technology and Trades,” said Mike Palmer,

principal officer of Elgin Lodge.

FRONT ROW LEFT: Peter Klotz, principal officer, Rose Croix and Michael Palmer, principal officer, Elgin Lodge of the Scottish Rite; Andrey Rudakov, scholarship recipient; Misheck Mwaba, dean, Media, Trades, and Technology, Niagara College; and Fred Hutchison of the Scottish Rite. BACK ROW, LEFT: Randy Bezo, Thomas Lewis and Keith Lay of the Scottish Rite; Gilles Laroche, Civil Engineering Technician program coordinator, Niagara College; and Adel Esayed, associate dean, School of Technology, Niagara College.


myConnection

Thank youTo the following donors and supporters who gave $100 or more between April 1, 2014 and March 31, 2015.

Your financial investment helped support student success.

OrganizationsAcademica Group Inc.Adidas GroupAdvantage Fitness Sales Inc.Algoma Central CorporationAnn Volk Optometry Professional CorporationAon Reed Stenhouse Inc.AOS GroupApplied Electronics LimitedAquicon Construction Co. Ltd.August RestaurantAvayaBayshore GroupsBaking Association of CanadaBeatties BasicsBellBenchmark RestaurantBest Western Plus Cairn Croft HotelBest Western Plus Rose City SuitesBig Kahuna Sport CompanyBlue Mountain ResortsBlue Skies CottageBlake CommunicationsBoston Pizza, WellandBrasa Brazilian SteakhouseBrock UniversityBTY GroupBusiness Education Council of NiagaraCampus Living Centres Inc.Canadian Bureau for International EducationCanadian Federation of University Women - St. CatharinesCanadian Healthcare Engineering SocietyCanadian Motor SpeedwayCanadian Tire BankCanadian Tire Financial Services LimitedCanadian Tire, GrimsbyCanadian Tire, Niagara Falls Associate StoresCanadian Tire, St. Catharines Associate StoresChartwells, Compass Group CanadaChateau des Charmes WineryChesher Equipment Ltd.Cianfarani Dentistry Professional Corp.Christie’s Dairy Ltd.City of St. CatharinesCity of WellandCN TowerTV CogecoCole’s Florist & Garden CentreCollege Employer CouncilColleges OntarioCombat NetworksCoppola’s Ristorante & Banquet FacilityCourtyard by MarriotCTC TrainCanadaD. McMaster Investments Inc.Dell CanadaDeloitte LLPDirectCash Payments Inc.Design ElectronicsDistinctive DesignsDistrict School Board of Niagara

Dom’s Pasta & GrillDoug Forsythe GalleryDr. Charles Daly & AssociatesDreamwindsThe Duncan FamilyEAInfoBiz Inc.Eclipse Technology Solutions Inc.Edgewater Manor RestaurantEdson Packaging MachineryEmbanet ULCFairmont Royal YorkFalls Corporate FinanceFallsview Casino ResortFeastivities Events and CateringFieldpoint Service Applications IncFirstOntario Credit Union LimitedFlat Rock CellarsFlett Beccario Barristers & SolicitorsFour Point TravelFramecraft Ltd.Franczak Enterprises Ltd.Garland CanadaGM Canada - St. CatharinesGolf Association of OntarioGolf Management Institute of CanadaGow Hastings ArchitectsGreat Estates NiagaraGreat Wolf LodgeGreater Niagara Chamber of CommerceGreen InkGreg Frewin Theatreguard.me International InsuranceGym-Con Ltd.Hacienda Tres Rios Resort, Spa and Nature ParkHallex Engineering Ltd.Harmony Jewellers Ltd.Henley HondaHenry’sHicks Morley Hamilton Stewart StorieHoliday Inn & Suites Parkway Conference CentreHolt RenfrewHoneymoon City ToastmastersHospitality Fallsview Holdings IncHoward Equities Inc.Human Resources Professional Association of NiagaraJack Link’sJeffery’s Greenhouses Inc.John Howard Society of NiagaraJohnny Rocco’s Italian GrillJoseph C. McCallum Barrister & SolicitorJulie Snider ArtKnowledge First FoundationKoprash Inc.KPA Advisory ServicesKPMGKrahn MusicL.J. Barton Mechanical Inc.Landscape Ontario Golden Horseshoe ChapterLepp Farms

Lincoln Garden Club and Horticultural SocietyLivingston International Inc.M.T. BelliesMacLennan Jaunkalns Miller ArchitectsMADD Virgin DrinksMandarin Restaurant Franchise CorporationMartin Farms Ltd.MBNAMcMaster University Degroote School of MedicineMele TrattoriaMercer CulinaryMeridian Credit UnionMetro Ontario Inc.Metro Toronto Convention CentreThe Moran FamilyMori Gardens Design & Garden CentreMountainview HomesN. M. Bartlett Inc.The Nantel & Ward-Smith FamilyNatural Landscape DesignNella Restaurant SupplyNiagara Area Business Women’s NetworkNiagara Bruce Trail ClubNiagara College Athletics DepartmentNiagara College Dental ClinicNiagara College Canadian Food & Wine InstituteNiagara College Greenhouse NurseryNiagara College Hair SalonNiagara College Marketing DepartmentNiagara College Retirees AssociationNiagara College Teaching BreweryNiagara College Teaching WineryNiagara Community FoundationNiagara Construction AssociationNiagara Falls Horticultural SocietyNiagara Health SystemAirbus Helicopters CanadaNiagara Holiday RentalsNiagara Parks CommissionNiagara Region - Economic DevelopmentNiagara Region Wind CorporationNiagara Restaurant SupplyNiagara Symphony OrchestraNiagara UniversityNiagara Waters SpaNiagara-on-the-Lake Bed and Breakfast AssociationNiagara-on-the-Lake Golf ClubNikon Canada Inc.Ontario Association of Certified Engineering Technicians and TechnologistsOban Inn and SpaOntario Small Brewers Association Inc.Ontario Wine Society - Niagara ChapterThe Overholt FamilyP.W. LeopardParagon SecurityPenFinancial Credit UnionPeninsula Lakes Golf ClubPeto MacCallum Ltd.

Performance Hyundai EquusPier 61 Bar & GrillProtec Property MaintenancePinder’s Security ProductsRATIONAL Canada Inc.R.A. Shaw DesignsRachel Delaney Insurance Agency Ltd.Raimondo + Associates Architects Inc.Rankin Construction Inc.Ravine Vineyard Estate WineryRBC Dominion Securities Inc.RBC Royal BankReif Estate WineryRegional Municipality of NiagaraRicohRogers TVRomano’s Macaroni GrillRotary Club of Niagara On the Lake-LewistonRousseau House Restaurant & LoungeSan Marco’s RistoranteScotiabankScotiaMcLeodSeaway MallShaw FestivalSheraton Centre TorontoSkills Canada OntarioSkylon TowerSteelite InternationalSt. Catharines Horticultural SocietyStoneHill Grille & TapsStrategic Charitable Giving FoundationStudent Administrative CouncilSullivan Mahoney LLPSunshine Building Maintenance Inc.TD BankTelcon Datvox Inc.Teva Canada Ltd.The Baron Company Corp.The Brass Bell Bed & BreakfastThe Hair Gallery SalonThe Irish Harp PubThe Outlet Collection at NiagaraThe Standard, The Review, The TribuneThe Tourism Partnership of NiagaraThe Urban Steakhouse & LoungeThe Watermark RestaurantTimbro Design Build ContractorsTJX - Winners, Marshalls & HomeSenseTonnos & Culver Chiropractic Professional Corp.Toronto SunTreschak Enterprises Ltd.Tri-Flame Natural Gas Services LimitedTrius Winery at HillebrandTwo Sisters Vineyards Corp.Urban and Environmental ManagementValange Inc.VIA Rail CanadaVineland Estates WineryVineland Research & Innovation CentreVintage HotelsVMWare


myConnection

Walker Industries Holdings LimitedWelland Horticultural SocietyWelland Hydro-Electric System Corp.Wellport Broadcasting Ltd.WestJetWestmont Hospitality GroupWhite Oaks Resort & SpaYMCA of Niagara

IndividualsAnonymous (13)Lucas AdamsonFiona AllanGary AllenMalcolm AllenJohn and Kathy AnstrutherTheresa AnzovinoHelen ArmstrongJoanne BakkerAhmad BashirMichael BelcastroChristine BlaneDr. Nicholas BodoKristy BoersmaJeanie BourqueDeborah BoutilierJim BradleyJamie BrasJim BriggsKathie BriggsRoy BrunnerJudy CalvinDenise CamireMichelle CarileDan ChalmersJordan CharronDiane ChiversClutterbuck FamilyRobynne ColePatricia ColemanShannon CollisonSean & Rachelle CooteLynn CorbeyCarmela & David CostiniukJoanne and Michael CousineauBill CrummDorothy DaveyRachel & Brian DelaneyMarilyn DickinsonGary Dolch

Kevin DoverWendy DueckAdam DusomeEstate of Eva Mary LewisDennis & Leslie EdellStefane FilionDr. Brian FindlayJoy FleggCindy ForsterRobert FosterJanet FraserLoretta FraserAlanna GaleotaRene GalipeauRichard GarkJim GarnerBarbara GlassAlan & Margaret GoddardPeggy GordonKaterina GonzalezJames GossifidouDamian GoulbourneValerie Grabove & Brian GreenChristian GuayGreta Haanstra (deVries)Cole HayesPhil HayesTrisha HaynesSandy HerkimerJacquie Herman-WingMichael HoekstraJennifer HoyleJames HowdenSteven HudsonBob & Amy JacksonLois JohnsonMary Jane JohnsonDr. Robert JosefchakSean & Kerry KennedyMaureen KerbelDr. Mary Kilmer-TchalekianVivian KinnairdFrank KrahnEleanor LancasterDaryl LedwonEsther LeeErica LeppJames LetwinJohn & Dot LevayDarlene Levinski

Jamie LevittGord LewisAngela LynchAllan & Betty MagnaccaFather James MaherVince MalvasoVirginia MarrBob MartinDiane McClemontKaren McGrathShelley MerloLora MianiJacqueline MillerJayne MoffatMisheck MwabaRobert NeillAngelo NitsopoulosTerrence J. O’MalleyJamie OresarFlavia & Stevan OrvitzWing PakDr. David PampenaDavid PastirikDr. Daniel & Saundra PattersonUrsula PelisseroDorita PentescoHenri & Nicole PerreaultDr. Christina PlaskosBlair & Lynne PollardTeresa QuinlinRobert Rawle and FamilyJanis RawleJacqueline RobartsFrank RobertsPaul & Jane RobinsonPatrick RobsonDr. Bonnie Rose & Dr. Walter KubiskiGraeme RossLyn & Dan RussoJim & Dora RyanAllan SchmidtMichael ScottClarence & Sandy ShowalterGillian & Patrick ShrinerPamela SkinnerHoward SlaneyJo SzaboLucia SzeplakiDavid TaylorDavid A. Thomas

Jay & Barrie ToberGary Lee TorravillePhil TregunnoMike TrojanDean TudorAllan TurnerAlan J. UnwinNicola VaralliErnst VegterHarry VoortmanJohn H. Walker & FamilyRob WaltersWashington FamilyCathy WatsonJeffrey WebbPaul WeerdenburgThomas WhitelawEdmund WilsonCraig YoudaleTatiana YoungPeter Zulauf

In Honour/CelebrationJunior Culinary Team CanadaChris & Jillian RussoBill & Sylvia de Vries

In MemoryJanet ArnottBarbara BartokAlex Bartok IIAlex Bartok IIIGino CieriJody ClarkRandy ColeJacob DeVriesKate DixonMedard “Chuck” FrigaultEdward HoekstraMark JohnsCelia LiuChantel MilletMaria Uribe de PiedrahitaJeff SmithElena TurroniCarolyn WeaverLen Yust

Please help by supporting student success

Donate online or call 905-735-2211 ext. 7840 to pay by credit card. Cheques payable to Niagara College can be mailed to: Foundation & Alumni Relations, Niagara College Canada 300 Woodlawn Rd., Welland, ON L3C 7L3

niagaracollege.ca/giving


myConnection

Grad gives back KORY LIPPERT SAYS HE WAS A TYPICAL STUDENT in the Business Administration-Marketing

program. That all changed with an eight-month co-op placement, when he worked as part of the

NC’s recruitment team.

“Life opened up for me with that experience.

I was involved in orientation, open houses, just

about anything going on. I met lots of people and

had so many opportunities,” he said.

Lippert graduated in 2013 and through a

chance meeting with someone at the University

of Guelph, was hired as a student recruitment

coordinator, and then as a communications and

alumni project coordinator. He recently joined

Ridley College as a development officer raising

money to help students.

“This job has really opened my eyes on how important it is for alumni to give back. Niagara

College needs support to help students, and with expansion and renovations,” he said.

Lippert set up a monthly donation to support the Student Opportunities Fund for Business

students to take part in activities, such as the Ontario Colleges’ Marketing Competition that brings

together the best and brightest marketing students from across the province.

“Niagara College shaped me into the person I am today, helped me develop leadership skills

and confidence. Niagara College gave me a lot and it is time for me to give back to help other

students,” he said.

AS A GRADUATE OF THE ECOLE HOTELIERE

DE LAUSANNE IN SWITZERLAND, a leading

international business school for the hospitality

industry, Celia Liu understood well the value

of an excellent industry-specific education and

training. She applied her training, her passion for

the industry, and her global perspective to making her family business, the Oban Inn,

Spa and Restaurant in Niagara-on-the-Lake. Liu was a tireless promoter of the Niagara

region.

Sadly missed by her family and many friends and industry colleagues, Liu passed

away in July 2014, but the wonderful memories of her will live on and be honoured each

year with the awarding of the Celia Liu Memorial Bursary.

Liu’s sister, Erica Lepp, a graduate of NC’s Business Administration-Marketing

program, donated $20,000 to establish the Celia Liu Memorial Bursary as an ongoing

celebration of Liu’s life and dedication to the industry and community she loved so

dearly.

The Celia Liu Memorial Bursary will provide two awards of $1,000 each year for 10

years. The bursaries will be awarded to students in Hospitality and Tourism Studies:

Bachelor of Business Administration - Hospitality; Hospitality and Tourism Management;

and Hospitality Operations - Hotel and Restaurant.

This is a very special legacy for Liu and a very fitting way to honour a generous and

compassionate person, as many students will benefit from this generous legacy gift.

Erica Lepp, left, and her older sister Celia Liu shared a special bond. Photo by Stephen Dominick

Celia Liu Memorial Bursary

Song Zhang, right, managing partner of the

Mandarin Restaurant Franchise Corporation,

presents the company’s annual scholarship to

Jason Baker of Burlington. Baker is finishing

the second year of the Culinary Management

Co-op program and will graduate in June.

The award is given to a student who shows a

flair and commitment to Asian cuisine and is

in good academic standing. They are shown

at the Canadian Food and Wine Institute’s

awards reception.

Mandarin Scholarship

THE LEN YUST MEMORIAL BURSARY is awarded

to a student in the Ecosystem Restoration and

Geographic Information Systems-Geospatial

Management programs.

Len Yust (1952 – 2014) was a dedicated

conservationist, passionate about the preservation and

restoration of Ontario’s cold water resources. He was

renowned as a fly angler whose pursuit of trout was

closely aligned with his professional interest in the

preservation of their delicate environment.

The director of operations in Eastern Canada

with Trout Unlimited Canada for eight years, he was

responsible for the establishment of many chapters

of that organization throughout Ontario, including the

Niagara Chapter.

This bursary was established in his memory to help

a new generation of professional conservationists to

continue the work he cared so deeply about.

From left: Brian Green, secretary of Niagara Chapter Trout Unlimited Canada; Jennifer Yust, Len Yust’s wife; Davor Alisic, award recipient; and Dan Patterson; Niagara College president.

GOLF PACKAGE: 18 holes of golf, golf cart, golf clinic, special golf competitions, lunch by the Canadian Food and Wine Institute and banquet dinner.

Golf Classic 2015NIAGARA COLLEGE FOUNDATION

Peninsula Lakes Golf Club569 Hwy #20, Fenwick, Ontario

Tuesday, Sept 1512:00 p.m.

$200/person

For registration and sponsorship contact us atemail: [email protected]: niagaracollege.ca/golfclassicphone: 905-735-2211, ext. 7551

Proceeds will support scholarships and bursaries for student athletes!

Free access to OptimalResume™

Alumni Relations provides free access to OptimalResume™, a comprehensive career management platform with a variety of tools to help you create, present, manage and share your professional credentials. › Generate a professional resume in a variety

of formats with Resume Builder › Create an online gallery of your work with

Portfolio Manager › Refi ne interviewing skills with real-to-

life, multi-media interview scenarios with Optimal Interview

Visit niagaracollege.ca/optimalresume to obtain the alumni access code.

NC frames availableFoundation & Alumni Relations has frames in stock for a certifi cate, diploma, degree or photo. For more information and/or to place an order, visit: niagaracollege.ca/alumni or call 905.735.2211, ext. 7551.

NC GRADSAs a graduate of Niagara College, you become a member of our alumni community, which is more than 70,000 strong.We encourage you to stay connected and tell us about what you are doing now.

Please update your contact information at niagaracollege.ca/alumni › Share your career success story › Free access to online OptimalResume TM › Receive monthly e-newsletter with

successful grad stories, events and news › Encore magazine mailed to you annually › Order a frame for your certifi cate, diploma,

degree or photo › Add your name to the list for grad volunteer

opportunities, such as class visits › Mentor a graduating student › Network with other grads through NC

Alumni LinkedIn › Keep in touch through NC Alumni Facebook

Have a story to share? We’re looking for grad stories to share with the NC community. Send your profi le to us and we may include it in a future edition of encore.

Stay ConnectedVisit and follow our social media pages and stay connected with news and events.

Discounts & special offersWe have a loyal group of affi nity partners, which offer competitive group discounts for NC grads. For every client that signs up, these companies provide fi nancial support to help fund equipment and learning resources for students.

Home and Auto Insurance › Monthly premium payments with no

interest or service charge › Access to scholarships and academic grants › Personal priority attention, 24 hours a day

MBNA Mastercard › No annual fee › Credit limit up to $100,000 › Around-the-clock fraud protection › Emergency replacement within 48 hours

Life, Dental and Health Insurance › Low cost coverage term life plan that pays

a tax-free lump sum payment of up to $250,000

› Select a health and dental plan to optimize your coverage

› Get a no-obligation quote online

Benefi ts and services for NC grads

RHM.5.15

encore - Spring 2015

Documents

Transcript of encore - Spring 2015