Confederation College Celebrates Convocation 2010

(June, 7 2010) – On Friday June 4th, 2010 family and friends filled the Thunder Bay Community Auditorium to watch many of the 1260 graduating students walk across the stage to accept their well deserved diplomas or certificates from over 50 Confederation College programs.

Today, Confederation College has even more reason to celebrate with the largest ever graduating class of 1440 from Thunder Bay, Distance Education, 6 Regional Campuses and Apprenticeship programs.At 9:00 am Graduands took their honoured place on stage to receive diplomas and certificates from the School of Health and Community Services; and Negahneewin College of Academic and Community Development. During this ceremony Confederation College recognized the first ever graduating classes of the Aboriginal Canadian Relations Certificate (16 graduates) and the Medical Laboratory Assistant Certificate with two graduating classes from the fall and Winter Semester. (Total 30 graduates).

The 2:00 pm ceremony commemorated the Graduands of the School of Business, Hospitality and Media Arts; School of Aviation; School of Engineering Technology and Trades. Sitting among their peers were four Graduands of the first-ever Instrumentation Engineering Coop Apprentice program.

2010 also marks the first time in seven years that all seven Confederation College campuses will have formal Convocation Ceremonies. The 180 graduates from the region represent the largest graduating class for this area. Convocation Ceremonies for these six campuses will take place throughout June, beginning on Monday, June 7 in Sioux Lookout.

For further information contact:

Bethanie Foster, Media Officer
Confederation College
(807) 475-6137 (807) 620-0043

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Confederation College Convocation 2010

Backgrounder

Confederation College celebrates each year with a number of awards and recognition for community partnerships. During the morning and afternoon ceremonies the following were awarded.

Celebrating Leadership

HER WORSHIP, MAYOR ANNE KRASSILOWSKY (DRYDEN)

Honorary Diploma-Business Administration Marketing

Anne Krassilowsky is currently serving in her capacity as Mayor of the City of Dryden, a position she has held for two terms. She was first elected as a Councilor in the fall of 2000.

Anne is a strong advocate for her community and the people of Northwestern Ontario. She currently holds the position of President of the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association (NOMA) as well as a member of the executive and board of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario. (AMO)

Anne has represented her city and regional community well at these and many government and private sector tables, providing crucial information and insight to policy makers. She strongly believes that northern decisions need to be made in the north by people who understand the geography, the lifestyle, the challenges we face, and the opportunities we create.

Anne continues to be a champion for the forestry industry and is an advocate of new and innovative thinking that she knows will see growth in this sustainable economy. She is currently on the Board of the Municipal Water Association and the recipient of their 2008 Exceptional Award of Merit. Mayor Krassilowsky was pivotal in the development and advocacy of the community-based Bachelor of Nursing program that is delivered co-operatively by Confederation College and Lakehead University in Dryden, Fort Frances, Kenora and Sioux Lookout.

She has been a judge for the Influential Women’s Award and a strong advocate for women, encouraging their participation in politics. Anne is a proud associate member of the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 63 for 31 years and 38 years member and President of the Ladies Auxiliary as well as numerous other organizations and charities within Dryden and the region.

Mayor Krassilowsky receives this Honorary Diploma not only for her commitment to community, but also for her zeal, energy and passion, for her perseverance and dedication to public service. Anne conducts herself with a welcoming demeanor, smile and good nature – a true Ambassador for the north.

Celebrating Excellence

Professor Emerita

Joan Main

Joan’s effectiveness in the classroom is well documented and reflected in her exemplary student evaluations. She is rated most highly for her rapport, positive spirit and her preparedness. She personified the concept of student-centeredness through her pioneer work in delivering curriculum in multiple modalities, addressing student learning preference: independent modularized learning, traditional classroom and on-line computer based projects.

Joan can be credited with leading change in the graduate professional profile from Secretary to Office Administrator. Furthermore, she played a key leadership role in the planning and implementation of personal computing in the classroom at Confederation College.

Joan was the recipient of both the Teaching Excellence Award in 1995 and the Employee Recognition Award in 1998. Faculty refer to Joan as inspirational and as a benchmark for teaching excellence. Students refer to Joan as an outstanding, dedicated professional and as a professor who went far beyond the “call of duty” -always putting her students first. Administration and staff refer to Joan as a uniquely dedicated person, always willing to help others, warm, caring and always to be found in her “usual good humour”.

Confederation College wishes to recognize Joan Main’s valuable and significant contribution to our students, faculty and college community and be recognized as Professor Emerita in 2010.

Celebrating Achievement

SUCCI/OASA Student Leadership Award

The Student Leadership Graduate award is presented to a student who demonstrates exceptional leadership skills, is a positive role model and has effected change with integrity, compassion and understanding. This year’s recipient of the Student Leadership Award is Qiongfei Hua, known at our college as “Soffee”.

Soffee is a graduate of the Broadcasting Television Production Program. She has maintained outstanding academic standing, graduating with an overall GPA of 4.0.

Soffee can be described as an individual whose responsibility, dependability, perseverance and passion towards everything she takes on, makes her an individual who could be relied upon 100%. She successfully mentored peers and demonstrated her own work ethic which was a positive influence on her fellow class mates.

With English not being Soffee’s first language, she continually strived for perfection and often faced additional challenges. The further efforts and drive for more, resulted in an even better project.

“Soffee’s quality of character embodies core values that merit this recognition. Her thoughtfulness, influence and support throughout her education journey were evident amongst her peers and faculty,” said Miriam Wall, Director of the International Education Centre at Confederation College.

Celebrating Achievement

Governor Generals Award

Social Service Worker Program – Barb Kwasnicia

The Governor General’s award is one of the most prestigious awards conferred at graduation. This year marks a first for Confederation College. For the first time, the recipient has completed their program through distance delivery.

The winner of this year’s Governor General’s Academic Medal from the Social Service Worker Program is Barb Kwasnicia who graduates with a grade point average of 4.0. Barb has completed three programs at Confederation College-all with a 4.0 Grade Point Average.

In 2000, Barb completed the Business – Human Resources program for which she received the Dean’s Medal Award. She completed the Human Resources Management Program, in 2001. Barb then took her learning to the work world however a workplace injury presented an interesting turn in Barb’s life journey.

In September 2008, with renewed determination, Barb enrolled in the Social Service Worker program through Distance Education from her home in Atikokan. Throughout her two years in the program, Barb has been an outstanding student who excels in consistently exceeding all the requirements of the Social Service Worker program. Her maturity and friendly disposition has resulted in her being a leader in the classroom learning environment where she was highly regarded by her classmates and faculty members alike.

In addition to being an outstanding graduate of Confederation College, Barb is perhaps more importantly a proud mother and grandmother.

Celebrating Opportunities

Education-A Family Affair

It’s not every day that you have mother and daughter graduating together in the same year, never mind from the same course. But now that Laurie Niskanen and Maija Zucchiatti will be receiving their Human Resources Management diploma together, it’s hard to say who is proudest of the other.

They didn’t plan to take the program together, and in fact both took very different paths to get here.

Laurie has worked at the Thunder Bay District Health Unit since 1998 and moved into a position in Human Resources in 2004. Nadine Doucette, her HR manager, encouraged Laurie to take the diploma course.

“I’ve been taking the program for the past six years,” Laurie said. “I had hoped actually to be done last year.”

Laurie found that taking courses part-time and online helped her juggle her schedule while working full-time. Being able to work flexible hours also helped. Maija, on the other hand, had finished her Psychology HBA but found the jobs that interested her most had a Human Resources slant to them.

“Last August I decided hey, Mom took the program, why shouldn’t I try it too?” Maija said. “She kind of knew everything I was going through so if I ever needed advice, she had the experience and she was a good person to go to.”

Perhaps knowing that they helped each other get here makes this graduation extra special.

Celebrating Community

Employer of the Year

Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre

As the largest healthcare employer in Northwestern Ontario – and one of the largest employers in the region – the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre employs hundreds of Confederation College graduates.

Training tomorrow’s skilled graduates requires a team approach. The College wouldn’t be able to prepare students properly without the comprehensive, hands-on learning opportunities available at the Health Sciences Centre. Employees there spend a significant amount of time explaining, instructing, and guiding Confederation College students. It is the ideal environment for student learning.

Confederation College’s relationship with the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre perfectly illustrates how well industry partnerships can work. This is true for many areas including Nursing, Social Work, Radiation Technology, Medical Laboratory Assistant and others. Our graduates are also working in areas not directly related to healthcare like Information Technology, Accounting, Human Resources, Physical Plant, and Biomedical Engineering. Staff and managers from the Health Sciences Centre are involved with program development, providing valuable insight and direction to ensure all of our programs remain relevant and meet the future needs of this vibrant and dynamic institution.

It is for these reasons that Confederation College recognizes the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre with the 2010 Employer of the Year Award.

Alumni Charge

Presenting the Alumni Charge during morning convocation is Norm Gale, a man of service – to his district, his country, and his community. He is a 1999 graduate of the Confederation College Paramedic program. As Chief of Emergency Medical Services for Superior North EMS, he is responsible for ensuring efficient and responsive emergency medical services to a district that is over 103,700 km², has 15 communities and rural areas, and with a population of 155,000. Concurrently, from 1984 to 2007, Norm served as a decorated Master Warrant Officer in the Canadian Forces with postings across Canada and in Europe. Norm also serves his community through his voluntary activities from Little League to the Thunder Bay District Board of Health.

In Norm’s own words: “The paramedic program certificate was central to my success in EMS. In fact, it would be impossible for me to be Chief of EMS and have held progressive management positions without the certificate. Without the College program, I could not even have remained as a paramedic. So, it is beyond doubt that professionally, the program was absolutely crucial to my success.”

The afternoon Alumni Charge was offered by Paula Sdao B Eng. Manager of Air Services for True Grit Consulting Ltd. Paula graduated from Confederation College’s Environmental Engineering Technology program in 1996 and continued her education with a diploma in Chemical Engineering Technology, a Bachelor of Engineering (Chemical) and numerous training certificates. Her environmental projects have taken her across Ontario, Nunavut and Africa.

Paula has over 14 years experience providing industrial and commercial clients with air quality, health & safety and hazardous material management services. Her tireless efforts have provided many large corporations with dedication to the environment that was first taught at Confederation College.

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For further information contact:

Bethanie Foster, Media Officer
Confederation College
(807) 475-6137 or (807) 620-0043
bafoster@confederationc.on.ca