Hamilton and McArthur-Blair to explore strategic plan

In person or online, you can be part of a public dialogue about colleges, their role and their future when President Hamilton and Dr. Joan McArthur-Blair, President of Nova Scotia Community College, discuss these relevant issues at a public forum at 10:30 a.m. on Friday in Kelowna.

Nova Scotia Community College is renowned among institutions that have embraced the Learning Organization principles that form the foundation of our vision. Prior to leading Nova Scotia Community College, McArthur-Blair was Vice-President of Education at Vancouver Community College until 2005. 
 


Friday’s conversation between Jim and Joan will be moderated by Regional Dean John Lent. The session will focus on topics that are meant to encourage discussion relevant to our current strategic plan review. Topics will include current issues and trends affecting colleges and how being learning-centred involves all employees. Participation from staff is encouraged and there will be opportunities to ask questions and share comments throughout the conversation. 
 


The session will be hosted in the Kelowna theatre, but it will also be broadcast live over the Internet for staff who are unable to attend. In addition, the session will be posted on the web for those whose class or work schedules preclude catching the discussion live. Staff can visit: klo-media-1.okanagan.bc.ca to view the session. 
For more information and opportunities to participate in the shaping of Okanagan College’s future, visit: www.okanagan.bc.ca/voice.

Two golds, one silver for SIFE Okanagan

Okanagan College dominated the business competition at the Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) Western Regional competition last week. SIFE Okanagan went up against 11 colleges and universities from four provinces in western Canada and finished first in the categories of Financial Literacy and in the Green Challenge. The students finished second in Entrepreneurship.


"The SIFE Okanagan team put forth an incredible performance, not just in their presentation, but in the work they have done in completing projects to compete at the SIFE level,” said Dr. Heather Banham, Associate Dean of Business. “Two first places and a first runner-up is more than any single institution could expect. Every single member of the team was an ambassador for Okanagan College." 



The stage has now been set for SIFE Okanagan at the National competition in Calgary this May. Based on their success at the regional level the Okanagan College students have earned the opportunity to compete in three events at the nation-wide competition. Follow this link to read the complete Public Affairs press release.

Students share their VOICE

After two weeks, four big white walls, a dozen focus groups and countless interviews and conversations, Heather Stewart and Arnica Rowan are halfway through Okanagan College’s strategic planning process.

Stewart, of Sage Transitions, conducted the strategic plan process five years ago and is managing the review for 2010-2015.

“Five years ago Okanagan College was creating a new vision for a new institution,” said Stewart. “This strategic plan is building on five years of many successes, and a strong interest in hearing from students, employees and communities."

Rowan, from the School of Business, has been talking to students and staff in open consultations.

“It’s so interesting to see the College through many different sets of eyes,” she said. “Everyone has their particular viewpoint and concerns, but we’re starting to see several themes evolving.”

To have your voice heard, please scrawl on one of the big white walls, fill out the employee survey or attend one of the employee focus groups. Please let your students know of the many opportunities to provide their feedback. Consultations will conclude at the end of March. For more information, visit www.okanagan.bc.ca/voice.

TELUS supports Penticton’s Centre of Excellence

Earlier this month, TELUS announced a new program that will support the development of Okanagan College’s Centre of Excellence in Penticton. In support of its philosophy to “give where we live,” TELUS announced a campaign that will direct $100 to the Okanagan College's Centre of Excellence for every new TELUS TV customer in Penticton, Summerland, Naramata and Okanagan Falls. 



“TELUS believes in the importance of community,” said Steve Jenkins, TELUS General Manager. “I, along with all of our team members in the Penticton and South Okanagan area, am so pleased to support the Okanagan College Foundation with a gift of $100 in the name of every new TELUS TV customer in the area. TELUS team members are proud to enable important community infrastructure projects that benefit the communities where they live, work and serve.” 



TELUS’ program to gift $100 in the name of every new TELUS TV customer in support of Okanagan College's new Centre of Excellence began March 2 and will run for one full year. Visit: www.telus.com for more information.

College bookstore launches new site

Okanagan College’s Campus Stores has launched a new e-commerce website to assist students, staff, alumni and the general public with online shopping at Okanagan College.

General merchandise, clothing, textbooks and course materials are now available for purchase online at: www.okanagan.bc.ca/campus-stores.

Hungarians dominate 27th annual Spaghetti Bridge competition

In an international showdown that kept spectators on the edge of their seats, Hungarian and Iranian heavyweight bridge builders did not disappoint at the 27th annual Spaghetti Bridge Building competition.

Partway through the heavyweight challenge Roland Erdosi from the College of Nyiregyhaza in Hungary put up numbers on the fettuccine fault line that wouldn’t be beaten, despite a solid effort from students from Iran’s A.B.A. University. Erdosi’s bridge held 255 kilograms before shattering in front of a packed lecture theatre in Kelowna.

The Iranian team was unable to top the Hungarian’s score – they earned second place after their bridge failed at 184 kilograms.

“We are happy to win second place,” said team captain Ashkan Mohammadvali. “We know we can do better next year and we would like to come back to try again.”

The team of Sasha Podalchuk, Brad Wall, Justin Franz and Spence Costigan - engineering technology students from Okanagan College - won third place with a bridge that held 68 kilograms. 


Follow this link to view full results from all categories of the annual competition.

Okanagan College wins second place at IMC

The team of Ashley Ferguson, Andrew Rodrigue, and Robert Moore finished second at SFU’s Inter-collegiate Marketing Competition after presenting a solid case analysis of a new LED lighting company wishing to capture commercial lighting markets in the USA. Before earning a spot in the finals against teams from UBC and SFU, they first had to make it past their own teammates (Nicole van Steenoven, Patrick O'Connel, and Jeff Tassone). 



The team utilized a wide knowledge base from Finance to E-commerce to Strategy to Accounting and, of course, Marketing, for their analysis and recommendations. This year’s second place finish firmly places the Okanagan School of Business in the top tier of competitors.

Centre of Excellence project update

PCL Construction Managers and Facilities Management’s Steve Robinson Sr. recently met with staff from the Penticton campus to provide an update on the progress of the Centre of Excellence and to discuss the upcoming work schedule.  

It was reported that the project is proceeding nicely with the last of the large tenders expected in on March 19 - so far these tenders have been coming in under budget. The concrete foundation should be completed in the next two weeks and within the next six weeks some of the first glue-lam beams will be arriving and the building will start to take shape. Starting May 1 the civil works contractor will be working on the new parking lots, the interior courtyard and the new campus entrance. This work is very extensive and will result in no car traffic or parking on campus between May 1 and August 1. 

Off site parking has been located for these three months. So far, many of the contractors working on the project are local to the South Okanagan. The building will be built primarily of BC wood including Pine Beetle kill.  


Stay tuned to Inside Okanagan College for more updates on the Centre of Excellence over the course of the next year.

Students honoured at President’s Scholars Dinner

Ten high-achieving students were recognized at a dinner hosted by President Jim Hamilton in Kelowna last week. Seven students were acknowledged for their hard work in earning the President’s Entrance Scholarship, two students were honoured for earning the Garfield Weston Award and one student was honoured for earning the Millennium Excellence Award.

The students had dinner with the President and administrative staff and were presented with certificates in acknowledgement of their awards. 

College faculty host workshops for SD 23

On Feb. 19, Okanagan College hosted two workshops for School District 23’s Professional Day. Teachers from Kelowna (and one from Vernon) came to attend Survival Strategies for Teachers with Newcomers (presented by Leah Sanford) and Adapting Materials for English Language Learners (presented by Karen Rauser and Kate Gilchrist).

Brian Rhodes, the ESL department chair, said that he wanted to facilitate this connection because he believes Okanagan College instructors have a lot to offer School District teachers in terms of cross-cultural experience, English language learning, and teaching.

One attendee said that she left with "a lot to chew on" and many of the teachers showed interest in the TESL certificate-training program offered by Okanagan College. The workshops were held in the ever-popular Centre for Dialogue and attendees were given a tour of the newly renovated library. This is just one example of the ways in which Okanagan College is partnering to expand access and services for education in the region.

Staff team up to host President of A.B.A. University

The day before Okanagan College’s 27th annual Spaghetti Bridge competition was shaping up to be just another day for Okanagan College’s Ali Hatami over in the department of Information Systems. That changed suddenly when he received a somewhat panicked phone call from Public Affairs.

What was supposed to be a routine photo op of a group of Iranian students turned into an exercise in teamwork, flexibility and hospitality for Okanagan College.

Unbeknownst to staff at Okanagan College, the president of A.B.A. University in Iran, Dr. Rezvani, had accompanied his students to Kelowna to support them in the spaghetti bridge competition. With very little knowledge of Kelowna and a language barrier, the group of dignitaries and students were somewhat stranded at their hotel.  Until, that is, Ali and his fluent Farsi, came to the rescue.

Ali stepped in to serve as a translator for the group, while Gordon Shuster and other staff from International Education juggled their schedules to ensure the visitors were taken care of for the duration of their trip.

Senior administrators took the opportunity to host the delegation for tea and President Jim Hamilton signed a memorandum of understanding with Dr. Rezvani and A.B.A. University in Tehran. The Iranian students took home a second place prize in the competition and International Education made great strides in building a new relationship with A.B.A. University.

Introducing the ILLT – Rob Kjarsgaard and Mag Evans

In a new and unique partnership, students in Victoria Loy’s English 235 – professional writing and communications - class in Vernon are helping to share information about the Institute for Leadership in Learning and Teaching by profiling its members. Working with support from Public Affairs, students in the class selected a member of the ILLT, conducted preliminary research and interviews and then each wrote profiles of the members. The project was developed as a part of the students’ class work and the profiles helped determine their overall grade. Over the course of the semester students learned valuable information about writing, interviewing and the editing process. In some cases the students also photographed their subjects.

In its next few editions, Inside Okanagan College will publish the complete set of profiles. Find out more about the ILLT members through the eyes of our students.

Rob Kjarsgaard – by Shevaun Ruby

Rob Kjarsgaard, a former School District 83 trustee and current administrator with Okanagan College, is the Coordinator of the Institute for Leadership in Learning and Teaching (ILLT). The Institute is a new organization focused on enhancing learning and teaching at Okanagan College. ILLT planning has been in progress for about two and a half years, yet there is still much enthusiasm and anticipation surrounding it. 

What is the reason for all this excitement? Rob points to the fact that the concept of the ILLT is something new for Okanagan College.

“Sometimes it seems that in the past the College has operated as a number of independent silos, co-located together, with little collaboration happening between departments,” said Kjarsgaard. “The ILLT is working on changing that and creating a culture of collaboration and educational leadership.” Follow this link to read more.

Mag Evans – by Jackie Mulatz

Margaret Evans is commonly known around campus as Mag, the woman who (with her many proofreading and editing skills) can take any paper from a B to an A. When I arrived at Mag’s office to interview her for this profile, I was first welcomed by the delicious smell of her dinner lingering in her office—which she later gave me the recipe for!

Mag’s dedication is a clear inspiration to students and staff alike. Such dedication involves creating space to allow developing ideas to grow into something incredible. Mag generously shares the skills of creating space and promoting growth with everyone at Okanagan College. Not only is she an asset to the Student Success Centre, a friendly face around campus, and a supplier of tasty recipes, but she is also a founding Fellow of the Institute for Leadership in Learning and Teaching. Follow this link to read more.

Lent honoured at Arts Awards

The 3rd Annual Okanagan Arts Awards were held on Thursday, March 4 at the Lions Hall in West Kelowna. Among the 25 honoured nominees was Okanagan College’s Regional Dean, John Lent.

John was nominated for the lifetime achievement award, a testament to his impact on the arts over the span of his influential and prolific career. In addition to being nominated for the prestigious award, John was also a featured performer at the event – he read from his collection of poetry.

Acting Dean of Arts and Foundational programs, Stan Chung, attended the event, presenting the award for literary arts to Kelowna’s Nancy Holmes. Stan is a director of the Arts Council of the Central Okanagan.

Arellano’s Strange Fruit hits the mark at World Film Fest

Communications professor Marc Arellano debuted his most recent documentary, Strange Fruit, to a standing-room-only crowd at the World Travelling Film Festival at Okanagan College’s Kelowna campus. Prior to the film’s first screening, Marc was interviewed about the film by CHBC-TV and Shaw TV.

In other news, Marc recently learned that his short documentary kə nā′dē ən has been selected for screening at the 13th Cine Las Americas International Film Festival. The festival is scheduled for April 21-29 in Austin, Texas. Contact Marc for more information or go online to: www.cinelasamericas.org.

Host of CBC Radio’s Quirks and Quarks coming to Vernon

Bob McDonald, award-winning science journalist and host of CBC Radio’s Quirks & Quarks, is coming to Vernon as the fourth and final presenter in this year’s Science in Society Speaker Series, hosted by Okanagan College and the Okanagan Science Centre.

McDonald will explore the evolution of scientific ideas in a presentation entitled: Everything you know is…wrong! Great leaps in scientific thought. The presentation will take place on Monday, May 17 at 7:30 p.m. in Vernon’s Performing Arts Centre.

McDonald will present an historical look at science through the eyes of those who changed our view of the universe as well as our place in it. The presentation is in honour of the year of Darwin and will feature significant Canadian content.

Tickets are $25 for adults, $15 for students, and may be purchased from Ticket Seller. Contact Carl Doige for more information.

Karen Friesen joins the Kal Campus Library staff

The Kalamalka Campus Library welcomes Karen Friesen as the new continuing Library Clerk III. Karen is stepping into this position following the departure of Karen Bright, who is now working as the Campus Library Assistant.   

Karen brings a great deal of experience to her new position after 10 years of managing the Geography Collections Room at the University of Calgary. In the last three years Karen has worked weekends and evenings at the Kalamalka Campus Library and was recently a full-time replacement Library Clerk III at Okanagan College for six months. 



Karen will be working in the circulation area of the Library as well as continuing to create timely displays of new books, writing and publishing events, current awareness, and Campus in the News.



The Okanagan School of Business’s Dr. Heather Banham and Yunke He co-authored an article that appeared in the February edition of the International Business and Economics Research Journal (Feb. 2010 Volume 9 Number 2). The article, "SME Governance: Converging Definitions and Expanding Expectations" will be available at the Okanagan College Library link soon – to read the article, follow this link to a pdf.
 

Geography professor, Dr. Stephanie Bunclark, was profiled in an article on Kelowna.com after she began using the current media debate about Kelowna’s plans for CD-21 zone in her second-year geography class. Read more in: CD-21 zone becomes teaching tool for geography professor. 

John Lent was chief cheerleader for the Okanagan College team of cross-country skiers participating in the Silver Star 7.5 km Team Challenge on Sunday. The race was a fundraiser for the Okanagan College Foundation and the Vernon Jubilee Hospital Foundation. A story in the Morning Star previewed the race.

Acting Arts and Foundational Dean Stan Chung felt the brush of spring breezes against his creative muse as he penned a column about the valley in spring for the Daily Courier.

Fallen Feather, a film that exposes residential schools and the effects they had on generations of First Nations people, was shown in Salmon Arm recently. The article previewing the film included a reference to Okanagan College and the positive growth in the number of Aboriginal students attending the campus.

Okanagan College Board of Governors member Bill Cooke was reappointed to the Coast Capital Savings board alongside fellow incumbents Bill Wellburn and Glenn Wong, and newcomer Doug Brownridge. Cooke joined the Okanagan College Board of Governors in January 2007 and is currently the Chair of the Board’s finance committee.

On Thursday, the “original” apprentice Bill Rancic (at least the Donald Trump version thereof) will be keynote speaker at the annual Okanagan Business Students Association dinner. His beaming face was front and centre in a business story about the banquet in the Daily Courier. He was also interviewed for another story about the experience where he talked about the experience of the first season of The Apprentice.

The Dragons’ Den made a stop in Kelowna at the KLO campus, and drew oodles of media attention, with inventors and entrepreneurs offering up everything from sex toys, to bikini wraps, to flight simulators. You can read the coverage from the Daily Courier, hear of the experience in the words of the pitchers, or watch the coverage for yourself from Shaw, CHBC television or Kelowna.com.

An interesting offer from TELUS for residents of the South Okanagan bodes well for the Centre of Excellence fundraising campaign. In early March, the company announced that it will pledge $100 for every new TELUS TV customer in Penticton, Naramata, Summerland and Okanagan Falls. The offer lasts for a year.

Okanagan College’s baseball team had to face off against their counterparts from Yakima Valley Community College early this month without benefit of any practice time on the diamond – Kelowna’s fields were still closed before the exhibition season began. The lack of practice hurt – we dropped four games in the first weekend, and fared similarly the next weekend when the team faced Spokane Community College.

When the federal budget was announced on March 4, College officials around the country were watching with interest. One reason was Ottawa’s decision to double the amount of funding available in the college and community innovation program which helps prompt commercialization of research. The Daily Courier turned to President Jim Hamilton for response. The article was top-line story on Page A3 in the Penticton Herald on March 8 as well.

The Vernon chapter of Okanagan College’s Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) were serving up a healthy helping of corporate social responsibility with news that they were holding a food drive to benefit the local food bank. The Vernon Morning Star made news of the effort. Not to be outdone, the Kelowna chapter of SIFE paired up with the Gerry Fraser Realty Group to host a charity gala in a luxury penthouse with the benefits going to local food banks. The Capital News helped publicize the event.

SIFE was still in the news when teams made up of students from Kelowna and Vernon dominated the 2010 Western Regional competition in Calgary. Three teams recorded two first places and a second place. The press release was picked up by the Daily Courier, the Capital News and the Vernon Morning Star.

In Penticton, SIFE students assisted local secondary students in their pursuit of entrepreneurial success when they hosted the young entrepreneur competition. Read more about the creativity displayed by local Penticton students in: Students fired up with ideas for the Dragons' Den.

The nominations are closed now, but before the Okanagan College Alumni Association drew the blinds on nominations for the 2010 Distinguished Alumni and Young Alumni Awards, the Vernon Morning Star helped get the word out . . . Now we’ll just await word on who will be honoured this year.

SIFE? Again? Yup, this time comes word that SIFE members will be helping out collect donations for the food bank when the Detroit Red Wings roll into Kelowna for a mini-camp on March 17. The public is welcome to attend the St. Paddy’s day practice from 11 a.m. to noon – just bring along a donation for the food bank.

Trying to make sense of the Millennial generation? So is Acting Registrar and columnist Jane Muskens, who tried to make sense of recent research for the readers of the Capital News.

Okanagan College Prof Marc Arellano’s documentary Strange Fruit was part of the Travelling World Film Festival that used two venues – the Kelowna campus of Okanagan College and the lone campus of UBC Okanagan – to showcase more than 30 films. A story in the Daily Courier previewed the festival while Arellano made appearances on CHBC and Shaw to talk about his film.

Dean Dr. Dianne Crisp’s role leading Science, Technology and Health was at the heart of a profile on her in the Capital News “Women in Business” section.

North Okanagan Regional Dean, author, and musician John Lent was among the featured performers at the Okanagan Arts Awards earlier this month. The editor of eVent magazine gushed about the entire evening in an editorial.

On the day of the Spaghetti Bridge contest, one of the key and long-time sponsors of the event was featured prominently in an article written for the Daily Courier by Public Affairs. John Leech, the executive director of the Applied Science Technologists and Technicians of B.C., waxed eloquent about the importance of introducing young students to the marvels of physics and engineering design principles.

The Capital News also featured the Spaghetti Bridge competition as part of its look at National Engineering and Geosciences Month. And when a team from Iran showed up for the competition – the first time in six years – that became front-page news for readers of the Daily Courier. When the team from Osoyoos Secondary School captured first place in the secondary school category of the Spaghetti Bridge Building competition, the Osoyoos Times made sure its readers knew about the victory. Kelowna.com posted video from the day’s events.

But not everything was sunshine and roses at the Spaghetti Bridge competition. On the day of the competition, there was an incident involving a contender in the heavyweight category – one of the teams from Hungary left their bridge unattended in what they thought to be a safe place, and it was damaged, without enough time to rebuild it. The Daily Courier dutifully reported the duo’s story with another front-page article on Saturday.

March 16, 2010 Vol. 3 Issue 23

College Foundation seeks Board members
 


The Okanagan College Foundation is seeking expressions of interest from individuals to work with the Okanagan College Foundation Board of Directors. Director terms are generally three years. A role description for Directors can be obtained by contacting the Okanagan College Foundation Office at 250-762-5445 ext. 4774 or by emailing: foundation@okanagan.bc.ca. Please send submissions no later than Friday, March 19.

Now you see it, soon you won’t



Fezziwig’s bakery at the Kelowna campus has made the switch to biodegradable coffee cups. For the time being, both cups and lids can be disposed of in the recycling stream. Facilities Management is working on developing a more comprehensive composting system that will likely include items such as Fezzi’s cups. Stay tuned to Inside Okanagan College for information about composting, recycling and other green initiatives and updates.

Volunteers still needed for Campus-to-Campus Half Marathon

A dozen volunteers are still needed to work as course marshals at Okanagan College’s Campus-to-Campus Half Marathon on Sunday, March 28. Race registrations have been pouring in (runners can still register online at: www.okanagan.bc.ca/halfmarathon) and race directors want to ensure this year’s race is better than ever – that will require a great team of volunteers to assist runners. Please contact Race Director Christine Ulmer if you can assist. All volunteers will receive an official Race Crew t-shirt.

Okanagan College Awards & Applications for 2010-11

Financial awards for 2010-11 for new and continuing students have now been posted on the College’s website at:  www.okanagan.bc.ca/financialaid.
 
Please note: some awards are campus-specific, while others are College-wide (for students attending any campus of Okanagan College). For example, students attending the Penticton Campus can apply for Penticton Campus awards as well as College-wide awards.

Students may apply for more than one award. The award descriptions, deadlines and application forms are all available on the website.

International Education update 

Ever wondered about some of the stories behind the students who come to Okanagan College from other countries? Stories like Kareem Anglin's - a Jamaican student who is studying Aircraft Maintenance Engineering at the Vernon Campus - are available in a newsletter produced by the International Education department. Read student profiles, catch up on international news, events and more in the March edition.

Aboriginal student day potluck

Okanagan College’s Aboriginal Services is hosting an Aboriginal Student Day Potluck in the Vernon cafeteria on Thursday, March 25. The event will celebrate the success of current and prospective Okanagan College students, community members and families of Okanagan College students. The goal of this event is to promote post-secondary education to current high school students and to celebrate with those attending Okanagan College.

James Coble, Aboriginal Access & Services Coordinator will emcee the event; Okanagan Indian Band Councilor Mollie Bono and Education Manager Kevin Ned will speak about OKIB’s role and commitment to student education. 

Regional Dean John Lent will say a few words welcoming and encouraging Aboriginal students. Numerous Aboriginal performers will entertain and interact with participants. An International Indigenous group, Lakeside Hulavard will perform traditional dance.  An interactive drumming session will take place with the crowd, as well as a recital by the children of OKIB’s Band School, Nkmaplks Isnmamyatn Klsqilxw Immersion School. Michelle Thrush, Aboriginal Actor and inspirational speaker will motivate the students and demonstrate her craft. The potluck begins at noon and is scheduled to go until 2 p.m. Contact Shelley Witzky for more information.

Campus Stores pre-inventory sale

Campus Stores doesn’t want to count its inventory so it is putting it on sale for staff and students to snap up. Check out the great deals and sale prices at every campus on the following days:

KELOWNA:         Now until March 19
PENTICTON:      March 22 & 23
SALMON ARM:   Now until March 18
VERNON:           Now until March 18

Please note: Campus Stores will be closed for inventory from Tuesday, Mar. 30 – Thursday, April 1.

Okanagan College Foundation/Western Financial Group Charity Golf Tournament


Registration is now open for the 19th annual Okanagan College Foundation/Western Financial Group Charity Golf Tournament. The tournament is being held on Thursday, May 27 at the Okanagan Golf Club (Bear Course). For more information, to register or sponsor this event, please go online.

Volunteer hosts needed for Reclaiming Activism in Academia Symposium

Organizers of the Reclaiming Activism in Academia Symposium (May 5-9 Kelowna & Naramata www.newuniversity.ca) are looking for volunteers to billet symposium participants and session presenters, for Wednesday and Thursday nights, May 5 and 6 respectively. If you have a spare bedroom, and your residence is either within walking distance to Okanagan College, Kelowna campus, or accessible using public transit, please contact Wilma van der Veen. 


Planning is now underway for Connections 2010 – Okanagan College’s annual employee learning conference (Aug. 25-26). Organizers are currently welcoming suggestions from staff to find out if there are specific learning sessions that should be included in this year’s event. For those who may not have attended Connections in the past, the day’s activities are meant to engage and inspire staff from all facets of the institution.

Do you have a skill or talent you would be willing to share with your colleagues? The organizing committee has gathered many ideas for sessions, but they still need your input. In the box or out of the box, related to your day-to-day work or completely apart from it, organizers are hoping to provide a broad array of sessions for staff to choose from but they need help coming up with ideas.

Please contact Kaya Forest if you have session or speaker suggestions. Please stay tuned to Inside Okanagan College in the coming weeks for more details.

50/50 winner announced

Congratulations to Mike Fitzner from Supply Management Services in Kelowna who won last week’s payday draw for $540. The Okanagan College Foundation 50/50 Staff Lottery is open to all employees of Okanagan College. If you wish to sign up for the lottery, registration forms are available from: Advancement & Alumni/Okanagan College Foundation office (P103, KLO Campus), Human Resources or online.



Mar. 18 – The Okanagan Business Students’ Association (OBSA) will host its annual banquet from 5 – 9 p.m. This year’s event will feature a keynote address from Bill Rancic, entrepreneur and winner of the first season of Donald Trump’s The Apprentice.


Mar. 19 - ILLT Lunch and Learn Series - “Happiness through Character Building” with Ben Coleman, Psychology Okanagan College, in the Kelowna Theater 12 -12:50 p.m.

Mar. 22 - Kalamalka Speaker Series - “Sucking on lemons!" with Ben Coleman, Psychology, Okanagan College. When life delivers lemons, why will some people pucker-up while others will smile? Your ability to prosper and remain happy in life, even when sucking lemons, will depend on whether or not you have established these “essential” psychological strengths in your daily life. This free event takes place at 12:30 p.m. in the Kalamalka Campus Lecture Theatre.

Mar. 22 – Penticton Speaker Series - Looking at the Milky Way and Seeing the Galaxy, Chris Purton (DRAO). The Milky Way is our galaxy seen from the inside.  Probing the depths of the Milky Way and building up a picture of what our Galaxy would look like from the outside is a process covering several centuries of research.  The process continues, with major additions to the picture incorporated quite recently. Chris will outline this history, and present the most recent ideas of what our Galaxy is actually like. This event takes place at 7 p.m. in the lecture theatre.

Mar. 25 – The Vernon campus will host an Aboriginal student day potluck in the cafeteria on Thursday, March 25 from noon until 2 p.m. Contact Shelley Witzky for more information.

Mar. 28 – Okanagan College will host the Campus-to-Campus Half Marathon. The 10 K race begins at 8 a.m. with the relay and half marathon following at 8:15. Contact Christine Ulmer to volunteer or sign up yourself or your team at: www.okanagan.bc.ca/halfmarathon.

Mar. 29 - ILLT Lunch and Learn Series – Tips and Techniques for Classroom Instruction (Film) with Rob Kjarsgaard, Coordinator of Okanagan College's ILLT.  Rob will lead a follow-up discussion of the film on teaching techniques and will present an update on the ILLT.  Kalamalka Lecture Theatre 12:30 – 1:20 p.m.  

Mar. 29 – Penticton Speaker Series - Parsing Nature, Don Gayton.
Our social and individual bonds to nature are at the roots of the current environmental crisis. In this interactive discussion, we will dig down to explore these roots, their historical development, how they have changed over time, and how they need to change in the future. Session will be led by Don Gayton, ecologist and author of several books about nature. This event takes place at 7 p.m. in the lecture theatre.


April 7 - ILLT Lunch and Learn Series - “Diversity” with James Coble, Aboriginal Access and Services Coordinator Okanagan College, in the Kelowna Theatre 12 - 12:50 p.m.

April 12 – Penticton Speaker Series Film “Revolutionary Road”
A young couple living in a Connecticut suburb during the mid-1950s struggle to come to terms with their personal problems while trying to raise their two children. Based on a novel by Richard Yates. This event takes place at 7 p.m. in the lecture theatre.

April 12 - ILLT Lunch and Learn Series - Diversity with James Coble, Aboriginal Access and Services Coordinator Okanagan College, in the Kalamalka Campus Theatre 12:30 - 1:20 p.m.




Do you have comments, questions or a submission for INSIDE OKANAGAN COLLEGE?

Please email Public Affairs c/o Christine Ulmer. The next edition of INSIDE OKANAGAN COLLEGE will be issued on Tuesday, March 30, 2010.

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