Budget provides growth in programs, services for College

By College Relations | March 27, 2018
           

Okanagan College Media Release

 

Okanagan College’s $112-million operating budget for 2018-19 will help provide new programs, new student support, and help address pressures that have come with recent years’ growth.

The budget, passed Tuesday by the College’s Board of Governors, will add 13 new instructional positions in a variety of programs, including arts, science, technology, business administration and trades. There will also be a new counsellor, and additional staff for co-op education, for the learning centres in Kelowna and Penticton, and in education advising.

Further support will go toward establishing a mental health first aid network and funding for health care services.

In terms of new programs, the budget provides for a new two-year diploma in collision repair, as well as additional intakes in the sustainable construction management technology and animation programs.

There will also be an additional health and safety co-ordinator hired and new information security officer for the college’s information technology department. Two more custodial positions will be added to keep pace with the growth of the College’s physical plant (including the new trades building in Vernon, which is expected to open toward the end of the summer).

A half-time faculty position will support development and delivery of indigenous programming, and another half-time position will work on programming and applied research in Revelstoke.

“We’ve seen significant growth in recent years,” explains Okanagan College Board of Governors Chair Chris Derickson. “This budget maps out our plans to address some of the pressures that have come with that growth, to invest in student services, and to move forward on continued growth in programs and with some of our strategic initiatives.”

The largest portion – $78 million – of the College’s $111,847,000 balanced budget goes toward salaries and personnel costs. Domestic and international tuition accounts for about 33.8 per cent of the College’s overall revenues, while grants from the province and other sources provide about 53.4 per cent of the budgeted income.

Initial estimates of the College’s enrolment for the current fiscal year suggest the equivalent of 8,660 full-time equivalent (FTE) students (7,702 of those domestic students), up from 8,430 in 2016-17. Over the course of a year, about 20,000 people will take advantage of the College’s courses and programs at its four campuses (Salmon Arm, Vernon, Kelowna and Penticton) and its nine other learning locations, which stretch from Revelstoke to Oliver.

 





TOP STORIES

RELATED STORIES

Sign up for weekly stories




Trending

Communications student standing outside the Centre for Learning building at the Kelowna campus
Meet Ruth Gabriela Melo Flores

April 4, 2023

Q: What's your name? A: Ruth Gabriela Melo Flores Q: What's your hometown? A: Quito – Ecuador – South America Q: How did you end up at Okanagan College? A: Well, I studied for a bachelor's degree in Law in Ecuador. Then, I worked for a while and got my Master's degree in Government and Culture of Organizations at the University of Pamplona.  When I returned to my country, professional opportunities arose for me. I mean, a Master's degree improved my career. Spain helped ...

Read more...
Animation student
Artistic students design future careers in animation

June 7, 2022

Grads of Okanagan College’s Animation Diploma program are finding their skills have never been in higher demand. First- and second-year students showed samples of their artwork and demo reels to industry partners at OC’s annual Animation Industry Night on May 17. “Lots of the work was very professional,” says James Wood, Chair of Okanagan College’s Animation Department. “Our program is short, but intense. The instructors make sure the students have a realistic understanding of what they need do to succeed in a competitive and demanding...

Read more...
JAMK campus
OC Business students embrace international study again

May 30, 2022

Business students from Okanagan College are once again able to travel to Jyväskylä, Finland to experience an international summer school at the JAMK University of Applied Sciences.  Finland’s education system is widely regarded as one of the best in the world.  OC Business Professor Blair Baldwin, who has taught Services Design at JAMK for several summers, says working in Finland has helped him innovate and create new teaching methodologies. “JAMK employs experiential learning across its curriculum,” he says. “They stress cri...

Read more...
Enactus 2022
Enactus Okanagan College tops the field, sets sights on national championships

May 27, 2022

Okanagan College students will once again be competing for the Canadian title after qualifying for the Enactus National Exposition with a first-place finish in their league during the semi-final round. Enactus teams at post-secondary institutions across Canada competed virtually earlier this month, and Okanagan College scooped up top position in the TD Entrepreneurship Challenge, and runner-up in the Scotiabank Climate Action Challenge for the Unusually Good Food Co. project. It also included national runner-up in Shaw and RBC accelerator...

Read more...