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» 1988

Mad Hatte

A Douglas College Newslette

 

 

Exciting New Job for Gerry

I's a long way from New
Westminster to the city of Dubai
in the United Arab Emirates, but
Gerry DellaMattia has never been
one to shy away from challenges.

In 18 years as an administrator
at Douglas College, the affable
Dean of Educational and Student
Services has tirelessly worked to
improve the education system.

Initially, he began as registrar,
later becoming a Dean, and
recently has even taken on a few
challenges just for the fun of it —
such as donning professional
wrestling gear as "The Dean of
Destruction" to raise money for
student scholarships.

But moving to the oil-rich Mid-
dle Eastern country of 1.8 million
people may be the greatest chal-
lenge yet.

Last month, DellaMattia was in-
formed that he had been hired as
the Director of Central Services
for a system of new technical col-
leges in the U.A.E.

With his new Doctorate in
Educational Policy and Manage-
ment in hand, DellaMattia, his
wife, and two daughters will
leave their Surrey home in
August. By September he will be
helping open the first of the new
college campuses.

The dominant religion in the
country is Muslim and the entire
college system will be segregated
by sex, DellaMattia says.

"We'll really have to adjust our
lifestyle for the two years we're
over there," he admits. "That
means we probably won't be
eating a lot of steak."

And the two-year posting will
also give DellaMattia a strong
grounding in the needs of interna-
tional education students, which
will come in handy when he
returns to Douglas College.

Eventually, DellaMattia will
oversee the set-up of seven col-
lege campuses on the north-east
side of the Saudi Arabian penin-
sula. The first college programs
will be in the disciplines of busi-
ness, electronics, civil engineering
and technology.

And as his term expires, the col-
leges will expand into the fields
of health sciences, communica-
tions, mechanical engineering,
graphics and broadcasting.

"Basically, theyre starting from
scratch," he says.

The political leaders of the
U.A.E., seven sheiks and an over-
all cabinet, hope to use the col-
lege system to turn the relatively
new country (formed from a
British Protectorate in 1971) into a
self-sufficient state.

And while the climate may be
hot, DellaMattia takes comfort in
knowing he will be helping an en-
tire nation get onto its feet.

"The whole family’s excited," he
says. "My youngest will have to
finish school over there, and the
other hopes to find work."

And maybe it’s no coincidence
that DellaMattia began his career
at Douglas College the same year
the United Arab Emirates were
formed.

r |
THANK YOU

A sincere thanks to all who at-
tended the wine & cheese party
and to those who expressed their
farewell in other ways.

Your warm wishes are much ap-
preciated. I will miss you.

Gerry DellaMattia

CAREER
RESOURCE FAIR A
SUCCESS

eeping in the spirit of Nation-

al Access Awareness Week,
Douglas College, hosted a Career
Resource Fair for people with dis-
abilities. It was one of the most
successful events of the week.

Over 100 people participated in
45 information booths repre-
senting post-secondary institu-
tions, agencies who provide
employment services and/or
training for disabled people, and
federal and provincial govern-
ment offices. It is estimated that
500 people visited the fair.

One exciting aspect of the fair
was the assistance provided by
Douglas College students who
have disabilities. These students
assisted participants in setting up
the booths and provided guiding,
mobility and reading assistance
for visitors. The presence and as-
sistance provided by the students
with disabilities was a great asset.

Another important aspect was
the participation by the
B.C.Educational Association of
Disabled Students. B.C.E.A.D.S.
was a co-sponsor of the fair and
assisted in the planning; they also
were responsible for the evalua-
tion forms. Several new member-
ships have resulted from the ex-
posure B.C.E.A.D.S. had at the
fair.

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