Pinetree continued from page 1

 

 

focus, as Douglas College moves into a
significant stage in its development.

“We’re looking at the future and the
future looks great. Partnerships like this
are the future. The community and the
entire province benefits,” said Douglas
College Board Chair Karin Henderson.

“T want to thank the Douglas College
employees who worked on advisory
committees and have had considerable
influence on the outcome of the project.”

College President Bill Day used the
occasion to salute the team of people
whose efforts made the project possible,
and to highlight the cost savings made
possible by the partnership. Dan Miller,
Minister of Skills, Training and Labour,
spoke of the educational benefits to be
reaped by Coquitlam and surrounding
communities.

“There’s a significant amount of
capital being spent here, but it’s really an
investment in our youth. It’s now
conceivable that youth can get a leg up on
college even before they get out of high
school,” Miller said.

On November 17, College Dean of
Community Programs & Services Jim
Doerr confirmed the Ministry's release of
Pinetree funds, and provided the latest
information at a noon gathering in the
College boardroom.

“The much-prophesied campus is
about to begin. We will be on the site and
working within two weeks. We will

 

 

finish construction in summer of '96 and
be in the building, barring unforeseen
events, in September 1996,” said Doerr.

As expected, the new campus will not
open with 2000 FTE. “We won’t receive
the operational dollars to do it, so we’ Il
open with a smaller number there, and
move some FTE from the New
Westminster campus. That will help get
the numbers up over there, and at the same
time reduce overcrowding here.” Other
options for reducing operational costs are
running the campus with no weekend
operations, or with limited evening
operations, Doerr said.

Operating dollars for staff won’t be
plentiful either, so staff support functions
will require careful design. “This will be a
feature of the opening few years. Jobs
will probably be a little more diverse, but
that does not mean overloaded. People
who like non-specific jobs will see this as
an opportunity.”

Doerr also fielded questions about
parking, road access, program mix, and
workplace environments. ‘We’ ve tried to
position staff in open lighted areas,
especially people who have to be there all
day. The fact that we have windows that
open will add to peoples’ psychological
comfort,” he said.

Skills Now
helps form links
to secondary
school

Douglas College is currently working
with Maple Ridge and Coquitlam School
Districts to develop two linkage-
partnership programs. Both of these
‘laddering’ programs will allow students
to enrol in studies which grant both
college and secondary school credits.

“These are important pilot programs.
There is a big movement towards
reducing overlaps and duplication in the
delivery of training between institutions in
order to save time and money,” says
Marian Rossell, Douglas College’s
Thomas Haney Centre Director, who is
coordinating the projects.

The first project will involve selected
Commerce and Business courses offered
at the Thomas Haney campus in Maple
Ridge, which is shared with Thomas
Haney Secondary School.

The second initiative ties the College’s
Physical Education and Coaching
Diploma programs with schools in
Coquitlam in a ’two-plus-two-plus-two’
program. This involves a stream of
courses linking two years of secondary
school with two years of College and two
years of university courses in a specific
field.

Both projects are supported by B.C.
government Skills Now Innovation Funds.
Rossell expects courses to be available by
fall 1995.

 

Quote of the Month:

Every child is an artist.
The problem is how to
remain an artist after
growing up.

Pablo Picasso