INSIDE DOUGLAS COLLEGE / APRIL 11, 1989

 

 

President’s Report Continued

we have agreed to maintain work-
ing linkages in all aspects of
planning, and have agreed to com-
mission a base line statistical
document, which will ensure that
our plans are mutually exclusive,
and complementary.

On February 28, an ad hoc com-
mittee of the Council of Principals
met at Douglas College to talk
about current concerns regarding
Human Resource Development in
the system. On March 8, the Na-
tional Literacy Steering Committee
met in Toronto, to review current
proposals from the Association of
Canadian Community Colleges to
the Secretary of State in aid of the
development of a national system
of Literacy Programs in Com-
munity Colleges.

Mia Gordon is a member of the
Steering Committee of the first
funded project developed through
the system. Three other proposals
from Douglas College were
reviewed and endorsed by the com-
mittee. They are in the hands of the
Literacy Secretariat in Ottawa, and
we have received word that they all
look feasible and attractive, and
will receive serious consideration.

On March 10, a conference of
Teachers of Western Civilization
was held here at Douglas College.
The venue was arranged on the in-
stigation of the Conference
organizer - a teacher in Maple
Ridge, who is very supportive of
the developing college/school dis-
trict relationship there. The
conference involved teachers from
the lower mainland. Feature
presenters included Frank Leonard,
Christine Dewer, Richard Kitson
and Ralph Stanton from Douglas
College faculty.

On March 10, the B.C. Caucus
of the Association of Canadian
Community Colleges met here at
Douglas. The Caucus members are

 

the elected representatives of stu-
dents, faculty, staff, administrators
and Boards. The ACCC is gradual-
ly assuming a more vigorous
regional identity, and as a result of
this, the operation of the caucus
committees are becoming more sig-
nificant. For example, at this
meeting, we reviewed reports on
two private colleges which had ap-
plied to become members of the
ACCC. This involved a visit to
both institutions, and the develop-
ment of a form of accreditation
which could become quite sig-
nificant in the future. Gordon
Gilgan is a member of a two person
team that is visiting a third college
which has applied for membership
in the ACCC.

INTERNAL MATTERS -
EDUCATION

Accreditation teams visited
Douglas College between March 6
and 10. One was from the Ministry
of Education, which was reviewing
Maple Ridge Senior Secondary
School and therefore, the Douglas
College operation in that school;
the other team was from the
Canadian Information Processing
Society, reviewing our Computer
Information Systems Program. If
we are successful in attaining ac-
creditation, we will be the first
community college program in the
country to achieve this status.

On February 22, an assembly
was held. At that time Dr. Elmer
Froese, District Superintendent of
Schools for Burnaby, and I
presented comment on the Sullivan
Report, and the College Access
Report. It is clear that our relation-
ship in Maple Ridge is a precursor
for similar types of articulation and
collaboration throughout the
province. Douglas College is well
positioned to move with the times
in this regard. A follow-up College
Assembly will be held March 22, at

 

which time we will review general
progress on a number of key
projects that have been ongoing this
winter, and also review the sub-
stance of announcements from the
Ministry of Advanced Education
and Job Training regarding future
directions of the College and In-
stitutes system.

Meetings have been occurring
over the past few months, to review
and recommend changes to the ex-
isting Governance System of the
College. I expect that by May,
some generally supported revisions
will be announced. This review
has involved the Chairpersons of
departmental, divisional, and col-
lege-wide standing committees, and
the educational administrators to
which they relate.

On March 1, a planning meeting
was held in Maple Ridge, on the
Thomas Haney project. The addi-
tional time and attention being paid
to the project through Jim Doerr’s
office, has already had a substantial
positive effect.

On March 2, the College Founda-
tion hosted a meeting with the
Bank of Montreal, on the topic of
affinity cards, and the possibility of
their use in our environment.

During the month, a series of
meetings occurred to discuss
problems of organization and sup-
port in all of our teaching
departments. I met with the deans
and the department heads of the
Educational and Student Services
Division, the Academic Division,
the Applied Programs Division,
and the Community Programs and
Services Division. This gave me a
much better understanding of the
problems afflicting divisions and
departments, as the college con-
tinues to grow.

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