MAD HATTER

 

CANADA'S COLLEGES -
TOUCHING LIVES

“Canada's Colleges... Touching Lives”
--- with that national theme, the First
Annual College Week, sponsored by
the Association of Canadian Commu-
nity Colleges, strikes at the heart of the
unique role community colleges play in
Canadian society. Growing rapidly
since the 1960s out of a need for an
educational system more in tune with
community interests and aspirations,
community colleges today constitute
the largest sector of publicly supported
post-secondary education, both in
terms of the number of people enrolled
and in terms of facilities available to
the public. Community colleges
directly impact one out of seven
Canadians, either as one of nearly two
million students, or as faculty or sup-
port staff.

Located in communities from coast to
coast, in all provinces and two territo-
ries, Community colleges reflect the
special concerns and priorities of the
regions they serve. Douglas College
serves as an excellent example of an
institution whose programming
responds to local economic and social
needs. All colleges, however, do more
than just react to present circum-
stances. Douglas College is an active
member of its community, a valuable
instrument of change that strives to
anticipate and program for community
needs before these needs are critically
and disruptively felt.

For example, the new Douglas College
campus in downtown New Westmins-
ter was constructed as a deliberate
_ Step in helping the revitalization of this
city. In four short years, the campus
has served as a catalyst for other new
developments in New Westminster. As
well, the Douglas Centre for Enterprise
Development is open to assist local
entrepreneurs gain the expertise and
assistance they need in starting up
new and innovative businesses within
the college region. Other specific
needs in the community are quickly
met through the offices of the Douglas
College Community Programs and
Services division. Whether it's bring-

 

ing together noted experts in any field,
or helping to organize workshops,
seminars or special programs,
Douglas College can respond to the
retraining or educational upgrading
which people need in a rapidly chang-
ing world.

But Douglas College is not alone.
While regional differences enrich the
community college system, _ in-
stitutions across the country share a
commitment to making education
accessible to Canadians from all walks
of life. Such flexible options as year-
round schedules, extended day and
weekend programming, open admis-
sion policies, off-campus and satellite
operations, open learning systems,
self-pace learning, credit and non-
credit courses and other innovative
strategies have opened the doors of
community colleges fo anyone and
everyone with a desire to expand their
horizons.

Douglas College provides a wide
range of educational opportunities for
current secondary school graduates,
but by the same token, attracts
thousands of adults who either lack
formal education or have been out of
the system for an extended period, en-
abling them to improve their academic
qualifications, acquire basic literacy
levels, and learn new skills to enhance
their academic, technical or professi-
onal experience. Like other commu-
nity colleges, Douglas College has a
large percentage of full-time students,
but part of its distinctiveness stems
from its substantial enrollment of part-
time students wishing to augment or
upgrade their abilities. Colleges serve
the adult population, but also play a
crucial role in the education of the
more mature citizens -- in effect,
creating the opportunity for lifelong
learning. And Douglas College is es-
pecially proud of its commitment to
provide equal access to persons with
mental or physical disabilities.

Across Canada, community colleges
pride themselves on offering programs
that are pertinent to the technical age
in which we live. As centres of applied
studies, they give priority to career,

 

 

technical and vocational education,
offering courses that are directly rela-
ted to current business and industrial
needs, creating an invaluable pool of
highly skilled people. Responsive to
local, regional, provincial and national
priorities, community colleges assess
and adapt their programming to new
policies, forming a fundamental link in
the chain of economic and social
development of Canada. Of equal im-
portance, colleges offer a wide range
of educational options for personal en-
richment and growth -- everything
from English as a Second Language
for immigrant families and financial
planning, to fine arts and crafts in-
struction and learning how to drive a
motorcycle.

The young adult, the homemaker, the
office or factory worker, new
Canadians, senior citizens, the un-
employed, the handicapped -- all
have found a place in Douglas College
and other community colleges across
the country. Canada’s colleges touch
hearts, minds, and lives, assuring a
better quality of life for all Canadians.

But Canada’s community colleges,
through the Association of Canadian
Community Colleges, also touch many
lives beyond our borders. In fact, the
Canadian college system's benefi-
cient influence reaches worldwide.
ACCC's International Bureau is
committed to the progressive idea of
international development through
education, premised on the conviction
that educational improvement impacts
a culture profoundly and enduringly,
leading to national self-sufficiency
and dignity. Douglas College is ac-
tively involved in International Educa-
tion with contacts and relationships
already established in Japan and
China.

Canada’s community colleges bring a
bracing entrepreneurial spirit to the
challenges of Pacific Rim and Third
World development, tailoring their
technological, vocational and
pedagogical expertise to the needs of
client states with the same responsive

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