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Our experience this year leads
me to believe that we are in better
shape than many colleges and
institutes in this province o
organizationally, philosophically,
and not least, financially.

Given the uncertain nature of the
directions of our present economy,
and the somewhat gloomy prospects
for the next decade or so, we can
still at this time, with reason,
focus on the needs of our community,
rather than the imperatives of
raw survival.

The reason that we are in this
condition at this time, is that
we have had good fortune. We have
made some good decisions, and we
have worked together very effectively
as a group of people -  grumpily
at times, but still very effectively.

At this time, public esteem for
Douglas College has never been
higher, we seem to be viewed with
general favour in Victoria as being
an effective and responsible
institution, and increasingly,
we are viewed as having a valid
sense of direction.

For these good things, we can all
share a sense of thankfulness and
good fortune, and a sense of pride
in mutual accomplishment.

Having achieved survival, and a
measure of stability in an uncertain
environment, we must now increasingly
focus on the matter of institutional
direction.

In my presentation in January,
I addressed some general political,
social, and economic trends’ that
seemed to the senior administration

to be reasonable guesses reqarding
the future. From these trends, I
presented a series. of implications
for the future of the college - some

of which dealt with changing interests
and needs of the community, and others
which dealt with internal change.
In summary, these were:

A)

Enabling students and community people
to learn how to create their own jobs.
B)

Maintaining and reinforcing high quality

academic education, and developing
academic programs rather than a
cafeteria selection.

G)

Development of short cycle and recurrent
education curriculum formats in selected
career program areas.

D)
Finding ways to enable students to
learn more autonomously than is

presently the case in most of our
programs.

E)

Participating with other public and
private partners in job creation
activities.

F)

Maintaining and elaborating high quality
student services, for an increasingly
heterogeneous student population.

G)

Actively cooperating with school
districts to share resources.
H)

Developing our recreation and performing
arts as curriculum areas that offer
unique cultural, community development,
and occupational benefits to the
community.

1)

Integrating certain curriculum areas
so as to ptovide students with the
maximum of flexibility and "hunting
range" on the employment market.

 

 

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