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The Douglas College Newsletter m™ New Westminster Campus, David Lam Campus & Thomas Haney Campus

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Douglas College

New Board Chair anticipates degree development

Douglas College's newly elected Chair says she expects the College will soon be offering new four-

year degrees.

Elected on February 20, Diana Miles is a resident of Coquitlam and Human Resource Manager, Pacific Region, for Sears Canada. Looking to the future, the new Chair believes Douglas College is well- positioned to meet the changing needs of the community and the

province.

“The provincial government wants to increase the number of qualified nurses being trained in BC and Douglas College has one of the largest and best- established nursing programs in the province. Since new nurses are now required to complete a bachelor’s degree, we have to take the next logical step and ensure that nursing students can

finish their degree here.

“As the new Board Chair I'm committed to supporting the President so we can work with the Ministry of Advanced Education to offer the Bachelor of Nursing

degree soon. The Ministry

has indicated that they will enable colleges to offer applied degrees, so we are just waiting for the green light,” Miles says.

Douglas College has the only Psychiatric Nursing program in BC., she added, and that program is also likely to be expanded from a three- year advanced diploma to a four-year bachelor’s

degree.

Over the years, Miles has been active as a volunteer in community organizations and now finds herself very busy with her professional life and College Board

activities.

“T’m very happy to have been elected Chair. I’m

lucky to be following in the footsteps of Harbinder (Kainth Jassal). She has done an exemplary job chairing the Board since

September 1999.

“T accepted this position confident in the diversity of experience that other members bring to the Board and the high level of expertise in the College administration. I have been impressed with the involvement of employees and students through forums and other means. The College has a well- developed process of consultation — I’ve seen that demonstrated,” Miles

says.

She also noted the region Douglas College serves, from Burnaby and New Westminster through the Tri-Cities to Maple Ridge, is the fastest-growing college region in British Columbia, so the institution will have to work hard to ensure access and add more programs and seats as the

population grows.

Along with the new four- vear degrees in development at Douglas College, Miles says she looks forward to seeing the existing two-year Associate Degrees become more well-known. Associate Degrees involve a specific mix of first- and second-year courses that combine breadth of learning with in-depth study to prepare students for work or for transfer to a bachelor’s program at a university.

Associate Degrees are gaining in popularity as employers recognize the need for employees with well-developed organization, critical thinking and communication skills. As well, the number of Associate Degrees granted at the College has increased six-fold since 1996 as students recognize the many advantages such as ease of transfer to SFU and other universities.

Diana Miles was elected as the new Chair of the Douglas College Board at the February 20 meeting.

“Associate Degrees provide a great route for developing valuable professional skills and letting students who are university-bound go straight into third-year

courses,” Miles says.

“Post-secondary education is a challenging and exciting field. I’m really glad I’m involved.”

Positive feedback follows College-wide PD day

re

Ce

Ashifa Manji, Ass

ociate Registrar (centre) takes

part in roundtable discussions with colleagues during the afternoon session of the second College-wide PD Day, held February 12.

It was a day of educational rejuvenation for the almost 400 people who attended the second annual College-Wide PD Day, held February 12.

“Preliminary feedback indicate that three- quarters of the hundred or so respondents found the day ‘very worthwhile,” says Lin Langley, part of the team that brought PD Day to the college.

As might be expected, perceptions of the day are varied, says Langley. “Some people rated a particular afternoon session highly, while others were less positive about that same session. A number of specific suggestions for improving an already good event are emerging from the data.”

One respondent wrote “Having speakers of the

quality that you did is very important. They were well prepared and well regarded. Thank you for making the day such a great social justice refuelling.”

Another stated, “The employee arts and crafts event was the perfect end note to an intellectually intense day. Can ‘brown bag’ follow-up groups be

arranged?”

One employee summarized the day by saying “An all-employee PD event is a great idea. It is Our one opportunity for the College community to come together, to give us common points of

rs reference.

Employees can still complete the on-line evaluation form at www.douglas.bc.da/ instres/pd_2003_srv.htm.

Quote of the Month

“Not a day passes that I am not grateful for the opportunities I have been given, those that have allowed my dreams to become reality and have given me a second chance at life.”

Excerpt from a thank you letter to the Douglas College Foundation from Stacey, a Business graduate