Northern College is set to participate in two lightning round presentations at the 2013 Higher Education Summit held in Toronto next week. Colleges Ontario, which hosts the summit, put out an open call to Ontario’s colleges seeking proposal submissions for presentations related to best practices and innovations that have been implemented and have had a positive impact on organizational efficiency and fiscal responsibility. The Higher Education Summit is one of Canada’s foremost post-secondary education conferences.
Don Wyatt, Chair of the Northern College Board of Governors, and Governor Terry Rosko will deliver a presentation focused on the college’s Local Governor Orientation program during the summit’s Governance at Its Best lightning round session. The new orientation program, which was launched in 2012, offers a suite of services to incoming board members, including an orientation manual and a mentorship system that pairs new members with more experienced members.
“Many of our governors come from outside the college system, and we wanted to create a program that would acclimatize them to the college environment,” said Wyatt. “Our Local Board Orientation program familiarizes board members with Northern College and the Ontario college system, as well as the role of both the board and individual board members. It allows new board members to settle into their roles and provide meaningful contributions very quickly.”
Sheelagh Lawrance, Chair of the Hydro One Consortium Steering Committee, will deliver a presentation which highlights the cooperative nature of the Hydro One College Consortium during the Making Industry-College Partnerships Work lightning round session. Northern College is a member of the consortium, along with Algonquin, Georgian and Mohawk colleges. Victoria Hanson, Director of Trades and Technology at Northern College, previously chaired the steering committee and developed the presentation proposal that was submitted to Colleges Ontario.
“The Hydro One College Consortium is atypical in terms of industry-college partnerships,” said Hanson. “Hydro One isn’t merely supplying money and dictating program development. Through a steering committee, Hydro One and member colleges have an equal voice in determining the goals and directions of the consortium. The individual colleges then have the autonomy to take whatever actions best suit the needs of our students, communities and institutions, in order to reach those goals. This allows us to tailor our programs to our own strengths and needs while reaping the benefits of a strong industry partnership.”
“Our position as an innovator in post-secondary education is demonstrated by the fact that we, along with an industry partner, will be participating in presentations at the Higher Education Summit this year,” said Fred Gibbons, President of Northern College. “Innovation and industry partnerships are key factors to the success of Northern College and our students. We are pleased to be able to share our expertise in these areas with the rest of Ontario’s colleges.”
