why a college alumni association? 2004.pdf · program at cna or one of its predecessors, such as...

N E W S A N D V I E W S F R O M C O L L E G E O F T H E N O R T H AT L A N T I CSpring 2004, Vol. 4 No. 3

Why a college alumni association?

3 Students as customers?

4 Awards of Excellence winners

5 Online events calendar

6 Partnering with agriculture

6 WebCT advantages

7 40th Anniversary

8 Corner Brook instructor wins

national award

9 Cancer research recognized

10 Working in India

11 New association for HR staff

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Look out! Physics instructor, Dr. Ranjan Patro is being stalked by a giant polar bear snow sculpture at Labrador West Campus.

By Laura EdwardsManager, Alumni andAdvancement

Thank you for such a warm welcome duringmy first few weeks here at College of the

North Atlantic (CNA). I am very pleased to be a part of the col-

lege advancement team and have been work-ing closely with Director Corinne Dunne ondeveloping the two main focus points withinthis position. One is the development andimplementation of a fundraising strategyinvolving raising awareness and securing cor-porate contributions for the college. The sec-ond, which I will describe today, is thedevelopment of a College of the North AtlanticAlumni Association, its benefits, and how youcan help.

“Alumni” are all individuals who have grad-uated from an approved diploma or certificateprogram at CNA or one of its predecessors,such as the Labrador Community College,College of Trades and Technology or the HeavyEquipment School. As a graduate of any one of

those facilities you and your classmates arenow members of the College of the NorthAtlantic family. Welcome!

We have been receiving strong support forthe establishment of an Alumni Associationand we are confident it will have great benefitfor alumni, current students, the college andthe community. The Alumni Association will bethe point of contact for lifelong relationshipsbetween alumni and the college.

Making it happen!One key part of making a CNA AlumniAssociation a reality is the participation andsupport from our CNA internal community. Iam eager to hear from those of you who arealumni and/or who want to be involved in astrong and meaningful CNA AlumniAssociation. Please find contact informationat the end of this article.

Listed below are just some of the potentialbenefits of a CNA Alumni Association andwhat it will mean for alumni, students, thecollege and the community.

Potential benefits for alumniThe college has always felt, but did not havethe resources to pursue in a formal way, its

sense of responsibility, pride and interest inthe lives of its graduates. With the develop-ment of an alumni association, alumni willhave a lifelong connection to the college andknow that it is interested in where alumni goand how they do.

Alumni will have access to services whichmay include an alumni website, links to con-tinuing education, use of the library, alumnimerchandise, alumni association membershipcards, etc. It will also create opportunities tostay connected or to re-connect with the col-lege, former teachers, classmates and friends.

Opportunities will arise to give back to thecollege by being a college ambassador withincommunities by assisting in recruitment activ-ities or volunteering with various alumni andstudent activities.

Potential benefits for current studentsAn alumni association will help current stu-dents have a connection with alumni in theworkplace who may help with career guidanceor mentorships.

It will give students the knowledge thatthe relationships they are forming as studentswill continue beyond graduation.

continued on page 2 »

2 CURRENTS Spring 2004

Hello from Currents’ new Editor! It is mygreat pleasure to work on this internal

publication, as I have the opportunity to getto know many of you at our 18 campuses inNewfoundland and Labrador, and Qatar,through the stories and announcements yousend in to the Communications department.

I would like to invite some dialogue abouta particular aspect of post-secondary educa-tion: is it or is it not a business? Are our stu-dents clients? There are as many viewpoints asthere are students.

On one hand, we do provide a service… aproduct: education. We use the primary theo-ries of marketing, as a business would, to pro-mote our service. We have a target market (ormarkets), we charge a fee for our service, andwe advertise our product. We even have com-petitors – in other institutions – especially ona global scale.

As with most savvy businesses, we positionourselves – promoting what is unique in ourservice and why students

(customers) should choose our service overanother’s. Some would say that qualifies us asa business. Not a typical one, mind you, but abusiness.

On the other hand, one could argue thateducation is not a product, or a service – it isa foundation of knowledge and training uponwhich people build their entire lives. Also, onecould say that with public education, taxpay-ers foot most of the bill, and therefore havethe right to this education. It is not pur-chased, as much as provided.

What say you? I invite you to send me yourviews on this for our next newsletter. To kickthis off, we are printing an article on thistopic written by Bob Hearn, ADA at GrandFalls-Windsor campus (page 3).

If there is another topic you feel warrantsdiscussion, please send that along to me aswell. Every one of you has experience andknowledge that helps shape this college. Let’sfind out what your opinions are.

Looking forward to hearing from you!

Tanya AlexanderPublic Information Officer

An education isn't how much you have committed to memory,

or even how much you know. It's being able to differentiate

between what you do know and what you don't.

Anatole France (1844 - 1924)

“Education is now the main barometer of competitiveness

among countries- more than capital, and more than technol-

ogy. More than ever, learning is intimately linked with the

wealth and well being of nations. Our environment is mak-

ing new demands on all of us, especially in the way we

think about education. It has become a linchpin in planning

for Canada's future.”

Jean C. Monty, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer,

BCE Inc., speech delivered at Collegium of Work

and Learning, May 2, 2000

“Schools are not a business. A lot of businesspeople pontifi-

cate about education and think [business and education]

are the same thing, but they are not. Education is not a

business and cannot be run precisely the way business is”.

Steve Jobs, Co-founder of Apple Computers,

"Our Vision Is That We Have Just Begun", Business

Week Online, September 25, 2000

Greetings from the Editor

Alumni association« continued from page 1

It will benefit students because alumni andother members of the community may supportstudent scholarships and bursaries. Studentswith high academic standing deserve to berewarded and students who want to attendCNA and cannot for financial reasons deserveassistance.

They may also benefit from AlumniAssociation sponsored programs and servicesduring such events as orientation, winter car-nival and graduation.

Potential benefits to the collegeAn alumni association will provide a connec-tion with alumni who can promote the college

to the community. It will improve fundraisingefforts for the college, assist with marketingand promotion, increase communicationbetween the college, alumni and the commu-nity, and increase our profile and level ofinstitutional pride as we promote the positivethings that the college, students and alumniare doing. In particular, we will have a link toalumni who can serve as college ambassadorsand recruiters, and assist in job placementsand links to industry.

Potential benefits to the communityA CNA Alumni Association will be a way forthe community to communicate with alumni.It can link these two groups and help promotecommunity projects that fulfill the CNA alumnimission.

These are just some of the possible bene-fits of a CNA Alumni Association. If you havequestions or comments or would like to getinvolved, we’d be happy to hear from you!Email [email protected] or call 758-7515.

Laura Edwards, in her new role as Manager of Alumni and

Advancement, is focused on the development of a college-

wide Alumni Association as well as the development and

implementation of an Advancement strategy involving raising

awareness and securing corporate contributions for the col-

lege. Most recently, Laura held a position with Memorial

University's Office of Alumni Affairs and Development and has

spent the last seven years working directly in the area of

Alumni and Donor Relations, Fundraising and Strategic

Planning. Laura is located at PPD campus with overall col-

lege-wide focus and responsibility in these areas.

Seven information technology instructors from College of the NorthAtlantic have received the designation of Information ServicesProfessional (I.S.P.). Kevin Morris and Sheila Butt from Grand Falls-Windsor, Garry Purcell and Jane Connors from Prince Philip Drive,Blaine Brake and Glenda Ezekiel from Corner Brook campus, and

Clyde Little from Bay St. George campus, were given the designa-tion by the Canadian Information Technology Society (CIPS). TheI.S.P. designation is the international certification for informationtechnology professionals in Canada. CIPS is the country’s accredita-tion body for IT programs and faculty credentials.

CURRENTS Spring 2004 3

Students as customers: Bah Humbug!

Instructors receive national designation

By Robert Hearn

Ihave been staring at my computer now forquite some time. Unfortunately, it can do

very little for writer’s block. But, I am certainthere are words somewhere in there to expresswhat I so passionately feel about the mis-guided generalization that students are cus-tomers. It is, to say the very least, lamentableto so fundamentally debase the relationshipwhich joins the student and teacher in anauthentic learning environment. To promotethe philosophy thatthe retailer-customermodel defines the stu-dent/teacher relation-ship is to claim that I,as a teacher, am a ven-dor and the student inthe classroom is a con-sumer. Excuse me!!Students should not beperceived as steps toward securing the bottomline. This over-simplified, cookie cutter anal-ogy is tantamount to heresy. The result being(excuse the pun) to short-change both studentand teacher in terms of their expectations ofeach other.

When was the last time your friendlyneighborhood convenience store owner/opera-tor assisted you to expand your horizons, togrow and to mature and to become a success-ful student of life? When you made your lastpurchase at your local grocery chain were youadvised how your choice to shop there wasgoing to help you to be a critical thinker anda responsible citizen? I would suggest thatresponses to both scenarios are in the nega-tive. For these are the essence of the teach-ing/learning process not to be found in theretailing event between a vender and con-sumer. It is indeed unfortunate when teachersare caricatured as the vendors and studentsthe consumers of knowledge. How does one

‘hawk’ knowledge? How does one ‘consume’knowledge? To what end? These queries are ofcourse facetious.

There is a little saying for which I can nottake credit but, which was shared with me bya teacher who assisted me in the constructionof my own perceptions of the world. It per-haps may shed some light on the argument athand. It goes something like this. If you havea penny and I have a penny and we exchangepennies, then you still have one cent and Ihave one cent. But if you have an idea and I

have an idea and we exchange ideas, you nowhave two ideas and I now have two ideas. Thefirst of this little story depicts the vendor-consumer reciprocal relationship whereby com-modities are exchanged for somepredetermined base metal value. End of thesingle dimension relationship! The secondconcept however, illuminates the multi-dimen-sional relationship depicted in the growthprocess we call learning. It illustrates theessence of the process whereby both partiesconstruct knowledge. It is the continuation ofa relationship, not the end.

Schools/colleges/universities are not ped-dlers of goods on demand. Neither studentsnor faculty are always right, unlike the retail-ing business where the motto “the customer isalways right” is the reigning ideology. Effortsto satisfy students as we would attempt tosatisfy customers are inappropriate and fool-hardy. A customer wishing to purchase a“grade A” turkey cannot be equated to a stu-

dent seeking to achieve an “A” grade in math.Teachers, and by extension colleges andschools, must not be perceived as peddlingdiplomas and grades simply because a fee waspaid. Success, achievement and the accompa-nying honors are earned and valued, notbought and consumed.

Ideally, faculties in learning institutionsembody a nurturing environment that fostersthe a learner’s quest for fulfillment, accom-plishment and dignity. Efforts to de-profes-sionalize what teachers are by

de-professionalizingwhat they do anddescribing their contri-bution in consumerterms paves the wayfor the consumerdemand of, “I paid mytuition, now give memy diploma.” From theperspective of the stu-

dent – the ‘consumer’, this is, perhaps, a legit-imate demand. However, in the eye of thestudent – the ‘learner’, this is offensive anddegrading.

An educational institution that reliessolely, or even primarily, on the retailer/cus-tomer analogy as an acceptable, even desiredway of doing business and responding to com-petition for students, lacks a future. It wouldbe much more appropriate to secure a futureon the merits of the quality of programs, theprofessionalism of the faculty and staff, andthe integrity of an impeccable reputation.These are the substance and essence of suc-cess. Indeed, they epitomize the authenticstudent/teacher relationship for which there isno need to desperately seek a replacementfrom the world of consumerism. Bah! Humbugto consumerism!

Bob Hearn is an Associate District Administrator at Grand

Falls-Windsor campus.

“ If you have a penny and I have a penny and weexchange pennies, then you still have one cent andI have one cent. But if you have an idea and I havean idea and we exchange ideas, you now have twoideas and I now have two ideas.”


Since 2001, College of the North Atlantichas been holding an annual Awards of

Excellence competition to acknowledge theexceptional work put forth by employees.There are five categories: Leadership,Teaching, Staff, Student, and Program. Thisyear saw many impressive nomination pack-ages for each category. Here are this year’saward winners and nominees.

Student Leadership AwardNikki Furlong, a third-year ElectronicsEngineering Technology (Instrumentation) stu-dent at Ridge Road campus, was selected asthe provincial winner of the college’s 2003Student Leadership Award of Excellence. Set tograduate in April 2004, Nikki is a single parentwho has dealt with the challenges of AttentionDeficit Disorder to not only achieve her aca-demic goals, but to far surpass them. She is anactive volunteer, giving motivational talks tostudents at the Murphy Centre in St. John’s –an educational institution that provides serv-ices to youth who face personal barriers. Thefact that she also completed her high schoolequivalency at the centre and is willing toshare her experiences and give encouragementto others is the conduct of a true leader.

Other nominees were: Loriann Leyte, stu-dent of the College-University Transfer Yearprogram at Burin campus; and Shawn Dooley,student of the Fish & Wildlife Technician pro-gram at Bonavista campus.

Program AwardAircraft Maintenance Engineering TechnologyThe college has offered aircraft maintenancetraining at Gander campus for 40 years. TheAircraft Maintenance Engineering Technology

program – the first and only program of itskind in Canada – has consistently met theneeds of the avionics industry. In 1996, itwas the first aircraft maintenance programever to be audited by the Canadian TechnologyAccreditation Board and was honoured with afive-year accreditation – the highest available!During the year 2000, Transport Canadarequired all accredited training programs to bere-qualified to a new, higher standard. CNA’sprogram was in the first group to be re-certi-fied in 2001, again receiving its unique recog-nition of the highest accreditation in thecountry. Congratulations to Gander campus!

Other nominees were: the ForestryResources Technician program at Corner Brookcampus; the College-University Transfer Yearprogram at Burin campus; and the Adult BasicEducation program (Waterford Bridge Roadsite) at Prince Philip Drive campus.

Teaching Excellence AwardGerry Crewe is synonymous with theCommercial Cooking (Advanced) program atPrince Philip Drive. His career began at thecollege as a student, and after several years ofindustry experience, he returned as an instruc-tor. Gerry and his students run the Bistro din-ing room each day, and cater to college eventsincluding lunches, receptions and full-scalebanqueting. His commitment to many charitiesis well known, and he volunteers his time forthe benefit of the community. Gerry is thefounding member of the Newfoundland andLabrador Association of Chefs and Cooks, St.John’s branch, and he was named provincialChef of the Year in 2000, Atlantic Canada’sChef of the Year in 2001, and was nominatedfor Canadian Chef of the Year that same year.Now, that’s a recipe for success!

Other nominees were: Vicki MacDonald,instructor at Baie Verte campus; Rick Dalton,instructor at Bonavista campus; and JohnMolloy, instructor at Port aux Basques campus.

Leadership Excellence AwardStephen Quinton is the District Administratorat Prince Philip Drive campus. He has beenwith the college since 1970 and has been anadministrator for 28 of those years – first inClarenville, and now in St. John’s. Steve hasserved on and chaired many provincial andcollege committees related to curriculum, pro-fessional development, admissions, computeri-zation, and distributed learning/distanceeducation. Existing policies and practicesthroughout the college system have largelybeen shaped by the outcome of his initiatives,such as the establishment of the Office ofApplied Research and the college’s DistributedLearning Service. He has actively sought waysto stretch the boundaries of accessibility andhas helped shape the landscape of post-sec-ondary education in Newfoundland andLabrador, all while imparting leadership, cre-ativity, and team attitude to his communityand the college. His leadership has been sim-ply inspiring. Congratulations to LeadershipExcellence Award winner – Stephen Quinton.

Other nominees were: Terry Hutchings,instructor at Corner Brook campus; MichaelGraham, instructor at Burin campus; and MacMoss, Associate District Administrator ofGander campus.


Awards of Excellence winners

Director Corinne Dunne presents the Student Leadership Awardof Excellence to Nikki Furlong.

Mac Moss, Associate District Administrator for Gander Campus,and Bob Dwyer, Manager of Aviation programs, accept the2003 Program Excellence Award.

Corinne Dunne presents the Teaching Excellence Award to GerryCrewe.

Director Corinne Dunne presents the Leadership Award ofExcellence to Stephen Quinton.

Awards of Excellence« continued from page 4Staff Excellence AwardDorinda (Dodie) Blanche began at College ofthe North Atlantic’s Placentia campus in 1991as a support worker for individuals with devel-opmental disabilities, and has since worked asan instructional assistant for the Adult BasicEducation program, managed the campusResource Centre, was Student DevelopmentOfficer for the Placentia and Carbonear cam-puses, and finally took her current position asStudent Development Officer in 2000. From1998 to 2001, Dodie also served as theStudent Services Coordinator for Placentia andCarbonear campuses. She has demonstratedagain and again, her dedication to the cam-pus, the college, and to her community. Sheparticipates on most campus-based teams, wasinvolved in the creation of the student hand-book, and is heavily involved in minor hockeyand other community organizations in thePlacentia area. Dodie is very dedicated to herrole as Student Development Officer and isalways there for any concerns that studentsand staff may have. Her efforts have beenintegral to building school spirit and a senseof pride in the Placentia campus. Dodie is thisyear’s winner of the Staff Excellence Award.

Other nominees were: Catherine Moss,Student Development Officer at Baie Vertecampus; and Neil Moores, Student DevelopmentOfficer at Prince Philip Drive campus.


Students cook up majordonations for charitiesBay St. George campus’ Cooking andBaking students have taken on severalfundraising activities during the pastyear. While tallying, Instructor EricKing realized the students had raisedand donated almost $8,000! Kudos tothese students and the instructors whoassisted them.

What’s an online collegeEvents Calendar?

For those who may not be aware, we havean Events Calendar on our college web-

site. This tool can be utilized to promotecampus happenings – both internal andexternal, such as meetings, coffee houses,open houses, student exhibits, communityhappenings taking place at the college, etc.

To access it, simply go to the top of thecollege’s web page: www.cna.nl.ca and clickon Events Calendar (in yellow print). Thiswill connect you directly to the calendar.

Then, simply click the date you are look-ing for. The event will be listed to the right.Instructions are provided on our site tosearch for an event:http://www.cna.nl.ca/events_calendar/cal-endar_use.asp.

How to have an event listedPlease make an official request to:

Tanya AlexanderPublic Information OfficerTel: 709 643.7928 Fax:709 [email protected]

There are several fields of informationrequired for posting events. When you send arequest, please be sure to include this infor-mation (or as much of it as you can):

• event title • start date and finish date • start time and end time • campus involved • event location • description • contact information

New website design for CNA The college, in keeping with the techno-

logical advancements of the times, hasrecently implemented several projects toimprove operations internally and for thepublic.

One such changetook place beforeChristmas, when anew domain namewas chosen for thecollege website andemail addresses.

Kevin Baker,chair of the college’sWeb SteeringCommittee, circu-lated a surveythroughout the col-lege to discover the majority vote on whichversion of the domain name to choose.

“College employees and the Board ofGovernors agreed that the name was toolong. We conducted a survey and the major-ity choice was www.cna.nl.ca,” says Baker.

The change is more efficient and reflectsthe government’s change of the new two let-ter provincial designation from NF to NL.

Another positive change began to evolve

at the same time, when the same steeringcommittee decided to revamp the college’swebsite design. A public web design contestwas conducted in November, and ran for

approximately onemonth. Over 100entries were receivedfrom around theglobe (some from asfar away as Norway,China, Qatar, and theUS), but ShanePerran, a freelancedesigner from St.John’s, was the ulti-mate winner.

There was also afantastic showing

from many College of the North Atlantic stu-dents and graduates. In fact, once the con-test was over, it was discovered that three ofthe four finalists were either graduates ofthe college, or currently enrolled in a CNAprogram.

The steering committee has been movingforward with the implementation, and thenew website design is expected to be com-pleted by September 2004.

Associate District Administrator Darrell Clark presents the StaffExcellence Award to Dodie Blanche.

“ College employees andthe Board of Governorsagreed that the namewas too long. Weconducted a surveyand the majority choicewas www.cna.nl.ca.”

By Michelle YetmanBusiness Development OfficerAgricultural Training and Research Centre

College of the North Atlantic, in respondingto industry demand, is conducting an

assessment of agriculture skills training needsin the province.

According to recent statistics gathered bythe provincial government, sales ofNewfoundland and Labrador agrifood productsnow total $500 million annually. The industryprovides employment for thousands of peoplein the province and has tremendous potentialto develop and diversify, adding value to pri-mary products and enhancing secondary pro-cessing opportunities.

With funding support from the LabourMarket Development Agreement (LMDA), anagriculture training needs assessment was ini-tiated in September 2003, through a partner-ship development with the Newfoundland andLabrador Federation of Agriculture and theprovincial Department of Natural Resources(Agrifoods branch). Since that time, researcher

Andrea Bourne has been conducting focusgroup sessions, attending agriculture confer-ences and workshops, and visiting producersacross the province as she conducts a compre-hensive training needs assessment of theindustry. It is intended that the research willlead to the development of a Human ResourcesTraining Plan for the industry – a plan thatwill outline the skills necessary for the growthand diversification of the agriculture industryin this province.

As an industry-driven training resource,CNA’s Agricultural Training and Research Centreat Carbonear campus has the capacity to sup-port CNA’s 17 campuses as well as itsDistributed Learning centre, in responding notonly to skills training needs, but to theresearch and product development needs ofthe industry locally and globally. Throughoutthe province there are producers of eggs, dairy,chicken, beef, pork, sheep, fur and horticul-ture that are all identifying skills trainingneeds necessary to meet new government reg-ulations in food safety and training that willsupport their farms to diversify and prosper.

College of the North Atlantic, through itsCorporate Services office, has been involved inagriculture skills training for many years. TheAgriculture Centre has had a long, successfultraining record dating back to the 1980s whenBlake Cryderman and Gary Myrden wereactively coordinating sector specific traininglike Dairy Herd Management, StrawberryProduction, and Basic Furrier, just to name afew. Despite the lapse in this industry driventraining, a recent renewal of interest torespond to the growing need for agriculturalskills training has emerged.

Initially scheduled to conclude by the endof March, this project has been granted athree-month extension by the LMDA to supportthe development of a strategy that willenhance the successful implementation of thisHuman Resources Training Plan. Once com-pleted, College of the North Atlantic will con-tinue to work in partnership with theagriculture industry to effectively respond toand implement training, research and develop-ment for this diverse and expanding industry.

College partners with agriculture industry

While many instructors and students at CNAhave benefited from using WebCT for

thousands of Distributed Learning courseofferings since 1997, a group of instructors isnow taking advantage of the WebCT technol-ogy.

A workshop titled “Enhancing ClassroomInstruction: Technology as Lever” was offeredin November at the Clarenville campus, tobusiness faculty from across the college sys-tem. Attendees of the two-day sessionincluded Dana Kavanagh, Penny Moss, EllaAppleby, Ken Rideout, Terry-Lynn Oldford,Dulcie Drodge, Darlene Feltham (facilitator),Maisie Caines (facilitator), Cathy Goodwin andLisa Barrett.

Staff at the Distributed Learning Centre areavailable to work with faculty who are inter-ested in exploring the use of WebCT for dis-tributed learning and on-campus courses. Inthe case of on-campus courses, students stillattend classes as usual, but the instructor usesvarious features of the technology to supple-

ment teaching and learning in the classroom.WebCT becomes the tool through which theinstructor can distribute course materials andresources electronically. There are other fea-tures that benefit students:

• students can submit assignments usingelectronic Assignment Dropbox orWebCT e-mail, which makes keepingtrack of submissions much easier;

• grades can be provided to studentsusing WebCT’s Gradebook;

• students can use the CommunicationTools such as the Discussion Board forteamwork and to discuss course contentwith fellow students outside of class;

• students can use the Chat Room andWhiteboard to “meet” for teamworkrather than trying to juggle schedulesfor face-to-face meetings; and

• Online Quizzes can be made availableto students for review, evaluation orself-assessment.

Lorna Crewe, business faculty member at

Prince Philip Drive campus, developed RP1100for online delivery during the 2003 interces-sion. Though having never taught onlinebefore, she piloted the course with her on-campus students for the fall semester.

“It was great! Most, if not all, of the stu-dents took advantage of the on-line resources,and it certainly made my job a lot easier,”says Lorna.

“I would most definitely do it again...Thanks for the suggestion that we make thecourse available to my on-campus students!”

Future workshops for business faculty arecurrently being considered. To learn moreabout using WebCT to enhance classroominstruction or to become involved in develop-ing distributed learning courses, contactMaisie Caines, Faculty Development, or TheresaPittman, Instructional Design Specialist at theCollege’s Distributed Learning Service, by call-ing 1-877-465-2250.

WebCT: more than just an online learning tool!



While the history of adult education inNewfoundland and Labrador can be

traced back more than 75 years, it is generallyaccepted that the seeds for the provincial col-lege system were planted with the opening of11 vocational schools around the province andthe College of Trades and Technology in St.John’s for the 1963-64 academic year.

Between then and 1973, several other pub-licly funded vocational schools began opera-tion, making post-secondary education moreaccessible to the province’s residents. Butwhile accessibility was no longer an issue, thenarrow scope of program offerings fell farshort of what was needed to address theincreasing demands of the provincial economy.

Program offerings continued to diversify,and in 1987, the province finally adopted thecollege concept. The 17 district vocational

schools were reorganized into five public com-munity colleges, later referred to as regionalcolleges.

Then in 1997, the five separate collegeswere amalgamated to form one provincial col-lege - College of the North Atlantic (CNA).Under this new system, CNA has thrived,becoming one of the largest post-secondaryeducational and skills training centres inCanada, operating on a $90 million annualbudget and enrolling more than 10,000 full-time students each year.

The college has made major strides inResearch and Development, both at home andabroad, and continues to gauge industry needsand respond with high-quality, accredited pro-gramming and training.

Internationalism has become a major focusof the college, as international education is an

integral part of CNA’s mission in preparinggraduates for success in the global economy.In 2001, the college secured a 10-year deal tobuild a technical college for Qatar, the largestcontract ever awarded to a Canadian post-sec-ondary institution, raising its profile andshowing the world that it is a major contenderin the international education arena.

Now, at the 40-year mark, we have reasonto celebrate. We are a part of the history andof the future of education in Canada. This yearsaw campuses opening their doors to the pub-lic and sharing memories of past accomplish-ments. Celebrations have been ongoing for thepast several months, leading up to the recentCollege Night across the 17 campuses. Eventswill continue to occur until June, when theacademic semester ends the 2003-2004 schoolyear.

College celebrates 40 years


Dr. Wayne Eastman, Coordinator of AppliedArts, Access and Early Childhood

Education at College of the North Atlantic'sCorner Brook campus, has been named thewinner of the 2004 Friends of Children Award.

The national award, presented annually bythe Canadian Association for Young Children(CAYC), was established as a way of recogniz-ing outstanding contributions, by individuals,to the well being of young children.

Eastman, a native of Glenwood,Newfoundland and Labrador, holds two under-graduate degrees, as well as three Mastersfrom Memorial University of Newfoundland anda Doctorate of Education from BostonUniversity.

A member of the CAYC since 1995, Eastmanbelieves in the rights of children, the impor-tance of fitness and health in young children,and the relevance of all children beingafforded the opportunity to receive excellentearly-years educational opportunities. Thesebeliefs are reflected in his 40 plus publicationsin both national and international scholarlyand educational journals. He has beenselected twice - 1993/94 and 1998/99 - forpublication in the Early Childhood EducationAnnual Editions. The preceding publicationselects the best articles for that year premisedon the adjudication of an international advi-sory board.

Eastman, in collaboration with a colleaguefrom Nepal, was the recipient of the 2003World Forum on Early Care and EducationNetworking Project Research Grant. He trav-eled to Kathmandu, Nepal and conducted aproject on early education learning in con-junction with Nepal's Tribhuvan University. Hehas presented research papers in such coun-

tries as Nepal, New Zealand, Mexico, Greece,Malaysia, Panama, Ecuador, England, France,and the United States, to mention a few. Hehas also presented at the World Forum onEarly Care and Education for the past threeyears. Eastman was also the theme designeron The Affects of Media Violence on YoungChildren presentation at both the 2001 WorldForum on Early Care and Education, in Athens,Greece and the 2002 World Forum in Auckland,New Zealand.

As a dedicated member of the CanadianAssociation for Young Children, Eastman hasspent time as a provincial director, nationaltreasurer, and is the current vicepresident/publications. He is the editor ofInside CAYC, the national newsletter of theCAYC. He recently moved into the role ofPublication Chair of Canadian Children.

As Mabel Higgins, editor of the CanadianChildren publication, states, "Wayne's manyyears on the Canadian Children Editorial ReviewBoard as well as his contributions as an author,have primed him well for this position."

Eastman says he is just one of many indi-viduals across Canada who put in the time andeffort for young children.

"Across our country, there are countlessCanadians who influence the direction andquality of policies and programs that affectthe development and well-being of young chil-dren," he says.

"Many of these individuals are never recog-nized for their outstanding contributions. Ifeel extremely honored that the selectioncommittee of the Canadian Association forYoung Children deems me one of those count-less Canadians who works on the behalf ofchildren."

Eastman is also a co-editor of the Journalof Early Childhood Development, a publicationof Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal.His national and international contributions inresearch particular to young children havebenefited the development of appropriatepractices, particularly in movement and brainresearch and school readiness.

Eastman is a devout family person whoenjoys spending time with his wife Karen andson Matthew, and participating in outdooractivities. His family continues to be theinspiration that drives his daily pursuits.

Dr. Eastman will be presented the Friendsof Children Award at the CAYC 2004 springmeetings in Vancouver, British Columbia, inMay.

Dr. Wayne Eastman, Coordinator of Applied Arts, Access andEarly Childhood Education at Corner Brook campus, willreceive the 2004 Friends of Children Award from the CanadianAssociation for Young Children.

Devotion to children garners recognition

Irene O’Brien, instructor at Prince PhilipDrive campus, has once again written a

script for her group The Concert Crowd to raisemoney for various charities in the St. John’sarea.

The group is a registered not-for-profitorganization comprised of amateur singers,dancers, musicians, actors and funny peoplewho put off a show at the Arts and CultureCentre in St. John's once a year. There areabout 35 people currently involved in thegroup. The Concert Crowd has been active

Fox tales since the 60s, and has evolved over the yearsto its current form, with many second genera-tion members now actively taking part. Irene’smain role is assisting in the writing of eachproduction. All stories are based on someaspect of the lives of everyday people who callNewfoundland and Labrador home. The yearlyevent has developed somewhat of a cult fol-lowing, and the last production ran for twofull house nights on the stormiest days of thewinter!

Irene has been involved in the group forseveral years, and says it’s a lot of fun.

“I believe in both the therapeutic benefits

of a good giggle and the fact that everyone inthe world should sing more!”

Fox Tales is a play set at the Legion Hall in the fictitiouscommunity of Fox Tickle. Here, the visiting dignitaries gettheir comeuppance from the townsfolk.


Dr. Sanat Mandal is a Chemistry instructorat College of the North Atlantic’s

Clarenville campus. He is also one of an inter-national team of scientists that has beenworking on the development of new breastcancer drugs, and that has recently had theirresearch published.

The paper prepared by the team wasaccepted for publication in Biorganic andMedicinal Chemistry, Vol. 13, Issue 22, pg.3927, 2003. The research involves two aspects– drug design and biological testing, includingSerial Analysis of Gene Expression (SAGE) – atechnique that allows the overall and detailedanalysis of genes in cells or tissues resultingfrom drug treatment. These gene profiles arecompared with the gene profiles of normal andcancerous cells (or tissues) without drug treat-ment in a control experiment. Secondly, theresearch involves molecular modeling of drug-bound bio-molecules such as proteins andnucleic acids (DNA and RNA).

Mandal has already developed several newdrugs that are significantly active in humancancer cell lines, in accordance to the U.S.National Cancer Institute (NCI). He has usedthe software called Compare Analysis (NCI,USA) to study the target of these drugs. Thissoftware helps predict the possible targetsthat a particular drug can interact with to dis-play drug actions. Using this knowledge of tar-gets and known drug-bound 3D structures ofthe targets, he is comparing the virtual libraryof drugs that he has created to improve thebinding specificity and activity of the drugs.

His ongoing plans include a potential

improvement of chemopreventative cancerdrugs through a combined strategy of model-ing, synthesis of novel drugs and investigatingthe biological properties of these drugs. Heplans to identify the lead drug and to test itextensively.

Originally from Calcutta, India, Mandalmoved to Newfoundland to work at MemorialUniversity as a postdoctoral fellow. In 1990,he took a position as non-tenured AssistantProfessor of Chemistry at Memorial University.In 1993, he started work with College of theNorth Atlantic, though he still holds anadjunct professorial position in Basic MedicalSciences at Memorial. He has written or co-authored about 50 research papers in differentfields and reviews a number of internationaljournals.

Mandal received his doctoral degree inChemistry in one of the most prestigiousresearch institutes in India – the IndianAssociation for The Cultivation of Science(IACS). IACS is internationally recognized dueto the discovery of Roman Spectroscopy.

Mandal’s wife, Soma, recently received herdoctoral degree in Biochemistry and MolecularBiology from Memorial. She has contributed tohis research in evaluating the effectiveness ofbreast cancer drugs.

He has been actively involved with severalresearch groups. He is assisted in his researchby CNA, MUN, Universite du Quebec a TroisRivieres (UQT) and the Anderson CancerInstitute, USA. He has received severalresearch software packages as free gifts fromAmerican scientists and he gratefully acknowl-

edges and appreciates their support and gen-erosity.

Funding has come from various sources,including his own personal funding andCollege of the North Atlantic. Cyril Farrell,Director of Programs, recognizes the impor-tance of Mandal’s work to the college.

“Dr. Mandal’s work first and foremost hasthe potential to combat a dreadful disease,”Farrell says.

“In addition, it speaks to the calibre of theemployees at College of the North Atlantic andhow the college is doing its part in advancingresearch and innovation for the public good.”

Mandal believes that his research and pub-lishing experience can serve as a tool forteaching – something else to which he alsodedicates his life’s work.

“Researching provides confidence in teach-ing,” Mandal says. “They supplement eachother. They are just like two sides of a coin.”

It also serves to validate his work withfunding sources like College of the NorthAtlantic, he says.

“It gives confidence to the funding agen-cies who give of their facilities, funding, soft-ware, and other forms of support.”

Besides the anticancer drug design, Mandalis also interested in developing an electro-chemical drug delivery system and an electro-catalytic processing of minerals, and iscurrently in the process of submitting severalother manuscripts related to cancer drugs forpublication.

Instructor internationally recognizedfor cancer research

NEW MASTERS PROGRAM College of the North Atlantic has formed a partnership with Memorial University ofNewfoundland (MUN) in the delivery of their Master of Oil and Gas Studies program (MOGS).

The MOGS program is a new executive development program that began at MemorialUniversity of Newfoundland in January 2004. MOGS is a new initiative of MUN in executiveeducation, specifically designed for the high potential employee destined for the executivesuite in the oil and gas industry, the associated service industry sector, and relevant govern-ment agencies. It will provide a thorough preparation in, and complete review of, the entire oiland gas industry value chain, including technical, economic, regulatory, environmental andsocio-economic aspects. MOGS is an outstanding and unique executive development program,which that combine the best academic and industry professional instructional staff, and utilizeSeal Cove’s oil and gas facilities for some delivery and training.

The Canadian Technology AccreditationBoard (CTAB) has acknowledged Ridge

Road campus with national accreditationfor its Civil Engineering Technology andArchitectural Engineering Technologyprograms. The CTAB has stated that theachievement is “…proof of your commit-ment to academic excellence and totechnology professions.”

Nationalaccreditation

By Corinne Hynes,Environmental Program Management AssistantNachimuthu PolytechnicPollachi, Tamil Nadu, India

February 2004

It’s hard to believe that January has cometo an end, and that I have been here inIndia for over four months! Time has been

going by extremely fast; a reminder of howmuch I have been enjoying myself, all thebeautiful and interesting things I have seenand done, and the work I have accomplished.

Before leaving Canada, I attended a weekof information sessions for people going over-seas to work. These sessions proved to be veryhelpful in dealing with the effects of cultureshock, and how working environments andprofessional working operations/relationshipsdiffer in other countries. One of the most use-ful pieces of advicecame from a numberof interns with previ-ous overseas workexperience. Theadvice was: “Don’tget discouraged if youat first find it verydifficult to establish awork plan; you mayhave to ‘push’ to geta work plan estab-lished, or projectsassigned. This com-monly happens on internships because theemployer is unsure of your abilities – you haveto show them what you can do.”

If only I knew at the time how true thiswould be!

The first few weeks in my position asEnvironmental Program Management Assistantat Nachimuthu Polytechnic (NPT) were spentmeeting with the NPT staff who are involvedwith the project, and trying to arrange meet-ings with the head administrator in order toset up a work plan for myself. As my fellowCanadian interns had warned – work was a lit-tle slow getting started. However, after get-ting a work plan settled and having variousmeetings with the secretary, principal, andother involved staff members, I was soonimmerged in a busy work schedule.

My main project is writing the curriculumfor a two-year Environmental Engineeringdiploma program. Having a background inenvironmental studies, I am able to contributemy experience with related courses to the cur-riculum development. The project has involvedmuch research into similar programs ofCanadian and Indian universities, as well assimilar college programs. This program is muchneeded in India, in that the country has manyenvironmental concerns; therefore, its indus-tries are in need of skilled environmental engi-neers and, consequently, more environmentaleducation programs.

India accounts for 60-70 percent of theworld’s biodiversity. India’s forests, grasslands,wetlands, and marine ecosystems face manypressures including air and water pollution,cattle overgrazing, deforestation and overlyintensive agricultural, industrial, commercialand infrastructure development. High popula-

tion density and growthrates, combined withpoverty, accelerate thisprocess of degradation.India’s cities are plaguedby environmental haz-ards and sanitationproblems due to heavyindustry, years of under-investment in environ-mental protection, andpopulation growth attwice the averagenational rate.

Since the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in1992, India has been attempting to takeactions that will address the severe environ-mental crisis the country is facing. With sup-port from international agencies such as theWorld Bank, the government of India hasdeveloped a national strategy that is incorpo-rating environmental concerns into sectoredpolicies.

In 2000, NPT partnered with College of theNorth Atlantic (CNA) and Cambrian College inthe Canadian College Partnership Program(CCPP) Environmental Education Project. Thisproject was implemented to contribute toenvironmental sustainability in India throughindustry-institute interaction, technologytransfer, and development of environmental


Corinne Hynes took her first trip outside of Canada – to India– for a six-month work placement. She embraced the culture,including the native dress for woman – the Saree.

“As the traveler who has once been from home is wiser

than he who has never left his own doorstep, so a knowl-

edge of one other culture should sharpen our ability to

scrutinize more steadily, to appreciate more lovingly, our

own.”

Margaret Mead

Working in India: An experience of a lifetime

“ ...One thing that Ihave learned aboutIndia is that studentshere are very eager tolearn... they seemedto take in every word Iwas saying...”



Working in India« continued from page 10education programs to provide industry withmuch needed skilled and environmentallysound technicians. I am very proud to say thatI am involved in the formation of such anenvironmental education program.

The projected Environmental Engineeringdiploma program at NTP is to be a two-yearprogram consisting of four semesters. The pro-gram also includes a work semester, giving thestudent an opportunity to acquire valuable on-the-job training in the environmental engi-neering field. The program is expected to beup and running as a distance education pro-gram for the spring of 2004, and as an in-classprogram for the fall of 2004. This program isto be the first of its kind in India; out of over200 colleges in the state of Tamil Nadu, noenvironmental engineering programs areoffered at a diploma level. The program is also

unique in that it will be the first onlinediploma program offered in India.

As another part of my job, I have been giv-ing presentations on environmental awarenessto NPT college students. As an environmental-ist, it was alarming to realize how little envi-ronmental awareness education the studentshere have – little things that we Canadianstake for granted, such as the three R’s (reduce,reuse, recycle) were unheard of. However, onething that I have learned about India is thatstudents here are very eager to learn (perhapsdue to such high educational competition?);they seemed to take in every word I was say-ing, and asked some very interesting ques-tions. I cannot explain how good it felt to beable to teach these young adults, India’sfuture decision makers, about environmentalissues and the importance of environmentalconservation.

So, in all, my “working in India” experience

thus far is going very well. However, with onlysix weeks left, I must admit that I’m startingto get just a little anxious to get home! But,at the same time, I know that I will soon bemissing the mysterious Indian culture, thebeautiful surroundings, the exotic food, andmy new friends.

Corinne Hynes is from Stephenville, Newfoundland and

Labrador.She is a graduate of College of the North Atlantic’s

Environmental Technology program, and holds a Bachelor of

Technology Degree in Environmental Studies from the

University College of Cape Breton (UCCB). She was hired by

College of the North Atlantic to work in South India for a

six-month placement as an Environmental Program

Management Assistant at Nachimuthu Polytechnic (NPT)

state college. She assisted NPT staff in the design of an

Environmental Engineering program, and developed promo-

tional materials for the program.

Agroup of speech language pathologists,audiologists, and school board officials

from throughout the province met atClarenville campus in February to provideinput and feedback into the proposal to offerto train speech-language pathology assistantsat Clarenville campus. It was decided that theprogram name would be CommunicativeDisorders Assistant (CDA). These CDAs would

be support personnel whose tasks would beprescribed, directed, and supervised by certi-fied speech-language pathologists and audiol-ogists. This initiative appears to be quitetimely, as an ad hoc subcommittee of theNewfoundland and Labrador Association ofSpeech-Language Pathologists andAudiologists (NLASLPA) is presently in place togain a better understanding of the issues

around support personnel – namely, a shortageof certified speech-language pathologists andthe difficulty in recruiting these individuals.Currently this program is only offered inWestern Canada and Ontario.

New program to aid speech pathologists

Woman of the Year

Beverley Maloney, Millwright Instructorat Corner Brook campus, has been

named Woman of the Year by the CornerBrook Status of Women Council. The pres-entation was made at their annual Breadand Roses Dinner celebrating InternationalWomen’s Day – the theme this year was“She’s on a Role.” Beverley was the firstwoman in Canada to become a journeyper-son millwright, and is the only female mill-wright instructor in the country. Sheteaches the Orientation to Trades andTechnologies for Women as well as othercourses at College of the North Atlantic.

PHOTO COURTESY OF GARY KEAN AND THE WESTERN STAR

In November 2003, two employees fromDistrict 5's Health Sciences programs were

awarded special recognition. Shirley Power,an instructor in the Medical Laboratory pro-gram, was acknowledged for her outstandingwork as a volunteer with her provincial profes-sional association, the Newfoundland andLabrador Society of Laboratory Technologists.Sheila Murphy, a key member of the supportstaff for the Health Sciences programs, wasacknowledged for 25 years of service with thecollege.

HealthSciences getsrecognition


Do you have a college story to tell? Do you

know a student, faculty, or staff member that

should be recognized for their achievements?

CURRENTS is looking for a few good stories

about our public college and the people who

make it a success. Send us your photos,

announcements, and alumni updates. If you

have any ideas, suggestions, or criticisms, please

drop us a line. Please let us know how we can

make CURRENTS a better newsletter for you.

Marketing and Communications

College of the North Atlantic,

Headquarters

432 Massachusetts Drive

P.O. Box 5400

Stephenville, NL, A2N 2Z6

Canada

709 643.7928

[email protected]

CREDITSEditor Tanya Alexander

Design Paul O’Keefe

Publisher Department of Marketingand Communications

New provincialassociation formedfor human resourcesprofessionals

On February 10, the Association of Human ResourcesProfessionals of Newfoundland and Labrador (HRPNL) was

officially formed by a group of human resources (HR) practi-tioners, with Joe Bouzanne, a coordinating instructor at GrandFalls-Windsor campus, elected as its first president.

The HRPNL is a non-profit association dedicated to support-ing human resources management. The association’s primaryfunction will be to support and promote the growth and pro-fessional development of its members. HRPNL will be a provin-cial human resources association for HR practitioners, studentsin the field, consultants, academics, small business owners,and others interested in people management practices.

The aim of HRPNL is to assist HR practitioners in meetingthe challenges of today’s job environment by providing oppor-tunities to increase their personal and professional competenceand knowledge. The association will also be responsible forcertifying competent, current, and ethical professionals andenhancing the quality, acceptance and credibility of theCertified Human Resources Professional designation (CHRP), asdeveloped by the Canadian Council of Human ResourcesAssociations (CCHRA), of which the HRPNL is a voting member.

As an equal partner with other provincial HR associationsunder the CCHRA, members of HRPNL will be provided withnational recognition, top quality credentials, and increasedmarketability, as well as enhanced career advancement poten-tial. When employers hire a member of HRPNL who has a CHRPdesignation, it means they are hiring a professional who hasmet the highest levels of qualification in the human resourcesprofession in Canada. In addition, they are hiring an individ-ual who can provide strategic input and high-level counsel tosenior management.

HRPNL will explore the development of new educational andprofessional development opportunities for its membership.Currently, the association is exploring the opportunity of offer-ing a certificate program in human resources management forits members. This program of study will help prepare membersto write the national CHRP exams. The association is currentlypursuing affiliations with post-secondary institutions (includ-ing CNA) to determine who would be the delivery agent forthis program.

If any person working in the human resources managementfield would like information on becoming a member of HRPNL,please contact: Joe Bouzanne, president, 709 489.5602.

why a college alumni association? 2004.pdf · program at cna or one of its predecessors, such as...

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