Niagara College News and Media

Whet your appetite for a new and improved Benchmark restaurant.

Niagara College’s Canadian Food and Wine Institute (CFWI) is celebrating the reopening of Benchmark this week. It had been closed since the end of December for renovations.

A teaching restaurant for NC’s hospitality programs and the CFWI’s culinary programs, Benchmark is located on campus at Niagara College’s Niagara-on-the-Lake campus and is open to the public for lunch and dinner. Benchmark’s new look and new focus better integrates the CFWI’s trio of exemplary food, wine and beer programs.

Student-made wine and beer products now have their place at a new 23-foot-long bar, made of blackened steel panels and rough sawn white oak topped with white marble. The bar also provides space for students to conduct demonstrations inside the restaurant, clearly visible to the diners. In addition, wine and beer recommendations – NC wine and beer, as well as other labels – now accompany food items on the new menu.

 “The new Benchmark provides an excellent hands-on learning facility for our students and a spectacular dining experience for guests,” said Jon Ogryzlo, dean of the CFWI.

The restaurant also features new branded wood tabletops, a new entrance, illuminated signage, and wall panels fashioned out of blackened steel and white oak.  

Benchmark reopened January 26 with the official invite-only grand opening event on January 26.

In addition to the re-opening, Benchmark will host Caps, Corks and Forks on February 2 where students from the college’s wine programs will face off against students from the college’s new Brewmaster and Brewery Operations Management program. The event – to be emceed by The Thirsty Traveler host Kevin Bauch – will feature a five-course meal prepared by CFWI culinary students, led by chef professor Tony deLuca, with a wine and beer sampling to accompany each course. Guests will vote for the best match after each course – wine or beer – to determine the ultimate winner.  

Jean Quattrini, graduate employment consultant, Co-op and Graduate Employment Services, Workforce and Business Development; Monique Morin, graduate employment consultant, Co-op and Graduate Employment Services, Workforce & Business Development; and Krista Woodhouse, graduate degree recruitment coordinator.

Whether they’re preparing to enter the workforce or to continue their education, students will have a chance to investigate the possibilities at Niagara College’s All About Options Employment and Education expo.

The event will offer students an opportunity to meet with prospective employers to find out about job opportunities, and meet with representatives from colleges and universities to explore post-graduate study options.

“The goal of the expo is to present a one-stop shop experience for students, where they can consider various options. For some, it will be to work immediately upon graduation. For others, it might be to go on to university or post-grad studies,” said Monique Morin, graduate employment consultant at the college. “By combining both those things into one, we provide a more complete experience for the students.”

The event is open to both students and alumni. It will be held Feb. 1 at the Niagara-on-the-Lake campus, and Feb. 2 at the Welland campus – each one catering to programs at each campus. Both events will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the gymnasium.

While NC previously hosted separate fairs for hospitality, policing, business networking, and technology networking events, this year’s All About Options expo combines them into one event at each campus.

Students do not need to register but the first 500 to do so will receive a gift. They can register at mycareer.niagaracollege.ca by clicking on the event on the calendar.

Employers can register at NiagaraCollege.ca/allaboutoptions.

For a list of exhibitors in Welland and NOTL visit NiagaraCollege.ca/allaboutoptions/exhibitors.html

The battle between grapes and hops has begun, as students from the college’s Teaching Winery and Teaching Brewery vie for ultimate supremacy at the Canadian Food and Wine Institute’s new signature event, Caps, Corks and Forks.

To take place on Feb. 2, 2012 at Benchmark , a teaching restaurant on the college’s Niagara-on-the-Lake campus, the event will feature an elegant five-course meal prepared by NC’s top culinary students under the guidance of chef professor Tony DeLuca. Each course will be paired with both a beer brewed by a team of the college’s Brewmaster students and an Ontario VQA wine carefully selected by a team of the college’s Wine students. Guests will vote on which pairing was best after each course to determine the winner.

Kevin Brauch, host of TV show The Thirsty Traveler, will be the master of ceremonies for the evening.

“Caps, Corks and Forks was designed to showcase all three specialties of the CFWI – wine, beer and food,” Jon Ogryzlo, dean of the CFWI. “The fact that it will take place in our newly renovated Benchmark restaurant – to reopen in late January – which will feature a new bar, and wine and food pairings on the menu, makes it all the more meaningful.”

While weeks away, Caps, Corks and Forks is already stirring up a playful rivalry between the CFWI’s wine team and its beer team, who have been making a sport of pointing out the superiority of their own beverages and the perceived inferiority of the other’s.
“Crush a bunch of grapes, put them in a bucket and see what happens,” said Brewmaster professor Jon Downing about how to make wine.
“Browse beer recipe pages online for a while, add or subtract one to several ingredients at random to your selection,” said Jennifer Wilhelm, instructor and coordinator, Wine programs, about how to make beer.
The culinary team, according to chef professor Tony DeLuca, has decided to maintain a “dignified neutrality.”

A limited number of seats are still available. Tickets are $79. For ticket information contact Benchmark at 905-641-2252 ext. 4619.

The Canadian Food and Wine Institute, located on Niagara College’s Niagara-on-the-Lake campus, is the college’s centre for food wine and beer education. It is home to Benchmark, the college’s teaching restaurant, as well as the Teaching Winery and Teaching Brewery.

Niagara College offers more than 90 diploma, bachelor degree and advanced level programs at campuses in Welland, Niagara-on-the-Lake, and Niagara Falls. Areas of specialization include food and wine sciences, advanced technology, media, applied health and community safety, supported by unique learning enterprises in food, wine, beer, horticulture and esthetics. For more information visit www.NiagaraCollege.ca.

Niagara College offers more than 600 Continuing Education courses and programs for adult students. Most of them take place on evenings and weekends. Courses offer a broad range of general interest, credit, and vocational areas and are offered at locations throughout the Niagara Region. Continuing Education allows students pursue studies on a part-time basis towards the completion of many certificate and post-secondary programs.

While some flock to Niagara College’s Education classes to pursue exciting new interests and activities, an increasing number of adults are using Continuing Education to boost their careers.

The classes – which are typically held on evenings and weekends – give students an opportunity to advance in their current profession or acquire new skills transition into a new one, without having to quit their current jobs for training or miss a paycheque in the process.

“In these challenging economic times, jobs are scarce. Many adults take Continuing Education courses to give them a competitive edge allowing them to compete for more lucrative positions within their field,” said Kim Walker, Dean of Continuing Education. “Professional certificates and designations are the most popular venues for this enhancement and CE offers 68 different options.”

Professional Certificate programs and online courses have been experiencing steady growth. About 10,000 students a year enroll in career-enhancing credit courses at Niagara College. Since 2009, 1,600 additional students have taken CE credit courses.

Niagara College offers a variety of Professional Certificates. Popular choices include courses in professional communications, developing effective teams, Canadian business law, human resources management, health and safety, medical office terminology, developmental disabilities and aging, and professional development and ethics. Students have up to five years to complete the program.

Registration for Winter 2012 courses is now open. The majority of classes begin Jan 16, 2012.

The Winter 2012 Continuing Education Web Guide is now available at www.NiagaraCollege.ca/ce

Find out if you’re eligible for 30% off student tuition this semester with important information from the Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities:

https://osap.gov.on.ca/OSAPPortal/en/PostsecondaryEducation/Tuition/index.htm

InsideNC, the new online home for news and information for all Niagara College staff, is now online at insidenc.niagaracollege.ca.

The new site represents what communications in a modern organization should be: easily accessible, timely and interactive. Combining traditional NC communications vehicles such as campus update e-mails and College Report into one user-friendly online location, InsideNC will be updated daily, and will feature college announcements and news items, information for staff, people profiles and more.

Today at InsideNC, you’ll find a welcome back message from acting president Steve Hudson; headline college news including the new sustainability initiative and Benchmark renovations; a profile of Linda Saari and the Educational Pathways, Development and Quality department; an on-location report from Shirley DeBeau’s retirement reception, and more.

We hope you’ll make InsideNC an important part of your day. Log on to discover what’s new at NC, read about college-wide issues, changes and developments, learn about your colleagues, or plan for upcoming events.

We also hope that you’ll share your feedback, news tips, and story ideas. Contact us via e-mail at insidenc@niagaracollege.ca.

Students sign an online pledge after Niagara College launches five-year sustainability targets.

Niagara College today launched a set of five-year sustainability targets aimed at reducing the college’s environmental footprint and creating a renewed focus on environmental issues at NC.

The targets were announced during presentations at the Niagara-on-the-Lake and Welland campuses. Over the next five years the college has committed to cutting its paper consumption in half and achieving a 65% diversion rate for waste, while reducing its electricity consumption by 10%, its greenhouse gas emissions by 10%, and its water consumption by 5%.

The process started last spring when the College’s Sustainability Committee began developing an environmental management system (EMS), which is a systematic approach to dealing with the environmental aspects of an organization. The EMS helps the College control the impact of its activities on the natural environment. Through this process, the committee identified the aspects with the largest environmental concerns and established the College’s five sustainability targets for the coming years.

To reduce its environmental impact Niagara College incorporated HVAC upgrades and new sustainable technologies as part of its $90 million campus redevelopment. A new organics strategy was recently implemented, and in 2012 the college will launch recycling and paper reduction campaigns. Through its sustainability committee, the college will continue to develop strategies for achieving its environmental goals.

“As an educator, Niagara College has offered comprehensive programs in environmental education, providing skilled graduates that work in all areas of the environmental sector,” said Dr. Steve Hudson, Niagara College’s acting President. “We have also made it a key strategic priority to reduce our own environmental impact and incorporate sustainability and environmental responsibility into all our programs and services.”

Niagara College has also partnered with the Niagara Sustainability Initiative (NSI). NSI is a not for profit organization that is focused on improving environmental and economic performance by engaging the community to reduce carbon emissions enhance sustainability and improve economic performance.

“As one of the most influential employers in the region, Niagara College is illustrating that sustainability is imperative to organizational success,” said Evan DiValentino, executive director of the Niagara Sustainability Initiative.

While unveiling its sustainability targets, the college also launched a website (niagaracollege.ca/sustainability) dedicated to environmental issues at NC, and invited students, faculty and staff to sign an online pledge to strive for sustainability in all areas of their lives.

With significant input from students, and the desire to make sustainability a key priority, Niagara College formed its sustainability committee last spring. The committee includes student, faculty and staff representatives and has a mandate to identify the College’s key environmental impacts and recommend ways for the college to achieve its environmental goals.

Niagara College offers more than 100 diploma, bachelor degree and advanced level programs at campuses in Welland, Niagara-on-the-Lake and Niagara Falls. Areas of specialization include food and wine sciences, advanced technology, applied health and community safety, supported by unique learning enterprises in food, wine, beer, horticulture and aesthetics. For more information, visit www.NiagaraCollege.ca.