Niagara College News and Media

The equal consideration date for Niagara College’s Fall 2010 programs is fast approaching.

Applications received by February 1 will receive equal consideration, while those received after that date will be considered on a first-come first-served basis.

“This is especially important for our competitive programs, where the number of qualified applicants typically exceeds the number of spaces available,” said Niagara College Registrar Bob Hann. “I urge those who wish to begin their studies this Fall to apply early, and bolster their chances of acceptance into their program of choice.”

Applications are available online at ontariocolleges.ca. A full listing of all Niagara College programs, and services available to students, is available at NiagaraCollege.ca.

To date, Niagara College is experiencing a seven percent increase in applications over this time last year.

With 8,000 full-time students, Niagara College offers more than 90 diploma, baccalaureate degrees and advanced level programs at campuses in Welland, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Niagara Falls and St. Catharines. Areas of specialization include food and wine sciences, advanced technology, applied health and community safety, and the College is home to the globally-recognized Niagara Culinary Institute and Niagara College Teaching Winery. In 2008, Niagara College launched a $90 million campus redevelopment project, which is scheduled for completion in 2011.For more information, visit www.niagaracollege.ca.

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For more information, contact:

Gordon Hunchak
Director, Marketing and Communications
905-735-2211, ext. 7567
905-650-7820 (cell)
ghunchak@niagaracollege.ca

Niagara College’s Wine Visitor + Education Centre (WVEC) has received the 2009 Niagara Community Design Architecture Award.

Designed by Emilio Raimondo of Raimondo and Associates Architects, Inc. of Niagara Falls, the WVEC was officially opened in early November 2009, during a royal visit from His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales. The $3.6 million Centre houses the Niagara College Teaching Winery, Canada’s first and only commercial teaching winery, visitor centre services, research projects and encompasses the College’s 40-acres of teaching and research vineyards.

The Niagara Community Design Awards are presented by the Niagara Region and the Niagara Economic Development Corporation, and recognize and celebrate excellence in community design in the Niagara Region. Focus is placed on projects that enhance the built environment, efficiently use land, and demonstrate creativity and vision. The Architecture Award is sponsored by the Niagara Society of Architects. The awards were presented last evening at Southbrook Vineyards in Niagara-on-the-Lake.

Jurors noted that the building’s circular plan “gives the structure a distinctive shape, while offering panoramic views of the surrounding vineyards and escarpment. The building has many green elements and was heavily influenced by the landscape and lines of the escarpment.”

“As a good wine reflects terroir, or place, we wanted this building to reflect its surroundings, specifically the Niagara Escarpment,” said John Gittings, Niagara College’s Manager of Planning and Development, who oversaw design and construction of the facility.

The exterior of the building uses Niagara Escarpment limestone, and the facility incorporates “green” elements, including passive solar design and a “buried” wine cellar that reduces cooling costs.

The WVEC promotes the Ontario and Canadian grape and wine industry, wineries, growers, agriculture and culinary traditions and tourism by providing education, training, information and experiential opportunities for students, industry, our communities and visitors. With a focus on excellence and quality, the Centre houses applied research in wine business, tourism, oenology and viticulture. All operations within the centre are self-sufficient, while promoting environmental sustainability.

The WVEC also serves as a living laboratory for students in Niagara College’s wine, culinary and hospitality and tourism programs. Niagara College is a leader in wine education and trains more than 1,000 students every year in certificate, diploma and post-graduate programs, along with seminars and conferences related to the grape and wine industry.

“We’re very pleased that the Wine Visitor + Education Centre has been recognized for its outstanding design,” said Niagara College President Dan Patterson. “It is truly a one-of-a-kind facility that is a unique learning environment for our students, an important resource for industry, and a gateway to Canada’s top wine region.”

Construction of the WVEC was funded in part by the Province of Ontario, and the facility is part of Niagara College’s $90 million campus redevelopment project. The WVEC was constructed by Brouwer Construction Ltd., of St. Catharines.

With 8,000 full-time students, Niagara College offers more than 90 diploma, baccalaureate degrees and advanced level programs at campuses in Welland, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Niagara Falls and St. Catharines. Areas of specialization include food and wine sciences, advanced technology, applied health and community safety, and the College is home to the globally-recognized Niagara Culinary Institute and Niagara College Teaching Winery. In 2008, Niagara College launched a $90 million campus redevelopment project, which is scheduled for completion in 2011.For more information, visit www.NiagaraCollege.ca.

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For more information, contact:

Gordon Hunchak
Director, Marketing and Communications
905-735-2211, ext. 7567
905-650-7820 (cell)
ghunchak@niagaracollege.ca

Niagara College Hairstyling Techniques students will be offering their services to the public starting January 27, at the Maid of the Mist Campus in Niagara Falls.

Services available include haircuts, colour, chemical treatments and more. Hairstyling students study up-to-date, innovative techniques and train in a fully-equipped, modern salon under the guidance of experienced and knowledgeable faculty.

Bookings are now being accepted. Walk-ins are welcome but not guaranteed. The salon will be open Monday through Friday, except Tuesday, with appointments available at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m.

For more information, or to book an appointment, call 905-374-7453, ext 3620.

Hairstyling Techniques is a one-year program offered through Niagara College at the Maid of the Mist Campus. Students work closely with industry employers in an up-to-date hairstyling lab where they receive extensive theoretical, technical and hands-on training.

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For more information, contact:

Pat Spano
Coordinator/Professor
Hairstyling Techniques
Niagara College
905-641-2252, ext. 4232
pspano@niagaracollege.ca

Niagara College announced a new research scholarship today that will support innovative projects in agriculture.

The Craig Award is a new scholarship founded by Jon and Lynn Ogryzlo in memory of their late son, Craig Persia Ogryzlo. The award will be based on successful research outcomes on a collaboration project between the student, Niagara College’s Research and Innovation Department, and an industry or community partner. Lynn is a food and wine author and columnist, and Jon is Niagara College’s Dean of Food and Wine Sciences.

“I love this project because it financially supports a student’s academic efforts while offering them a creative experience in the business of agriculture,” said Lynn Ogryzlo. “This new activity will draw positive attention to Niagara agriculture and inspire Niagara College students to become ambassadors of the region’s home-grown richness.”

The $12,000 gift from the Ogryzlo family will be endowed and matched by Ontario Trust for Student Support, and will generate a $1,000 annual award at current interest rates. The donation is counted towards the $16.5 million goal for the Niagara College Foundation’s Building Futures Campaign, which is raising money for scholarships and bursaries, applied research, and buildings, equipment and learning resources.

Agricultural innovation is happening in Niagara through research projects that range from a new ice wine project, cabernet and chardonnay curd and caramel-coated fresh apples to Red Fyfe wheat pasta.

The scholarship was made possible through the internationally acclaimed, Canadian best-selling cookbook Niagara Cooks. Authored by Lynn and photographed by Jon, the successful sales through farm and independent retail outlets allowed them to create a fund for this scholarship. Niagara Cooks is a cookbook that is filled with quick and easy recipes that will whet your appetite for the lighter flavour of fresh, local foods, along with sources for obtaining local ingredients, and wine pairings that make it easy to create your own local meals to share with family and friends.

“We are honoured that the Ogryzlo family has chosen to honour their son’s memory by establishing a research scholarship for Niagara College students,” said Marti Jurmain, Niagara College’s Director of Research and Innovation. “The Craig Award will provide an opportunity for students to participate in applied research activities that will help in the advancement of Niagara wine and culinary industries.”

Through its applied research department – Niagara Research – Niagara College partners with businesses and community agencies to conduct applied research projects that model or simulate solutions, develop and test prototypes, adopt new technologies and knowledge, develop and evaluate new or improved products, processes or solutions to community issues.

With 8,000 full-time students, Niagara College offers more than 90 diploma, baccalaureate degrees and advanced level programs at campuses in Welland, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Niagara Falls and St. Catharines. Areas of specialization include food and wine sciences, advanced technology, applied health and community safety, and the College is home to the globally-recognized Niagara Culinary Institute and Niagara College Teaching Winery. In 2008, Niagara College launched a $90 million campus redevelopment project, which is scheduled for completion in 2011. For more information, visit www.NiagaraCollege.ca.

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For more information, contact:

Lyn Russo
Director of Development
Niagara College Foundation
905-735-2211, ext. 7864
lrusso@niagaracollege.ca

Niagara College President, Dr. Dan Patterson was honoured as Niagara-on-the-Lake’s Citizen of the Year at last night’s Spirit of Niagara Awards ceremony.

The Lord Mayor’s Award of Excellence – Citizen of the Year award acknowledges an individual’s lifetime achievement and vast contributions to the community that make Niagara-on-the-Lake a terrific place in which to live and do business.

Patterson has been Niagara College’s President since 1995. Under his leadership, the College has doubled its enrolment to over 8,000 full time students in over 90 programs. Dan has played an integral role in establishing and strengthening partnerships with a variety of industries and public sector organizations – a key priority under his leadership.

Patterson is known as a leader in the Ontario College system and is former Chair of the Committee of Presidents, which advocates on behalf of Ontario’s 24 Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology. Dan led the Committee of Presidents through a critical time for the College system which resulted in the introduction of baccalaureate degrees in Ontario Colleges and a new provincial mandate.

Under his leadership, Niagara College has also embarked upon a $90 million campus renaissance project to further expand student capacity and provide new and renovated state-of-the-art learning environments at its Welland and Niagara-on-the-Lake campuses.

Dan has a strong sense of service and shares his knowledge and expertise on a number of Boards at the national, provincial and local level. He was a founding Director of the Niagara Economic and Tourism Corporation. He is currently a member of the Forum for International Trade Training Board of Directors, the Ontario College Library Service Management Board, St. Catharines-Thorold Prosperity Council, the Niagara Economic Development Corporation Board of Directors, the Niagara Immigrant Employment Council Steering Committee, and the Niagara Community Foundation Nominating Committee. He is Chair of the Colleges Ontario Network for Industry Innovation and a Director on the Ontario Centres of Excellence Photonics Board.

Dan is an enthusiastic promoter of lifelong learning, and earned his Ph.D. in higher education in 2005. Dan has also received two Honorary Doctorates – from Niagara University in 2003 and from Brock University in 2009.

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For more information, contact:

Gordon Hunchak
Director, Marketing and Communications
905-735-2211, ext. 7567
905-650-7820 (cell)
ghunchak@niagaracollege.ca

Niagara College launched its new athletics bus January 19 during stops at the Welland and Niagara-on-the-Lake Campuses.

Niagara College athletics has partnered with Great Canadian Holidays & Coaches to provide the Niagara College Knights varsity athletics teams with a bus they can call their own. The 56-seat coach is a travelling billboard for Niagara College and its athletics programs, with College logos and athletics action photos on the exterior. The bus has been designated for use by Niagara College’s varsity athletics teams for the remainder of the 2009-2010 season.

“This initiative presents a unique opportunity to raise Niagara College’s profile province-wide as our student athletes travel to games and matches throughout Ontario,” said Niagara College Vice President of Student and Community Relations Sean Kennedy.

The bus is also available to College academic programs for field trips, and is available for charters through Great Canadian Holidays & Coaches when not in use by Niagara College.

More than 120 student athletes compete on Niagara College’s six varsity sports teams, which include men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s soccer, and men’s and women’s volleyball. Niagara College athletics also includes seven tournament teams, including mens and women’s and mixed curling, men’s and women’s golf, and men’s and women’s indoor soccer. The Niagara Knights compete in the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association Western Region.

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NOTE TO EDITORS: PHOTOS ARE AVAILABLE

For more information, contact:

Ray Sarkis
Athletics and Recreation Coordinator
Niagara College
905-735-2211, ext. 7583
rsarkis@niagaracollege.ca

Niagara Knights athletes, with mascot Knightro, outside Welland Campus

Niagara Knights Athletes outside Niagara-on-the-Lake Campus

(TORONTO, Jan. 13, 2010) – With its strike vote now completed, Ontario’s 24 colleges are urging the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) representing full-time faculty to return to the bargaining table and work to get a negotiated agreement.

The colleges have made an offer to faculty that increases salaries by eight per cent over four years and raises the maximum salary to $103,975, ensuring that Ontario college faculty members continue to be the best paid in Canada.

Dr. Rachael Donovan, the chair of the colleges’ bargaining team, said the colleges will be asking OPSEU to return to the bargaining table as soon as possible to work to avoid a strike.

“We are committed to negotiating a fair, affordable and practical settlement, which ensures that our students receive the highest quality of education possible,” Dr. Donovan said.

The initial results indicate that approximately 57 per cent of faculty voted in favour of a strike. Although this is a narrow vote in favour of a strike, the result still gives OPSEU a strike mandate and the ability to now call a strike at any time. However, Dr. Donovan said the priority has to be on reaching an agreement and averting a strike.

“The union must work with colleges to reach a fair, affordable and practical agreement,” said Dr. Donovan. “A strike mandate hasn’t made OPSEU’s positions any more affordable. It hasn’t given the colleges any more money.”

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Niagara College students offered a sneak peek into this year’s Many Hands Project during a launch event Jan. 14. Renovation Technician-Construction and Event Management students were joined by Pelham Mayor Dave Augustyn at In The Orchard (ITO) Programming for the Arts, this year’s recipient.

Now in its thirteenth year, the Many Hands Project provides needed renovations for a local non-profit organization.

As part of the Many Hands Committee, Event Management students plan all aspects of the project, including the selection process in choosing the recipient, obtaining sponsors, and volunteer recruitment and coordination. Students from construction programs assist the project by completing required renovations prior to the ‘unveiling day’ in April 2010. Canadian Tire Financial Services will again be the project’s lead sponsor.

ITO focuses on creating and providing innovative programs for youth, including “at-risk” youth in communities surrounding Fonthill, Ontario.

This year’s renovations will include the extending and upgrading of washroom facilities, rebuilding of a deck, replacing of doors, and interior structural enhancement to the art display and program activity areas.

The Event Management students are once again organizing several fundraising events to support the Many Hands Project, including:

“Dance the Night Away” – Come Dance the Night Away on Saturday, Feb. 6, with music from six memorable eras starting with the 50s at 7:00 p.m. and ending with a millennium celebration at midnight. Tickets are $25 per person. Prizes will be won for best dress, best dance and best costume. There will be a silent auction held throughout the evening. The event runs from 7:00 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. at Club Italia in Niagara Falls. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.

“Taste the World” – Sample flavours from around the world, Saturday, Feb. 20, during a culinary event that will showcase a variety of food and entertainment from different countries around the world. Take your taste buds on a tour from the comforts of North American food to the exotic tastes of Asia, while satisfying your appetite. Tickets are $35 per person before Jan. 20, and $40 thereafter. Taste the world at the Feastivities Conference Centre in Welland, from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.

“Fashion in the Falls” – Get a glimpse of the newest trends during a charity fashion show, Saturday, Feb. 27. The event features a celebrity MC, live auction, refreshments, swag bags and fashion styles presented by some of Niagara’s top retailers. Tickets are $30 per person, or $160 for a table of six. The show takes place at the Best Western Beacon Harbourside Inn & Suites Conference Centre in Jordan. Doors to the event open at 6:30 pm with the show beginning at 7:30 pm.

“Wild West Whodunnit’ Murder Mystery” – Find your inner detective during a night of murder and mystery in the Wild West, Saturday, March 13. Be entertained, while enjoying a mysterious old western story line, a western-style dinner and a silent auction. Tickets are $45 per person. Guests are invited to dress in the theme of the old Wild West. The mystery takes place at the Beechwood Golf & Country Club in Niagara Falls, from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Visit NiagaraCollege.ca/emevents for more information.

The Hospitality and Tourism Division of Niagara College offers Event Management as a one-year Graduate-Certificate program. Throughout the program students are prepared for careers in the planning, promotion and execution of special events in the public, corporate and non-profit sectors. Students are required to organize a number of events, including the Many Hands project. For more information on the Many Hands initiative, visit NiagaraCollege.ca/ManyHands or call 905-641-2252, ext. 6404.

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For more information, contact:

Shelley Merlo
Coordinator, Event Management Program
Niagara College
905-641-2252, ext. 4233
smerlo@niagaracollege.ca