Arlene Dickinson

Arlene Dickinson of CBC-TV’s Dragons’ Den and CEO of Venture Communications brings her star power and business expertise to the Barrie Campus on Wednesday, March 28.

She’ll be talking about her experiences in life and business and about her new book, Persuasion: A New Approach to Changing Minds. Dickinson is one of  Canada’s most renowned independent marketing communications entrepreneurs.

Complimentary tickets for Georgian College students, staff and faculty are now available in limited numbers, thanks to the College’s generous supporters.

Dickinson’s talk begins at 11 a.m. in the Georgian College Theatre.

The event is presented by the Henry Bernick Entrepreneurship Centre at Georgian College which officially opens this spring. To reserve a ticket, visit http://guestlistapp.com/events/84504

Maude Barlow

Community concerns about the implications of the proposed Alliston-Melancthon mega-quarry are growing.

Now, environmental activist Maude Barlow brings her take on the project to the Georgian College Theatre, Barrie Campus, on March 7 at 7:30 p.m.

Barlow, chairperson of the Council of Canadians, has campaigned for years to raise awareness of threats to Canada’s drinking water resources, among other issues.

The Council of Canadians is among the key players in the drive to oppose the Highland Companies plans for a huge open-pit mine on 2,316 acres of prime farmland it has assembled in Melancthon Township near Shelburne.

The mega-quarry proposal is raising objections for many reasons. The six-billion tonne quarry would be the second largest in North America, reaching deep below the water table.

At 200 feet, the quarry would be deeper than the height of Niagara Falls, and would displace 600 million litres of fresh water per day. Depending on demand, up to 300 trucks per hour could haul gravel south to fuel the Greater Toronto area’s demand for gravel. Blasting would continue daily. The pit would also destroy Class One agricultural land that is a prime location for specialised potato production.

Highland says the project would create local jobs and benefit the Ontario economy. The firm, backed by Canadian and US investors, says it would eventually restore the land to agricultural use, 300 acres at a time.

The proposal has now been referred for a full-scale Environmental Assessment by the Ontario government.

Barlow’s talk is the next instalment in the annual speakers’ series, sponsored by the University Partnership Centre. Barlow most recently appeared at Georgian in 2006, when she spoke about the fate of Canada’s freshwater resources.

Tickets for the event are $12 for the public and $6 for students. They can be purchased at

• the Georgian College Bookstore, in person on online at www.georgianstores.com
• at Page and Turners bookstore at 123 Dunlop St. E., Barrie
• or at the door.

Maude Barlow Chairperson, Council of Canadians

Community concerns about the implications of the proposed Alliston-Melancthon mega-quarry are growing. Now, environmental activist Maude Barlow brings her take on the project to the Georgian College Theatre, Barrie Campus, on March 7 at 7:30 p.m.

Barlow, chairperson of the Council of Canadians, has campaigned for years to raise awareness of threats to Canada’s drinking water resources, among other issues. The Council of Canadians is among the key players in the drive to oppose the Highland Companies plans for a huge open-pit mine on 2,316 acres of prime farmland it has assembled in Melancthon Township near Shelburne.

The mega-quarry proposal is raising objections for many reasons. The six-billion tonne quarry would be the second largest in North America, reaching deep below the water table. At 200 feet, the quarry would be deeper than the height of Niagara Falls, and would displace 600 million litres of fresh water per day. Depending on demand, up to 300 trucks per hour could haul gravel south to fuel the Greater Toronto area’s demand for gravel. Blasting would continue daily. The pit would also destroy Class One agricultural land that is a prime location for specialised potato production.

Highland says the project would create local jobs and benefit the Ontario economy. The firm, backed by Canadian and US investors, says it would eventually restore the land to agricultural use, 300 acres at a time.

The proposal has now been referred for a full-scale Environmental Assessment by the Ontario government.

Barlow’s talk is the next instalment in the annual speakers’ series, sponsored by the University Partnership Centre. Barlow most recently appeared at Georgian in 2006, when she spoke about the fate of Canada’s freshwater resources.

Tickets for the event are $12 for the public and $6 for students. They can be purchased at

• the Georgian College Bookstore, in person on online at www.georgianstores.com
• at Page and Turners bookstore at 123 Dunlop St. E., Barrie
• or at the door.

Nathan, a second year Computer Programmer student, was one of 3,936 students from 400 schools across Canada and the US who participated in the three-part contest over the fall semester.

“I’m thrilled to have placed second. This is such a great win not just for me, but also for Georgian College,” says Nathan, who is completing his co-op in Corporate Marketing and Communications at the college as a Social Media Marketing Assistant. “To have done this well with such stiff competition from institutions such as MIT and Harvard really makes me feel like I’ve chosen the right school.”

Nathan completed parts one and two of the contest as a mandatory assignment in the Introduction to Mainframe course. On a whim, he decided to finish the third part of the contest, which involved tasks taken from real-life situations encountered by experienced systems programmers.

“Nathan did an outstanding job competing against thousands of other college and university students from a lot of the best technical institutions in North America,” says Ross Bigelow, program co-ordinator in the School of Computer Studies. “These sorts of competitions are extremely important as they help students develop strong industry connections. I am sure Nathan’s performance will inspire many students to continue to do well.”

Close to 200 students studying computer programming, networking and network systems security at Georgian put Barrie on the map this year. There were more contestants registered from Barrie than any other Canadian post-secondary institution. On top of that, only one American university had more students enter the contest.

After learning how to log on to a mainframe system, students tackled increasingly difficult challenges, with the prizes getting larger at each level of completion. Topics covered included JCL, SDSF, UNIX System Services, Rational Developer for System z, JAVA, DB2, REXX, C, COBOL and various system programming concepts and techniques. 

Eight Georgian students, including Nathan, received 100 per cent on part two of the contest: Paul Bialo, Patrick Bouchard, Ryan Coulter, Alan Jeffrey, Brandon McLellan, Scott Montgomery and Matt Sloper.

For more information about the Master the Mainframe contest, visit the IBM website.

“Students are required to graduate from an accredited Pharmacy Technician program before they register with the Ontario College of Pharmacists,” says Kelly Mannen, program co-ordinator for the Pharmacy Technician program. “I’m thrilled that our program was recognized by such a prestigious organization.”

Toni Cano, Pharmacy Technician faculty member adds, “It’s very important to provide our students with education and learning experiences that are of the highest caliber. This accreditation really puts the Pharmacy Technician program at Georgian on the map.”  

The two-year Pharmacy Technician program had its start in September with the new pharmacy lab in the Sadlon Centre for Health and Wellness. Please refer to the Pharmacy Technician program web page for more information.

Neetika Sathe (left) from Nissan Canada shows Automotive Marketing student Brian Walsh (second from right) features of the LEAF electric vehicle at Georgian’s Canadian Automotive Institute.

Who better to learn from about the latest trends in electric vehicles than the manufacturer of the 2011 world car of the year and the province’s second largest municipally-owned utility?

Nissan Canada and PowerStream brought the Nissan LEAF, Nissan’s 100-per-cent, zero emission vehicle, to Georgian’s Barrie Campus for a discussion and demonstration on the evolution of the transportation and utility sectors.

Brian Bentz, President and CEO of PowerStream, told students from the Canadian Automotive Institute and School of Engineering Technology that the future offers endless possibilities for them.

“It is a transformational and exciting time in the energy sector. We need smart people to help us transform and Georgian students are the highest quality students we get,” said Bentz.

John Mulrooney, PowerStream’s Director of Smart Grid Technologies, said merging the latest communications technology and the power grid is transforming Ontario’s electricity distribution system, which was basically unchanged for the past 100 years.

Electrical vehicles represent the first time PowerStream has undertaken testing mobile loads of electric power. Smart meters will help with managing electricity demand to charge the cars through load-shifting efforts, such as transferring power from the car back to the grid during peak times.

PowerStream and Nissan Canada are working together to implement infrastructure that makes these vehicles convenient for the average Canadian. Level three chargers, with 480 volts, are not yet available in Canada, but when they are they will be able to charge up to 80 per cent of the LEAF’s battery in 30 minutes. A 220-volt outlet, like the ones used in homes for stoves and dryers, takes about seven hours to charge the battery.

Automotive Marketing student Brian Walsh came to hear from the panel how the state of the economy will play a role in the evolution of the electric vehicle in Canada.

“The more guest speakers we have from the industry the better. They really encourage us as students to get hands-on experience,” says Walsh.

Neetika Sathe, Senior Manager, Chief Marketing Management for Nissan LEAF, explained the car’s technological and environmental features to the audience. She highlighted features such as the ability to turn on the climate control remotely, and manage and monitor charging using the Telematics system called CARWINGS, the shape of the headlamps which deflects air flow around the side mirrors making for a quieter drive, and the seats that are made from recycled plastic water bottles.

Students had the opportunity to see the LEAF first hand and ask questions of Nissan Canada and PowerStream representatives.

Laura Formusa, Hydro One President & CEO, and Brian Tamblyn, Georgian College President and CEO, extend the partnership between the two organizations for another four years, to continue advancing education opportunities to train the future utility sector workforce.

Five years ago Hydro One launched a partnership with Georgian College to promote careers in the utility sector and train more students to become the company’s future workforce. The partnership has been so successful that Hydro One announced it will continue the partnership with a second $750,000 investment in Georgian College’s School of Engineering Technology.

The funds support scholarships, curriculum development, co-op placements and equipment to enhance hands-on learning opportunities.

With up to 30 per cent of Hydro One’s workforce eligible to retire in the next five years, promoting careers in the utility sector is a timely initiative.

“The results are in from the first phase of this partnership and they are outstanding,” says Laura Formusa, President and CEO of Hydro One. “The four colleges have been very effective in attracting more students to their electrical programs, ensuring a stronger workforce for Hydro One and the entire utility sector. This is good news for the people of Ontario.”

•  The Hydro One College Consortium consists of Georgian, Algonquin, Mohawk and Northern colleges. Each college will receive $750,000 in support of its electrical engineering programs and recruitment, over the term of this four-year partnership.

•  Since the partnership began, Georgian has doubled the enrolment and graduation rates of its three-year Electrical Engineering Technology program and created a new two-year Electrical Engineering Technician program.

•  A portion of Hydro One’s first investment supported the construction of the Centre for Sustainable Technologies at the Barrie Campus, which has increased Georgian’s capacity to about 200 students a year between the two programs.

“Our direct relationship with Hydro One is very appealing to students,” says Bob Emptage, Dean of Engineering Technology and Environmental Studies and Chair of the Hydro One College Consortium. “Our application rate has substantially increased over the past five years to the point where we now have a waiting list for these two programs.”

Emptage says one of the highlights of the partnership so far has been the interaction between students and senior representatives from Hydro One.

“Laura Formusa has taken time to meet with students on a couple of occasions. In 2008 she hosted a mentorship event for students where she and her senior staff discussed trends in the sector, what Hydro One looks for in future employees and then directly answered student questions.

“What a wonderful experience for our students to interact directly with the CEO of one of the province’s major employers,” says Emptage.

Students also receive hands-on learning through co-op placements at Hydro One. In 2011, Hydro One hired 56 Georgian co-op students, making the college a leader in co-op placements at the company.

In this second phase of the partnership, Georgian College will continue its student recruitment push, with a new focus on increasing the number of women and aboriginal people studying electrical engineering and subsequently joining the Hydro One workforce.

Hydro One will also work with Georgian faculty and students on applied research projects, to test new ideas it wants to bring to the marketplace.

“This is a great example of an innovative partnership that is at the heart of Georgian’s mission. It is helping us to strengthen our industry connections to advance student access and success,” says Emptage.

Formusa agrees that partnerships with colleges are an asset to her company.

“The colleges are able to implement curricula that meet the needs of our growing and evolving industry. Future applied research projects will help keep Ontario at the global forefront of smart grid technologies,” said Formusa.

Hydro One was awarded the 2008 Ontario Colleges Community/Corporate Partnership Award in recognition of its contribution to the advancement of Ontario’s college system. In the same year, it also won the Distinguished Partnership Award from Georgian College’s Board of Governors.

A “Windows of Opportunity” Expo Career Fair will be hosted by Hospitality, Tourism and Recreation students at the Barrie Campus of Georgian College on Feb. 7.

Leading employers in the hospitality, tourism, culinary and recreation industries are coming to the college to network with students and the public looking for careers in the field. They will be seeking new employees to work in food and beverage, event planning, office administration, customer service, adventure recreation and leisure and much more.

Businesses from our own backyard and across Canada will be represented. This is the perfect opportunity for those looking for successful and rewarding careers or co-operative seasonal employment.

The fair takes place in the gymnasium from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. All are welcome and admission is free.

For further information, check out the Expo Facebook page – search Georgian College HTR Expo 2012, or call the Expo office at 705-728-1968, ext. 6211.

“This is an exciting position that offers incredible challenges and opportunities,” says Charlotte Wallis, Chair of the Georgian College Board of Governors. “Georgian has experienced an extraordinary period of growth and we’re looking for a candidate with a keen analytic and strategic sense who can lead the college forward in continued success.”

Under the direction of Janet Wright & Associates, an executive search firm engaged to work with the committee, the college participated in a broad consultation process in December with internal and external stakeholders to establish the criteria for the search and guide the committee’s evaluation and recommendation of candidates.

Of interest to the search committee are candidates who are passionate about education and lifelong learning, and possess a blend of strong leadership, informed risk-taking, excellent interpersonal, communications and relationship-building skills.

One of the key priorities for the new President will include refining, prioritizing and implementing the college’s strategic plan, Vision 2015.

A website has been created to house information on the search: www.georgianc.on.ca/presidential-search.

Georgian College invites nominations and applications from all qualified candidates, including Aboriginal peoples, members of visible minorities, persons with disabilities and women.

All nominations and applications should be directed to

Janet Wright & Associates Inc.
174 Bedford Road, Suite 200
Toronto, Ontario M5R 2K9
georgianpresident@jwasearch.com

Brian Tamblyn, President and CEO, Georgian College

Georgian College President and CEO Brian Tamblyn announced today that Georgian will lead a partnership to respond to the Simcoe County District School Board’s call for proposals for the Barrie Central Collegiate site.  Georgian’s response features an allowance for a joint college-university centre of excellence in downtown Barrie.

Georgian is responding to a call for proposals by the Simcoe County District School Board for financially viable partnerships that could rebuild or redevelop the Central Collegiate site. Faced with declining enrolment for the secondary school and an aging school building, trustees are seeking creative ideas for making the most of the site while keeping a high school presence in downtown Barrie.

“Georgian will lead a team of public and private sector partners to create a strong and innovative plan. Details of the plan will be released within the context of the School Board’s request for proposal process, expected later this winter or spring,” Tamblyn said.

“Georgian is focused on achieving this opportunity for Barrie and for Georgian, as well as our community. We, along with our public and private partners, will be moving to a design stage for a portion of the Barrie Central site, in response to the School Board’s request for proposals,” said Tamblyn.  This work will be co-ordinated with the City of Barrie’s Master Site Plan, expected to be completed this winter, for the block of land surrounding Central Collegiate.

Over a year ago, Barrie Mayor Jeff Lehman invited the community to respond to the potential for partnerships at the Barrie Central site. Georgian has been developing its proposal since that time.  Tamblyn said Georgian’s groundwork to date has included a number of visioning sessions with potential partners and stakeholders to determine the strongest approach.

The City of Barrie has long envisioned a downtown campus for Georgian, and the potential for the college to collaborate with a university is significant. Tamblyn calls this a major opportunity.

The concept being developed by Georgian for the School Board’s consideration also coincides with the Ontario Government’s plans to create three new satellite university campuses through a competitive Request-For-Proposal process.

Georgian’s proposal will focus on an allocation of land for the satellite university campus, incorporating a “Centre of Excellence” that hosts both college and university programs in an as yet unspecified field of study (e.g. Design and Visual Arts, Business, etc.).

“This is the right location and the right time for a public-private partnership (P3) on the Central lands and the adjacent lands owned by the City of Barrie,” says Tamblyn.  P3 development is an approach in which public organizations such as Georgian join with the private sector to achieve mutual benefits and reduced costs for major capital projects.

“I agree with Mayor Jeff Lehman’s vision for the Central Collegiate site,” said Tamblyn. “We should work together to keep a secondary school in the downtown core in a way that is both innovative and viable. The school must also meet the School Board’s long-term planning needs. By working together, we can create post-secondary investment on that site that complements the Board’s plans.”

“The stars are aligned and I believe that Georgian must take a leadership role and work with the City in achieving this downtown post-secondary campus goal for our community,” said Tamblyn.

“Details on what a specific academic centre of excellence could look like will need to wait until the province announces its selection process for new university campuses. That’s when we will work with universities that are interested in a Barrie campus to create a true partnership in post-secondary opportunity.”

Backgrounder

• At the same time as the Simcoe County District School Board is seeking proposals for partnerships, the Ontario government is planning three new satellite university campuses.
• The government has not yet announced how the selection process will work. Queen’s Park alone will determine which universities will be permitted to expand and which municipalities will benefit.
• “It is absolutely clear that the government will select the university, not Georgian, and not the City of Barrie. We want to be ready to attract this important post-secondary investment for Barrie, the broader community and for our students,” Tamblyn said.
• “This is the time to focus on winning this for Barrie,” said Tamblyn. “The provincial government’s selection process will be a competitive one. For Barrie to win, we need the innovative alignment of Georgian’s existing and planned programming, along with those of whichever university is selected.”
• Georgian is committed to working with all interested universities to create the strongest and most innovative proposal possible for Barrie and the surrounding community.