Organizational Excellence

In 2022-2023, Niagara College demonstrated a commitment to the excellence of its operations, the development of its people, and the continued financial security of the institution. Key actions to support these goals include multi-year enrolment strategies; the development of new experiential learning opportunities; investment in the professional development of our people; supporting a culture of innovation; growing access to student financial supports, and the continued diversification of revenue sources.

The Board of Governors approved a new five-year strategic plan that includes six inter-connected areas of focus, as outlined in this Annual Report: Wholistic Student Experience, Academic Excellence, Global Reach, Alumni and Partner Engagement, Social Inclusion and Environmental Responsibility, and Organizational Excellence.

After a three-year hiatus during the pandemic, the Niagara College Gala – Celebrating Dreams returned in full force to support student success, with record attendance and a $1 million pledge from NCSAC for student scholarships. In addition to raising funds for student success initiatives, the event provides valuable applied learning opportunities for NC students, who assist the Advancement team with event planning and execution.

To support the Strategic Plan, a new Vice President, Advancement, Gord Arbeau, joined the College in January 2023. Arbeau leads the communications, development and alumni relations, and community relations and events functions. His work at the College focuses on significantly growing NC’s endowments and raising funds in support of students and learning environments, along with enhanced alumni and partner engagement.

Recognizing the importance of continuous learning for faculty and staff, the Tuition Assistance Program was expanded to support the College’s goal to attract, retain and develop a strong team. Each year, the program assists qualifying employees to pay for a portion of the tuition costs associated with eligible educational endeavors.

As part of a comprehensive review of its Learning Management System (LMS), extensive consultations identified the digital learning priorities that will take NC into the future. An LMS is an essential tool to support teaching and learning and a hub for communication, content-sharing, assessment, and feedback with and among students, staff, and faculty.

Advisory College Council

Chaired by Senior Vice-President of College Operations, Pam Skinner, in 2021-2022 the Advisory College Council (ACC) provided valuable feedback on several key strategic initiatives including: the Diversity & Inclusion Taskforce, the College’s COVID-19 safety protocols, and the Employee Engagement Survey. ACC was also consulted in a dedicated meeting of the Conversations with the President initiative, a set of open discussions that informed the development of the Strategic Plan 2022-2027.

The ACC continues to act as an engaged and focused group for new initiatives and emerging college business. The Council serves as a cross-functional team and can always be relied upon to put forward thoughtful, helpful recommendations and advice.

The 2022-23 Council members are listed below in appreciation of their service to the Council:

Matt Sajn, Academic Studies

Len Ferry, Academic Studies

Terri Champion, Business and Management Studies

Jessica Morris, Community Services

Pete D’Elia, Trades

Derek Schulze, Environment & Horticulture

Jenn Dey, Community and Employment Services

Gavin Robertson, Wine, Beer & Spirits

Jennifer Babin, Health, Wellness and Acessibility Services

Shari Walsh, Academic Advising & Career Services

Jennifer Smith, Development and Alumni Relations

Paula Reile, Research & Innovation

Maxine Semple, International

Jason Lennard, International

Katie McQuestion, Campus Safety & Parking

Claire Rosati, Information Technology Services

Soffia Kutiepova, Student Administrative Council

Sam Jemison, Student Administrative Council

Urooj Rajput, Student Administrative Council

Jake Forsyth, Student Administrative Council

Jeff (Jack) McKinnon, Student Administrative Council

Student Achievements

> Game Development student clinical experience. The award, which is the highest monetary award granted to one student at the College, is funded by the Ministry of Colleges and Universities in memory of the victims of the 2020 Ukrainian airliner crash in Iran in January 2020.

Matt Mackie and Welding Technician student Jake Boekestyn struck gold as first-place winners in the 3D Digital Game Art and Welding competitions respectively, at the 2022 Skills Ontario Competition. NC students also captured second place in 3D Game Art, third place in Carpentry, and fourth place in Welding. Mackie went on to become the second-place winner in the 3D digital Game Art competition at the Skills Canada National Competition, while Boekestyn was the third-place winner in the welding competition.

> Photonics Engineering Technician students Samantha Turmel, Ishita Paragkumar Soni, and alumnus Chris Dipardo (2022), were the recipients of the 2022 Eichenholz-SPIE Photonics Technician Scholarship, the international society for optics and photonics.

> Alex Moruzi (Brewmaster) was the 2022 winner of the $4,500 Matt Soos Memorial Scholarship. Her specialty beer Dragon’s Breath, which was both her year-end project and entry into the Project Brew competition, won judges over due to her confident use of a tricky ingredient –habanero peppers.

Governor General Academic Medal, the most prestigious award a Canadian student can receive in recognition of academic excellence.

> Glenda Mendes (Fitness and Health Promotion), a second-year student from India, was the 2022 recipient of the $10,500 Ontario Remembrance Scholarship. Mendes, who worked as a trained physiotherapist in India, was selected for demonstrating a passion to achieve excellence, commitment to her program, and positive inter-connected focus on wellness, while leveraging her previous

> During NC’s week-long 2022 Spring Convocation in June, eight ceremonies celebrated more than 3,650 Class of 2022 graduates and 11 Dean’s Award winners, while nearly 1,200 new graduates were celebrated at 2022 Fall Convocation in October. International student Jonhel Ampil (Recreation Therapy) graduated as the top student from the Class of 2022. A native of Philippines, Ampil earned a 98.046% average and was awarded the

> Sophia Cole (Public Relations) received the prestigious Canadian Public Relations Society – Hamilton chapter Student Award of Excellence. This was the fourth consecutive year that a Public Relations student from NC has won this award.

> Welland native and Knights volleyball and soccer athlete Natasha Desjardins had the honour of carrying the Roly McLenahan torch as part of its 1,200 km journey from Ottawa to Niagara for the opening ceremonies of the Canada Summer Games. Desjardins ran a one-kilometre stretch along Niagara College Boulevard at the Welland Campus with teammates and NC supporters by her side.

> During the 2022-2023 varsity season, the Knights women’s curling team won the OCAA/ CCAA silver and the mixed doubles team picked up OCAA silver. The women’s soccer team made history in 2022, winning bronze at the OCAA Championships – the program’s first OCAA medal.

> The College’s varsity athletes were celebrated at the Knights’ 53rd Annual Athletic Awards Banquet in March 2023. Female Athlete of the Year was awarded to Sidney Sica (women’s soccer) and Male Athlete of the Year was awarded to Delroy Grandison (men’s basketball). Curling Head Coach Bryant Karner received the Ralph Nero Memorial Award for coaching excellence and outstanding contributions to student recruitment and retention.

> 18 NC students were part of the second-place team at the Ontario Colleges’ Marketing Competition (OCMC) 2022, and two teams of NC Business students competed at the 2023 Human Resources Professionals Association (HRPA)

Student Case Competition. One of the NC teams took home first place at the competition, which included students Madison Emery, Jessica Chang, Julia Krasovec, and Camille Houston

Alumni Achievements

> Local artist and alumnus Shaun O’Melia (Graphic Design, 2014) was selected from a group of more than 45 artists to design the medals for the Niagara 2022 Canada Summer Games. His design was unveiled at a celebration event livestreamed by students in the BRTF program.

> Multi-award-winning journalist Murray Brewster, (BRTF, 1985) and Founder of Erica’s Embrace, Erica Williams (Social Service Worker, 2018), were among seven winners of Colleges Ontario’s prestigious Premier’s Awards 2022. The double win marked the first time that two NC alumni won Premier’s Awards in the same year. Five other NC alumni were also nominated, including Matt Vandermolen (Computer Programmer; Interactive Media, 2006), Monique Belair (Law and Security Administration, 1985), Anthony Spiteri (Business Administration – Marketing Management, 1989), Derek Christensen (Nursing, 1991) and Christine White (Automotive Certificate of Qualifications, 2006).

> Karen Steele (BRTF, 1992), received the 2022 Rosalie Award that recognizes Canadian women who have blazed new trails in radio. Steele is Program Director of 99.9 Virgin Radio (CKFM-FM) Toronto.

> Alumnus Andres Coimbra Castedo (Game Development, 2019) dazzled viewers on the big screen working as a lighting artist on the 2023 Oscar award-winning film by Guillermo del Toro, Pinocchio

> Members of NC’s alumni community competed at the 2022 Paralympic Winter Games in Beijing. Christina Picton (Graphic Design, 2015) and Rod Crane (Recreation Therapy, 2013) represented Canada on the biggest international stage for their sport. Picton competed in Para Nordic skiing and Biathlon, and Crane played on the Para Ice Hockey team.

> BRTF alumna Amy Audibert (2012) was hired by the NBA’s Miami HEAT as the team’s radio analyst and television studio analyst. Prior to working with the Miami HEAT, Audibert was a courtside reporter and analyst for the Toronto Raptors on Sportsnet.

> Married couple Alex Marischuk (Recreation and Leisure Services, 2005; Early Childhood Education, 2008; and Early Childhood Education Resource Teacher, 2009) and Matthew Marischuk (Recreation and Leisure Services, 2004 and Mechanical Techniques, 2007), were the winners of NC’s inaugural alumni couple contest, after submitting the story of how they met at NC.

Staff Achievements

Three members of the Niagara College team were honoured for their exceptional service and accomplishments through NC’s prestigious Awards of Excellence for 2022: Maria Cassford, Administrative Assistant, School of Hospitality & Tourism (Support Staff category); Maxine Semple, Manager, Cultural & Global Engagement (Administration category); Jamie Oresar, Professor, School of Liberal Studies (Faculty category). The 2022 Team Award of Excellence went to NC’s ‘COVID Safety Response Team’ consisting of Darren Williams, Health & Safety Specialist, and Katie McQuestion, Emergency Management/Fire

Altoft, Professor in the School of Environment and Horticulture, for her commitment towards college recruitment efforts.

NC received two Awards of Excellence from the Minister of Colleges and Universities: the Accessibility Hub, designed for educators and non-educators alike to build accessibility-first habits into all aspects of their work, received an award in the Equality and Opportunity category, while Chef Professor Olaf Mertens was honoured with an Everyday Heroes Award for his leadership of NC’s Feed the Community initiative.

NCSAC announced the winners of its Educators of the Year awards for the 2021-2022 academic year: Marsha Baddeley, a full-time Professor in the School of Media Studies, and Jeffrey Ko, a part-time School of Nursing Professor.

Counsellor Jamie Consoli received an Award of Excellence in Counselling Practice by the Ontario College Counsellors (OCC/CCCO). Consoli, who is Mushkego Cree and a member of

Annie Michaud, Professor in the School of Environment and Horticulture, was interviewed on The Water Rangers: The Ripple Effect about her role at NC and the importance of communitybased water monitoring, Niagara Coastal, of which Michaud is a founding member.

Baking and Pastry Arts Professor and Program Coordinator Catherine O’Donnell was one of five chefs inducted into the Canadian Culinary Federation Honour Society in 2022. O’Donnell, who owns Willow Cakes and Pastries in Niagara-on-the-Lake, was chosen for her long-time involvement with culinary teams, branch involvement, community involvement, and dedication to her students at NC.

Wayne Schaefer, Professor and Coordinator of the Industrial Automation Program, became a published author after having his story and expertise featured by Engineering.com. His piece focused on using 3D machine simulation to enhance skills, efficiency and quality for young engineers and skilled technical support workers. Schaefer, was selected to speak at the inaugural Ontario Society of Professional Engineers Engineering Conference in 2021, where he first gained recognition from Engineering.com

Alan Unwin, Dean of Business and Environment, was a member of the Canadian Delegation at the 2022 UN Conference of the Parties (COP) to the Convention on Biodiversity. The MontrealKunming Global Biodiversity Framework agreement was finalized at COP, setting firm global targets to protect nature over the next decade. Unwin was also among Canadian delegates who visited Switzerland at the UN Convention on Biological Diversity.

Showing its commitment to building a stronger and more prosperous Niagara, NC participated in the 2022 Niagara Economic Summit, hosted by the Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce and livestreamed by BRTF students and faculty. Jeff Murrell, Associate Dean, School of Trades, was among a group of panel experts who discussed how businesses can navigate the gap between Niagara’s needs and its labour force.

College Recognition

Niagara College was recognized as a Hamilton-Niagara Region Top Employer for 2023. NC earned the designation for providing exceptional maternity and parental-leave salary top-up benefits, retirement-planning assistance, contributions to a defined benefit pension, and its longstanding history of celebrating employee success through the annual Awards of Excellence.

For the eighth year in a row, Niagara College ranked among the top 10 colleges in the country for research funding, according to a special report released by Research Infosource. Niagara College earned the No. 2 spot in Canada as a top research college, and the No. 1 spot in Ontario

The College received a 2022 Award of Excellence from CICan, winning a silver in the Global Engagement category, which recognizes Canadian colleges whose initiatives exhibit innovation, creativity, and leadership in the internationalization of their institution. The College was also recognized by the World Federation of Colleges and Polytechnics with a bronze award in the category of Global Citizenship. Additionally, the Leading National Academy (LNA) of Niagara College Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (NC KSA) was recognized as the “Most Impactful Diversity & Inclusion Initiative” at the 2022 Middle East People Awards.

NC achieved two wins at the 2022 Grow Up Industry Awards in September. The Commercial Cannabis Production graduate certificate program – launched in 2018 as the first of its kind in Canada – won the Cannabis Education Award, while one of the program’s first graduates from 2019, Stacie Hollingworth, was named Master Grower of the Year

The Niagara College Aurora Armoury, designed by Gow Hastings Architects, was recognized with two design awards for its innovative transformation of one of Ontario’s oldest armouries. The Armoury, which opened in 2019 through a partnership between the Town of Aurora and NC, picked up the Preserve + Restore Award from the Association of Registered Interior Designers of Ontario and the Paul Oberman Award for Adaptive Reuse (LargeScale) from the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario. A prominent community gathering hub and vibrant culinary-arts space, the College runs shortterm and part-time culinary, wine and beer classes on site, as well as catering in the community event space at the historic armoury.

The Niagara Home Builders Association (NHBA) named Niagara College as the 2022 recipient of the Nick Basciano Company of the Year Award for playing a pivotal role in shaping the youth of today and addressing gaps in the skilled trades tomorrow.

Accolades poured in for NC’s Teaching Distillery, Winery and Brewery in 2022.

The Teaching Distillery won two golds and one bronze at the 2022 U.S. Open Whiskey and Spirits Championship, which ranks the best distilleries, whiskeys, and spirits among entries from across the United States and Canada. The Teaching Distillery’s Twisted Berry Gin earned one of two gold medals, and the Chocolate Porter Liqueur won gold in the Flavored Whiskey category.

The Teaching Winery won the Best Sparkling Wine of the Year for the Balance Brut along with a double gold medal in the Sparkling Wine Traditional Method category at the All Canadian Wine Championships

The 2020 Balance Dry Riesling won the double gold ‘best of category’ (Riesling Dry). The 2019 Dean’s List Botrytis Affected Chardonnay won a bronze (Late Harvests category), as did the 2019 Dean’s List Savant Cabernet Sauvignon Icewine (Red Icewines category).

At the Ontario Wine Awards, NC won a silver for Balance Dry Riesling 2020 (Quench Magazine Riesling Dry Award), silver for Dean’s List Viognier 2020 (Dry White Varietals Award), and bronze for Balance Gamay Noir 2018 (George Brown Centre for Hospitality and

Culinary Arts Gamay Award). The team also won two golds, three silvers and a bronze at the WineAlign National Wine Awards of Canada out of the 1,890 wines and ciders entered (the 2020 Dean’s List Cabernet Sauvignon and 2020 Les Marmitons Chardonnay were each awarded gold medals, the 2020 Dean’s List Merlot, the 2020 Dean’s List Meritage and 2020 Balance Dry Riesling were each awarded a silver medal, and the Balance Brut earned a bronze. In addition to the medals, Niagara College alumnus Paul Pender was posthumously awarded the Winemaker of the Year Award for his many contributions to the Ontario wine industry.

At the 2022 Global Fine Wine Challenge, the Dean’s List Savant Cabernet Sauvignon Icewine 2019 won gold in the Dessert Wines category. At the 2022 U.S. Open Cider

Championship NC was awarded a gold for Cidre Fermier (farmhouse cider) in the Heritage Cider category, and a bronze for its Cider 101 in the Modern Cider – Sweet category.

The Teaching Brewery brought home two medals from the inaugural Canada Beer Cup national competition for Beer 101 Strong (gold in the English Style Old Ale/ Scottish Style Wee Heavy/ Scotch Ale category) and Beer 101 Bock (gold in the Bock category).

At the 2022 U.S. Open Beer Championship, NC was awarded silver medals for Beer 101 Bitter (Bitter category), Ukrainian Golden Ale (Ukrainian Golden Ale category), and Resist – Anti Imperial Stout (Resist Anti Imperial Stout category). The Teaching Brewery became the only Canadian brewery to achieve a medal in the two Ukrainian beer categories at the competition. At the same competition, Brewmaster student Ian Morrison’s saison beer, Saison du Temps Presse and Aaron Grandguillot’s American porter, Lights Out, were awarded gold medals, while Matt Hand’s dark Belgian strong, Strong Hand, earned a bronze. Changing Lanes, a white IPA beer brewed by the 2022 class, also brought home a bronze.