OKANAGAN
COLLEGE
2020
progress report
MORE THAN
21,200 STUDENTS
TOOK A COURSE
IN THE
PAST YEAR
SECOND-LARGEST
TRADES TRAINING INSTITUTION
IN B.C.
93%
OF OC STUDENTS SAY ATTENDING THE COLLEGE HAS
BEEN A GOOD
EXPERIENCE
1,910 ABORIGINAL
STUDENTS
EXCEEDED
SUPPORTING
PROVINCIAL
INDUSTRY AND COMMUNITIES
TARGETS FOR
THROUGH OC’S EXPANDING
ENROLMENT
15TH YEAR IN A ROW
APPLIED
RESEARCH PORTFOLIO
APPLIED [RESEARCH] SOLUTIONS TO PANDEMIC PROBLEMS
NEW PROGRAMS This year, Okanagan College received provincial approval for a new Applied Bachelor of Arts degree in Community Research and Evaluation. Up to 15 qualifying graduates will be eligible to receive guaranteed entry into UBC Okanagan’s Master of Social Work. OC also finalized partnerships and approval for a new Common First-Year Engineering (CFYE) program. Both will be offered in fall 2021. The School of Business received funding for a new Experiential Entrepreneurship program – launching in fall 2022 – adding an applied entrepreneurship specialty to the Bachelor of Business Administration degree.
In July, OC’s Dr. Beverlie Dietze was among the contributors to a new statement by the Lawson Foundation on why outdoor play is critical for children’s development and learning during the pandemic and beyond. This fall, funded by a grant from NSERC, the College and Monashee Health Collective are working to power up a new app to enhance communication between health professionals and patients (one of 20 current and past projects which combined represent more than $2 million in funding over the past year).
ENHANCED WEBSITE The College’s new mobile-friendly website launched this summer. It follows through on two years of consultation, feedback and testing with high school and mature students, parents, counsellors and the internal community. It was designed with both future and current students in mind, to make the process of exploring programs and accessing supports easier than ever before. The site’s performance, accessibility, best practices and search engine optimization all now earn top marks in Lighthouse, an open source auditing tool that assesses website quality.
CELEBRATING INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE AND CULTURE On Sept. 29, the College hosted the 12th Annual Youth Exhibition Powwow in a wholly virtual format. Dancers, drummers, singers and artists across the province submitted videos of their talents; these were compiled and shared with hundreds of teachers and community members around B.C. The Kalamalka Indigenous Garden at the Vernon campus can now be explored through an interpretative website that features knowledge and messages from Okanagan Indian Band Elders. A new Indigenous garden was planted at the Penticton campus over the summer.
SUPPORTING STUDENTS In addition to transitioning all services for students online during the pandemic, the College made many other strides in enhancing services. Orientation and SmartStart went online, while OC Support, a new online appointment booking tool, also launched this fall. Students can now easily book online appointments with counsellors, librarians, tutors and advisors across a wide array of services. Counselling Services also took its Flourish program online and launched Wellness Wednesdays and Grow@OC, two new initiatives to support student mental health during a period of increased anxiety and uncertainty.
OC ADAPTS While the College rapidly transitioned to alternative delivery of classes and services beginning in March due to the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, communications and technology played a vital role in keeping the students informed and supported. This included more than 750 updates for students on the website, myOkanagan, Moodle, direct email messages and social media in regards to adjustments in programming, services and supports. OC’s IT Services and Ed Tech teams dispatched technology, and logged thousands of hours of troubleshooting support, including the development a new course to help students adjust to and thrive in online learning.
STUDENTS STEP UP
CELEBRATING GRADUATES
A class of OC Practical Nursing students demonstrated their bravery and willingness to help their community during the pandemic; they opted not to postpone their preceptorships so they could complete their training on time and join fellow nurses in the workforce. Health Care Assistant students sewed more than 500 re-usable facemasks, while OC 3D printers were powered up to produce face shields. Therapist Assistant alumni helped connect OC with clients across B.C. so students could complete required practicum hours via instructor-supervised telehealth consultations.
While we could not gather in person to celebrate spring and summer graduates, the College community united to produce a video to mark the occasion. College students, staff and alumni, joined the Minister of Advanced Education, Skills and Training, Melanie Mark, and other guest speakers to share messages of support and congratulations for grads. OC staff and community partners found many unique virtual or physically-distanced ways to honour students. A pair of Salmon Arm Early Childhood Education grads from the Splatsin Indian Band were recognized in a special ceremony for their remarkable dedication to completing their studies during the pandemic. Prior to the pandemic, Kelowna’s Elaine Bertram became the inaugural graduate of the College’s Human Resources Management Post-Baccalaureate Diploma program in January.
CULINARY CARES With many College employees and students working and learning remotely and fewer people dining on campus, the Culinary and Pastry Arts program came up with a way to support students in need while continuing hands-on training in the kitchens. The OC Serves Up initiative sees students prepare 50 nutritious meals per day (more than 12,500 over the next year), provided to financiallychallenged OC students free. The program was made possible by support from RBC and Sysco and in partnership with the Okanagan College Students’ Union (OCSU).
STUDENTS IN THE COMMUNITY
BUILDING FOR A GREENER FUTURE
OC students still found ways to drive meaningful change in communities in the region, across the country and even internationally in 2020. The Enactus OC FruitSnaps team from Vernon wasted no time in adapting its FruitSnaps making model to continue efforts to help feed those in need in our region. Those efforts earned the OC students a podium finish at the Enactus National Exposition in May. To date, that project has produced more than 35,000 servings of their healthy dehydrated apple snacks, including 12,000 distributed internationally.
Work continued in 2020 on the $18.9-M Health Sciences Centre in Kelowna. The 30,000 sq. ft. facility builds on the College’s established reputation as a leader in sustainability, pursuing Well Silver certification (a measure of occupant health and well-being), zero carbon, LEED Gold standard, and featuring an Indigenous garden. This fall, OC was one of eight climate-action leading post-secondary institutions across Canada to join the Canadian Colleges for a Resilient Recovery initiative – a group working to educate a post-pandemic workforce and support a new climate-focused economic recovery.
2020 HONORARY FELLOWS Pamela and Wilfred “Grouse” Barnes, Robert Foord, Louis Thomas and Don Turri are Okanagan College’s 2020 Honorary Fellows. The Barnes are Westbank First Nation Elders recognized for their dedication to preserving Syilx language and culture. Foord, President of Kal-Tire, is known for his philanthropy. Thomas is a Secwepemc knowledge keeper and a Councilor with the Neskonlith Indian Band who supports countless community organizations. Turri, an OC alum, is a partner with accounting firm Crowe MacKay LLP in Kelowna and known for his dedication to mentorship at the College and in the community.
It has been a year unlike any other. As Okanagan College continued its progress in early 2020 toward another year of growth and development, student successes and support for our communities, the world suddenly changed. In mid-March, our professors, instructors, students and staff had to make an almost-instant shift to a new pandemic-informed reality. With support from partners, the communities we serve and through the dedication and patience of our students we completed the winter semester and soon were planning and delivering summer semesters unlike any we have ever had to offer. As the pandemic persisted, fall programs followed suit. That said, through careful planning and safety protocol development, we have brought a substantial number of students back to some in-person lab and shop experiences. We anticipate the extent of in-person learning to grow in 2021, should the pandemic continue. While COVID-19 wreaked havoc on hairstyles, the OC Foundation’s Haircuts for Health Care campaign generated heartwarming support for students from across OC and in the community. More than 400 people donated $44,600 toward the $5 million fundraising goal for the new Health Sciences Centre. The campaign received a $500,000 boost from the Stober family foundation on top of many other generous gifts from individuals, families and organizations across the region, demonstrating the depth and breadth of community support for the College. The full impact of COVID-19 is still unfolding, but we continue to plan for a future that includes new programs, and provides more access to higher education for learners from the region and around the globe. The pandemic aside, Okanagan College’s commitment to providing access to meet the needs and expectations of our nearly 21,000 students, their employers and communities proudly remains at the heart of our activities, even if they are masked, online or being offered in new ways.
Gloria Morgan
Jim Hamilton
Chair, Okanagan College Board of Governors
President, Okanagan College
Keep up with our current news at okanagan.bc.ca/news