SIAST Go! Alumni magazine

2011 SIAST ALUMNI

Paying it back – and forward Powerhouse Magna Electric knows its roots Don Narcisse A Roughrider comes home Meet FCI Accelerated A company staffed

by SIAST New Nurse Alumni Psych nursing program gets new life Magna Electric’s Jocelyn Sagal knew a SIAST Electrical Engineering Technology diploma would be her ticket to a rewarding future.

What’s on?

Events at SIAST

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Leave a legacy • Get connected • Make meetings count • Join the grapevine

Time to Reconnect

Welcome to the inaugural issue of go! alumni. Since the SIAST Alumni Office opened in June 2010, we’ve heard from hundreds of alumni. Thanks for registering with us so that we can keep you informed about coming programs and services.

In less than a year, we’ve increased the number of registered alumni by over 25 per cent. You can help us by spreading the word. Ask the SIAST alumni in your life to get in touch with us, and let us know how to get in touch with them. Locating is the first step in establishing a strong and vibrant association, one that strives to meet professional and personal goals of alumni.

This is the time to reconnect: The association is just beginning. Want the opportunity to mentor current students?

We’ll develop a mentoring program. Want the chance to socialize with each other? We’ll organize events. We’ll find ways for you to get involved. But we need you to tell us what you want your alumni association to look like. go! alumni is our opportunity to tell you what’s happening with current and former students. And it’s your chance to tell us your story. An alumni association is important because it gives former SIAST students a way to stay connected, get involved and give back. So get ready, get set and go! alumni.

Pam McLellan Director, Donor and Alumni Relations

Valuable Contributions

Welcome to the first issue of go! alumni – a new opportunity to connect with SIAST. Since you graduated, thousands more post-secondary students have recognized what you knew when you enrolled in a SIAST program: Our mix of practical and technical education provides marketable skills that lead to rewarding careers. In the last full academic year, enrolment was up more than nine per cent; over the past four years, it has grown by 30 per cent.

With this growing student population, it’s now more important than ever that we develop a strong alumni organization. Through sharing your time, talent and connections, alumni can make valuable contributions toward ensuring that post-secondary institutions receive the support they need to respond effectively to stakeholder needs. At SIAST, our student-centred, market-savvy approach enables us to contribute to growth in the province. Your support helps us provide post-secondary education that’s in demand. Your involvement helps us respond effectively to Saskatchewan’s labour market development needs.

As we develop a robust alumni organization, your expertise can play a vital role in mentoring students and new grads – and this need will only grow. There’ll be many opportunities in the months and years ahead for alumni to connect with one another and with SIAST. We’re looking forward to re-engaging with you.

Dr. Bob McCulloch President and CEO

Contents 04 07 08 09 10 10 11 12 13 14 15 17 18 20 22 23

Giving Back: SIAST grads at Magna Electric Local Heroes: Saskatchewan sisterhood cooks Growing Student Futures: Ways to make an impact What They’re Saying: Donors and students speak Two-Way Education: SIAST and Stantec Grapevine: Find out what grads are up to Meet the Alumni: Kim Mealing’s touchdown with the Riders Meet the Alumni: Loyal Johnson, loyal graduate Enrolment Is Up: How Kelsey Campus got its name Building on Strength: Responding to industry needs Top Tips to Make Meetings Better Behind the Benefits: Register with SIAST Nursing Alumni: Psych nursing program invigorates SIAST alumni field What’s On: Check out some annual events of interest to you Staffed by SIAST: Meet an IT company that makes the most of SIAST alumni Roughriders’ Alumnus: Don Narcisse comes home to Saskatchewan

SIAST go! alumni!

Volume 1, Issue 1, 2011 Published by the Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology, SIAST Donor and Alumni Relations Tel: 306.775.7358 Email: siast.alumni@siast.sk.ca SIAST Alumni Co-ordinator: Mindy Herauf Managing Editors: Mifi Purvis, Liz Crompton Art Director: Malcolm Brown, grafikmilk.com Photographer: Tom Bartlett, SIAST SIAST Campuses: Moose Jaw, Prince Albert, Regina, Saskatoon Cover: SIAST Alumna Jocelyn Sagal of Magna Electric Corporation

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Giving Back

A powerful relationship between SIAST and alumni is good currency If you were to look at Magna Electric Corporation’s roster of about 210 industrial electrical engineering technologists and journeyman electricians, you might think there was some favouritism going on: Most are graduates of SIAST’s Electrical Engineering Technology diploma program – as are all four company owners, including the president.

But it’s more straightforward than that. The Saskatchewan-based electrical engineering and construction company

The company has projects across North America and around the world, says MEC president Kerry Heid. “They bring us in because of our high aptitude.

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simply wants the best manpower it can get.

“We really want the top-level people in our industry, and it all starts with SIAST,” says Kerry Heid, president of Magna Electric Corporation (MEC). The company has had projects across North America and around the world, he notes. “They bring us in because of our high level of aptitude.”

That aptitude has enabled MEC to grow steadily over the years (and significantly last year). When Heid joined the company in 1996, it had one office location and about 10 employees. Today the company boasts seven office locations in Canada and the U.S., has successfully completed projects in countries including Korea, Iceland and Trinidad, and has more than 300 employees on the payroll. MEC provides – among other things – electrical consulting, manufacturing and construction services to industrial, utility and institutional sectors.

$50,000

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POWERED BY PEOPLE: MEC’s owners are backed by the expertise of fellow SIAST Electrical Engineering Technology alumni.

MEC equipment gift for safe studying

It hasn’t been an easy road. Heid told the Canadian Business Journal, which profiled MEC in its January 2011 issue, that the company had to scrap for every project during the province’s lean years in the late 1990s and early 2000s, and they did a lot of work outside Saskatchewan. Things changed a few years ago when a revitalized business climate helped stimulate a lot of activity at home. Three-quarters of MEC’s work is now done within the province’s borders, up from about 40 per cent. And, when asked how MEC managed to boom during the recent deep global recession, Heid had a oneword reply: “Saskatchewan.”

Indeed, last year was a banner year for MEC, with major increases in revenue and personnel. At the same time, it racked up a number of awards including a Saskatchewan Top 100 Company and a WorkSafe Saskatchewan 2010 Safe Employer Award (see fact box, page 6).

These achievements reflect having the right people in place now, and continued success requires strategic hiring – finding the right people for the future.

Part of that strategy is to support SIAST in producing top-notch workers and to ensure that industry’s needs are known.

MEC provides co-op placements for students and hires many of those after graduation. As a member of SIAST’s Electrical Engineering Technology Program Advisory Committee, Heid has a voice in ensuring the program itself maintains its high standards and stays current with new technologies. MEC also sends its personnel to talk to the graduating class continued on p.6 >>

In the summer of 2010, MEC donated about $50,000 worth of industrial equipment to SIAST’s Electrical Engineering Technology program, based at SIAST Palliser Campus in Moose Jaw. “We were very grateful to receive a donation of that magnitude,” says program head Dick Belton. “We have never had anything of that size or complexity donated before.”

The equipment included a 15kV vacuum circuit breaker, a motor starter, a 600-volt breaker and a fused disconnect switch. Belton says being able to closely examine and handle such machinery in a completely safe environment will better prepare students for what they’re going to encounter in the field, when the equipment is energized and in service.

MEC president Kerry Heid says the company is committed to both technical training and safety. The donated equipment gives students hands-on access to the kind of equipment they’ll encounter every day once they enter the workforce.

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FACT BOX

Forward thinkers: Magna aims to act as leaders and be the ultimate resource for quality products and service in the electrical power systems market Track record: MEC was established in Saskatchewan in 1985 Top names: They’re all graduates of SIAST’s Electrical Engineering Technology program: Kerry Heid, President (1988); Kerwin J. Boser, VP, Sales & Marketing (1988); Curtis Brandt, VP, Business Development (1995); Jarret Solberg, VP, Operations (1992) Strong workforce: Magna has 306 employees Top dollars: Annual revenue is $60.5 million 2010 awards: Saskatchewan’s Top 100 Companies, Saskatchewan Top-20 Employer, WorkSafe Saskatchewan Safe Employer Award, NETA (the InterNational Electrical Testing Association) Outstanding Achievement award to Kerry Heid More Magna: magnaelectric.com

continued from p.5 >> about recent safety upgrades in electrical procedures.

The company gives in more hard-currency ways, too: It sponsors several awards and bursaries, and last summer it gave a major gift (see sidebar, page 5). There’s a simple reason the company is so keen to give so much back. “Getting good people to come work for us,” Heid says. “The backbone of our company is people. And we want good people.”

Good people are key, of course, because the company’s good reputation fundamentally rests on its ability to get the job done well. Heid tells of a recent major pipeline project running from northern Alberta to the US Midwest on which

MEC workers had to overcome numerous problems in the field, on the fly, often in tough weather conditions. The client was very satisfied with the results, Heid reports.

Heid understands the value of solid education and reallife preparation. Now MEC is providing opportunities to current students through co-op placements, awards, guest lectures and donations of equipment that give students the hands-on experience they all know is key to success in their industry.

Saskatchewan Sisterhood Cooks A million dollars. It was a milestone that former SIAST student Jacquie Klebeck, a Foam Lake local and ministerial assistant to Saskatchewan MLA Ken Cheveldayoff, can still hardly believe.

In 2004, Klebeck (who has taken several Business Administration classes over the years) and a group of nine friends from rural Saskatchewan held a banquet to raise funds for cancer reasearch. Following the banquet, they gathered some of their recipes; the ensuing cookbook, Breast Friends, was intended to extend the reach of their fundraising work. Their effort was born of loss: All of them had lost relatives and friends to breast cancer.

Very much a team effort, it was just the beginning for the group that calls itself Breast Friends. They collaborated on three more nationally bestselling books and reached $1 million in sales in 2009. The books are sold across Canada and in parts of the US, group spokesperson Klebeck says, “and the profits stay in the community where books are sold.”

The funds raised go to support patient needs, equipment, research and prevention, and to cancer agencies.

Then the Breast Friends caught the attention of some major Canadian investors.

“We’d done all our own marketing until then,” Klebeck explains, “but we had reached a crossroads – I mean, we’re all volunteers.” They garnered a spot on CBC TV’s reality show Dragons’ Den in late 2010 and got an enthusiastic

response from the “dragons” (with the added benefit of a substantial spike in online orders after the show aired).

The group was looking for valuable marketing advice to develop and implement a marketing plan. They asked for $25,000 and promised a return of $50,000 to the Dragons, by way of donation to their favourite charities. In a rare turn, the Dragons promised to provide double the amount the Breast Friends had asked for, a promise of $50,000 worth of advice from the Dragons and their respective expert marketing teams.

“We want to expand our reach,” says Klebeck. “We want the books available everywhere.” *Order cookbooks at breastfriends.ca.

HAPPY WINNER: Devin Dirk, in his second year of SIAST’s Civil Engineering Technology program, knows better than many students about the power of giving back.

Growing Student Futures New fund makes SIAST donations work as hard as you do Do you remember the fable about a villager claiming to be able to make soup from a stone, enough to feed the village?

He gets a cauldron of water boiling and drops in a fistsized stone. Then he encourages the villagers to each add a little something, and they line up with their contributions – bay leaves, onions, potatoes, meat, turnips, spices – until the pot is nearly overflowing and the delicious smell draws everyone from far and wide. None could have made such a meal alone, but together they created something to sustain the community.

That big pot of soup is a bit like the Growing Student Futures fund at SIAST. The fund, in the form of student awards, bursaries and scholarships, sustains many of SIAST’s brightest and hardest-working minds. “What this award does for me is validate that I am on the right career path,” says Charity Landgraf, a Funeral Services student at SIAST Kelsey Campus who recently won a SIAST Centennial Merit Scholarship (CMS). “It renews the commitment I have made to

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Prior to Growing Student Futures there was no way for regular people to contribute modest funds to help students in a meaningful way,” says Pam McLellan.

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furthering my education and gaining new knowledge.”

In his second year of SIAST’s Civil Engineering Technology program, Devin Dirk echoes Landgraf’s sentiments.

He’s the beneficiary of a $2,500 scholarship, funded in part by the Centennial Merit Scholarship and in part by a group of Civil Engineering Technology alumni to mark the 50th anniversary of the graduation of their class.

Dirk appreciates that the CMS extended the reach of an already generous donation. He figures the gift says something about the values of the donor group. “They are trying to help people succeed in school,” he says. And it’s working.

Reviews like Landgraf’s and Dirk’s are renewing the commitment of SIAST alumni to donate a little to a large fund that supports current students. And it has never been easier to make a positive impact on the future prospects of SIAST students and create a better-trained workforce for Saskatchewan.

“Prior to Growing Student Futures, there was no way for regular people to contribute modest funds to help students in a meaningful way,” says Pam McLellan, SIAST’s director of Donor and Alumni Relations. McLellan says the Growing Student Futures Fund is a forward-thinking initiative aimed at directly supporting scholarships and bursaries for SIAST students.

Gifts are not limited to students who’ve received the highest marks. There are scholarships and bursaries available that acknowledge all kinds of remarkable achievements. Hundreds

of SIAST students benefit from donations every year. Those donations don’t have to be substantial. Gifts of any amount make a difference because they’re combined with those of hundreds of other donors.

Better still, the Centennial Merit Scholarship program (funded in part by Saskatchewan’s Ministry of Advanced Education, Employment and Immigration) matches each donation up to 50 per cent. If a person donates $20, for example, the CMS kicks in an additional $10 for a total contribution of $30.

Donors can also designate which of SIAST’s four campuses they want their money to go to.

“I want donors to know what a huge difference they are making in students’ lives and educational outcomes. I am grateful,” Landgraf says.

“It’s so gratifying to hear the reports from students,” McLellan says, “about how important the gifts have been in their lives and their studies.”

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DONORS SPEAK

We are sponsors of the SIAST Business and Industry Dinner in Prince Albert. I think it’s important that students be able to network and learn from business leaders. It helps make them feel good about their education choice and to see that school is not just about school. It’s about their future and their work.”

– Leslie Blacklock, principal interior designer, AODBT Architecture + Interior Design (Architecture Engineering Technology, SIAST Palliser Campus, 1979)

“Awards are crucial incentives for students. I remember what it was like to be

a student and how good it felt to get an award. I’ve met many of the students our awards have benefited. I’ve presented at the awards dinner and sometimes the winning students later drop by the gallery. My passion is for historical buildings, that’s why I chose to support an award for Heritage Restoration in the Architecture Technology program. It’s important for business to support students.”

– Yvette Moore, owner of Yvette Moore Gallery (Architecture Engineering Technology, SIAST Palliser Campus, 1988)

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> Make a difference, grow a future, start now!

YES! I want to grow futures for SIAST students. It’s great to know that for every $1 I donate to the Growing Student Futures fund, SIAST students will receive $1.50 in scholarships and bursaries. Send my gift to: o SIAST Kelsey Campus o SIAST Palliser Campus o SIAST Wascana Campus o SIAST Woodland Campus o Wherever it’s needed the most My gift amount: o $50 o $75 o $100 o $200 o $______ (other) My name _____________________________________________________________ My company’s name (if applicable) ______________________________________ Address ______________________________________________________________ City __________________________________________________________________ Province ____________________Postal code ________________________________ Phone _______________________________________________________________ Email _______________________________________________________________ Name to appear on charitable receipt ____________________________________ o My cheque, payable to SIAST, is enclosed o Charge my credit card o Visa o MasterCard o Cash o Cheque Account # _____________________ Exp. date ___/___ Donations of $10 or more are eligible for a charitable tax deduction.

SIAST Official Charitable #: 10795-7540-RR0001 Send to SIAST Donor and Alumni Relations, 400 - 119 / 4th Ave S, Saskatoon, SK S7K 5X2; Fax to 306.933.8214; Email to donations@siast.sk.ca

‘‘’’ What they’re saying

“I am a hard-working student, and I’ll put my scholarship to good use. I wish to excel in my studies to earn a good job as a youth care worker so I can give back to the community.” – Veronica ShawTownsend, Youth Care Worker, SIAST Kelsey Campus

“My choice to return to school in the fall was not an easy decision, and my financial situation played a large role. I appreciate the value of this scholarship. I also have to say that receiving this award has made me feel very encouraged.”

– Jonathan Kristoff, Health Information Management, SIAST Wascana Campus “Winning this award is a great honour and one I will not take for granted. It gives me self-confidence and financial support. It goes to show that hard work will have positive results.” – Ashley Bell, Business Administration, SIAST Palliser Campus

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Two-Way Education

SIAST’s Co-op Education program makes great grads – and great companies A practical education means more than passive listening: SIAST grads have learned by doing. The Co-op Education program builds on SIAST’s practical bent.

“We regularly take on co-op students from SIAST,” says Erin Kindrachuk, human resources coordinator at architecture and engineering powerhouse Stantec.“Most of the students are from Engineering Technology, Architecture Technology, and Structural, Mechanical and Electrical Tech.”

“Stantec is a big proponent of the co-op program,” says Cliff Harrison, program head of Co-operative Education at SIAST Palliser Campus. Rather than being a strict internship that happens after coursework is complete, he describes the program as more circular – a course of study that integrates paid periods of training with academic work.

“Co-op semesters are usually for four months, or in multiples of four months,” he says. For employers such as Stantec, the program offers the chance to staff special projects, provide as-needed assistance and cover staff leave or seasonal work. “It gives employers a chance to train

and evaluate potential staffers,” says Harrison, “without any obligations beyond the work term itself.” But often a job offer is pending and it’s common to find SIAST alumi on staff at companies where they started as students.

“We’ve had good experience with co-op students,” Kindrachuk says, “and we have hired several over the years. The program gives companies a chance to communicate their goals and aims with students before they’re on the payroll.”

The co-op term lets companies direct the education of the future workforce, rather than deal with it after the fact.

And it increases SIAST’s responsivness to market needs.

“It’s a way for employers to give back,” says Harrison, “by helping to provide valuable training opportunities to students.”

The benefits go both ways. Co-op students and SIAST alumni “bring many current and valuable skills to the work place,” Harrison says. “They are definitely valueadded personnel for the employer.”

GLAD TO BE BACK: Mindy Herauf returned to SIAST, this time for work.

She wants to know what fellow alumni have been up to.

Grapevine

Mindy Herauf Business Administration, STI/SIAST Palliser 1980 I am delighted to be back at SIAST, this time as an employee: alumni coordinator in the Donor and Alumni Relations office at Wascana Campus. I’m honestly passionate about SIAST. I love the positive

energy and the progressive environment of lifelong learning. I’m proud to be a SIAST graduate, and I’m proud to be associated with all the successful alumni with whom I’ve had a chance to connect. And I’m impressed by the dedication of our faculty and staff, and by our students – our future alumni.

The alumni relations office is busy planning, coordinating and implementing services and benefits for our registered members. Keep checking our webpage, gosiast. com/alumni.shtml, for updates and new programs. We want to locate our fellow alumni so that they can take advantage of all we have to offer, and you can help by sharing this information with other SIAST graduates: your classmates, friends, family and colleagues. Send your contact info to siast. alumni@siast.sk.ca and tell us what you’ve been up to.

Smooth Riding: Kim Mealing Kim Mealing says the most valuable thing she learned while studying Human Resources at SIAST was to be patient and professional. The emphasis on working in groups taught her that no matter who the members of a team are, a successful person has to work with them, be professional and get the task done on time and to a high standard.

That’s similar to what the members of a professional sports team are expected to be and do. And Mealing knows all about that now, since she’s a human resources advisor and member of the management team of the Saskatchewan Roughriders organization.

She very much enjoys her career, but it took her a while to get there. She changed majors three times at university, and a semester off to regroup slid into a two-year stint working in restaurant management. She eventually enrolled in Business at SIAST, where she discovered a passion for human resources. She graduated from the HR diploma program at SIAST Palliser Campus in 2007.

“Each of the courses in my program was specific to skills that I wanted to learn and felt I needed,” Mealing says. “I liked that the program was only two years, that

About me: After many years of employment in the non-profit sector, I returned to SIAST four years ago. I am married with children and we’re enjoying newfound freedom after the recent sale of our family dairy farm. We spend summer “staycations” quadding around Saskatchewan and head to warm-weather destinations in winter. Oh yeah, and GO Riders!

Sheila Booth Chemical Dependency Worker, SIAST Woodland 1990 and Special Care Aide, SIAST Wascana 1996 In May, I graduated from the practical nursing program offered at Cowesses. I’m working as a casual employee in Grenfell and continuing my education by taking classes in holistic health. Right now I’m on maternity leave – my daughter was born in 2010.

I would have a diploma from a respected and recognized school, and that I would be able to get started on my career soon.”

Her first position out of college was as a human resources associate at SaskWater, a crown corporation. While learning the rules of the HR game, she hasn’t forgotten her alma mater.

She promotes the school’s co-op program and participates in events such as the Business and Industry Dinner.

She also speaks to HR students about her experiences, and she’s accepted an offer to sit on an alumni committee.

Tackling a challenging career, Mealing knows when it’s time to run with the ball.

Joan Braun Nursing, SIAST Kelsey 1980 My career as a RN began in the neonatal intensive unit care at the Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon. I spent 12 years there, followed by a position in Toronto’s York Finch General Hospital, where I helped set up a step-down (intermediate care) nursery. I then returned to Saskatoon and worked in the dialysis unit at St. Paul’s for five years.

Home care then became my passion, and I worked briefly at the Saskatoon Home Care Program before moving to Lethbridge, Alberta, in 2000. Here, I’ve enjoyed the challenges of change within the program and being a community care manager. It’s been an incredible career, with many opportunities and challenges. >>

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GREAT GRADES: Johnson still has his 1947 certification in Dominion-Provincial Canadian Vocational Training, noting a grade of A in attendance, punctuality and attitude to work.

More Power to Him: Loyal Johnson And Johnson had an appetite for learning. He went When Loyal Johnson came back from serving Canada duron to complete a journeyman electrician ticket, a Grade ing the Second World War, the Navy offered him a number of options to help him get on with his life. He chose to take 12 equivalency and many training courses across North America and in Europe. technical training, and more specifically, the Electrical and Later, Johnson worked mainly for SaskPower until retirElectronics Technology program at the Canadian Vocationing in 1983. He held various positions, from his first job as al Training School in Saskatoon. a transformer repairman to the senior product planner in The program at the school, a forerunner to SIAST, entailed one intense year of theory and shop – his certificate the control systems division, patented his own inventions for improving systems and supervised young electrical engiattests to 590 hours of each. “I learned how to learn. They neers who’d graduated from his own alma mater. taught me how to understand my subject, rather than just If you ask him if he made the right choice of schools memorize it,” recalls Johnson, who had only a Grade 8 back in 1946, the answer is clear in his voice: “It was a education before joining the Navy.

His training gave him enough education and know-how wonderful life.” to start his own electrical business, and the times gave him plenty of work: Saskatchewan’s power grid was being ex- “They taught me how to understand my subject,” Johnson says, “rather panded to rural locations throughout the province. than just memorize it.

In 1955, he joined what was then known as the Saskatchewan Power Corporation. “I enjoyed working for SaskPower because it was such a challenge; there was so much new equipment,” he recalls. “You had to learn fast.”

Dayna Deck Intermediate Care Paramedic, SIAST Kelsey 2009 “I found employment in my field less than one month after graduation.

I don’t yet know if what I’m doing now will be what I’m doing years from now, but SIAST got me off to a great start.”

Rick Plotzki Industrial Instrumentation, SIAST Palliser 1975 “The training I received at STI (now SIAST Palliser Campus) in Moose Jaw has allowed me to live a very good life. I have lived, worked and travelled all over the world for the last 20 years. My training has opened doors that I never could have imagined, and has given me a very good life indeed.”

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Allan Reimer Mechanical Engineering Technology, SIAST Kelsey 1992 “After graduation, I returned to the mining industry where I furthered my career with my new skills from the Mechanical Engineering Technology program. I’ve worked for Northlands College in La Ronge to develop and deliver pre-employment underground mining training. I’ve also worked as a production team leader at the Lupin Gold Mine in the Northwest Territories (NWT) and started my own consulting business to contract mining organizations. Currently, I’m employed at BHP Billiton’s EKATI diamond mine in the NWT. I manage a team with responsibilities including development and implementation of safety systems, risk assessment, auditing systems and emergency response.”

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Student Surge

Profile: Kelsey Campus

Enrolment at SIAST is increasing at a steady pace SIAST is obviously doing something right: More and more students are choosing the institute to prepare them for fulfilling careers. Enrolment across all four campuses grew by 9.3 per cent in the 2009 - 2010 academic year, and total enrolment has climbed an impressive 30 per cent over the last four years.

The greatest growth occurred in apprenticeship training and Basic Education, but all areas show healthy increases in demand. Certificate and diploma programming, which accounts for the largest student segment, was up 5.7 per cent over the previous year and 13.9 per cent over four years.

“Increased enrolment at SIAST is good news for Saskatchewan employers,” says David Walls, SIAST’s senior vice president, academic. “With 4,000 graduates each year in addition to high levels of apprenticeship training, SIAST is a major contributor to provincial labour market development.”

More than 15,000 students were enrolled in SIAST programs in the most recent academic year, as well as almost 25,000 individual course registrations. Through on-campus program registrations and individual course registrations SIAST served nearly 26,000 students, touching almost every sector of the economy.

Dawn Werezak Chemical Dependency Worker, SIAST Woodland 1997 “Since graduation, I’ve worked for several years in both volunteer and paid positions in the addictions field. I’ve done youth, employment, group and individual counselling during this time. I lived in the United States for several years and became involved in a non-profit addictions recovery centre as a volunteer, working from the ground up to eventually become a board member. I recently completed a leadership development program at the Banff Centre in Alberta. I’m presently doing vocational coaching with the Employment Program for Persons with Disabilities for the British Columbia government in the Peace region.”

Gary Williamson Building Systems Technician, SIAST Wascana 1989 “After graduating, I started working for the Saskatchewan Science

SIAST Kelsey Campus in Saskatoon dates back to 1941 when the Canadian Vocational Training School was established to train veterans like Loyal Johnson (see opposite) who were returning from the Second World War. In 1974 it was renamed the Kelsey Institute of Applied Arts and Sciences in honour of trader and explorer Henry Kelsey.

Between 1987 and 1989, SIAST merged with the Saskatoon Regional Community College and the Advanced Technology Training Centre to become SIAST Kelsey Campus.

The campus comprises more than 13 acres (53,000 sq metres) of instructional floor space and offers full-time programs, part-time courses and customized training in a wide range of professions, technologies and trades.

Centre when the Imax theatre was being built. I went on to an eightyear stint at various facilities with Johnson Controls in Saskatchewan, Calgary and Halifax. Later, I moved to Nova Scotia Community College’s Waterfront Campus to be a facility manager. I worked with a design and construction team to build the new 267,000-square-foot campus with the goal of achieving LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification. One wing earned a silver certification. In May 2010, I managed the department and hired 33 staff.

In September, we completed the construction of the Woodside Wing and registered it for a LEED Gold certification. It’s home to the Centre for the Built Environment, which showcases the innovative Trades and Technologies department. I recently started teaching part-time at NSCC. Between work and my beautiful family, I’m busy. SIAST was a great start to my journey.”

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FLEET OF FOOT: SIAST is committed to keeping its programs responsive to industry, like Jenna Pangracs’s Geomatics Tech program is. The institute reviews programming regularly to meet labour force requirements.

Building on Strength

SIAST responds to the requirements of industry A few years ago, then-high-school student Jenna Pangracs of Alta Vista Beach was looking for an answer to the question “What are you going to do after Grade 12?” She honestly wasn’t sure, but she knew she wanted to work outdoors.

“Then I heard about geomatics from my uncle,” she says. An emerging field, geomatics uses science and technology to generate and use geographically referenced data, usually collected outdoors. It seemed a good fit. It’s a growing field and SIAST had programming to match. Pangracs registered in the Geomatics Technology diploma course at SIAST Palliser Campus.

Geomatics is not the only burgeoning field being populated by highly trained SIAST grads. SIAST has robust programming in other post-secondary technical (and other) courses, driven by the current and future needs of industry and the labour force.

Largely in response to input from such industry heavyweights as Cameco, SIAST’s Technology division is in the midst of creating a new Mining Engineering Technology program. The program’s areas of strength will ingoSIAST.com/alumni clude mine surveying, struc-

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tural and hydrogeology, mineral exploration techniques, mine planning and project management.

Change is afoot above-ground, too. “The insurance industry is projecting high demand for new talent in the coming years,” says Dan MacKay, SIAST’s dean of business.

The Insurance Institute of Saskatchewan estimates that as much as a quarter of national insurance industry staff will retire over the next six years. “SIAST’s new Business Insurance diploma responds to that need,” he says.

A Government of Saskatchewan study predicts a similar shortfall of nurses in the province. It was the impetus behind the new Saskatchewan Collaborative Bachelor of Science in Nursing (SCBScN) degree program, a combined effort between SIAST and the University of Regina, which is preparing for its first intake in fall 2011. The program increases the number of nursing seats in the province, building on SIAST’s 40 years of nursing education.

It’s programs like these that ensure the province has a sustainable workforce, one staffed by alumni who continue to engage with SIAST, creating lively, responsive programming.

Students like Jenna Pangracs, now 21 with a full-time position waiting for her, are among the beneficiaries.

Meeting Reminders Top tips in the quest for a more effective business meeting It’s happened to all of us. Someone calls a meeting and you arrange your workday around it. Two hours in and you either still can’t figure out what it’s about or you can’t figure out why you were invited. When you leave, the only actionable item is a trip to the coffee pot to wake you up. “Nobody appreciates being at a meeting just to hear someone speak,” says Dan MacKay, SIAST dean of business. He says that, if several of your colleagues seem equally adrift, do a quick calculation to add up the hours spent. It can amount to many hours of lost time for little or no corporate gain. When it’s your turn to run a meeting, make sure you use resources more wisely.

PLAN AHEAD: To be a success, you need to plan your meeting

carefully, in advance. This can take minutes or days, depending on the nature of it. Develop an agenda that tells the order of things and how much time you plan to spend on each item.

KEEP IT SIMPLE: To make a meeting productive, you need

clearly stated, written aims at the outset to ensure it doesn’t go sideways. “Include stated start and end times,” MacKay says. “Make sure your agenda is clear.”

CAPTAIN: Every meeting needs a leader, and if you called it,

that’s you. Keep speakers on-task and questions pointed and relevant. “If something comes up that isn’t related,” says Rick Fraser (Computer Information Systems, 1991), managing partner of FCI Accelerated, “acknowledge it, but say that you’ll take it off-line, as it’s outside the parameters of your current meeting.”

SOMETHING TO LOOK AT: Depending on the meeting, you may need a flip pad, flowchart, PowerPoint or other visual aids.

And make sure there’s a clock in the room.

INVITEES: Make sure everyone invited has a reason for being

there. Everyone should leave with a definite actionable item they can report on later. Assign one person to take minutes and distribute them within 48 hours. “The first kick-off meeting for a project might be more general and involve more people,” says Fraser, “but you don’t need them all for every meeting. Look to your subject matter experts to advise you whom to include.”

WHEN NOT TO CALL IT: Meetings are not effective for updates or general announcements. That’s what email is for. They are not meant to increase team spirit or justify unpopular decisions. Anything outside the scope of moving a project or business item forward is meant for a conversation, not a meeting.

Reap the Rewards Behind the Benefits The SIAST Alumni Office is up and running, and our top priority is to track down SIAST alumni.

Relax, it’s not about overdue library fines.

We want to know where all our alumni are so that we can send them information about the programs and services we’re planning.

Whether you graduated a few years ago or a few decades ago, we’d love to welcome you into the alumni family.

If you haven’t done so already, complete a SIAST alumni registration form (lower right) or email us at alumni@siast.sk.ca so we can keep you informed.

SIAST alumni have access to a variety of benefits and services. The SIAST Alumni Office provides support for alumni programs, communications, events, branch and chapter outreach and other initiatives. As our membership grows, we will be able to increase the number of services and programs in our portfolio.

Right now, you can take advantage of: Library services: SIAST alumni can access many of the library’s resources at any SIAST campus, including books, journals, DVD collections and electronic resources.

Recreation services: Once your alumni registration form has been completed and processed, you can work out with SIAST’s recreation services at Kelsey or Palliser campuses.

Events and reunion support services: SIAST Alumni Relations offers support services to programs/groups planning chapter, reunion or anniversary events.

SIAST publications: All registered alumni members automatically receive copies of SIAST’s annual newsletter Partners and Donor and Alumni Relations go! Student Awards. go! alumni: This publication will be circulated regularly to all registered members. Tell us who you are, what you are doing and what interests you. Send us your success stories.

Alumni discount program: We offer discount benefits and value-added products to our registered members by partnering with community businesses and services providers. If you would like your company to be considered, visit our website and fill out a partner application form, or contact our office for further information.

Employment services: Hire a qualified SIAST grad. Businesses can post job opportunities by registering with SIAST Student Employment Services. Registered alumni can contact the SIAST Alumni Office for job search help.

Distinguished alumni: Plans are underway to recognize SIAST’s outstanding alumni. Each year several of these will be featured in an annual calendar. We are currently seeking nominations of successful alumni who are proud graduates and ambassadors of SIAST. Please send your suggestions to SIAST Alumni Office.

Professional development: We can help promote upcoming professional development and networking opportunities to SIAST alumni. Send us the details four weeks prior to the event.

The SIAST Donor and Alumni Relations Office has established a base of services and benefits for its alumni, but its staff members know there’s more work to be done. They want to know what’s out there and what makes the most sense to alumni to have, and they’d like advice from graduates who are now working in Saskatchewan. That’s where the Alumni Advisory Committee comes in.

The purpose of this group of passionate alumni, whose members are in the process of being recruited, will be to provide advice and feedback on the direction, policies and services that affect the alumni community.

More specifically, its goals include acting as a resource to the Donor and Alumni Relations Office regarding the planning, implementation and evaluation of alumni services and activities; assisting at alumni events; bringing forward ideas and concerns on behalf of the alumni community; recommending and facilitating the development of new programs that respond to the needs of the alumni community; participating with program promotion and general communication of information about programs, work and plans of the SIAST Donor and Alumni Relations Office; and helping establish scholarships and awards for students.

The Alumni Advisory Committee will be an integral part of maintaining the SIAST community and the continuity of traditions. If you’re interested in participating, contact alumni@siast.sk.ca for more information.

Alumni Registration Form o New o Update Date____________________ Full name________________________________ ________________________________________

Your interests: Please check all that apply. o Recreation facilities (SIAST Kelsey and Palliser campuses) o Library access

Maiden name______________________________

o Newsletters and information about SIAST / SIAST Alumni

Student ID or birth date_____________________

o Certificate and diploma frame information

Address___________________________________

o Events and activities (reunions, golf tournaments, business dinners)

City____________________________________ Province/Postal Code______________________ Tel.______________Cell___________________ Email_____________________________________

o Volunteering o Mentoring opportunities o Program advisory committee

List SIAST Program(s) and grad year(s)_______

o Growing Student Futures (scholarship support)

_________________________________________

Other___________________________________

_________________________________________

Tell us what you’ve been up to. ______________

Campus___________________________________

________________________________________

Employment Information

__________________________________________

Company________________________________

________________________________________

City/Province____________________________

o I hereby allow SIAST to make my contact information available to other alumni for the purpose of class reunions or chapter activities.

Job title_________________________________ Work tel.________________________________ Work email_______________________________

o I hereby allow SIAST to use my name, program, grad year, employment information and news for advertising and promotion purposes.

*Clip and mail this form to the SIAST Alumni Office, SIAST Wascana Campus, Box 556, Regina, SK S4P 3A3 or email siast.alumni@siast.sk.ca.

17/go!

TODAY’S ALUMNA: New Psychiatric Nursing graduate Patricia Dyke receives her pin during the graduation ceremonies on December 17, 2010.

New Nursing Alumni

SIAST has re-launched its Psychiatric Nursing program The shortage of specialized nursing care in psychiatric facilities in Saskatchewan may start to ease soon. On December 17, 2010, two dozen psychiatric nursing graduates took to the stage to collect their diplomas and join the field. While this cohort of alumni is recent, it’s not the first time SIAST has produced these specialized nurses.

Donna Staudt graduated from the Psych Nursing program at SIAST Wascana Campus in 1986, when it was still Wascana Institute of Applied Arts and Science. The school had that program in effect from 1972 until 1996, when SIAST began its partnership with the University of Saskatchewan to deliver the Nursing Education Program of Saskatch-

ewan (NEPS). Psych nursing was folded into the larger program.

Staudt is currently employed at Campbell Collegiate as a nurse therapist, which requires an RN or Psych Nursing designation. She says her SIAST education prepared her for this position as the curriculum focused on understanding persons with developmental disabilities. Her practica at facilities such as Valley View Health Centre in Moose Jaw provided exposure to situations she would encounter as she started her career.

“It’s very fulfilling,” Staudt says of her position. “I have grown personally and professionally from working with clients. They add a different perspective to my own life, and I continue to learn from them every day.” Staudt was excited to learn that she would have a new crop of alumni with whom to connect. She’ll find similar levels of enthusiasm in her new colleagues.

“Psychiatry had always interested me, but I didn’t know when I started the program that I would be this passionate about it,” says Adam Pearson, a member of the first class of

While this cohort of alumni is recent, it’s not the first time SIAST has produced these specialized nurses.

graduates from SIAST’s new Psychiatric Nursing diploma program.

Another recent grad, Mallory Smith, agrees. “I feed on the fact that people come here at their worst and you can help them,” she says. “And then see them in the community doing well.”

The psychiatric-concentrated program was reintroduced after lobbying from the Registered Psychiatric Nurses Association of Saskatchewan says Sue Myers, SIAST’s Psychiatric Nursing program head. She knows that opening the doors again has kept some students from leaving the province to study elsewhere.

“It’s important that these opportunities are available here at home,” Staudt agrees. The skills in the Psych Nursing program are specialized to meet the needs of clients and Staudt is happy to see SIAST and the province responding to these and other labour needs.

SIAST is the only Saskatchewan institution offering focused post-secondary studies in psychiatric nursing, granting a diploma after 86 intensive weeks of study and clinical practice. It welcomed its first new students in September 2008. In addition to the 24 recent graduates, 58 students are on track to graduate in the next two years.

In other nursing news, SIAST is partnering with the University of Regina to offer a degree in Nursing under the banner of the Saskatchewan Collaborative Bachelor of Science in Nursing (SCBScN). The first intake of the program is slated for fall 2011.

other, starting relationships that may extend well into the future. Bonus: Proceeds support scholarships for SIAST students. Events are held at all four SIAST campuses, with each offering a different mix of programs. Contact the Donor and Alumni Relations Office for more information.

What’s On:

Check out our calendar of annual events January/February Career Fairs Each of SIAST’s four campuses – Kelsey, Palliser, Wascana and Woodland – hosts a career fair in the first two months of the academic year. These fairs provide an opportunity for employers to showcase their companies and to attract, recruit, screen and hire qualified grads. Students and new grads can learn about employers and job opportunities. Contact Student Employment Services for more information.

March SIAST Business and Industry Dinners Over the course of a Business and Industry Dinner (which includes a guest speaker), business and industry representatives and students get to know a little more about each

myRobotRumble In what’s becoming an annual event hosted by SIAST Kelsey Campus in Saskatoon, the SIAST SUMObot Challenge gives high-school students the chance to demonstrate problem-solving skills, technical knowledge of electronics and teamwork as their robots compete against others made by students from across Saskatchewan. The top prize is a $1,500 tuition credit to any participating SIAST electronics program. For more information or to register, see programs.siast.sk.ca/vc/myRobotRumble.

Canadian Society for Chemical Technology: Western Canadian Student Symposium The CSCT holds a yearly Western Student Symposium at which students from SIAST, along with students from Alberta’s NAIT, SAIT and Lakeland College, give presentations on chemistry-related topics. In 2011, SIAST Kelsey Campus hosted the event on March 18 and 19. SIAST’s Chemical Technology Alumni (SCTA) presented a student award. For more information about the CSCT symposium, visit cheminst.ca.

Acklands Auto Body Event The annual Auto Body Technician program skills competition at SIAST Kelsey Campus takes place in March at the auto body shop. The winner receives a tool set valued at $1,500, sponsored by the Saskatoon Auto Body Association, Westward Tools and Acklands Grainger Inc. July Girls Exploring Trades and Technology (GETT) Camp GETT camp is a week-long day camp at which girls in Grades 7 and 8 design, build and race a go-cart. Girls build confidence in a variety of trades-based skills – and learn about career possibilities they may not have considered before. Camps may run at all four campuses.

Find out more at siast.sk.ca/witt.

Mining Industry Events SIAST alumni working in the mining industry will soon have more opportunities to network, participate in professional development and keep their connection to SIAST going strong, thanks to 2010 partnerships forged between Cameco, the Saskatchewan Mining Association, Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan, Mosaic, and Enterprise Saskatchewan and several Saskatchewan post-secondary educational institutions including

SIAST. The partnership creates awareness of career opportunities in mining and promotes lifelong learning.

Add your event Does your company hold a yearly professional development, industry or networking event that SIAST students could benefit from? Bonus: Inviting students also gives your company a chance to spot future employees. Tell us the details and we’ll add your events to the calendar in the next issue of go! alumni magazine.

Join us online: facebook.com/SIAST twitter.com/SIAST YouTube.com/SIASTtv www.goSIAST.com

Staffed by SIAST Regina’s FCI Accelerated Solutions is home to SIAST graduates from several different programs, predominantly Computer Information Systems. A multi-million-dollar company, FCI specializes in business and information technology expertise for large and small companies.

Some current and former clients, says managing partner Rick Fraser (Computer Information Systems, 1991), include Great-West Life, Public Employee Benefit Agency, Saskatchewan Transportation Company, Saskatchewan Energy, SaskPower and the province’s Ministry of Advanced Education, Employment and Immigration (AEEI).

FCI Accelerated designed, delivered and managed the OASIS project for the AEEI’s Immigration Nomination program. The company helped the program move from a paper-based to an electronic application. A first in Canada, it’s a web-based, online immigration application system designed for people wanting to immigrate to Saskatchewan or entrepreneurs wanting to engage skilled workers from outside Canada. Fraser’s team built the application on FCI Accelerated Solutions iTrac software, which he calls “a proven product that cuts testing time, allowing the client to spend more time on business processes and data validation.”

Fraser also reports that the company is currently managing a portion of a major project, called PRIME, that builds on skills honed in providing software and management solutions for some of the province’s big enterprises.

“PRIME stands for Process Renewal and Infrastructure Management Enhancement,” Fraser explains. “It’s a multiyear, multi-million-dollar project to review and renew all major oil-and-gas-related business processes and systems for the Saskatchewan Ministry of Energy and Resources.”

His role in PRIME is project manager for legacy conversion and integration, updating systems, identifying gaps and cleaning up data. “This conversion is very important to PRIME because it is Saskatchewan’s entry into the Petroleum Registry of Alberta,” Fraser explains. “The data need to be correct and need to reflect industry standard.”

Fraser says the project brings to bear the talents and experience that many FCI employees have gained from education, training and experience. “SIAST provided me with the education to start my career in Information Technology,” he says, “and enabled me to participate in such a project.”

(See gov.sk.ca for more about PRIME.)

Family Matters

FCI Accelerated Solutions is staffed by many SIAST grads. Rick Fraser’s (Computer Information Systems, 1991) own family is likewise peopled by SIAST grads: Fraser’s son Cody (Computer Information Systems, 2007) works for FCI and his brother Jesse is currently enrolled in the same program at SIAST. Jesse joins the FCI team in May for his co-op placement. Two of the three managing partners graduated from SIAST and all told there are nine SIAST graduates at the company: seven from Computer Technology, one from Business Administration and one from Electronic Engineering Technology.

Pictured from left to right: Partner Rick Fraser, programmer analyst Cody Fraser, partners Todd Obrigewitsch and Curt England, co-op student Jesse Fraser.

A Welcome Home > An alumnus of one of Saskatchewan’s best-known institutions – the Roughriders – Don Narcisse finished his 13th and final year with the team in 1999. When he came back to Saskatchewan from Texas in 2010 as a Canadian Football Hall of Fame inductee, it was like coming home. “I rode around with my son and 32,000 fans were cheering me on,” he told the Regina LeaderPost. “My wife said, ‘Y’know, baby, if somebody offers you a job, you need to take it because they love you here.’” In a move he calls “perfect timing,” Rock Bridge Realty gave Narcisse just that opportunity. He and his family recently moved back to Regina, and Narcisse is working as a realtor and public relations consultant for the company.

a chance at higher education, but will also enable them to master skills and hone talents in preparation for this technological world.

go! alumni caught up with him recently.

> What inspires you to give back?

> What does being a Rider alumnus mean to you?

The importance of being an alumnus is that I can see the positive impact on the community that staying connected and committed to those coming behind me has.

It’s essential to continue to move to higher heights in life, but never forget where we come from. It’s an honor and privilege to be a Rider alumnus. > You recently returned to Saskatchewan. What do you see as the role of post-secondary education institutions such as SIAST in building a prosperous province?

I see it as a positive part of our future – the youth. Institutions such as SIAST will not only afford many youth The Narcisse Scorecard • 216 games • 919 receptions • 75 touchdowns • 12,366 yards • 8 – 1000+ yard seasons • 2 – 900+ yards seasons • 34 – 100+ yard games • Led CFL in receptions: 123 – 1995 • 13 seasons with the Riders

> What lessons do you take from football and apply to your current career and life?

Number 1, the T.E.A.M. acronym – Together Everyone Achieves More. When you spell the word team, there’s no “I.” We have to eliminate personal desires and replace them with the team’s needs. I apply this football lesson to any group in my life, whether it’s my family or my job. I commit myself to the group and separate personal desires. Number 2, hard work pays off; anything worth having in life is worth working for.

The sincere gratitude expressed from the community through their kind gestures and support. I never give expecting anything back, but as a human, it’s always a great feeling to know that what I’ve done is truly appreciated. > Tell us about your involvement with KidSport.

In May, I’m getting together with some other Rider alumni for the Don Narcisse Football Camp in association with KidSport; it’s a non-contact sports camp for kids between 8 and 18. Kids get to learn offence and defense from CFL-ers. (Call Lisa Peters of Eye Inspire Events at 306-539-5339 for more details.)