Wider Horizons - Winter 2010

Winter 2010

A PUBLICATION OF LETHBRIDGE COLLEGE

Trades & technologies

sizzle

GREEN CHAMPION P. 22 • High on DRy P. 25 • Cape of good hope P. 28

Under construction Inside this issue you’ll find insight into the design, construction and sustainability of our new learner residence, which has been inching skyward since last August. When we cut the ribbon later this year, its five storeys will provide accommodation for students who have chosen Lethbridge College for their post-secondary education.

Some might ask “why a residence, why now?” It’s a fair question in a time of economic restraint, when funding for education is scarce. Perhaps we should have put the $11.5 million into classroom development, for instance, or purchased equipment.

Well, let me tell you, Lethbridge College turns away hundreds of students every year, not because we can’t accommodate them in our programs, but because they can’t find places to live. The city’s vacancy rate is notoriously low due to several factors, including the needs of post-secondary students on our campus and at the University of Lethbridge.

Well, OK, so why worry about students from outside the area? Aren’t there enough young people coming out of Lethbridge high schools? Frankly, no: the city is demonstrating a declining high school demographic. To fill our programs and maintain the breadth of learning we offer, Lethbridge College depends on enrolment from across Western Canada and beyond. They want to be here, but won’t come if they can’t find affordable housing.

It’s considered a rule of thumb that a residential post-secondary institution should be able to provide 22 per cent of its students with housing; with the new residence, we will stand at about 14 per cent, but it’s an improvement.

Realize, too, Lethbridge College learners benefit from this influx of students, especially from those coming from other nations. Some 30 languages are spoken on campus, representing a United Nations of cultures. That creates a rich experience for students, some who have had no exposure to anything other than life in southern Alberta.

Education is far more than textbooks, and Lethbridge College endeavours to graduate young people with a global perspective. What better way to learn of the outside world than from people who have lived in it? The ability to understand a culture other than one’s own creates critical thinking, a skill we encourage in all who learn here.

So, the new residence is the start of a larger campus renewal, one that will ultimately embrace our trades and technologies and the Buchanan Library.

We’ve signed the Pan-Canadian Protocol for Sustainability developed by the Association of Canadian Community Colleges and, as you’ll read in this issue, we’ve made “green” our new byword.

We will continue to be driven by a desire for excellence and innovation.

Dr. Tracy L. Edwards Lethbridge College President & CEO

Vol. 3, No. 2, Winter 2010

On Our Cover Oil grabs the glory, but at Lethbridge College, we believe a skilled workforce is the province’s most valuable resource. Our experts agree: the trades are hot and in need of new hands. Our thanks to welding instructor Phil McGale, for being our cover model.

What’s Inside A green champion arises.................................................. 22 Leona Rousseau is keen on green, and incorporates her passion into everything she does. Now, she has a chance to star on a larger stage.

High on dry................................................................ 25 A student and an instructor team up to promote xeriscaping, and explain how eliminating lawn doesn’t have to result in rocks and gravel.

Cape of good hope........................................................ 28 Lethbridge College has completed its sanitation project in South Africa, with mixed but inspiring results and a belief the country has a bright future.

Taking care of business......................................................... 32 As Rick Buis, Lethbridge College’s vice-president Corporate and International Services, closes in on retirement, he reflects back on a career that spans two continents.

Curbing his enthusiasm.............................................. 34 Former Lethbridge College student Chris Schamber is forging advancements in accessibiity for the city’s disabled from his own experiences.

Crash Course in Psychology..................................... 36 When Weatherford sought a way to improve driving behaviour in company vehicles, it came to Lethbridge College psychologist Jennifer Davis for help.

Wider Horizons is Lethbridge College’s community magazine, celebrating the successes and accomplishments of its students, employees and alumni by promoting them throughout the community and around the world. This publication aims to educate its readers, engage stakeholders and recognize donors through compelling stories and images that relate to, and resonate with, its readers.

Wider Horizons is published three times a year by the Lethbridge College Advancement Office.

We thank you for picking up this copy and hope you enjoy the read. If you would like to recommend story ideas for future issues or would like to find out more about our magazine, contact us.

Wider Horizons c/o The Advancement Office 3000 College Drive South Lethbridge, AB T1K 1L6 email: WHMagazine@gmail.com publisher: Steven Dyck manager: Carmen Toth chief writer: Peter Scott photographer: Gregory Thiessen designer/co-ordinator: Jaylene Ulmer magazine staff: Imarú Baquero, Leeanne Conrad, Michelle Stegen In addition to free distribution to our regional community, Wider Horizons is also mailed to all Lethbridge College alumni. Alumni are encouraged to stay connected to the college by updating their contact information at the Alumni Relations website: lethbridgecollege.ca/alumni To share this issue with others, visit us at widerhorizons.ca

In Every Issue Perspectives......................................................................................10 Q & A...............................................................................................11 Office Intrigue...................................................................................19 My Life.............................................................................................32 College Kudos...................................................................................38 Where are they now?........................................................................39

3

Forging

Alberta’s next Economy Carpenters, welders, electricians, interior designers, environmental scientists, engineering drafters, business and communications experts, office administrators: you’d wonder what these diverse workers would have in common beyond achieving their education at Lethbridge College.

4 • WIDER Horizons/Winter 2010/Cover Story

Yet, the new student residence being built at Lethbridge College serves as a microcosm of many of the disciplines taught in classrooms only metres away.

As it moves to completion this fall, it demonstrates, in all its phases, the diversity and variety of college education, from design, through construction, to operation.

This marriage of trade and tech is forging a new direction for institutions such as Lethbridge College, still the go-to source for skilled employees in a myriad of careers. It is drawing closer fields of learning that once occupied opposite ends of the educational spectrum to a place where pocket protectors and coveralls are not out of place in the same room.

As each new generation takes up its trade, it is required to be more technologically savvy.

The auto industry is perhaps the best example: new vehicles increasingly rely on on-board computers to run their systems.

Understanding the workings of an internal combustion engine now goes hand-in-hand with knowledge of computer chips.

As this convergence increases, Lethbridge College is retooling to meet the demands of an emerging world, to create “supergrads” who can speak the language of their individual trades in a dialect tinged with technology.

Still, the trades remain very much a hands-on, human activity, evident daily on the

residence construction site.

Every bolt, girder and window used in the residence has been made by someone somewhere, and installed by someone else.

In reality, says Chris Eagan, Lethbridge College’s facilities director, the project has no material costs, only labour, because every element of the building involves human hands in some fashion, even the gravel used in the concrete.

“Colleges train people how to do things and the residence is a thing being designed, constructed and run by people,” says Chris Eagan, Lethbridge College’s director of Facilities Management. In the end, it’s always people who make things happen.”

- continued on page 6

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Tips of the Trade Home Renovations We’re fixing up our residence; here’s how you can fix up yours.

Home renovations can be akin to rocket science, a subject not taught at Lethbridge College. However, Cal Whitehead, chair of the college’s construction trades, knows the frustrations and pitfalls of fixing up a home and how to avoid them. Here are his five elements of a comprehensive plan: 1) Bylaws and permits. Building bylaws tell you what you’re allowed to do (size, location, setbacks, architectural controls, etc.) Determine if your project requires permits.

2) Budget. Determine what you can afford and what renovations will give you the best value for your dollar.

Ensure the value you’re putting into the renovation can be recovered if you sell; don’t overvalue your property when it’s compared to the neighbourhood. Proceed in stages you can afford. Get the quality you want, not just quantity.

3) Size and scope. Determine what design is required for space and the type of finish you require before having a draftsperson draw up a working plan. This will save time and money.

4) Contractors. Determine what work, if any, you will attempt yourself. When hiring a contractor, find one who will work with you. When obtaining quotes, find a minimum of three contractors you think you could work with. Quotes will vary; ensure they are fair. The contractor must be approachable, reliable, communicative and professional to ensure your renovation will be a pleasant experience. Once you are satisfied, a contract can be drawn up. Remember to include a payment schedule listing how much, if any, will be paid upfront.

Never be muscled into paying for something you are not satisfied with. A plan detailing styles and colours of every detail is important.

5) Timelines and safety. Determine the best time for your renovation. Weather plays a role in exterior renovations. If you plan to live in the home during the renovation, ensure you have alternate cooking, bathroom and laundry facilities. If entrances will be closed off, ensure you have an escape route in an emergency. Set a start date and a tentative completion date and monitor your project to avoid unpleasant time overruns.

6 • WIDER Horizons/Winter 2010/Cover Story

Forging Alberta’s Economy (continued) As Eagan notes, roughly 45 per cent of the building’s $11.5-million price tag is for labour, involving those who shape, mould and fashion each aspect of the project. They are involved in every sector of society, getting things done through skill, knowledge and effort. Much of their work is done away from the spotlight, and without a lot of fanfare.

“We think differently in North America,” says Eagan. “In Europe, if you work with your hands, you’re considered an artisan and revered.”

Eagan says the North American culture places more emphasis on achieving success through white-collar careers, but for every banker or lawyer, society needs 10 people who are skilled in making things with their hands.

While the residence is a showcase for the trades training and apprenticeships taught at Lethbridge College, it’s also an indication of the need for such training, even in a recessionary period. Eagan admits those thinking about training will always have a decision to make: when the economy is booming, do they spend time and money on education when unskilled jobs are paying $34 an hour in places such as Fort McMurray, or do they wait until times have flat-lined to return to school when they might not have the financial resources?

In Alberta, the choice is made somewhat easier by the desperate need for skilled labour.

“The correct answer is take the job in the hot times and save money for an education in the cold times,” says Eagan. “But, in Alberta, there is a deficit of 30,000 trades people now and it’s expected to grow to 55,000 in 10 years. Even in this recession, while there have been layoffs, those left on the job are going full steam ahead. My advice is there is never a bad time to get into the trades.”

Through apprenticeships come accreditation and standards, the hallmarks of trades in Canada. A lack of education is one of society’s main limitations to earning a decent wage in a viable career.

“Anyone can have a lifelong career in a trade, earning a reasonable, middle-class living and enjoying a comfortable lifestyle,” says Eagan. “It’s a career with instant gratification: you see the results of your work immediately.”

The project, while certainly not the largest in the city’s history, will ultimately have significant impact on the local economy.

It was designed here, many of the trades people employed live here, and those who come from elsewhere provide a stimulus to local businesses such as hotels, restaurants, car rentals and gas bars. When it opens, the students who occupy its 109 rooms will spend money in the community, extending the value for years to come.

Resident designers

From left to right: Christopher Babits, Theresa Yauck, Art Ferrari, Dan Westwood

Lethbridge College has been through some substantial changes in the last few months: a new look, a new name, new programs, always placing students at the forefront of these innovations. This fall, that motivation will continue when the campus opens its third student residence.

Construction on the residence began last June after several months of planning by the college’s senior leadership team.

Most of the $11.3-million price tag has been covered by college reserves, aided by a $2-million contribution from the city. The college’s Alumni Relations Council has taken on the job of raising the final $1 million.

The five-storey facility includes 109 suites and a lounge on the top floor. Each room is designed for single occupancy (double if required), a feature that will appeal to those who want privacy rather than a roommate, something mature students will appreciate.

- continued on page 8

7

Resident designers Resident designers Resident designers

Resident designers (continued)

“

Each will contain a washroom, bed, bedside table, desk,

“The market in construction right now is very advantageous,”

wardrobe and a small kitchen area. Rent for the units has not

says Ferrari. “But I think there’s more of an overriding thing

yet been determined.

with the college in its rebranding; it wants to become a

Ferrari Westwood Babits Architects, a company with 80

years experience in Lethbridge, is prime consultant for the

project. Dan Westwood, lead design architect, says the firm originally intended to build something solely to meet the

overwhelming need for student accommodation, but soon realized sustainability would play a major role and be the foundation of the initiative.

sustainable campus. It’s based on a philosophy that says it’s the right and proper thing to do.”

I think for our residents coming in now and certainly in the future, sustainability will be no different than indoor plumbing or high-speed Internet; it’s just going to have to be.

”

That will appeal to a new type of learner, one who is environmentally savvy.

Kim Sullivan Residence Life Manager

“As we proceeded through the project, the whole

sustainability concept came to the forefront,” says Westwood.

“We were able to show the advantages of going to a concrete structure, and also reducing the footprint by going with five

storeys so that it would take up less land on the campus. It will be a higher quality building that will last much longer.”

The residence has been situated to be highly efficient, using prevailing winds for ventilation, rainwater collection for

irrigation, and the area’s high rate of sunshine for natural

lighting and solar power for hot water. Construction will also incorporate building materials with low emissions.

Westwood says non-carcinogenic building products were chosen for optimum student health.

“We want to incorporate materials found regionally,” says Westwood. “We want to use materials that are renewable, recyclable.”

To cap the project, the surrounding grounds will be xeriscaped, in keeping with the drive for sustainability.

Art Ferrari, managing partner in the project, as well as a 1968 graduate of the college’s merchandising administration program, says although sustainability can be expensive to incorporate, it’s becoming increasingly important, and the long-term benefits outweigh the costs. And with the economic downturn, building costs are lower than in boom times.

Christopher Babits, third partner in the firm, served as

design development architect following completion of the initial concept. The firm is also involved with Lethbridge

College’s Campus Development Plan, a vision for the school for the next 30 years.

Kim Sullivan, Lethbridge College’s Residence Life manager,

agrees with Ferrari.

“I think for our residents coming in now and certainly in

the future, sustainability will be no different than indoor

plumbing or high-speed Internet; it’s just going to have to be, or we’re not going to be in the market.”

Sullivan says with some 440 students living on campus, more options are necessary.

“There’s no doubt that there’s a need for residences; it’s difficult to find accommodation,” he says. “We always cut our wait lists off once we have a hundred guys and a hundred girls. This year alone we cut off a full month sooner than the previous year.”

The design team is finding new and innovative ideas to maximize efficiency.

“We’ve orientated the building so that it can capture wind and provide natural ventilation through the building,” says

9 8 • WIDER Horizons/Winter 2010/Cover Story

Westwood. “This is the first time we’ve ever done that.”

Theresa Yauck, interior designer for the Ferrari Westwood Babits team, says she was thrilled to take on the challenge.

“I think it’s a great honour to be able to say I had a hand in designing the new learners residence,” says Yauck, a graduate of the original class (2001) of Lethbridge College’s Interior Design program.

Yauck says Lethbridge College gave her the necessary skills and confidence to be successful. She says because of the sustainability factor in this project, she was conscious of the materials chosen for each unit, but she also says she wanted to create a comfortable space for students.

“We wanted to make it an exciting space for these students to live with a warm atmosphere as well,” says Yauck. “It’s more than commercial because these students are going to be living in here; we wanted it to feel very home-like.”

Each room will be adorned with earthy colours like mauves and blues to create a warm vibe. Ferrari adds the rooms are also extremely versatile.

“The flexibility of the rooms could be a choice depending on what the students can afford to pay. They are built to share, so if a student can’t afford to live on their own, they can share that space with a friend or a colleague to reduce the cost.”

Fifteen of the units will be wheelchair accessible and barrier free, dispersed throughout the five floors to provide a feeling of inclusiveness for people with mobility issues.

We actually met with someone from the residence and looked at a unit for disbaled students, evaluated their failures, determined what could be done better,” says Westwood.

For instance, none of the 30th Avenue residences, the most recently built, are accessible from the sidewalk.

Some of the features in an accessible unit include wider doorways, lowered shelving, an open sink to accommodate a wheelchair, lower windows, and larger bathrooms containing grab bars.

Ferrari was Lethbridge College’s Distinguished Alumni recipient in 2008, chosen for his contributions to the college and community.

He says he feels lucky to be able to give back to the institution with his skills and knowledge.

“I felt really honoured and thrilled (to be recognized),” he says.

“But it was nice to connect with the college in a different way and it also helped to re-establish serving the college; that’s an important thing to us.”

Artist rendering of student lounge in the new student residence.

Christina Boese (Communication Arts 2008)

Lethbridge College’s residence project by the numbers: • Trades involved: 19 • Workers visiting site on one day:15 to 75 • Square metres on one floor: 870 • Days crane was on site: more than 210 • Cost of crane: about $400,000 • Man-hours of employment created: 130,000 or 65 years • Financial benefit to community: about $8.75 million

9

Wider Horizons asked:

What is your perspective on trades and the economy?

Q

As a 1983 graduate of the college’s welding program, Darrel Bohle knew trades was his passion. Equipped with the knowledge and skills the college’s technical training provided him, he began his business, Bel-Aire Welding. After 18 years, his passion still brings him success, and he is confident trades are a rewarding industry to enter.

“The effects of the recession are critical,” says Bohle. “There have been quite a few budget cuts.”

He also says it’s hard to find skilled workers at times due to a few factors.

“Skilled trades people are rare because training is costly and sometimes it’s difficult to find people who are interested.”

But, he says, recession or not, skilled people are always necessary.

“There will forever be a demand for skilled workers in the industry, and I think workers are most critical now.”

Darrel Bohle Bel-Aire Welding

After Cam Mandel graduated from the college’s Heavy Duty Mechanics program in 1984, it didn’t take him long to start his own business: Taber Diesel. Today, that business is celebrating its 25th year, and despite the recession, Mandel believes when it comes to training for the trades, the time is now.

“We have had an acute shortage for the last five years,” says Mandel. “This was due to the pull from the oil and gas industry that we just could not compete against.”

Mandel says despite the economic slowdown, the industry will need skilled workers in the near future.

“My training at Lethbridge College was instrumental in my success,” says Mandel. “This is a perfect time for newcomers to train. When the economy makes the turn, those people with the skills will be the first hired and will be able to command better pay.

“A lot of the older techs are going to be retiring in the next five years and there will continue to be a demand for skilled trained techs.”

Cam Mandel Taber Diesel

Christina Boese (Communication Arts 2008)

10 • WIDER Horizons/Winter 2010/Cover Story

QA &

w i t h t r a d e s in min

It’s been 25 years since Dave McLellan graduated from Lethbridge College as a journeyman electrician, a trade he later taught on campus for eight years. Today, he’s a supervisor for Apprenticeship and Industry Training’s South Division in Lethbridge. Despite the economic downturn, he sees a future in the trades for those willing to obtain the knowledge.

Wider Horizons: It would seem to the average Albertan the increasing complexity of trades requires an education. Yet, those who follow a trade are often less revered than those who enter professional fields.

Dave McLellan: The perception has changed somewhat in the last 10 to 15 years, but we still have a ways to go. I still see educators in southern Alberta promoting colleges and universities as the way to go and turning underachievers towards the trades. That philosophy just won’t work anymore.

A person who was an auto mechanic 30 years ago couldn’t do that job today without further training. Some cars have 15 to 20 computers on board. Trades people need a strong education behind them.

WH: Is it a good time to get into the trades?

DM: If employers are hiring, it’s not a bad time to get in.

We’re somewhat short of jobs, but that’s trade specific, Alberta employers went overboard on welders during the so-called boom, and they became the largest trade in the province. Now that’s changed and welders have left the trades and are doing other things. But we may experience a shortage again when the economy improves. During the boom, we were processing upwards of 65 apprenticeship applications a month here; now, the average is still above 50. We’re still getting applications and those people are working for somebody.

It’s not as bleak as some believe. We’re always going to go through economic cycles, but there’s a wide range of challenging and rewarding careers in the trades and technologies. That’s a key reason why the Alberta government committed $24 million to WorldSkills Calgary 2009 and

d

another $1.7 million to transport Grade 9 and 10 students to the competition.

WH: How tough is it to break in?

DM: It’s hard for an inexperienced person because employers don’t have the time to train them in good times and don’t have the work for them in bad times. It’s really a matter of persistence and timing. I think pre-employment training helps. It’s also often easier for second-generation trades people; they’ve likely picked up a lot of skills at home.

WH: Your office enforces the Alberta Apprenticeship Act to ensure apprentices are receiving the proper training on the job and classroom knowledge required to become journeymen. How good is Alberta’s system?

DM: Generally, it’s looked upon as one of the best in Canada.

We’re turning out journeypersons respected around the world. Many can step into work in other countries based on their Alberta training. That’s not true of skilled workers coming to Alberta from another country, who are assessed and validated individually. On the other hand, trades and occupation certificates issued in Canada are generally respected by other Canadian provinces or territories.

WH: Why is the apprenticeship concept important?

DM: To ensure those working in key trades have the proper training and to pass on the knowledge. To become a journeyperson, you have to have experience in your field and be well-rounded. It ensures projects are built safely, vehicles are maintained properly and our meals are prepared safely.

The public requires and deserves that protection.

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New day dawns for trades Happy line-up: From left, Advancement’s Steven Dyck, Mary Jane Crooks, Art Crooks, President Tracy Edwards, Keith Dys, board of governors chair

Media scrum: Art Crooks answers questions at the grand opening.

12 • WIDER Horizons/Winter 2010/Cover Story

Students too: Steven Dyck, executive director of Advancement,

New day dawns for trades The community, they say, has been good to them since they arrived 30 years ago to open the city’s first Canadian Tire store. So when Art and Mary Jane Crooks sought a way in which to give back, they selected Lethbridge College, the place to which they often turned for the skilled trades people they required for their successful enterprises.

“

In November, they and Lethbridge College unveiled the Crooks School of Transportation, the opening paragraph in its next chapter of trades and technologies education.

This is truly a transformational gift. It sends a clear message to the region and the province, and helps us chart an academic vision and create a strategic investment in the school of transportation.

”

Dr. Tracy Edwards Lethbridge College President & CEO

Alberta’s Access to the Future Fund, which supports innovation and excellence within Alberta’s advanced learning system, was able to match a portion of the Crooks’ gift, bringing the total naming of the school to $2 million.

“As business people, we realize just how important the trades are,” said Art Crooks at the unveiling. “We know the ‘old gang’ is retiring and we need new people to take their place. The purely academic stream has been overemphasized and students are not always encouraged to enter a trade, yet they provide professional and rewarding careers in which skilled people can make a good living. When we moved here, we became much aware of the work being done by Lethbridge College in trades education.”

The college’s ability to offer cutting-edge trades training, and to attract students to it, will be greatly enhanced by the Crooks’ donation.

“The college is in a horsepower war with other institutions in Alberta,” said Art. “We hope our gift helps keep students in Lethbridge and makes training at Lethbridge College as accessible as possible.”

The Crooks have long believed in the importance of education and in the concept of philanthropy. After opening two Canadian Tire outlets in Ontario, the couple moved to Lethbridge in 1979, and, said Mary Jane, expected their stay to be short.

“Canadian Tire was opening the West and wanted seasoned owners to move out here,” she said. “We intended to stay five years. But, Lethbridge was a great place to raise kids, especially with the influence of two postsecondary institutions [the Crooks have three grown children] and we made it our home.”

“The donation and partial matching grant will,” said Lethbridge College President Tracy Edwards, “form the cornerstone of trades and sustainable technology training for years to come.”

“This is truly a transformational gift,” says Edwards. “It sends a clear message to the region and the province, and helps us chart an academic vision and create a strategic investment in the school of transportation.”

Steven Dyck, executive director of Advancement at Lethridge College, says the donation gives the school ability to react swiftly to new possibilities, such as it did with its wind turbine technician program.

“It will allow us to adapt to our environment to meet the economic demands of the community,” says Dyck. “Our faculty already go to the ends of the Earth for their students; this gives us hope and belief that we will have a new facility for students, faculty and the community.”

addresses the opening

13

FAST & FURIOUS Daniels, an 11-year veteran instructor in Lethbridge College’s Automotive Systems Technician program, has a new toy to play with: a Mustang dynamometer that moves vehicle diagnostics into the fast lane.

Dave Daniels is spinning his wheels these days, getting nowhere – and loving every minute of the journey.

the automotive industry, and it fits perfectly in a program focused on vehicle performance.

“Vehicle technology is changing rapidly and I have to stay current,” Daniels says. “It’s exciting, and I think if you show students your passion for what you’re teaching, they get excited, too.”

The Mustang, unrelated to the Ford vehicle of the same name, is the only one of its kind south of Calgary. It can simulate exact driving conditions to assess horsepower and torque and read computers in vehicles manufactured since 1996 to determine why their “check engine” lights have come on.

The $110,000 piece of U.S.-made equipment is state of the art, allowing him to show students how and where a vehicle might be underperforming. It’s the MRI of

“When that light comes on, it sets a code in the computer’s memory,” says Daniels. “We can punch the code into the dynamometer and it recreates the

14 • WIDER Horizons/Winter 2010/Cover Story

driving conditions simulating what was happening at the time.”

If the light came on while the vehicle was heading up Whoop-Up Drive at 90 km/h, Daniels can recreate those conditions with the vehicle running on the dynamometer. A readout then shows students exactly what’s wrong with the emissions system.

“Before we got the Mustang, I had to take one or two students at a time with me in a vehicle and show them on a hand-held scanner,” says Daniels. “That left the rest of the class back on campus while we were out testing.”

Now Daniels can instruct the entire class at one time, recreating road loads on the dynamometer.

Tips of the Trade Cold car-care We’re in the middle of it: that Canadian driving season when winter’s icy grip of bone-numbing cold wraps around your vehicle’s heart and squeezes: only the strong survive.

Sheldon Anderson (Automotive Systems ’87), Lethbridge College’s chair of the college’s newly minted Crooks School of Transportation, has a little experience and know-how on nursing the family sedan safely through to April. Here are his best tips.

Winter tires: tires are considered unsafe when tread reaches 1/8 of an inch above the wear bars (located between the treads every eight to 10 inches). But that’s the minimum and won’t provide much traction in icy conditions. Tire pressures tend to drop in cold weather; check pressures more often as temperatures fluctuate.

Obtaining the Mustang was a three-year process, including shipment, installation and adding an extension to handle fourwheel drives. After a few modifications specific to Lethbridge College – the 17inch readout screen was upgraded to a 40-inch LCD model so groups of students could better see the results – it became operational last April. So far, it’s revved up classroom interest.

Battery: it needs to be tested and cleaned to ensure optimum performance. A little-known trick: if your vehicle has been sitting in the cold for a prolonged period of time without being plugged in, turn your headlights on for about 30 to 40 seconds to warm your battery; your car will start more easily.

“Students are exposed to dynamometers on U.S. auto shows so their interest is high,” says Daniels. “When I fire it up, students from other classes come in to watch; it’s a real magnet.”

Coolant: flush it every five years (long-life) or every two years (regular). It should be tested every fall for its freezing point.

Coolant condition is vital for conducting heat and maintaining the condition of the heater core and coolant passages. If it isn’t flushed often enough, the heater core will corrode and plug, reducing heat production.

Daniels credits the dynamometer with accelerating his own learning, despite his decade in the classroom and two more with Davis Pontiac Buick GMC. He’s also rebuilding a 1969 Camaro and using the project to teach students each step required.

He might be old-school when discussing such well-muscled topics as horsepower and torque, but Daniels is a new-ager where cleaner air is concerned.

“The more precisely tuned a car is kept, the more efficiently it runs,” he says.

“That cuts down its emissions and that’s good for the environment. It reduces our carbon footprint and makes for a greener world.”

Windshield washer fluid: summer washer fluid (usually pink) needs to be drained and replaced with winter windshield washer fluid (usually blue) or the fluid will freeze and can break lines, pumps and reservoirs.

Windshield wipers: they often need to be of higher quality than those used in the summer to withstand ice and heavy snow.

Always remove snow and ice before starting the wipers to ease stress on the arms and motor.

Oil changes: do them at regular intervals and more frequently in winter because the engine runs a little richer on cold starts and pollutants get past the piston rings and contaminate the oil.

Vehicles should be allowed to warm for several minutes to allow oils to reach operating temperatures to ensure proper lubrication.

Most vehicles should produce heat within five minutes, so anything more is a waste.

Plugging in: helps reduce pollution and energy consumption.

However, for most vehicles, 30 to 40 minutes depending on engine type, size and ambient temperature should be adequate time to ensure easy starting and reduced pollution on start up, and reducing wear on your engine.

15

Technology driving careers Claire Parkinson enrolled at Lethbridge College to fulfill her dream of becoming a nurse. Somewhere, she swapped bed pans for oil pans and is now halfway through her apprenticeship as an automotive technician. She still studies in a technologically advanced field, but now knows more about automatic transmissions than most guys on her block. Sometimes, life presents unique twists.

Parkinson might be a rarity in her profession, a woman with a wrench who can replace a differential as well as the man in the next bay. But, says Sheri Thomson, president of the Lethbridge Auto Dealers’ Association (LADA), she shares one commonality with them all: the automotives industry is hungry for technicians who are properly educated and show a propensity for lifelong learning.

Most will begin at the bottom (Parkinson started in the lube bay), but once they begin their apprenticeship, their future improves dramatically. To foster education, LADA has poured some $200,000 into Lethbridge College to create an endowment that awards four $1,000 ASC program, and four $1,500 apprenticeship scholarships annually.

Thomson has first-hand experience of the benefits of trades training: her son Justin recently graduated from Lethbridge College’s Wind Turbine Technician program. Three days after graduating, he was hired by TransAlta Utilities to assemble $3-million turbines.

“

“We need well-trained technicians who can develop and grow with us,” says Thomson, general manager of McFadden Honda. “With ever more complex technology and the fast changes in vehicle design, it’s crucial to keep up with advancements. We want people who will continue to learn; by graduating from automotives at Lethbridge College they are showing us they can embrace change in the industry and keep pace with the demands.”

Honda, for instance, sends employees to its own school in Calgary where they learn about technological developments in its products.

To encourage those with a natural affinity for automotives, LADA visits high schools with its message of post-secondary education. Lethbridge College’s oneyear Automotive Systems certificate (ASC) program is, she says, a great place to begin; most grads will be able to find work with a dealer in Lethbridge and, with determination and skill, work their way into an apprenticeship program, a four-year commitment in which they continue to work and earn, but attend classes at the college full time for eight weeks each year.

“We want them to see it, smell it and taste it,” says Thomson of the auto industry. “We want to light a fire in them to pursue a career, not just wander into it. We encourage those who show interest to enter the ASC program, while others apply for jobs at the detailer and lube tech levels. Some want to go into sales, but most want to be on the technical side of the business and achieve their journeyman status.”

16 • WIDER Horizons/Winter 2010/Cover Story

LADA, says Thomson, is acutely aware of its place in the community. Members support numerous charities annually, donating to those in which employees are involved, or generally aiding others.

We want people who will continue to learn; by graduating from automotives at Lethbridge College they are showing us they can embrace change in the industry and keep pace with the demands.

”

Sheri Thomson president of the Lethbridge Auto Dealers’ Association

LADA also holds an annual golf tournament, which has raised more than $110,000 in four years. The $30,000 raised last August will be split between the Special Olympics and the Lethbridge Association for Community Living.

Automotive dealerships also contribute to the city’s economy through the many supplies and services it requires: tires, glass, fuel, advertising, printing and more.

“We’re pleased that the community feels comfortable in approaching us for support,” says Thomson.

“We’re in a customer-service business, so developing a relationship with the community is important to us. If our customers and the community benefit from our donations, we’ve created a cycle that’s good for everyone.”

Oil patch: Claire finds niche in auto technology Claire Parkison (left) with Sherri Thomson.

Suited for the job: Claire Parkinson, Sheri Thomson

Claire Parkinson knows the exact date she started at McFadden Honda: Oct. 15, 2007.

It sticks in her mind because the next day she attended an Edmonton Oilers game.

After leaving Lethbridge College’s nursing program for a career in automotives, Parkinson began getting her hands dirty as a lube tech to get the basics, then signed on to an apprenticeship program. That meant a return to a college classroom, but Parkinson knew by then she had found her niche.

“I’d always had an interest in cars,” says the Vancouver native who moved to Lethbridge 12 years ago. “I used to tinker around in the back yard. I wanted to get into nursing, but as a single mom, I needed something with regular hours.”

During her first two years in the apprenticeship program at Lethbridge College, Parkinson has been the only woman enrolled, but that hasn’t daunted her. She’s considered one of the team.

“All the other journeymen have been terrific,” she says. “I work and learn alongside them; they’re my mentors.”

Parkinson says she’d encourage other young women who have a passion for automotives to get into the field.

“Follow your dreams and don’t be intimidated about entering a male field,” she says. “But you need a post-secondary education for whatever you do, unless you want to earn minimum wage and live in a basement suite all your life.”

Parkinson says her college training, aided by encouraging instructors, relates directly to her work at McFadden Honda, and she says she knows she’ll need to keep learning throughout her career.

“I took on this job knowing it would be a challenge,” she says. “But learning is knowledge and knowledge is power.”

17

“

Scholarship winner has a new altitude

Ty Provost is a bit of an adrenaline junkie. At three, his dad had him – and his four siblings – riding horses on the family ranch near Brocket. In his teens, he knew how to break a horse and was soon competing in rodeos as a bronc rider.

So it’s merely an extension of his apparent need for excitement that he is only months away from a career climbing 90-metre wind turbines.

“The second day of training they had us to the top of a tower near Coaldale,” says Provost, a student in Lethbridge College’s Wind Turbine Technician program. “It was a bit windy and you could feel the tower swaying a little. You have to be immune to motion sickness, but it was enjoyable.”

The young Piikani Nation resident will graduate from the program this spring and, like most students who complete the program, will be snapped up by an employer. His success, besides his own rodeo-hardened determination, was aided by a $10,000 scholarship from Enmax Energy Corporation, offered last year to an area First Nations student entering the program.

The award covered his books, fees, living expenses and tools; his tuition was paid for by the Piikani administration. It was a nice score, but Provost came within a hair of missing the opportunity. After signing up for the program, he happened to be visiting the campus one summer day to inquire about a possible living allowance.

18 • WIDER Horizons/Winter 2010/Cover Story

The program is split between Lethbridge and the college’s Fort Macleod campus,

“

Without the award, I would have needed a student loan.

As a father, I was worried about how I would support my son.

”

Ty Provost Wind Turbine Technician student

and, with a young son, Provost needed to be closer to school.

“I was just lucky,” he says. “I was at the college and ran into Robin (Little Bear, Lethbridge College’s First Nations, Metis and Inuit Services manager) who also just happened to be there and told me about the Enmax scholarship. I filled out the application the same day the panel was meeting to make a selection.

Without the award, I would have needed a student loan. As a father, I was worried about how I would support my son.”

Provost graduated from Catholic Central High School in Lethbridge in 2008, where he was part of the school’s hockey academy. (He played for the Midget AA Taber Golden Suns.) He investigated agriculture programs, but ultimately enrolled in the college’s General Studies program while he contemplated a career move. When a friend completed the Wind Turbine Technician training, he was intrigued.

With high marks in mathematics and completion of his safety tickets, Provost was a perfect fit for the program.

“It’s a growing field, that’s for sure,” he says. “My friend went to Pennsylvania; now he’s back working here. I’d like to stay in southern Alberta, but I’m prepared to travel.”

Provost could end up working for the company who sponsored his education.

Enmax owns the Kettles Hill wind farm at Pincher Creek, and the Taber wind farm, largest in Canada.

The firm intends to revisit its scholarship for the 2010 program intake.

Doris Kaufmann, senior media relations advisor for Enmax, says the company was drawn to the Lethbridge College Wind Turbine Technician program because of the firm’s increasing link to alternative energy sources and the growing need for skilled trades people.

“Enmax is involved with pilot projects involving wind and solar energy and is determining how those might be rolled out to the public,” says Kaufmann. “Before we bring them to market, we want to make a contribution to student knowledge. Clearly there will be a greater need for skilled people to fill the jobs of the future; it makes sense, as a creator of those jobs, that we’d be involved in their education.”

Lethbridge College was the first North American institution authorized to deliver the BZEE training program in September 2007, and is now the designated lead institution for BZEE certification for North America.

Provost has already promoted the program to friends, but his endorsement comes with a warning.

“They love doing things with their hands and some are interested,” he says. “But I warn them there’s a lot of book learning, too. You have to be dedicated.”

Did you know?

Last month, Lethbridge College erected a 22-metre wind-turbine tower south of its trades building. The tower, minus the turbine and blades, will allow students in the Wind Turbine Technician program to practise ascents and descents, a key element in their training and vital for their future safety on the job.

Previously, students practised on the city’s old water tower (now home to Ric’s Grill). The tower provides them with a more realistic and convenient venue.

The college required approval from the Department of Transport due to the tower’s proximity to the Lethbridge Airport. The city and county also approved its installation.

19

Office Intrigue: A box made of bird’seye maple, a gift from Pearson’s previous post at Algoma University, Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.

Photo of son Kai, 2, and his artwork from Lethbridge College Day Care.

Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire, Brazilian educator upon whose theories Pearson is basing her doctoral work.

20 • WIDER Horizons/Winter 2010

Souvenir from Beijing.

Krista Pearson, associate vice-president of Enrolment Management and Learner Services, is a student’s best friend. New to Lethbridge College, the Nova Scotian and her department are streamlining the registration process, trimming line-up time and widening the “doorways” for students entering programs. Her team also provides learners with the academic and personal support they need to achieve success.

Degrees, from left, bachelor of education, Acadia University, Wolfville, N.S.; master of education, Nipissing University, North Bay, Ont.; bachelor degree, Dalhousie University, Halifax

krista.pearson@lethbridgecollege.ab.ca

Images of Nova Scotia by Sherman Hines.

Photo of wedding to husband Tim Pearson.

Material from Governor General’s Canadian Leadership Conference, of which Pearson is a board member.

21

There’s a new term in vogue in the sustainability field: regeneration. It’s no longer enough to merely do no further damage; the focus now is on fixing what was broken previously.

Leona Rousseau, then, would be the perfect person to champion causes focused on this new philosophy. As program chair for Lethbridge College’s Interior Design program, she’s done the research and walked the walk of sustainability, weaving it into her curriculum in hopes of instilling environmental consciousness in her students.

Now, she has a larger stage on which to perform, at least until her term ends later this year as chair of the Communities of Practice initiative of the Alberta Association of Colleges and Technical Institutes. That’s a long title, but it boils down quite easily: AACTI is an umbrella organization for 17 colleges in the province; the Communities of Practice committee allows member colleges to share experiences, explore opportunities of mutual interest and support expansion of applied research and innovation.

During her term, she’ll be looking at all 17 campuses to compile a database on what each is doing in sustainability in three areas: research, curriculum and operations, positioning them as visible centres and leaders in the advancement of sustainable community development. Her work will culminate with an environmental/sustainability summit in 2010 – she hopes to hold it at Lethbridge College – which will hopefully bring together stakeholders and representatives from all 17 colleges.

22 • WIDER Horizons/Winter 2010

Main issues of concern raised at the

“Applied research means working with

Summit may be used at AACTI round-table

business and industry to help them solve

discussion sessions at municipal and/or

the challenges they are facing in being

other sustainability conferences or events.

sustainable,” says Edwards. “It can help

“Campuses are eager to develop research in new technology, encourage partnerships and innovation,” says Rousseau, whose students researched and recommended materials for the interior of the Living Home project. “We want to bridge the gap between colleges and industry; we hope corporations will see colleges as places for research. That hasn’t traditionally been our mandate; research was always reserved for universities. But we are involved in applied research and that puts us in a unique position: we are involved in handson learning, we have the lab space and

them understand how they can implement sustainable practices.”

And, there’s a huge benefit that accrues to students involved in applied research.

“It teaches critical thinking,” says Edwards. “They learn to learn by solving practical problems in the community,” says Edwards.

Rousseau agrees and notes colleges are involved in research in real-life settings with companies eager for the knowledge to be mined.

“If these companies did the research

we have students and faculty involved in

on their own, it would cost more,” she

research. We can be a facilitator and create

says. “When they come to colleges to

true partnerships with industry.”

do the research, they win financially,

Rousseau is joined at AACTI by Lethbridge College President Tracy Edwards, who is serving as president of the organization’s council of presidents.

Edwards agrees applied research is a

college faculty win, students win and the community benefits. Look at the Living Home: it gave the community ‘look, touch and feel’ results.

The benefits to communities from applied

key consideration for the association’s

research are more direct and immediate

sustainability initiatives.

than longer-term research.”

- continued on page 24

23

A green champion arises (continued) AACTI can provide funding for faculty-mentored student involvement, a huge advantage to their learning and post-grad opportunities.

“Students are an integral part of the process, not sitting on the sidelines or merely assisting,” says Rousseau. “They take away valuable experience, and, in two years, can be applying their ideas in the community, contributing to something much bigger.”

Rousseau earned the first professional bachelor in interior design from the University of Manitoba’s Faculty of Architecture, and followed it with a masters in designing education. She is working on her doctorate in educational technology through the University of Calgary. All through her learning and teaching, she’s kept sustainability in her focus.

“Sustainability research and ecology played into the courses I teach,” she says. “I am concerned, professionally and personally, with environmental and health issues.”

She’s also involved her Interior Design program students in community projects, a value-added process that makes them more rounded and experienced when they graduate.

“It’s a natural transition, using strengths and skills for the community, using powers for good,” says Rousseau. “Most students realize the importance of giving back; they might not enter the program that way, but it can be cultivated. Interior design is more than making things look great. Yes, it involves aesthetics and function, but the designs it promotes must be healthy and sustainable. The relationship between the two is more intense than ever; design has an impact on all aspects of life. Interior designers have to be responsible to their clients, but must also have a social, ethical, economic and ecological responsibility.

Sowing sense Leona Rousseau’s tips to green up your home or office: 1. Bring the outdoors in Add plants like the hardy Peace Lily, Spider plant or Dracaena to your interior spaces to help combat poor indoor air quality. Plants provide oxygen and are especially effective in cleaning the air of toxic chemicals like benzene and formaldehyde that can off-gas from materials and furnishings.

2. Don’t light up your life Maximize use of natural lighting from windows. Adjust blinds throughout the day to accommodate changing light quantity and quality. Whenever possible, move activities such as meetings and reading to areas with natural light.

3. Buy biodegradable.

There are more biodegradable and compostable products on store shelves than ever, including disposable plates, cutlery, planters and garbage bags. These are typically made of materials such as starches that are engineered to break down. Look for certified products.

4. Tone down that toner.

Purchase toner cartridges for copiers and laser printers that have low levels of particulate pollution and buy brands that include postage-free recycling programs. Then be sure to use that program to recycle all of your spent cartridges so they don’t pollute the landfill.

5. Clean up those cleaners.

Cleaning products can be toxic to humans, pets and the greater environment. Buy ones that are free of phosphates, ammonia, chlorine, formaldehyde, naphthalene and other harmful chemicals.

24 • WIDER Horizons/Winter 2010

Instructor Steve MacRae with student Paula Collins, founder of the Eco-Collective on campus.

on dry:

xeriscaping no hose job

When Paula Collins arrived at Lethbridge College from Winnipeg in 2008 to begin Lethbridge College’s four-year Conservation Enforcement program, she brought along a belief in environmental sustainability. Before her first Christmas on campus, she had created what has become the Eco-Collective, a group of students who share a determination to make a difference through action.

The seeds it sowed fell on fertile ground. In its first few months, the Eco-Collective helped secure $12,000 in grants to grow two visible and constructive projects, both of which include a benefit to the college, its students and the community.

The most visible is the Cousins Outdoor Living Theatre, a xeriscaping demonstration garden of drought-tolerant native plants located at the east end of the Cousins Science Centre. The club obtained a $7,000 grant from Wal-Mart to develop the garden, built in an amphitheatre design to allow for student and community education classes and demonstrations.

- continued on page 26

25

High on DRy: xeriscaping no hose job (continued) The all-inclusive club (no membership fees, open to all students) is much like the garden it has helped create: small but hardy. Club members hail from diverse programs, from Nursing to Communication Arts, something the club, originally started by three students in the School of Environmental Sciences, encourages. Because they are not necessarily schooled in native plants, they sought the assistance of instructor Steve MacRae. A mild-mannered teacher during the work week, MacRae has become a fierce proponent of xeriscaping in southern Alberta, and provided the knowledge students required to select and secure the garden greenery.

“

“Steve was a huge help to us,” says Collins. “His expertise and enthusiasm was invaluable to getting the garden in the ground.”

We’re taking small steps now, but with more support we can do much more.

”

Paula Collins, Eco-Collective club founder

That happened on the last warm Friday of October, when some 30 students and instructors turned out to cultivate and plant under MacRae’s guidance.

Interestingly, because all plants selected are native to southern Alberta, they do best in natural growing conditions; when a limber pine was ready to plant, the college’s soil had to be amended with coarse gravel to better reflect those conditions.

MacRae says xeriscaping is a slow-growth concept in the suburbs of Lethbridge, where manicured lawns and imported shrubs still hold sway in most yards.

But he continues to educate and encourage others to consider the concept when they develop their properties.

Through his own small endeavour, Prairie Xeriscape Designs, MacRae tours groups through his own property to spread the word. Last summer, he showed upwards of 80 people, from the Oldman River and Milk River watershed councils, what can be accomplished. He’s determined to dispel the myth xeriscaping means a yard full of gravel, a rock and two junipers.

“That would be ‘zeroscaping,’ not xeriscaping,” he says. “Zeroscaping is worse than lawn because it creates heat and encourages weeds.”

26 • WIDER Horizons/Winter 2010

Xeriscaping comes from the Greek xeros and the Latin xeric, meaning dry. While he encourages supplemental watering in the first two years, MacRae notes a xeriscaped garden will thrive without assistance from the tap once plants are established.

And it’s all about the plants: the more the merrier.

“The idea is to dominate the land with plants,” says MacRae. “You use some rocks and gravel as accents, and mulch to help retain moisture, but the plants will eventually take over and propagate on their own if you have patience.”

The savings in water alone make a convincing argument for switching to xeriscaping. MacRae conservatively suggests the average reduction for a basic residential lot would be about 70 per cent, based on annual Lethbridge precipitation – enough for native plants – and the suggested weekly 2.5-centimetre watering supplement for sod.

The benefits extend beyond water consumption.

While weeds love open gravel, they find it difficult to compete with established plants in a properly xeriscaped garden. And native plants, admittedly harder to find and more expensive than horticultural varieties (go figure), will survive treacherous winters and summer drought, thus reducing replacement costs. They require no herbicides, pesticides and fertilizer, again reducing cost and impact on the aquifer.

Xeriscaping allows for personal flourishes: no two efforts need look the same, thanks to plant selection and layout. They can also sport a dainty, manicured, defined look with plants easy to control.

“You don’t have to end up with a wild coulee look,” says MacRae. The Eco-Collective won’t spend much time enjoying its first success, says Collins; there’s more work to be done. It has used a $5,000 grant to bring recycling to college residences, giving more than 400 students an option greater than BFI bins in the parking lots. Each residence was supplied with two blue boxes, which are picked up regularly by members of the Kodiaks cross-country team and emptied at the nearest recycling depot.

“Your interest level in recycling and the environment seems dependent on how you were brought up,” says Collins. “We held an info session when we first started, and found many students didn’t know they could recycle items as simple as cans. We’re trying to raise awareness and get people into the habit.

“We’re taking small steps now, but with more support we can do much more.”

College picks its Green Team Green is the colour of choice at Lethbridge College these days: as a major employer, landowner and educator, the institution understands its responsibility to the community to be innovative and instructional in its promotion of sustainability.

However, as green comes in several shades, initiatives require co-ordination to be dynamic. Beginning this month, it will be the domain of Leona Rousseau (see profile page 22) and Dave McRae as Lethbridge College’s newly appointed Green Leadership Office (GLO) team, to help steer the campus towards a united approach in all it does.

“We must become a culture of sustainability, not just pay lip service to it. We want to go beyond merely maintaining the status quo. We want to become a clearinghouse for a co-ordinated effort and expose the good things being done to the rest of the college community.”

McRae too, is passionate about sustainability as someone who makes his living outdoors as field co-ordinator for the Conservation Enforcement program (Wider Horizons, fall 2008).

He describes their roles in the GLO as coaches.

“Society has an expectation that learning institutions will lead the way in sustainability,” says McRae, an instructor in the School of Environmental Sciences. “We want Lethbridge College to lead by example.”

“You can’t win the Stanley Cup with a few great players,” he says.

“You need an entire team; even the guy who books the flights is important. We want to acknowledge, celebrate and encourage those initiatives that work. Environmental responsibility is here to stay; you can either fight it or get on the bandwagon.”

Rousseau, program chair for the Interior Design program, agrees.

The two realize Lethbridge College’s potential for community leadership.

“Little bits are being done all over the campus,” she says. “We want to identify their champions and canvass their ideas and knowledge.”

“The college is a microcosm of the community. What we do on campus affects the entire city, from the way we handle waste and storm-water runoff to our recycling efforts. The better we handle these things, the more we’ll reduce our negative environmental impact on the city and save money doing it.”

The two educators have been seconded for the next six months to head Lethbridge College’s drive towards sustainability, but they are determined to not be confined by the term; they prefer “green leadership.” By June 30, they hope to complete three main inventories of green initiatives on campus, specifically, what’s being done in operations and facilities; in research and in the college curriculum. Their recommendations will follow on where Lethbridge College can go next.

The list they develop will include short- and long-term goals to show the community Lethbridge College is committed to practising and teaching “green,” and is eager to live up to last September’s signing of the Pan-Canadian Protocol for Sustainability developed by the Association of Canadian Community Colleges.

Seeding sustainability throughout the curriculum is vital to preparing grads for “green-collar” employment and imbuing them with a lifelong responsibility to the environment. Rousseau has been teaching sustainability in her Interior Design courses for eight years and is uncompromising in her beliefs. What she once encouraged students to merely consider in their careers she now makes mandatory practice.

Choosing Rousseau and McRae was, says Steven Dyck, executive director of Advancement, a way to communicate to the rest of the campus that green initiatives are not the purview of a single area.

“We require the support and co-operation of the entire campus to be successful,” says Dyck. “We’ve achieved several milestones so far. Now, with Leona’s and Dave’s involvement, we’ll have the co-ordination we require to reach the next level.”

A major piece of that next level is community education and outreach, again keeping with the college’s goal of providing sustainability leadership.

In the end, it comes down to the bottom line, or, in this case, a triple bottom line.

“A triple-bottom-line is a relatively new approach to institutional and corporate practice,” says Rousseau. “It takes into consideration three areas of institutional success, adding accountability and sustainability to the usual one of economics.

Economic cost is only one facet and ecological/environmental and social costs must now be inclusive for true sustainability.”

Steve MacRae advocates seven principles of xeriscaping: 1) planning

Some plants that are good for xeriscapes in Lethbridge are:

2) sod limitation

Trees: hawthorn, limber pine, green ash, chokecherry

3) soil assessment & amendment

Shrubs: ninebark, juniper, sagebrush, mugo pine, cinquefoil

4) proper plant selection

Perennial Flowers: blanket flower, wild bergamot, blazing star, pink pussy-toes

5) appropriate watering

Grasses: blue grama, needle & thread, switch grass, junegrass, blue fescue

6) mulch application 7) proper maintenance

27

Cape of good hope South Africa is a land of contrasting landscapes, a country in which travelers can stroll breathtaking beaches, stalk lions on sweeping savannahs and stroll beneath mountains that touch the clouds of its famed cape. It is, too, a land of contrasting living conditions and the opportunities they afford those hoping to forge ahead in a post-Apartheid world.

For visitors who offer their assistance and expertise in the country’s rebirth, emotions can also be a contrast, a mixture of exhilaration and frustration that inevitably instils in them a desire to return, luring them with the potential for improving the lives of South Africa’s people.

Last summer, Lethbridge College’s four-year School-Based Water and Sanitation (SBWS) project in South Africa came to a close in the Eastern Cape province, putting the finishing touches on an initiative, started by Jerry Johnson, a former college instructor, that helped build simple toilets and provide inexpensive, effective water treatment facilities at rural schools. Peter Leclaire, Lethbridge College’s vice-president academic and chief learning officer, and Thomas Graham, instructor of cellular/molecular biology, volunteered on the project in its culmination stage, assisting with construction and helping to train local instructors who will hopefully keep the projects alive by showing community members how to build the facilities on their own.

Both men took their families with them to give their children a sense of another country, one transitioning from the confines of Apartheid to the uncertainties of freedom. It was a trip neither will forget.

“If you think you are going there to change their world, you’ll soon discover their world is changing you,” says Graham, who made two earlier trips to South Africa, in 2008 and the spring of 2009. “This work has altered me in such a good way.”

Graham, an expert on bacteria and infectious diseases, went to help teach trainers at the Lovedale College Campus

in Zwelitsha in the Eastern Cape Province. This training introduced students to the dangers of water-borne pathogens and showed them how to build bio-sand filters to purify water from contaminated sources and construct ventilation-improved toilets.

It seems, on the surface, an easy enough task, but unless people can adapt to new ideas, introducing concepts to established cultures doesn’t always have the desired impact.

“It’s better to give the people the skills and knowledge and let them work from within their own cultural system to improve their lives,” says Graham, who taught on the Blood Reserve for two years. “To go into these areas you first have to understand the culture to understand how they approach life. The South African Xhosa, like the North American First Nations people, are a proud people steeped in traditional learning. All you can do is help build capacity and let them take it from there.”

Leclaire, too, came quickly to realize the clash of cultures and the frustrations of trying to overlay one on another. But, like Graham, he came away with a sense of optimism.

“There are some shining stars in whom I have the utmost faith to take the investment we’ve made and move it forward because of their own beliefs,” he says. “Canada and the South African colleges involved were committed to the projects; there is a glimmer of hope.”

Still, it was difficult for Leclaire to see water filters in classrooms used as wastepaper baskets while children continued to drink from questionable sources.

“These were simple but sophisticated filters, taking dirty river water and making it drinkable, but history often gets in the way. If you’ve been drinking out of a pond all your life, it’s hard to change. They might not know why they’re getting sick. We understand the obvious, but it’s not necessarily obvious to them. It’s like if we brought this technology to Western Canada in the 1860s.”

- continued on page 30

Visit widerhorizons.ca to view more photos from this project.

28 • WIDER Horizons/Winter 2010

A sense of optimism: Mike Mnikina., leader of the village of Zinyoka, with his daughter.

29

South Africa, says Leclaire, is far from a poor country. It’s a modern nation with world-class cities and infrastructure. The problem, though, is the distribution of wealth and power, 90 per cent of which is controlled by 10 per cent of the population. Residential areas run the range from brick homes to tin shanties.

“It’s not like India where poverty is all around you,” says Leclaire. “But what we take for granted, such as proper sewer and water systems, while present in the cities, are often missing in the outer settlements.”

The contrasts are most noticeable in rural townships, such as the ones in Lower Ntlaza and Nobuhle where the earlier work on the project was done in 2007 and ’08. Most are poorly educated and living on $1 a day. Many have no access to clean water or sanitation, and appreciated what Lethbridge College was trying to accomplish.

“We went thinking we would do so much good, but it became frustrating when South African government commitment disappeared,” says Leclaire. “You walk in with such high hopes of doing great things. It’s a real reality slap. You leave hoping you’ve put enough kindling in place to keep the fire going. It’s not the latrines and filters, but the capacity for change we’ve left behind. At the colleges and with the trainees, we hope we’ve made a difference in their lives that they’ll pass on to others. We’ve created champions for our projects. That’s the part you hang onto.”

Graham notes the project provided opportunities for students from Lethbridge College and Red Crow College to learn the facets involved in international development work.

“It was a great learning opportunity for them,” he says. “If you create just one Stephen Lewis [head of the Stephen Lewis Foundation] as a Canadian ambassador, you’ve accomplished something.”

The latrine project perhaps had the most resonance for Graham and Leclaire.

Prior to their construction, children at the rural schools merely used the surrounding high grasslands, not so much of a problem for boys and younger girls. But once girls reach puberty, they require proper facilities; without them, they stay home during menstruation and miss several days each month. After falling too far behind after several months, many finally drop out.

In all during this project nine latrines were built, three latrines were built at each of three schools, one for boys, one for girls and a third for staff and kindergarten children.

“We’re not just teaching them about water sanitation and hygiene,” says Graham. “We’re helping them develop gender equality, which improves their quality of life; construction skills such as carpentry, masonry and painting; and HIV/AIDS and STD awareness. Women and children have to be included in the decision-making process for these projects to reach their full potential.”

In the end, it was a text message Graham received from a rural student that proved the worth of the project. She wrote “God bless you. You are the greatest person I have ever met and you have helped us so much.”

Says Graham: “That makes it crystal clear on why we are there and why we need to keep helping. They do understand the importance.”

Like Graham, Leclaire finds himself humbled and enriched by the experience.

“I’d go back in a heartbeat,” he says. “I read a book on Apartheid as a young student and it had an impact on me; I had the impression South Africa was an impoverished Third-World country. A trip like this helps you understand the reality. Some folks there are not hopeful of the future and are trying to get out, while others believe and have hope it can move forward. The future of the country must be built on both black and white cultures.”

30 • WIDER Horizons/Winter 2010

y life • my life • my life • my life • my life • my life • my life • my life • my life • my life • my life • my

Cape of good hope (continued)

justi

in Kan Barry Shaw, Criminal Justice ’78, headed

It was in my final year of high school in Prince George, B.C. that I made up my mind to attend Lethbridge College and, in 1976, I was admitted into the Law Enforcement [now Justice Studies] program.

During the next two years, I met some great people at the college, had some amazing instructors, and was given an education that would become the foundation for a very rewarding career in law enforcement.

In fact, my time spent at Lethbridge College was so interesting and fulfilling that I wanted to continue my education, but at that time there were not many Canadian universities granting degrees in law enforcement. Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, B.C. offered a bachelor in criminology, but would only give me six months credit towards a degree.

Since I had worked hard during my two years at Lethbridge College, I looked elsewhere and soon discovered that Washington State University, at Pullman would give me a full two years’ credit for my diploma. Consequently, I was the first student from the Law Enforcement program to carry on directly to a university. I graduated in 1980 with a BA in criminal justice.

From 1981 to 1986 I worked for the B.C. Attorney General’s Court Services division, and held various titles, including court clerk, administrator, deputy registrar and justice of the peace.

As JP, I frequently held bail hearings and issued search warrants; often before making any decisions, I would think back to the information I had learned at Lethbridge College.

In 1986 I enrolled in the Canadian

ice

andahar the Canadian Forces policing in Kandahar

Forces as a direct entry officer and was commissioned into the Military Police Branch.

After my initial training of nearly two years at Chilliwack, B.C., Borden, Ont., and St-Jean, Que., I was transferred as the second-incommand at CFB Borden.

After only a short stay, in 1989 I was then moved to become the detachment operations officer for the Atlantic Detachment Special Investigation Unit, Halifax, responsible for the Atlantic provinces. I was looking forward to my This was an amazing group of first police job in “plain clothes� and learning professionals to work with because their from a very experienced boss, but due to his recommendations were accepted by the sudden retirement, I found myself appointed the government and were instrumental in detachment commander for eight months. amending significant legal and police Once again, I found myself occasionally sections of the National Defence Act that reflecting back, and more importantly, relying were nearly 50 years old. upon the information that I had been taught at In 1999, I was appointed as the Lethbridge College. I would even visualize the commanding officer of 2 Military Police instructors teaching our class certain topics.

Platoon in Petawawa, Ont. Although That was scary. this was more of a traditional army From late 1990 to 1993, I was the military unit, the role was still to conduct police police detachment commander at CFB Kingston. and security functions within the field A highlight was being part of the security team force, whether deployed or back at for the visit of the late Diana, Princess of Wales, home base. Later, in 2001 I served a to her own Regiment. In 1993 I was selected as a six-month tour in Bosnia-Herzegovina as Canadian exchange officer and sent to the Royal the commanding officer of the military Military Police Training Centre in Chichester, police platoon and as the task force England as a member of the teaching staff. I provost marshal. Upon returning from spent two great years overseas and gave my Bosnia, I was transferred to the National family an opportunity to see England and many Capital Region and was the detachment other parts of Europe. commander for three years.

In 1995, I returned to Canada and attended a one-year French course at the Canadian Forces Language School in Ottawa, then served at National Defence HQ as a counter-intelligence analyst.

In 1997, I became the executive officer to the Canadian Forces Provost Marshal (chief of police). I was seconded for three months to the Special Advisory Group on Military Justice and Military Police Investigation Services with the late Brian Dickson, former chief justice of the Supreme Court of Canada.

From 2005 to 2007 I was seconded to the Department of Foreign Affairs as the commanding officer of the Military Security Guard Unit (now called the Military Police Security Services Unit).

This unit is responsible for providing the federal government with military police men and women at various Canadian embassies around the world. I was back wearing a suit and tie again and spending many weeks travelling through foreign countries and meeting dignitaries.

Then in July 2007, I finally got back out west again and became the military police detachment commander at 4 Wing Cold Lake, home of the largest fighter base in Canada. From January to August 2009, I was deployed to Afghanistan with the Canadian Forces and was the officer commanding the international military police unit at Kandahar Air Field. As you could imagine, supervising police from seven nationalities who have limited police jurisdiction over 18,000 military and civilians from 42 nations comes with its own challenges. There were days when I tried to remember everything I ever learned at college and university and some when I wished my instructors were with me.

Nevertheless, this was another valuable and rewarding experience in my life which would have likely never happened had it not been for the education and encouragement I received in my early days at Lethbridge College. Although I now come closer to the end of my active law enforcement career, my pursuit of education continues, as I am completing a master’s degree in security and risk management from the University of Leicester, U.K. Perhaps someday I can give back to the law enforcement community by teaching at a college like Lethbridge and continue the cycle.

31

“”

Rick Buis: Taking care The voice is quiet, reflective, calm, but interrupted by the occasional chuckle at the thought of some moment past.

After 33 continuous years as a senior business officer (SBO) in Alberta’s postsecondary system, Rick Buis has plenty of moments to contemplate. He has the distinction of being the longest serving SBO among his post-secondary peers. SBO is the title recognized by government, no matter what the position is called by an individual institution. The college knows Buis better as its vice-president, corporate and international services.

Although serving as an SBO for 33 years, Buis has actually been involved in Alberta’s post-secondary scene for a while longer than that. He began his post-secondary career path in 1971.

“I started in post-secondary at the college in Grande Prairie as a faculty member in business,” Buis says.

It wasn’t long after that he moved into the program chair position, then, after five years, he moved on to Keyano College in Fort McMurray. At the time, Keyano was transitioning from being a vocational school to a provincially ministered college.

“They recruited me as a faculty member to help start up the business program,” says Buis. “They needed people on board to develop the kind of programs offered by other colleges.”

Buis took a huge step forward when, shortly after starting at Keyano, he applied for a vice-president’s position “purely on a lark.” While the position was open, Buis wasn’t sure about applying for it until he was advised that in Fort McMurray at the time, you “grab the brass ring when it comes around.”

Buis took a chance, reached out and snagged that ring rather than letting it pass. He then spent 15 years at Keyano, helping to shape the college, before seizing the opportunity to come to Lethbridge Community College in 1990. It was a very

different college then, and not just in name.

What was to become Lethbridge College in 2007 was “parochial in nature; very much a small-town college.” Buis says that back then, outside of the city, the college was best known for continuing education.

“It had a phenomenal program with a very aggressive mandate to make something happen. The college had a good reputation around the province.”

Rick Buis, Vice-President Corporate and International Services pursuing the international market. There was a concern among some people that international students would end up taking seats at the expense of local students who would be denied access to college.

“I think that we’re growing our vision.

We’re not as complacent as we were back then. We see the world as our market.”

That growing vision also impacted Buis’ vice-president position at Lethbridge College.

“It’s moved from being a management position to a leadership role.”

“I think a real difference from then to now is that now, when you sit in a planning meeting, anything is possible. We’re pretty much open to considering new ideas and approaches.”

Moving beyond managing to a leader’s role has allowed Buis and others to look at the college from more of an overall perspective, rather than operating within individual silos.

It’s a fresh approach that captured Buis’ interest at a time a couple of years ago when he was looking at retirement.

In 1990, that wasn’t the case. An example Buis shares is a worry at the time over

“That’s why I’m still here,” he says, adding one more chuckle at the thought.

Things have grown since then.

Building bridges from When Rick Buis looks back over an accomplished career in the post-secondary field, one particular success stands out as a significant highlight for him.

“China was a transformational opportunity for me,” Buis says.

The China Champions: Bridging Western and Eastern Education Together project is a concentrated effort to forge ties with Chinese educational institutions. The program is the recipient of a 2009 Outstanding Program in International Education Award, presented by the Canadian Bureau for International

32 • WIDER Horizons/Winter 2010

When you sit in a planning meeting, anything is possible. We’re pretty much open to considering new ideas and approaches.

Education (CBIE).

Buis says the award is a special moment for the China Champions; the college group that believed in and committed to fostering the relationships and providing the training.

He also credits Mengjie (Maggie) Sun, manager of International Services, with helping make it all possible. He says at one point during the initial negotiations, things weren’t going well and a complete collapse of the program was possible. Sun took part in the negotiations through the night, helping to bring things to a successful resolution.

of business

Career Highlight

west to east “If I hadn’t had her as my negotiating partner in China, we wouldn’t have the agreement in place,” Buis says.

Sun says a key to successful negotiations in China is a willingness to adopt a more personal approach than is common in North America.

“When doing business in China, building a stronger relationship with your business partner, a practice they call “guanxi,” is very important,” she says. “Chinese people prefer face-to-face visits, business dinners, and phone conversations. They

are not very responsive to e-mails.”

The college now has strong ties with three schools in China; Estar University, Fujian Polytechnic of Information Technology (FPIT), and Yunnan College of Business Management. The program offers Lethbridge College’s business program though a combination of video instruction and presentation in class

by Chinese teachers. In addition to the three partnerships, others have expressed interest and the college is developing relationships with several other schools.

Derek Bly (Communication Arts ’79)

Buis sees his role in helping the college evolve from what it was in 1990 to today’s incarnation, “making it a contender on the provincial and national scene,” as an important aspect of his legacy.

Visit widerhorizons.ca to read more.

33

Chris Schamber

can’t curb his enthusiasm You don’t have to spend much time with Chris Schamber to figure out he’s unique. But not for the reasons you’d think.

Sure, the Lethbridge College grad gets around in a motorized wheelchair that looks like it could do serious damage to anything (or anyone) that dares get in the way, and yes, the car stereo mounted on the right-hand side is unconventional.

But the mechanical gadgets and metal in which he functions quickly become insignificant as he explains his story, and more importantly, his life’s purpose: accessibility for the disabled .

A raw determination for change and acceptance is visible in his eyes, and of a few things you can be certain: he will make his goals a reality, and he will do everything in his power to make sure the community listens. This is one issue, he says, people had better take sitting down.

At 19, a diving accident left Schamber, originally from Milk River, a quadriplegic. Now 41, he has a positive outlook on life, but he admits his situation was difficult to accept for a long time.

“For the first 10 years, I was fighting depression, and I didn’t know what I could and couldn’t do because I was a really high-level quadriplegic; I could barely move my arms,” he explains. “I used to be independent; now I have to rely on people to put me to bed, get me up and all that kind of stuff.”

Despite the circumstances, Schamber realized he would have to relocate to a bigger city in order to get his needs met and reach his full potential; Lethbridge was a natural choice.

“In my condition, there were no real accessible areas in a small town, whereas

34 • WIDER Horizons/Winter 2010

in the city they had more access,” he says. “There were still a lot of barriers there, but it was easier to find the required staff to help me in my day-today living and semi-accommodations at the time.”

Shortly after his move, one of Schamber’s caregivers encouraged him to return to school. He was initially unsure of this prospect, but he now feels it was one of the best decisions he could have made. In 1998, he enrolled in Lethbridge College’s Engineering Design and Drafting program.

“I just went back to college to try to see what I could do,” he says. “I enjoyed drafting because I got to see the final product of what I had in mind,” he says.

“It bestowed in me self-esteem, selfwellness, a sense that I could do this stuff. “College gave me more direction in my life.”

Advocacy soon became his clear goal.

“I looked at all the things that were barriers at the time that I faced, but I didn’t realize at the time we could change,” says Shamber. “So I started drafting some of the barriers up on the computer; I made a couple of presentations.”

Schamber began traveling the city, noting accessibility problems and notifying city officials. Then, he decided to start his own business, Quad Design and Barrier Free Consulting.

“I have designed a few accessible accommodations I was hoping I could get some developers to try, but I haven’t been too successful as of yet,” he says.

“But, I’ve learned if you don’t try, you don’t know what’s going to happen.

There’s always ‘shoulda, woulda, coulda,’ or you could say, ‘do, done, did.’”

Part of his passion for advocacy

involves educating others on the accessibility struggle many people face.

“I often ask people ‘can I take you out and about in a wheelchair and show you stuff?’ and that’s part of my business,” he says. “The best way to get things done is if you put them in a wheelchair and go out and show them firsthand. I’m getting more awareness as my business is progressing. so I’m getting more of a portfolio made.”

Schamber began his business due to the severe shortage of accessible housing in Lethbridge. Even the Lethbridge Housing Authority, central clearinghouse for accommodation, has no information on accessible openings.

“There’s zero accessible accommodation for people with mobility impairments to live in the community,” he says. “I am trying my hardest to open the eyes of the professionals in charge of accommodation.”

Accessibility issues in Lethbridge extend far beyond housing, he says.

“I did a presentation with the City of Lethbridge and illustrated that between Swiss Chalet on Mayor Magrath and the ATB [at Sixth Avenue South] there were 75 curb cuts that simulate going over a Safeway speed bump in a car,” he says.

So, they have made a game plan to shave all the curb cuts within the next couple of years.”

Schamber sees the same sorts of problems in other essential-services buildings, such as doctors’ offices. But, he says it’s important to realize that effective changes take time, and patience is key.

“I am making changes slowly. There are a lot of areas that need to be fixed, and it can’t happen overnight, but (the city) needs to make a game plan to do it.”

“

”

My goal is to have people live in

inclusion and go out and enjoy their community without having barriers.

Chris Schamber

issues can have a . . . better quality of life. For every individual, it’s good to have equal rights to be able to live life with self-fulfilment; accessibility is part of that.”

He also feels the college has some improvements of its own to make.

“The one thing I liked [on campus] was the buttons on the front doors had heat sensors so all you had to do was put your hand in front; that was a way better idea than the current push buttons,” he says.

“A couple of paved paths around the college would be good; the buttons in the elevator are a little high.”

“My goal is to have people live in inclusion and go out and enjoy their community without having barriers,” he says. “That way, people with mobility

For Schamber, staying positive is vital to staying healthy.

“Being positive is just a win-win situation. No matter how bad you think you have it, there’s always somebody who has it worse than you.”

Christina Boese (Communication Arts 2008)

Curb appeal: Chris Schamber smoothes the way

35

Crash course in psych Our applied research might improve your Jennifer Davis wants to help you be a better driver by getting into your head.

The Lethbridge College psychology instructor is fine-tuning results collected last fall that match drivers’ psychological profiles and attitudes behind the wheel to their driving records to determine what factors combine to increase the potential for motorvehicle accidents. In short, are those “Horn broken; watch for finger” bumper stickers indicative of a behaviour that would be safer for all of us by taking the bus?

“How you choose to use your knowledge as a driver depends on your personality,” says Davis, who holds a doctorate in psychology. “People who demonstrate a certain social deviance may be prone to similar types of accidents.”

In other words, most drivers understand tailgating is not a safe practice, but some choose to ignore that knowledge if the person in front of them is driving slower than they feel is warranted. That can lead to accidents, and when a company is dependent on maintaining the safety of its employees, it might care to know who should have the keys to its vehicles and who might be better off riding shotgun.

That’s what Weatherford Canada believed when it approached Lethbridge College for help in 2006. The oil-field company’s employees drove almost 61 million kilometres in 2008 in more than 2,600 vehicles, so keeping a handle on road safety is vital to the firm.

They recognized the risk that exposure brought and were looking for significant changes to driving habits that would produce rapid but sustainable results.

To that end, Andy Barnes, Weatherford’s fleet safety manager for Canada, approached Marty Thomsen, Lethbridge College’s chair of Justice Studies. The two, fellow Justice Studies students back in 1987, determined the college had the research capacity to glean the data Weatherford, a service supplier to the oil-and-gas industry, required to achieve its goals. Lethbridge College has been working with Weatherford for about three years, designing online driver-training programs tailored to its needs.

Thomsen took the idea to Lorne MacGregor, Lethbridge College’s director of Applied Research and Innovation, who then approached Davis, an experienced researcher who spent time at the Max Planck Institute in Berlin. Davis, whose background involved “pure” research, had recently returned to teaching after having a family and was intrigued by an opportunity to do “applied” research.

“It’s a new direction for colleges, and there’s more support for it” she says. “Applied is what we do, so it makes sense to be involved in ‘applied’ research. Students gain a benefit through involvement, I get a chance to grow in my career as an instructor, and the community benefits from the results.”

Davis honed the survey and, in October, began collecting answers from select groups, including Weatherford employees, drivers with suspended licences, and drivers with

36 • WIDER Horizons/Winter 2010

Driving force: Jennifer Davis, Andy Barnes

chology driving clean records. She has involved one student in her project, and hopes there may be room for others as the work continues. Already, a team of students in Lethbridge College’s Computer Information Technology program is creating a computer interface as a second-year project, which will allow Weatherford to access the results.

Davis hopes Weatherford will ask Lethbridge College to create the education programs based on the data.

The information then becomes a marketable product for the college and extends the value of Davis’s original work, says MacGregor, through creation of driver-training materials, which could be delivered online. Information can be tailored to suit individual drivers based on their attitudes discovered through an initial personality profile. Even simply taking the initial test could help employees modify their driving behaviours.

Barnes doesn’t use the word “accidents” when discussing incidents involving company vehicles. As fleet safety manager for Weatherford Canada, Barnes prefers to call them “collisions;” the word carries added gravitas, an important element when you’re working to improve your employees’ safety record.

When you have 3,500 employees recording some 61 million kilometres a year in 2,600 vehicles, safety behind the wheel becomes paramount, both for the health of workers and the company’s bottom line.

“You can have all the rules and systems you like in place, but if someone doesn’t want to follow the rules, they don’t amount to a hill of beans,” says Barnes.

“They need driving skills or the right attitude when they’re behind the wheel.”

MacGregor envisions the opportunity for an expanded research field.

“The potential exists for a whole workplace safety program, not just for those employees who must drive as part of their jobs,” says MacGregor. “We’re looking for other funders who might have an interest in the findings, such as Transport Canada, the Workers Compensation Board and the insurance industry,” he

To learn more about our partnership with Weatherford, visit widerhorizons.ca

says. “Even Vestas (a major wind turbine manufacturer) has shown an interest. After all, if risk-taking attitudes apply to driving, they likely apply to other areas as well.

We hope to determine what factors are driving that attitude.”

Other disciplines taught at Lethbridge College also have applications for the workplace. Many of the potential projects involve cross-discipline co-operation.

The Exercise Science program could work with Criminal Justice and Emergency Medical Services to determine a fitness level for ambulance drivers, firefighters and police officers, or to determine what exercises would be useful in other physically demanding professions to keep practitioners healthy.

“All this can lead to a healthier workplace and healthier living in general,” says MacGregor. “Our Gerontology program could join with Exercise Science to assist seniors in staying involved in the activities they enjoy.

“It’s not so much thinking outside the box as thinking with a lot of different boxes. We’re building across fields, not within silos.”

37

Your career c a

n have a

higher purpose Wouldn’t it be great if your ca reer allowed you to apply your talents an d knowledge in an innovative environment where learning isn’t just supp orted, it’s actu ally part of yo ur company’s mi ssion? Our em ployees certa inly think so.

As Lethbridge’s third largest em ployer, we at Lethbridge Co llege work ha rd to provide our

Your career can have a higher pu rpose, too.

Visit higher-pur pose.ca to learn more.

employees wi th unique serv ices, benefits and professional de velopment op portunities th at enhance their work and home lives.

In turn, they help us achie ve a higher pu rpose –– educating and supportin g tomorrow’s industry leade rs. Wider Horiz ons is proud to feature some of our employe es in this and upcoming issue s.

“Coming from the field and th e demands of th nursing indust e ry, it is refreshi ng to switch ge and teach the ars next generation of professional challenging to s. It is learn new skill s in the educat but I have neve ing role, r experienced th e support I now enjoy in terms of prof essional develo pment.”

Brad Keim, Prac tical Nursing in structor

College Kudos

Dawn Keith, in structor and Shelly Court Ka curriculum co nyo, -ordinator, instructor, Fash Physical Educat ion Design ion: Dawn and Merchandi was selected as as sing: sistant coach Shelly planned an of the Canada’s fir d organized st Cadette Couture for Camb under-16 girls’ ba odia, a sketball fundraiser for a ch team, which comp ildren’s eted in building project August in Mexico in that City against Asian country, wo teams from Braz rking with il, Guatemala established intern and the host coun ational try. Dawn mo dels to raise $20,0 has a long histor y with the 00 for the charity. Shelly (In sport, as a player terior Design at the 2003; Fashion De universities of Ar sign and izona and Merchandising 20 Lethbridge. She 07), asked is head fellow grad Hali coach of Basketb Klotz (Fashion all Canada’s De sign and Mercha Centre for Perform ndising ance in 2009) to debut he Alberta and head r line at the coach of the event. girls’ basketball pr ogram at Catholic Central High School in Lethbridge.

38 • WIDER Horizons/Winter 2010

Gerri Joosse, in structor, Business Adm inistration: Gerri recently co mpleted her doctorate in postsecondary educational leade rship. Her dissertation is a historical comparison of Le thbridge College and Olds College regarding actions each took in response to th e decreased funding of the ea rly 1990s.

Richard Steven son, instructor, En glish: Richard recently had a co llection of tanka (similar to haiku) published. Wind fall Apples is his 31st book.

Nicole Isaak (E ngineering Design and Dr afting Technology 20 09): Nicole, now a piping desig ner for Gas Liquids Enginee ring of Calgary, won the Governor General’s Medal, the highe st accolade a post-secondary co llege student can receive, for ac hieving the highest academic standing overall in the fin al year of a diploma program, and the Board of Govern ors’ Award, also for academic achievement.

She also received the Canadian Home Builders As sociation Scholarship and the UMA Engineering Ltd. Scholarship, both for academ ic achievement.

Where are they n

ow?

Rob Bernshaw Brian English Automotive Se rvice fronts, etc. His bu Criminal Justice Technology 19 siness has 93 - Policing Kevin McNeil expanded and his 1991 Since graduation, production Rob Meat Cutting 19 plant is in Springv After graduation, has earned a dip 85 ille, Ut, while Brian began loma in After his time at he maintains his a policing career Telecommunicati the college, head office in in Manitoba, ons Technology Ke vin Ca rdston. Business serving Cornwallis attended the Unive from NAIT and wo is growing , Altona, rsity of rks as an offLethbridge and too significantly with East St. Paul and, site service vehic k additional orders shipping finally the le operator for stu ou die t Ri s as far as Guam an on Vancouver Isl vers police departm the Alberta Moto and. d Hawaii. r Association ent. He Married with two Jeff is married to completed his B. in Edmonton. He children, Tamara and Sc. from Great maintains an Kevin owns Blue they have three ch Falls, Mont. in 20 active interest in Sky Outfitting ildren (Tia, 00. In 2001 he electronics (www.blueskyout Daxon and Jovi) began full-time far and telecommunic fitting.com), a . He supports ming on his ations and full-service guide the Adopt-a-Kod family’s century attends the annu /outfitter in the iak program farm outside of al Consumer Peace River region and has lectured Rivers, Man. He Electronics Show of northern at the college. grows cereal, in Las Alberta, known as He writes, “I enjoy oilseed, forages an Vegas. He stays ac the best of the ed my time at d runs a tive in his best areas in North the college and ap cow/calf-to-finish community volun America for preciate what I operation. teering for waterfowl, white got out of it.”

He uses his Leth Santa’s Anonym tail and mule bridge ous Toy Run deer hunting. Yo College-taught inv and with the AM u can watch estigative A Safety Patrol.

Blue Sky Outfitte Nathanael Lock techniques in his Rob was chosen rs on Wild TV. ha wo rt as an Olympic rk in the Business Adm compliance depa torch bearer and inistration – rtment for the will carry the Dustin Wells Management 20 Manitoba Agricult Olympic flame ne 09 ural Services ar Grassy Lake Renewable Re Following convoc Corporation out this month as it ma source ati of the Hamiota on, kes its way to Management 19 Nathanael and his office. He has be Vancouver.

99 sister flew to en married to Fish and Wildlif Dubai to start a fiv Leanne for 11 year e e-week Middle s and they Te chnology 2001 East backpacking have two boys, Co Chris Broughto trip. He spent nnor and n Dustin works as time in Dubai, Isr Brendan.

Business Adm an environment ael (where inistration – specialist for Sunc they ran into a fam Management 20 or’s Firebag ily friend 07 plant, 100 kilom from Lethbridge), D. Jeff Heggie Chris recently fin etres northeast Jordan and ished his of Fort McMurra several locations Business Adm term as president y, and is in Egypt. Three inistration of the responsible for ed days after his ret 1999 Management Stud ucating urn, he started ents’ Society operations on lic his job at Ellis Fa Jeff competed on at the University ensing and brications in the college’s of Lethbridge, approvals and for Red Deer where rodeo team and tw an experience wh maintaining he is financial ice was ich allowed contacts with nu operations mana the Canadian Inter him to travel the merous ger. The collegiate country and government agen position covers da Rodeo Associatio represent Lethbr cies. He also ily accounting, n Year-End idge. He is monitors and tes payroll and overa Steer Wrestling Ch finishing his degr ts ambient air ll office ampion and ee and will quality, surface wa operation. He wr once the Finals Ch graduate in May ter runoff, ites, “I want ampion. . He is employed groundwater wells to thank Lethbridg He continued on with Precon, a gr and soil for e to rodeo College for owing concrete possible contamina delivering such hig professionally for company in Leth tion. He h-caliber several years. bridge, as works seven days information as we After a career at human resources in and seven ll as fostering a ATB Financial co-ordinator da ys great learning en out; his time off where he became and health and sa vironment. I am is spent at a manager, Jeff fety officer. He his home in Bran continually shoc left the banking ind writes, “My expe don, Man. with ked at how well ustry in 2005 rience at the Ho Le llie th an , his wife of eight bridge College pr d started his own college, with intera years, epared me business, ctive learning and their children for my first job.”

Kodiak Mountain and applicable kn , Reid, 6, and Stone (www. owledge, has Lili, 4. kodiakmountain allowed me to su .com), which cceed at the provides manufac university and in tured stone my career.” veneer for fireplac es, home

Lost: College A You’ve likely be

en busy with lif e since you Lethbridge Co lle ge, and we seem to have lost yo ur current cont act informatio n.

Since our first cla ss graduated in 19 58, more than 20 Lethbridge Colle ,000 ge alumni have fo und rewarding ca across North Am re er s erica and around the world.

We know you’re out there, and we ’d love to know ho you’ve been doin w g since your grad uation day. graduated from

lumni

Help us find you, celebrate your su ccesses and fill yo on alumni benefit u in s by mailing you ou r alu m ni in fo rmation package.

Update your cont act information at lostalumni.ca by 30, 2010, and be June entered into a dr aw for $500.

Become a fan of our Lethbridge College Alumni Relations Face book page and fo llo w us on Twitter.com/L C_Alumni

39

403.329.7220 • 1.800.572.0103 ext. 7220 lostalumni.ca • lostalumni@lethbridgecollege.ab.ca