Volume 11, No. 3 - December 2008 - John Abbott College

VOLUME 11, NUMBER 3
DECEMBER 2008
DAY OF THE DOLLAR
The campus was astir on the morning of November 27 as hordes of
hungry humanitarians crowded into Stewart Hall Cafeteria to partake in
the second annual Benefit Breakfast Buffet. Participants were treated to
a complete gourmet breakfast among their friends and colleagues. There
was a warm feeling in the air as people from all over the West Island
and beyond sat and ate together for a common cause. This atmosphere
carried into the hallway, as just outside the door the Loonie Line was in
full swing. Students, staff and curious passers-by stopped to have a
look and put a loonie down for a good cause. The 850 feet of tape, laid
from one end of the College to the other, was filled up almost as fast as
it was laid down, but this did not discourage donors from dropping their
dollars in the overflow bins placed at either end of the line. This dual
effort was part of a larger campaign to raise funds for the John Abbott
College Student Assistance Christmas Fund. The John Abbott College
Foundation is proud to announce that these events were an
overwhelming success and upwards of $12,005 was raised.
“Events like these really bring out the best in everyone at the College,”
said Lucie Fournier, Director of the John Abbott College Foundation,
“Charitable donors like the ones we saw today are the heart and soul of
what the John Abbott Foundation represents and they truly embody the
generous and selfless nature that makes our college community so
wonderful.”
Although the Loonie Line was a huge success on the day of the event,
let us not forget the other contributions that came from several
departments throughout the College in the weeks leading up to it. From
contests to bake sales, people from almost every part of the College
donated time, energy and money into making this a landmark year for
the Loonie Line.
Of course, the Benefit Breakfast also received generous support from our
sponsors Sodexo, who sponsored food and beverages and BMO Bank of
Montreal, who advertised and sold tickets in several of their West Island
branches.

ABBOTT STUDENTS ON THE AIRWAVES
On October 30, two stellar John Abbott science students,
Tiffany Dhaliwal and Daiana Masckauchan were invited to
share their experiences as budding scientists on a CBC Radio
special on Montreal’s Youth. Appearing on the weekly Radio
Noon show’s feature called “Eye on Science’ with columnist
Andrew Fazekas (JAC alumnus ‘86), the pair spoke eloquently
and passionately about their current studies and aspirations for
their future careers. Both award-winning students seemed to
agree that determination, perseverance and good old fashioned
hard work is what is really required to make it in their chosen
fields of study. Tiffany plans to attend Medical School, while
Daiana hopes to go on to study physiology and anatomy.
Daiana Masckauchan
Tiffany Dhaliwal
COTTON CANDY FOR A CAUSE
What could be sweeter than enjoying a fresh batch of
cotton candy Nothing, unless you’re sharing it with
someone else! This past October, the Abbott women’s
figure skating team doled out servings of this stickysweet,
pink puffy treat to the College community in
hopes of raising funds for breast cancer research. In all,
17 students donated their time and energy to plan and
bring this project to fruition, and that, with great
success. A total of almost $700 was raised and donated
to the Breast Cancer Foundation. And if this wasn’t
enough, the girls will also be putting on a show this
December to benefit the same cause. Please join us in
applauding the figure skating girls in their selfless acts
and encourage them in their future endeavours.
2

CONGRATULATIONS!
First-year science student, Lisa Brown, was recently presented
the $1000 Dr. Judith Springate Scholarship, awarded to a
Lester B. Pearson School Board graduate with the highest
marks on common ministry exams. Lisa, the inaugural
recipient of the Springate Scholarship is currently enrolled at
John Abbott College and intent on pursuing a career in
teaching. Dr. Springate taught physical education for 35 years
before retiring in 2006 and attributes her lifelong love of
teaching and learning to the education she received in public
schools. The Springate scholarship will be awarded annually
to a student who attended a Lester B. Pearson school.
Lisa Brown with Dr. Judith Springate
MILLENIUM SCHOLARSHIP
Congratulations to Diane Sayah, laureate of a 2008 In-Course Millenium Excellency Award. This prize is distributed to
exceptional students across the country by the Canada Millenium Scholarship Foundation. Out of the 951 students receiving
the award this year, Diane was the only John Abbott Student to obtain this distinction. The selection process is based
on nominees demonstrating outstanding service to the community, academic achievement, leadership and an interest in
innovation. Join us in applauding Diane on her great achievement.
ICH BIN EIN KANADIER
From September 21 to October 4, Mrs.
Irene Gagel, English teacher at the
Leonardo da Vinci Gymnasium in
Berlin and 14 of her students visited
John Abbott College as part of a
student exchange agreement between
our institutions. During their twoweek
stay, our German guests had a
chance to explore our beautiful
campus (which, by the way, impressed
them very much) participate in some
lectures and, of course, got to absorb
some of the local colour that Montreal
has to offer. The exchange students
were housed with host families from
the area and were more than grateful
for the warm hospitality they received
during their stay. In a warm letter to
those who made the exchange possible,
Gagel praised the college for the
unique opportunity it offered her
students and she was happy to report
that they “got important insight into
the school system of Quebec and
learned what it is like to study at the
college level.” As a final activity,
students got to explore Montreal by
participating in a scavenger hunt
organized by International Programs.
Abbott students in Patrick Burger’s
English Course: Berlin: Literature -
Culture - History, visited Berlin in
January 2008 and a new group is set
to leave in January 2009. The
International Programs Office would
like to take this opportunity to thank
Patrick Burger for his tremendous
engagement during the stay of the
Berlin visitors at John Abbott College.
3

ZEN AND THE
ART OF BOOK REPAIR
On October 18, the Public Relations class of the Information
and Library Technologies (ILT) department held a workshop
on book repairs. Guest speaker Mrs. Debbie Poirier, a graduate
of the John Abbott ILT department, delivered a lecture
to a packed classroom of approximately 50 librarians,
library technicians and volunteers, teaching them simple
ways to give renewed life to tattered and torn books. “It
was very interesting, lots of useful information. I can’t get
over all the things I have been doing wrong” declared Mrs.
Raphaella Dixon, one of the attendees. Debbie Poirier
presently works for the Lester B. Pearson School Board
(LBPSB). She is in charge of the St. John Fisher School
Senior Campus library and also works updating the library
systems of other schools of the LBPSB. This event was
organized by Carolyn Debelle, Melonie White, Sarah
Shanahan, Yi-Chun Chen and Emilia Quintana as part of a
series of ILT workshops including, amongst others, demystifying
copyright and genealogy.
HOT READS, COOL CONTEST!
Contest winner Morgan Lang with organizers
Faye Trecartin and Leslie Lawrence.
In literary news, the Read/Write project is in full swing.
The recent introduction of the “hot reads” section in the
Abbott Library, aimed at encouraging students to read for
pleasure, has set the stage for a host of activities and
contests that revolve around promoting reading and writing.
During the month of October, a challenge was
extended to students in the form of an essay contest.
Students were asked to write a comparative analysis of a
novel and its screen adapted counterpart and explain
which they preferred and why. The contest’s theme
revolved around the paranormal and students jumped on
the chance to read about ghouls, ghosts, goblins and
everything in between. On October 31, the contest winners
were announced. First place was awarded to
Morgan Lang for her pointed and persuasive essay on the
paranormal thriller “Blood and Chocolate”. First prize was
a highly coveted set of four Stephanie Meyers novels,
which Lang, having already read them, generously donated
to the Montreal Children’s Hospital. Second and third
place prizes were awarded to Dina Charafiddine and
Gabrielle Lavoie Trottier respectively. Congratulations to
the winners and many thanks to all the participants.
4

ECO-TRIP
Students from the Eco-Camping class about to
embark on he wilderness weekend.
On September 26, phys-ed teacher David Hill and a
group of students put the theory of their Eco-Camping
class into practice by taking a 2-day trip into the West
Island wilderness. This newly introduced course
focuses on the relationship between health and
wellness and the conservation of wilderness areas.
Students got to experience this first hand, not to
mention the chance to explore their local wilderness
that’s all too often overlooked. This proved to be an
eye opening trip for many as they understood the need
to preserve the few remaining local wilderness areas
and their biodiversity, as well as the importance of
living locally on ecological sustainability. Along with a
healthy dose of eco-social responsibility, the students
were also treated to a relaxing weekend amidst nature
and all of its beauty.
David Hill and his students would like to thank
everyone that made their class trip possible and invite
everyone to take some time to absorb the beauty that
can be found in our own backyard.
BIO-DIVERSITY DAY
Eco-awareness was in the air on
November 5 as John Abbott
Environment Studies hosted Local
Biodiversity Day. The day’s activities
were centered on promoting knowledge
and awareness of our local green
spaces and the threats they face daily
as urban development projects slowly
eat away at the few that remain. The
day’s events kicked off with a thorough
and informative presentation by David
Fletcher, vice-president of the Green
Coalition arguing for the need for a
Greenbelt for the Montreal Area, that
would providea source of permanent
protection for Montreal’s green spaces.
Following this, Abbott teacher and
activist Ryan Young delivered an eye
opening address on Protecting Ste.
Anne’s Woodlands. The day concluded
on a presentation by Karen Oljemark,
outdoor education teacher at John
Abbott, entitled Green Spaces: Use
Them or Lose Them, urging everyone
to take advantage of the few green
spaces we have left. Overall, the day’s
David Fletcher explaining the Montreal Greenbelt project.
activities were a success, not only
because the presentations were very
well received and delivered to a packed
audience but also because of how the
College has already responded to the
concerns raised by our guest speakers.
With these in mind, the College will be
undergoing plans to introduce a pilot
project for a biodiversity inventorying
program set to start as soon as Spring
2009. This project, which will focus
on the Ste. Anne’s Woodlands, will
comprise of species cataloguing and
data collection coupled with critical
observation of the impacts of urban
development on nature. If successful,
the project hopes to expand for the
Fall 2009 Semester.
5

CAREER WEEK 2008
For the first time in 18 years, the Student
Employment Centre’s Career Fair, normally a two-day
affair, was extended to nearly a full week of careerrelated
activities including presentations and panel
discussions. The event’s sudden expansion was the
result of a partnership with the Business
Administration’s Project Management Class, in which
two teams of students each undertook the planning
and organizing of one of the events. Needless to say,
their efforts were not in vain as these were a
meaningful addition to the week’s agenda.
The week kicked off with an opening presentation
entitled “Who Said Choosing a Career was Easy”,
featuring special guests discussing their own career
paths. Academic Advisor Lou Chapman and
Counsellor David Ditkofsky also shared what JAC
Student Services can do to help students who are not
sure about their program choice.
The Fair enjoyed its usual success as students
swarmed the Agora, eager to explore their future
prospects. Over the course of this two-day event,
over 80 careers were represented by 106 guest
volunteers (including 12 JAC alumni) manning a
series of interactive booths and information stations.
Students had the opportunity to visit the booths and
engage in conversations on careers, education
requirements, job opportunities, salaries with the
experienced professionals and tradespersons.
The week’s events concluded with a discussion panel
on the importance of international work. John
Abbott used its recent partnership with Mexico and
France to invite some of its new partners to
participate in the panel. Panel members included
Stéfane Charrette from Horizon Cosmopolite, Marion
Marchesi, an international exchange student, Marina
Monter from Exatec Montreal-Mexico, Mireille Saad
from JAC International Program Office and Doug
Brown an English teacher at John Abbott College.
All in all, the week was a spectacular success and we
hope to see its continued success in future years. A
special thanks goes out to a group of 18 Pathways
students who volunteered their time outside of class
to aid in organizing and setting up the events and to
Sylvie Boucher and Sandra Martin from the Student
Employment Centre for making this all happen.
Sylvie Boucher with guest at Career Week’s kickoff presentation.
Volunteers man a booth at Career Fair.
6

COMEDY NIGHT A HOME RUN
The John Abbott intercollegiate baseball team held its second annual Comedy Night in the Agora on September
26. The fundraiser was an outstanding success, as comedians Neil Jenna, Joey Elias and others were greeted by a
full house that enjoyed every moment of the three-hour show. The event yielded $2700, a fabulous return that
will cover the bulk of the team’s expenses for a Florida tournament, tentatively planned for January. The staging
of Comedy Night is a testament to the continuing attempt at enhancing the exposure of baseball at Abbott and in
the West Island community. The team is now a recognized contender in the CIBA Northern Division, with three
straight seasons above the .500 mark. Visit their website at www.johnabbott.qc.ca/baseball.
POLITICAL AWARENESS DAY
Candidates take questions from students
on Political Awareness Day
In the weeks leading up to the October
14 federal election, SUJAC
representatives took measures to
reinforce political involvement within
the College by launching Political
Awareness Day. On October 9,
political candidates representing four
of the five parties for the Lac-St-Louis
riding were invited to the College to
participate in a group discussion.
Daniel Quinn from the New Democratic
Party, Liberal Francis Scarpaleggia ,
Peter Graham from the Green Party
and Andrea Paine from the
Conservative Party sat down in the
Agora and addressed the College
community on the main issues
surrounding this election in a “debate
style” discussion panel. Audience
members also had the chance to ask
the candidates questions. One thing
that was not present on this day was a
lack of interest in the democratic
process as the Agora was filled to the
brim with students, most of them firsttime
voters. The crowd listened
attentively to each party’s take on
issues such as the environment, an
impending global financial crisis and
the war in Iraq. The affair was hosted
and moderated by Global TV’s Andrew
Peplowski. The enormous success of
Political Awareness Day shines a ray of
optimism on current thoughts on the
state of Canadian votership and proves
that political involvement is alive
amongst Abbott students.
7

REMEMBRANCE DAY - LEST WE FORGET
John Abbott remembered Canada’s war
veterans in two ways this year.
On November 6, students and staff members
from Macdonald Campus, John Abbott and
Macdonald High School met at the war
memorial at the east end of the football field
with 70 veterans from the Ste-Anne’s Hospital.
Seventy-seven years ago, oak trees were
planted around the perimeter of the football
field. They are in memory of 34 young men
who left their studies at Macdonald College to
take part in World War I, and lost their lives.
The monument remembers these and the other
soldiers who fought for our country. Bagpipers
brought students and staff members from the
three schools to the ceremony and two John
Abbott students from the War Amps, Champs
program laid a wreath by the monument. A
representative from each student government
spoke at the ceremony. Veterans read “In
Flanders Field” and the “Act of Remembrance”,
in both English and French. Speeches were
made by Chandra Madramootoo, Dean of
Agriculture and Environmental Sciences,
Macdonald Campus and James Aitkin,
Principal of Macdonald High School. Keith
Henderson, Director General of John Abbott,
brought the ceremony to an end with some
closing remarks.
On November 11, there was an educational
display of war memorabilia, art, poems,
videos and newspaper clippings in the Agora.
Students and staff members spent time at the
display to learn more about, or remember, the
effect of the wars on Canada and the world.
A bagpiper piped from the cafeteria to the
Agora where the ceremony from Ottawa was
broadcast live on screen. The group in the
Agora observed two minutes of silence at
11:00 am with the crowd on Parliament Hill.
Photographs by Frederic Serre, McGill University.
8

BACK B-4 YOU KNOW IT.
Each Friday, West Island seniors are treated to brunch and bingo.
For the second year in a row, students from John Abbott
College, in collaboration with Volunteer West Island, have
organized a Friday “Brunch and Bingo” for West Island
seniors. Since the overwhelming acclaim the program
received last year, the sessions are now held every week.
Brunch is served from 11am to 1pm in the parish hall of
Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue Church (also the headquarters of
Volunteer West Island), followed by Bingo from 1-3 P.M.
Students in John Abbott professor Barry Reynolds’
Community and Communication class, a practical
communication course focused on doing volunteer work in
a community setting, joined forces with Volunteer West
Island to come up with this program aimed at breaking the
isolation often faced by seniors. This year, as a special
treat, there was a Halloween costume contest added to the
day’s events on October 31. In addition to running the
weekly “Brunch & Bingo”, the students are involved in a
variety of other activities with. The JAC students prepare
and deliver meals with the Meals on Wheels program,
provide help with recreational courses, activities, and
entertainment for seniors, offer hospital assistance, as well
as work doing telephone check-ups and fundraising to
benefit seniors’ programs in the West Island.
THANK YOU TO THE MONTREAL ROTARY CLUB
This past October, the Lakeshore chapter of the Montreal Rotary Club generously donated $1500 to the John Abbott
College Library fund that helps less fortunate students pay for some of the more expensive textbooks. The
Lakeshore Rotary Club is an organization that works to benefit its surrounding community. We extend a warm
thanks to those who made these donations possible.
“Rotarian” Andy presenting JAC Foundation’s Lucie Fournier with a donation cheque.
9

PARTNERSHIP
On Sept. 24th, 2008 Director General Keith W.
Henderson signed an agreement of Interinstitutional
cooperation with the Instituto
Tecnologico de Monterrey. Under the agreement
both sides plan to further engage in joint academic,
professional and intercultural activities and projects
directed to students, staff and faculty members of
both institutions. Areas of mutual interest include:
student exchange programs, business and nursing
internship programs, short term language programs,
faculty/staff exchanges, visiting scholar activities,
collaborative research projects.
The Tecnologico de Monterrey (TEC) is a prestigious,
private teaching institution with campuses
distributed throughout Mexico and international
offices in North America, Europe and Asia. It is
recognized as one of the leading teaching
institutions in Latin America.
YOU BE THE JUDGE…
On October 15, recently retired co-founder
of the John Abbott College Police
Technology Department, George Springate
was sworn in as senior judge of the
Canadian Citizenship Commission at a
special ceremony held in Pierrefonds,
where he is a longtime resident. A life-long
contributor to society, Springate was
made a member of the Order of Canada in
1989, one of the highest honours awarded
to Canadians, in recognition of his
outstanding achievements and distinguished
service. This isn’t Springate’s first time
working with the Citizenship Commission,
he was appointed Citizenship Judge in
2000 and again in 2006. We wish George
good luck in his new post and encourage
his continuing contributions and
invaluable service to this country.
George Springate (right) at his swearing-in ceremony.
10

ACCC NOMINEES
Pierre Christin
Mary Glowacki
John Abbott College is delighted to
announce its nominees to the 2008-
2009 ACCC Excellence Awards. In the
Teaching Excellence category, the
nominee is Pierre Christin, who was put
forward by his peers from the Physics
department. Pierre has led innovative
teaching projects for a number of years
at the College. In the Staff Excellence
category, Mary Glowacki was the
nominee. Mary has worked at John
Abbott for over 20 years, enjoying an
evolving role within the Human
Resources department. We wish the
two nominees the best of luck as their
nominations are considered. We will
continue to keep you up to date as we
learn more about this year’s award
winners.
THINK YOU KNOW YOUR
COLLEGE THINK AGAIN!
We’re challenging college staff and faculty to put their
knowledge of John Abbott College to the test in a regular
Abbott Update installment we call “College Knowledge”.
Each issue of the Abbott Update will have a new
knowledge testing challenge, designed to get you to
discover fun and interesting facets of John Abbott.
Between issues, participants will have the opportunity to
get clues to solve the challenge by looking in My JAC
Portal in the Faculty & Staff Community.
Answer each question correctly and send them to
college.knowledge@johnabbott.qc.ca for your chance to win!
THIS ISSUE’S CHALLENGE:
This is a portion of a photograph taken of a section of
the College we walk past every day. But can you identify
it from this one clipping Check out My JAC Portal for
clues over the coming month!
11

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE OPERATIONS REPORT FOR THE BOARD OF GOVERNORS MEETING ON: DECEMBER 9, 2008
MY JAC PORTAL
External access has now been made available to select members
of the College community who are neither employees nor students.
The board of governors will now have their own access
and will have a community that can be developed according to
the needs of the board. Ongoing improvements continue to be
made to the Portal, which will lead to a second ‘launch’ whereby
a series of major new features will be incorporated, such as
news item management, dynamic calendars and voice mail for
staff.
COMMUNITY
The communications department worked with the town of Ste-
Anne-de-Bellevue for the annual Christmas Parade. The event
took place on November 29 and had volunteers from the Abbott
women’s basketball and rugby teams.
OPEN HOUSE
Communications worked with the team in admissions to organize
a very successful Open House. This year, the College welcomed
an estimated 4000 people to the event and answered
countless questions from the visitors. This year, 94.7 Hits FM
were on site to provide a live broadcast from the College, during
which students, staff and faculty spoke on air about their
experiences with the College. The live remote segment were
preceded by a week’s advertising campaign on the station, as
well as print ads in local media.
COMMUNICATIONS SUPPORT
The communications team has provided support to many divisions
at the College: uploading a revised structure to the Social
Science program page on the College website, creating a professional
PowerPoint presentation to be used for the upcoming trip
to India in which Director General Keith W. Henderson and
Director of ContEd Diane McGee will be part of an ACCC delegation,
designing promotional materials for IDS for the upcoming
‘ped day’ activities, revising promotional materials for the co-op
program in business administration, revamping the flyer for
staff & students on sexual harassment, amongst other projects.
CENTRE FOR CONTINUING EDUCATION
Two new AEC programs started recently and others are in the
wings. Computerized Financial Management began on November
10; day-time Real Estate on November 17. At the time of writing,
Network Administration was scheduled for November 24,
and both evening Real Estate and PC Technical Support for
December 1.
At the time of writing, we are still not sure which version of the
Real Estate program will be offered as of January 2009: the current
program or the new competency-based Residential Real
Estate Broker program. The Ministry has not yet responded to
the request of the consortium of colleges for a one-semester
extension of the old program so that all regulations and supporting
materials will be available.
The first meeting of the Advisory Group for the new Event
Planning and Management Program was held on November 18.
The program has been approved by the Ministry and will be
offered for the first time next semester.
Lisa Boyle has been working hard on Business Training. As a
result, we have acquired some new clients and welcomed back
some old ones. With Gary Whittaker, who has been assisting her
as a volunteer consultant, she has been meeting with representatives
from different sectors of the business community to
determine what their needs are in terms of training and development.
We have observed an increased demand for quotations
for language training, management and supervisory training, as
well as computer applications. There have also been a number
of requests for individualized one-on-one learning.
CAPLA CONFERENCE
In mid-October Alan Gaudet attended a conference of the
Canadian Association of Prior Learning and Assessment held in
Banff, Alberta. The conference was an excellent opportunity to
see what was happening in the rest of Canada and included presentations
from all the provinces and one international
(Norwegian) presentation. Guy Fortier from Compétence
Montréal also presented the new Montreal Centre and it was well
received by those who attended the workshop. The conference
served to confirm that our PLAR development both in Montreal
and in the province is on the right track. Many conference participants
were impressed with the level of Quebec government
resources being committed to PLAR in the province. There were
12-15 from Quebec attending the conference.
COMPÉTENCE MONTRÉAL
Alan Gaudet attended the opening of the new Centre
and the first meeting of the operational group on
October 30th. The meeting focused on the roles and responsibilities
of the colleges and the Centre. A series of future meetings
was set up to look at specific areas where procedures and modes
of operations will need to be established. The first of these
meetings is planned for December 4.
DEVELOPMENT OF HUMANITIES TOOLS
Alan has begun work on the development of general education
PLAR tools for English colleges. At his first meeting on
November 11th, Magalie Robitaille from College Marie-Victorin
provided an overview of the process of developing the tools on
the French side. We will be following the same process. A
meeting was planned for November 18th with Andrée Bérubé
from MELS, as well as Andrée Langevin and Magalie from
Marie-Victorin to look at the roles and responsibilities of those
involved in the project, as well as other administrative issues.
INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS
It was business as usual in the International Programs Office in
October and November:
Stephanie Hygate participated in the CONAHEC (Consortium for
North American Higher Education) conference in Monterrey,
Mexico.
12

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE OPERATIONS REPORT FOR THE BOARD OF GOVERNORS MEETING ON: DECEMBER 9, 2008
Stephanie Hygate and Remi Cardinal participated in the ICEED
2008 (International Consortium for Education and Economic
Development) conference in Kingston, Ontario. The focus of the
conference was on trilateral International Business Programs
and student mobility.
Meeting between CIDE and Police Technology to explore the
possibility of bidding for a Police training project in Haiti. A follow
up meeting is planned for early December.
Stephanie Hygate participated in the Cégep International
Committee on international student mobility at Cégep Edouard-
Montpetit.
CCTT-PSN
During the first week of November, John Abbott College along with
Cégep de l’Abitibi-Témiscamingue and Cégep de Sept-Iles concluded
the writing of a proposal for the development of a CCTT dealing
with innovative social practices. The three colleges have
elaborated a project to help Aboriginal people improve their
schooling rates and their governance in education. Each college
will continue working with its Aboriginal population, but the project
interventions will add to what was already being done.
ACADEMIC DEVELOPMENT PLAN
So far, Student Services programs and Academic Council have
been consulted on issues that will be covered in the Academic
development and student success plan. The objective is to
merge with the development of the whole strategic plan at the
beginning of January.
MAC-JAC
MacDonald College and John Abbott College have presented a
project within the “Chantier 3” funding received through the
federal transfers. The aim of the project is threefold: to provide
science students with opportunities to attend laboratories at
MAC and work on science experiments related to food, plants,
etc.; to offer research and work opportunities for students during
the summer; and to organize events that will sensitize the
community to the destruction of the bio-diversity in the West-
Island and offer solutions to prevent it.
GUIDANCE COUNSELLOR DAY
45 High School Guidance Counsellors appreciated the information
provided at our annual Information Day which was held on
November 6th. Presentations included:
• An update on the modifications to the Règlement sur le régime
des études collégiales by Donna Yates;
• QEMSAP – Quebec Education Math and Science Alignment
Project - Building a Better Learner by Karim Jaffer of our
Physics Department;
• Learning Centre Services by Brenda Rowe, Learning Centre
Coordinator;
• Computer Sciences by Cathy Dutton, Chairperson of Computer
Science ;
• Pre-Hospital Emergency Care update by Lyne dePalma, Cochairperson
of PHEC and Felicia Hastie, first year student of
PHEC;
• Engineering Technologies with Peggy Leech;
• International Opportunities for Students by Stephanie
Hygate;
• Admissions Update by Wendy Stoddart;
• As well as presentations by three former Student Ambassadors
– Julia Garland, Daniel Bachman and Tammy Kramar.
WINTER 2009 APPLICATIONS
Winter 2009 applications increased from 561 received in Winter
2008 to 640 for Winter 2009. We admitted 273 students in
two-year pre-university programs and Intensive Nursing.
STRATEGIC PLAN UPDATE
The evaluation of the 2004-2009 Strategic Plan is ongoing.
Focus groups were held in November to get feedback on the
effectiveness of the plan. The first draft of this report should
be ready by the end of the semester.
Consultations for the new Strategic Plan has started: a mailing
was sent to over 200 external stakeholders and a web page was
set up to inform the community on the process.
Furthermore, Communications created postcards that were distributed
during Open House to invite visitors to give their opinion
on how the College can be improved in the coming years.
In total, 2,000 cards were handed out.
Preparations are ongoing for a college-wide Strategic Plan Day
to be held on the morning of January 14, 2009. An external
consultant has come forward to help the Steering Committee
attain the best results possible on this consultation.
EMERGENCY SMS TEXTING
Short Message Service (SMS) is a communication protocol allowing
the interchange of short text messages between mobile telephone
devices.
Last year, the College asked managers and staff to register in
the system and tests were conducted in the spring of 2008. The
tests went well, but some verification still had to be made to
ensure complete functionality.
Since then, the registration has resumed for the whole College
community, including the students. A test will be made during
the first days of the winter semester to welcome students and
staff and send them best wishes for the coming year.
WORKSHOPS
Two intersession events are in preparation mode for January
2009.
The first one, TEACHING FOR UNDERSTANDING, is scheduled for
the morning of January 13, 2009. If registration goes well, Mr.
Steve Hreha, a Ph.D. in interdisciplinary studies from Concordia
University, will present a workshop on getting a clear idea of
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HIGHLIGHTS OF THE OPERATIONS REPORT FOR THE BOARD OF GOVERNORS MEETING ON: DECEMBER 9, 2008
how “teaching for understanding” can inform development of
learning outcomes, have a clear idea of what “teaching for
understanding” involves and develop strategies to assess
“understanding” and to promote its growth.
The second event is based on Jacques Boisvert’s research in
the difference in motivation between male and female students.
Mr. Boisvert is a psychology teacher and researcher from Cégep
Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu with more than 35 years experience in
the collegiate system and was named last year’s ACCC teaching
excellence award recipient. This event will be held on the morning
of Monday, January 12, 2009.
FALL SPORTS REVIEW
MEN’S RUGBY – the Islanders captured their 15th straight
Quebec championship in fine fashion with a 24-5 win over
league rival Dawson. The exciting game was played at
Université of Montréal on a beautiful Sunday afternoon before a
crowd of 300. The Islanders finished in first place in their division
unbeaten with a 7-0 record.
WOMEN’S RUGBY – after going through the regular season
unbeaten, the Lady Islanders came up short in the championship
game 5-0 to Dawson College. Hughanna Gaw, Brianna
Miller, Kristina Perrella, and Helene-Jane Groarke were
named to the league all-star team.
FOOTBALL – with their 8-team conference divided into 2 fourteam
divisions, the Islanders finished in fourth place with a 3-
7 record and did not qualify for the playoffs. Receiver Scott
Mironowicz was the only Islander named to the league all-star
team. Head Coach Lou Chapman has retired and the search for
his replacement has begun.
FLAG FOOTBALL – the flag football team finished in 7th place
in Division 1 with a 5-5 regular season record. They lost to
Vieux-Montréal in their first-round playoff game.
WOMEN’S SOCCER – with a 3-5-1 record the Lady Islanders finished
in third place and went onto to defeat Dawson College 2-
0 in the semi-final. In the gold medal game the Lady Islanders
battled F-X-Garneau (defending national champion) into overtime
before losing 4-1 in Quebec City. Amanda De Luca and
Shannon Travers were named to the AAA league all-star team
and De Luca was also selected as a CCAA All-Canadian. Travers
was named top student-athlete for her team.
MEN’S SOCCER – the Islander soccer team finished in third place
with a 4-4-2 record. They were blanked by F-X-Garneau 3-0 in
the semi-final playoff game. Named to the AAA league all-star
team were Gonzalo Paredes-Barbier and Sebastien Buma.
Nicolas Gonzales was named top student-athlete for his team.
LACROSSE – in the 5-team intercollegiate league the Islanders
finished in first place with a perfect record. After a 14-5 semifinal
win over Montmorency, the injury riddled Islanders stumbled
in the final 8-7 to Lennoxville.
CROSS COUNTRY – the newest team at John Abbott, the running
team had a very successful first season under the direction
of Coach Michael Foy. The women’s team was 4th at provincials
and 9th at the CCAA National Championships in Kingston
while the men’s team was 6th in Quebec and 12th at nationals.
Individually Lyndsey Pearsall was 6th in Quebec and 19th in
Canada (5 km run) and on the men’s side Peter Iacino was 9th
in Quebec and 24th in Canada while Benoit Landry was 10th in
Quebec and ranked 22nd (8 km run) nationally.
SEXUAL HEALTH WEEK
The week of November 10-14 was Sexual Health Week at John
Abbott. The activities were coordinated by Health Education
Nurse Anne Smith and a group of students who volunteer for
the Healthy Campus Committee. The highlight of the week was
the Sexual Health Fair and included a great presentation initiated
by Dental Hygiene students demonstrating the links
between oral sex, HPV and oral concerns. As usual Jim Katz and
his wife Atmo facilitated the ever popular Aphrodisia Café, providing
a venue for students to discuss sexuality and relationships.
Dr Richard Germain, our physician in the Health and
Wellness Centre, contributed with a kiosk on sexually transmitted
diseases.
These activities dovetailed nicely with the MSSS
health education initiatives focusing on sexually transmitted infections
and their dramatically increasing incidence, particularly in
those aged 15-24.
PERSONNEL INFORMATION
New / Changes – Staff Members
Yvan Arshoun, Technicien en travaux pratiques in Physics, temporary
full-time position replacing Edward Dembezeko until
August 3, 2009.
Nancy Brown, Technicienne en administration, in Human
Resources replacing Rosie Bradshaw effective November 3.
Julia Carlton, Agent de bureau, Classe I, temporary full-time
position from November 26 until June 30th replacing Anna
Whitton in the Registrar’s Office.
Janet Donaldson, Technicienne en documentation, permanent
full-time position in The University and Career Information
Centre effective November 3.
Kathryn Graham, Agent de Bureau, Class II, permanent full-time
position in the Learning Centre replacing Kelly Sudia, effective
October 27.
Marek Pukteris, Librarian, permanent full-time position in the
Library as of November 3.
Kelly Sudia, Academic Advisor, a 20% temporary part-time
position in Academic Advising as of November 14 replacing
Peter Thomson who is on progressive retirement.
Barbara Zilber, Agent de bureau, Classe 1, permanent part-time
position in the Registrar’s Office replacing Joanne Dorcas,
effective November 25.
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HIGHLIGHTS OF THE OPERATIONS REPORT FOR THE BOARD OF GOVERNORS MEETING ON: DECEMBER 9, 2008
New Faculty
Jimena Marquez – Anthropology
Resignations/Retirements
Rosie Bradshaw – Human Resources Services
Cathy Sidorenko – Associate Dean of Social Sciences and
Related Technologies and Professional Programs.
VACCINATION CLINIC
Human Resources Services organized the annual flu vaccination
clinic which was held on November 3. Open to staff and students
and with the availability of a maximum of 96 appointments,
this year 89 individuals took advantage of the clinic. The
same number registered in 2007, a slight increase over 2006
when 85 people registered. Groupe Santé Physimed ran the
clinic which was staffed by a registered nurse and operated on
an appointment basis.
RENOVATIONS (MASTER PLAN)
Several meetings took place in November during which our consultant,
Mrs. Christine Thillet, met with the Project
Management Committee. She presented a report based on information
sent to her from each of the established renovation
committees. Discussions ensued and details will be discussed
and analyzed at meetings between her, her staff and each of our
committees. So far, she has met with the Academic Committee
twice concerning these matters and another meeting is scheduled
with the Student Services Committee. Beyond these meetings
and once further information she requires is transmitted to
her, she will develop a first draft of her Master Plan which will
be presented to each committee for further refinement.
to contribute to one of three local charities: the John Abbott
College Student Assistance Christmas Fund, West Island
Community Shares and Entraide.
JOHN ABBOTT COLLEGE FOUNDATION CAPITAL CAMPAIGN
On October 22, Foundation Director Lucie Fournier and the
Dean of Science and Related Technologies, Erich Schmedt, were
invited to meet with Lundbeck CEO and President Mr. Cashman.
As a growing pharmaceutical company, they are interested in
learning about the College’s new pharmaceutical program and
our fundraising efforts to date. A follow-up of the visit will be
done.
On November 11, both Lucie Fournier and Erich Schmedt met
with Lino Saputo Jr. to discuss a possible partnership with
Saputo. The response was very positive. A follow-up will be
scheduled with regards to their participation in the pharmaceutical
production program advisory committee.
JOHN ABBOTT COLLEGE FOUNDATION BURSARIES & SCHOLARSHIPS
On October 14, the Director of the Foundation was invited to
attend a meeting of the Rotary Club of Montreal in order to
receive a gift of $1,500 to buy books that will be loaned to students
who cannot afford the required textbooks.
In collaboration with the Foundation, the Quebec Association of
Applied Education Technology established a new scholarship in
the name of John Abbott College retiree, Mr. Gary W. Sims. To
honour the work of Mr. Sims, this $300 scholarship will be
awarded annually over a period of 15 years. The scholarship is
intended to reward academic merit and excellence in audiovisual
multimedia production.
P-204 RENOVATION
The project is moving ahead as per the new schedule. It is
expected that work will be completed at the end of November.
Training for the users operating the new A/V equipment will be
scheduled soon after that.
INTERCOM
The first phase of this project is almost complete. The corridors
in all buildings are now equipped. Testing has started this week.
This part of the project should be operational in January 2009.
STUDENT ASSISTANCE CHRISTMAS FUND
On November 27, the Foundation held the 5th edition of the
Student Assistance Christmas Fund Loonie-Line & Benefit
Breakfast. With the help of our corporate sponsors Bank of
Montreal (BMO), & Sodexo as well as Remax agent, Suzanne
DuToy, friends and employees of the College, and our students,
we proudly announced that a total of $12,005 was raised on
behalf of our students in need of emergency funding for items
such as groceries, books, registration fees and bus passes.
As part of the College’s continued fundraising efforts, the
Foundation sent out a letter to our 650 employees asking them
15

A FOND FAREWELL
Please email articles
in MS-Word format to
david.campeau@johnabbott.qc.ca
or provide on USB flash drive
to the Communications Office,
H-102, January 27, 2009
The next edition of the Abbott
Update will be published
February 2009.
November 13 marked the end of an era as
Cathy Sidorenko, dear friend and colleague
to many at the College, bade farewell to John
Abbott College after 33 dedicated years of
service.
Cathy joined the Abbott team in 1974 after
obtaining her Masters Degree in Sociology. It
wasn’t long before her part-time position
became a full-time one. By 1975, Cathy was
a full-time Academic Advisor and remained
so for the next 25 years. In 2000, Cathy
went from Advising to being the Associate
Dean of General Education & Social Science.
This, however, did not change her
willingness to help others, and her dedication
and caring nature continued to shine through
everything she did at the College. Cathy’s
crowning achievement at the College came in
2003 when she was appointed Dean of Social
Science and Related Technologies. She held
this position for the last five years of her
career at Abbott.
Cathy’s years at the College will be marked
by her incredible devotion to the student
population, always putting their needs at the
forefront, as well as her tireless efforts
towards recognizing the personal and
professional successes of John Abbott faculty
and staff.
Cathy’s years at John Abbott will make her a
true part of College history.
We wish her the best for her future
endeavours!
Thank you to our article
and picture contributors:
Jill Gowdey
Lesley Lawrence
Barbara Houghton
Sylvie Boucher
Janette Wygergangs
Stephanie Hygate
Anthony Haddad
Barry Reynolds
Gerry Stachrowski
Lucie Fournier
Eric Laferrière
Lori-Ann MacLellan
David Hill
Produced by John Abbott College Press