CHRONICLE 16-17 ISSUE 08

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6 The Chronicle January 24 - 30, 2017 chronicle.durhamcollege.ca Campus Michelle Cole, Manager of Program Development and Quality Assurance at Durham College, at work in her office. Photograph by Toby VanWeston Managing our success This is one in a series of conversations with experts at UOIT and Durham College Michelle Cole manages the programs students take at Durham College Toby VanWeston The Chronicle Michelle Cole is the Manager of Program Development and Quality Assurance at Durham College. She has been in this position for four years, and has overseen the development of existing programs and the addition of new programs during this time. In 2011 she won an Outstanding Research Award from the Ontario College Administration Staff Association (OCASA) for Student Perceptions of Faculty Classroom Practices the Influence Student Persistence. Cole’s job is to make sure the student experience is as positive and fulfilling as possible. Can you explain what you do and how you do it? Sure. I work with the executive deans and the associate deans in each of the schools, since you know we have seven schools, to work out a plan for new program development. So in my role, I guide the new program development process and I support the deans through that process. We have a five year roster of programs that is fluid, so every year we review the plan, and revise as needed. It’s fundamentally based on labour market needs, and student demand also, so taking both into consideration, we will develop a plan accordingly. [In regards to her OCASA award] Would it be accurate to say that finding ways for students to succeed in their academic careers is a passion of yours? It sure is. The other part of my role is the quality assurance. I would say now that I am doing this work, there is an enhanced passion for it. I have the opportunity through program review to interview students and I love that. I would say that the only reason I’m here is to ensure that students have a good experience while they’re on campus, that they’re learning, that they’re meeting the expectations of their education, that they find value in their education, and they see the importance at the end of the day. And then of course that they find jobs. So that they leave here well-equipped, good citizens and mature, so they can go and find work in their field. And if it’s not in their field that’s OK too, because they have skills. They shouldn’t leave here without having something that they can be proud of. Can you tell me about your background and how you ultimately arrived in Oshawa? I went to school at Brock University, started working in Toronto, then moved to Whitby. I worked for a member of parliament in Whitby. I enjoyed that experience very very much. We were unelected by the people [laughs]. And so when the new member of parliament came in, I applied to the college and was successful. I’ve worked at the college for ten years now. I started in the President’s office as an administrator. I was an executive assistant to the vice-president of Student Affairs. And when this position came up I got very excited and I applied and got it. They shouldn’t leave here without having something that they can be proud of. What’s your favourite part of your job? I do enjoy the process stuff, I’m a bit of a geek that way. I like the order of things, and so helping people get to an end result, I do get a kick out of that. And I do enjoy, when I can, meeting with students. What’s the toughest challenge you are faced with in this positions? Working with faculty [laughs]. No, it’s more about timeliness. We have a short window of time to get the program to the point where we can present it to the Ministry. The challenge is getting that approval. Are there any new programs that you are trying to trying to get off the ground right now? Yes there’s a few of them. I can tell you what we just launched for 2017, which is really exciting. We’ll have a new program in Office Administration Real Estate. So considering the real estate market as it is, that’ll be exciting for those who are interested in the real-estate market but may not want to be agents. Massage therapy is coming to Durham College, which is a big deal. I’m looking forward to as many free massages as I can get, I will be that guinea pig [laughs]. The other one that’s really cool too is called Mechanical Technician, Elevating Devices. So your lifts, elevators, that kind of thing. Right now the industry is literally taking people off the streets, without experience. This way, with a post-secondary diploma, they would have a lot of experience with the mechanical and electrical side, so that they could start their apprenticeship with some knowledge. With a twoyear under their belt, they will be very successful. This interview has been edited for style, length and clarity.
Campus chronicle.durhamcollege.ca January 24 - 30, 2017 The Chronicle 7 When research meets passion Photograph by Laura Metcalfe Durham College professor Randy Uyenaka has been bringing his energy to the Social Socail Worker program since he started teaching at the college in 1999. Uyenaka makes the Social Service Worker program work for you This is one in a series of conversations with faculty experts at UOIT and Durham College Laura Metcalfe The Chronicle When Randy Uyenaka enters the room one can’t help but notice his boundless energy and bright smile. His passion and drive to help people is evident when you talk to him about social services. As the coordinator of the Social Service Worker Program at Durham College, he is helping to teach the social service workers of the future. What is your expertise in? I am the program co-ordinator of the Social Service Worker program. I have been teaching at Durham College part time since 1999. I came here full-time in 2008. As you know, Durham, they like to hire professors who have a lot of experience, prior experience, in the field they are teaching in. So when I was hired back in 1999, I taught a course well, two courses, one called addictions counselling, and another was called family and family systems, so it was kind of consistent with the work I was doing. When I actually came here I was more involved in teaching, probably more in the year 2000, when the college launched the Addictions and Mental Health graduate certificate program. Once that program got off the ground I was teaching courses in counselling youth, grief therapy, basic counselling services, problem gambling, those types of things since 2008. Was there anyone who inspired you to go into this? Inevitably, all of us are going to have some contact with a social service agency. I’ve been fortunate to work with many individuals who just had that passion for the field of helping. I think it’s interesting because he just retired. One of the individuals, he was actually a supervisor before he came to the college full-time as a teacher and he was the one who lead me into the field of teaching as well, his name is Ken Lomp. He was an individual when I joined Pinewood Centre in 1992. You could tell that he had this real passion for the field and under his leadership I think I really grew in terms of feeling a lot more comfortable being a counsellor and trying to help people with substance abuse issues. What kind of work have you done? Maybe not specific to the area of addictions but since I have been at Durham I have been involved in three significant research projects that have been funded by provincial bodies. What happened was in 2012 we applied for funding from an organization called the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. We were fortunate enough to get granted roughly about $30,000 to look at a lifespan perspective of how social services impact individuals through the lifespan, starting from issues in childhood, but having a social services program to help support an individual going through that difficult period. Childhood and adolescence into adulthood and beyond. What should people know about your field? I think really the value, the impact of social services is really just not realized. Inevitably, all us are going to have some contact with a social service agency, the unemployed and we need employment counselling. We experience an issue concerning our mental wellness or mental health, we are seeking support from a mental health organization or an individual or someone they know has a substance abuse problem. What is your favourite part of your research? Each research project that I have been involved in we’ve been fortunate to allocate part of the funding towards funding students in terms of them learning. ...the impact of social services is really just not realized. Our particular program, Social Service Worker, has benefited three times. Each time we have hired a minimum of about four to six research assistants and they get to do actual research in an area they are interested in and I think it gives them new opportunities that they, as college students, wouldn’t typically experience. We have seen them really develop a passion for the research we are doing. At the end of it they get their name on a publication, which really is unheard of from someone coming out of college, actually having their name on a publication that has been shared provincially, if not internationally. This interview has been edited for style, length and clarity.
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