teachers and staffmembers and we all work for a common purpose, the students.” When he initially arrived, the college’s doors welcomed on average 950 full-time students, whereas now, around 1200 call the St. Lawrence College their own. “I simply love being here,” maintains Fairweather. “It was a joy to come in to work every day.” In addition, the dean takes pride in the fact that 30 per cent of people studying at the college are first generation students. “They are the first in their family to pursue a post-secondary education,” he says. “That means that they will probably be able to get a better paying job than their parents and will therefore be able to get a better pay, resulting in a better life and a better community.” After being asked what his biggest accom- plishment was, the dean ponders for several seconds before admitting that he simply can’t put his finger on it. “We’ve had somany great things happen in this college,” he says. “But I’mvery proud of our capital campaign,
where we were able to collect $4.5 million from the community and $10 million from the provincial and federal governments, in order to transform the building.” The biggest challenge Fairweather ever faced during his tenure was teamwork. “I came from a high school background. I wasn’t used to the college environment,” he remembers. “I had to get to know our team and learn the processes.” Looking back on his eight-year experi- ence, the dean can do nothing but smile. “It’s very gratifying to know that we did strengthen the Cornwall Campus,” he says. “It’s much stronger than when I first got here.” A new dean on January 4 th Hailing from Manitoba but residing in Terrace, British Columbia, Debra Stava will succeed Fairweather as dean of the college on January 4 th . Currently associate vice-president for special projects at the Northwest Community College, Stava has several
years of volunteering and was president of the Prince Rupert Chamber of Commerce, director for Community Futures of the Pacific Northwest and director for North Coast Community Assets. “Tome, the dean’s role is extremely important,” she expressed. “You get to work with the community, the institution and with students.” Stava was selected amongst several other candidates via a process that was organ- ized earlier last year. It’s also not the first time a woman is named dean of the college. According to Fairweather, several others have graced the dean’s office in the past years. From private Catholic school to college Prior to the formation of Ontario’s college system in 1967, some trade schools existed in the province. Many of those schools were established in the post-war years primarily to help veterans reintegrate into civilian life. By the late 1950s, tech wings were added to Ontario high schools to assist young people. A decade later, Premier WilliamDavis—now
regarded as the “father of the Ontario College System”—responded to an increasing need for technical education by creating colleges of applied arts and technology to train indi- viduals for jobs. Originally, Brockville was suggested for themain campus of a proposed St. Lawrence College, but after much debate, during often “standing room only” meetings held at Brockville TownHall, it was decided the local population wasn’t large enough to support one campus. Cornwall and Kingston were chosen to serve six counties in the Eastern Ontario region: Frontenac, Leeds, Grenville, Dundas, Stormont and Glengarry. In 1968, Cornwall Classical College, a private Catholic school, was purchased and later renamed Moulinette Hall. In 1970, a new building, Wales Hall, was built by the federal government for the retraining programs. In 1976, Aultsville Hall was con- structed as the hub with a library, cafeteria, theatre and student services.
Meilleurs
Season’s
Voeux!
Greetings!
NOS BUREAUX SERONT FERMÉS DU: 23 décembre au 4 janvier 2016 LE JOURNAL NE SERA PAS PUBLIÉ: Le mercredi 30 décembre 2015 Le mercredi 6 janvier 2016 NOTRE PROCHAINE PUBLICATION SERA: Le mercredi 13 janvier 2016
OUR OFFICES WILL BE CLOSED FROM: December 23 to January 4, 2016 THE JOURNAL WILL NOT BE PUBLISHED: Wednesday, December 30, 2015 Wednesday, January 6, 2016 OUR NEXT PUBLICATION WILL BE ON: Wednesday, January 13, 2016
Wednesday, December 16, 2015
The Journal Cornwall
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