College puts out welcome mat
An investment in college education is an investment in the future, says Niagara College president Dan Patterson.
That was a message he was putting out Saturday during the school’s annual spring open house at the Welland campus.
Patterson hosted the first-ever Meet the President Hour in the Learning Commons, where potential students and their parents could ask him questions about the college and its programs.
“One of the main reasons the open house — where we welcome 3,000 to 4,000 students and parents — is so important, is for them to see first-hand the kinds of programs and services we have to offer. Reaching out and telling our story is very important,” said Patterson.
He said post-secondary institutions are seeing a decline in enrolment, as fewer students come into the system after graduating from high school.
“Therefore, it’s really important that we don’t miss someone who may not know enough about college education, to try and explain the incredible opportunities open to them.”
He said one of the things that distinguishes Niagara College from others are the people and high-performance teams brought together, and the college’s culture.
“There is a tremendous sense of pride in creating a learning environment where students thrive. There is a real emphasis on the power of applied learning, a combination of hands-on and theory. Our faculty have the academic credentials and bring a wealth of experience in their fields.”
As for the college culture, the president said that was evident in the number of students volunteering to help out at the open house, which was also held at the Niagaraon-the-Lake campus.
“I’m very impressed … it’s a real demonstration of the passion they feel for the college. We all say at the college that we are all recruiters. Our job is to make sure we welcome as many students as we can,” said Patterson.
Chantal Pariag, who came to the open house with her mother Vashtee, said everyone she met was super friendly.
The Burlington resident told Patterson she’s joining the college’s paramedic program this year. She chose Niagara College because of its — and the program’s — reputation.
Her mother said she is impressed by the 100 per cent success rate for employment from the program, which is two years long and has been offered for the past 34 years.
Shelcia Hookumchand, of Mississauga, who came to the open house with her mother Shelly Ann, will be entering the school of justice and fitness program. She’s hoping to join Canada Border Services Agency when she graduates.
“She wants to protect the Canadian border,” her mother said to the college president.
Patterson said programs, like those for paramedic and custom border services, are meeting the needs of students for 2017, but also beyond.
“We’re not only anticipating the job market of today, but of tomorrow as well. We’re always trying to anticipate new occupational clusters that will emerge. We always looking to recalibrate our programs. We have advisory committee members that come in and critique what we have now and give us ideas of how we can change and improve.”
Patterson said that’s how the college has evolved over the past 50 years. He’s been at Niagara for 24 years, 21 of which he has spent as president, and said has seen tremendous change.
“It’s pretty exciting. We’ve gone from fairly humble beginnings to being considered one of the best colleges in the Canadian college system.”