News

Whitehorse – Yukon College Board has had two new members appointed by the Yukon Department of Education, both effective as of July 1, 2010 until June 30, 2013. Their first board meeting will take place in early September.

Whitehorse – Yukon College Science Quest Summer Camp gets underway for the first time in Pelly Crossing. Until now, Yukon College summer science camps have been running in Whitehorse for children, ages 8-15. The themes of the summer camps in Whitehorse are computers, trades, and science. Communities such as Dawson  City and Haines Junction have had the computer camps run during the summer break.   

The Science Quest camp in Pelly Crossing is a mix of science themes. It is open for ages 8-14. The Eliza Van Bibber School hosts the camp. There are fifteen spots available for campers. The camp also provides an opportunity for recreation.  

Thanks to a University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) partnership with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and Yukon College in Whitehorse, Yukon, Katherine Bygarski, a Master of Science student in UOIT’s Applied Bioscience program will spend the months of June and July conducting research in Yukon Territory. She is pursuing studies in the Forensic Bioscience field of the program.

Bygarski will carry out a forensic entomology study in Canada’s north as part of a project being spearheaded by the RCMP’s Sergeant Diane Cockle and Corporal Jim Giczi in conjunction with two leading Canadian forensic entomologists: Dr. Helene LeBlanc, assistant professor, Forensic Science at UOIT and Dr. Gail Anderson, associate professor, School of Criminology, Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia.

The Northern Climate ExChange will be celebrating the close of the Dawson Adaptation Project at an open house in Dawson City, YT on June 22, 2010 from 5:00 to 8:00pm (check back on the NCE website for the location of the open house - to be determined soon).

The closure of the Dawson Adaptation Project marks a major milestone for the Community Adaptation Project, as Dawson is the first of three communities to complete the adaptation process.

The Spring 2010 issue of the Northern Review is now available.  In addition to five diverse research articles, the volume includes over 15 book reviews (thanks to sessional instructor Brad Martin, our book reviews editor!).

This issue’s articles:

The True Northwest Passage: Explorers in Anglo-Canadian Nationalist Narratives, Janice Cavell

Prevention of Fetal Alcohol Damage in Northern Native Communities: A Practical School-Based Approach, Steven Jacquier, Judith Kleinfeld & David Gilliam

The Historical Roots of a Frontier Alcohol Culture: Alaska and Northern Canada, Mary Ehrlander

Whitehorse – Yukon College will be hosting a three day public conference, June 14-16, on the governance model of sociocracy, also known as Dynamic Governance. The Conference, “The River Flows Both Ways” is attracting the world’s leading thinkers in sociocracy to assist attendees in developing this innovative governance system in their workplaces. Several employees at Yukon  College have been exploring the use of the sociocracy model in their administrative framework.

In attendance will be Gerard Endenburg, the Dutch founder and lead thinker of Sociocracy, who has successfully implemented Dynamic Governance into his engineering firm. Many European countries support sociocracy in political and business systems. Attendees will also hear from other international and national practitioners who use Dynamic Governance in their workplace as a means to engage employees.

Whitehorse – Yukon College Student Services will be sending one of its students to Niagara Falls this weekend to collect her ACCC (Association of Community Colleges Canada) award at the annual award ceremonies. International student Fabiana Torquato Naves has won the 2009-2010 ACCC Silver Student Leadership Excellence Award. Students from across Canada are nominated by their college faculty and staff.

Whitehorse – Three lucky people are the winners of the Yukon College Winning Start draw. The draw opened during Education Week in mid-April and closed the day before the newly implemented June 1 Course Registration date.

Congratulations to the following winners:

1st prize – One semester of tuition at Yukon  College valued at $1350.00

                        Dave Haddock

2nd prize – Netbook valued at $349.00

Gloria Schilling

3rd prize –Wilderness and Remote First Aid Course valued at $225.00

Whitehorse –  Yukon  College and the Association franco-yukonaise signed their first accord to work together in providing English and French language services to adults. Both organizations provide adult education services to the community and are now

looking at enhancing their programs through a cooperative delivery effort.

“Yukon College looks forward to working with our new community partners so that we may continue to engage in building strong adult programming within our community,” said Terry Weninger, President of Yukon College. “The diversity of our partnerships provides a dynamic educational experience which prepares our students with global awareness.” 

Students and staff will be picking up shovels on Friday, May 21 at 2:00 p.m. to fill four new garden beds at Yukon College. The 4’ x 8’ raised beds will be situated in front of the former Northern Research Institute building and will be maintained by Yukon College students and staff.

WHITEHORSE – Students began class today at Yukon College in a new First Nations Governance and Public Administration pilot initiative. The first day of class was marked with a celebration and the signing of a memorandum of agreement between Yukon  College and the Government of Yukon, committing to work together to offer the program to all Yukon First Nations.     
   
The First Nation Governance and Public Administration pilot initiative consists of accessible, accredited, and culturally relevant course offerings that are focused on enhancing the professional development of executive and senior management staff to support First Nation government operations.
The curriculum was developed with a focus on Yukon’s final and self-government agreements.

Yukon College hosts a trivia contest for National Nursing Week, May 10-16, 2010. The week recognizes the valuable contributions that nursing provides within the health care sector. Nursing week is significant of Florence Nightingale’s birthday, May 12. Nightingale is renown as a pioneer of modern nursing. 2010 marks the centennial of Nightingale’s death and is the International Year of the Nurse. Celebrations around the world commemorate the nursing and health care practitioners’ profession. A Practical Nursing program is offered at Yukon College.