News

Permafrost Expert Speaks at Yukon College

January 28, 2010

Whitehorse – Whitehorse – Students at Yukon College will be able to get a first-hand account on the subject of rejuvenation of ice-wedge cracking in the North. Carleton University researcher Dr. Chris Burn is at Yukon College this week as part of his role as Northern Chair for the Natural Sciences and Research Council of Canada (NSERC) who works with the Yukon Centre of Excellence. Dr. Burn is invited into the classroom to present permafrost science findings to the students.

University of Alaska MBA Program Open to Yukon College Students

January 22, 2010

Whitehorse – Yukon College and the University of Alaska Southeast are signing a Memorandum of Understanding to offer the web-delivered Master of Business Administration Program to Yukon students.

The purpose of the MOU is to expand opportunities for students interested in pursing an MBA and to meet the professional development needs of the Yukon business community.

The signing will take place Tuesday January 26th from 9:30 – 10:30 in the Yukon College Boardroom.

“This is a significant step that will allow Yukon College students to gain the necessary skills to become leaders in a variety of areas,” says Jeff Wolosewich, Acting Dean of the Division of Applied Science and Management. “It’s important that the Yukon work to develop and retain our leadership capacity.”

The program will offer a mix of theory and practice in areas such as, marketing, accounting, corporate strategy and human resource and personnel administration.

Yukon Research Centre of Excellence Hires Two Visiting Students

January 19, 2010

Yukon College has two visiting graduate students working at the Yukon Research Centre for Excellence this semester.

Vicki Sahanatien is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Biological Sciences, at the University of Alberta, Edmonton. She is completing her doctoral studies on Polar Bear Sea Ice Habitat Selection and Climate Change in the eastern Arctic. Her research is interdisciplinary, combining ecological, physical and social sciences. Sahanatien lived and worked for many years in the Canadian Arctic, and has conducted field studies from 66N to 83N. She finds the arctic an exciting place for research as it possible to explore exceptional landscapes, new ideas, and discover alternative ways of understanding.

Award Winning Staff and Faculty at Yukon College

January 7, 2010

Staff and faculty at Yukon College have recently received territorial and national awards. At the Commissioner’s New Year’s Levee on January 1, 2010, Jennifer Moorlag received the Governor General’s Caring Canadian Award and Bunne Palamar, was awarded the Yukon Commissioner’s Award for Public Volunteer Service. David Mossop was awarded the Gerry Couture Stewardship Award in December.

Closed between December 25 and January 3, 2010

December 25, 2009

Yukon College will be closed for the holidays between December 25 and January 3, reopening on Monday, January 4, 2010. We look forward to serving you at that time!

YC Steps It Up With New Snowshoeing Program

December 15, 2009

Staff and students at Yukon College are being encouraged to sign up for a snowshoeing program in the New Year, which is aimed at increasing physical activity, relieving stress and improving focus.

Cultural Development Facilitator, Randall Tetlichi, will take participants around the College and provide snowshoeing instruction at lunch hour, every Wednesday, from January 6th to April 28th.

Tetlichi says he will teach the basics of snowshoeing, such as how to walk, run, jog and how to float on top of the snow. “I’ve been around snowshoes my whole life,” Tetlichi says.

Northern Institute of Social Justice Poised to Open at Yukon College

December 14, 2009

Yukoners will soon have a new resource that will provide training and education to Yukoners in a wide variety of social justice fields and will also undertake related research.

The Northern Institute of Social Justice is preparing to deliver training programs in 2010. The institute will be based at Yukon College, Justice Minister Marian C. Horne, Education Minister Patrick Rouble, Health and Social Services Minister Glenn Hart and Yukon College President Terry Weninger announced today.

“Through the institute, employees in public and First Nation governments, organizations and businesses will deliver programs and services that will help Yukoners address a variety of challenges and possibilities,” Horne said.

About eight per cent of all jobs in Yukon – 1,390 in total – have been identified as having a social justice-related component.

Prizes to be Won in YC Winter Photo Contest

December 7, 2009

Yukon College is celebrating the season and boosting the College Facebook page with a Yukon winter photo contest.

The Cold Snaps photo contest is open to all Yukoners, with the exception of Yukon College staff. A judge’s panel will award prizes to the top three photographers who capture an outstanding image of winter. The first place winner will receive a Canon PowerShot digital camera, second place will win a $100 gift certificate for the iTunes Store and third place will take away a seven inch digital photograph frame. The contest kicked off December 4th and all submissions must be in by February 12th, 2010 by 4 p.m. Winners will be announced February 26th.

“We’re using Facebook for this contest to show Yukoners that our page is a great way to keep in touch with what’s going on at the College,” says Jacqueline Bedard, Director of College Relations.

First Nations Festive Feast Brings YC Together

December 4, 2009

For over 20 years, Yukon College has celebrated the arrival of the holidays with a First Nations feast and this year will be no exception, with a festive event planned for staff and students.

Before students leave for the holidays, they will have the chance to gather for the feast on December 8th at 12 p.m. in the “Pit.” There will be turkey with all the trimmings, oranges, candy and more. Ben Charlie will provide entertainment with his fiddle and Mr. and Mrs. Claus may also make an appearance.

“This event brings staff and students together and it helps strengthen the relationship between First Nations and non-First Nations people,” says Randall Tetlichi, Cultural Development Facilitator at the College.

The last day of classes is December 18th and the College will be closed for the holidays December 25th to January 1st.

University of Alberta Partners with Yukon College

December 3, 2009

Whitehorse, Yukon – On Monday, December 7, at noon in the Boardroom, the University of Alberta (UofA) and Yukon College (YC) will sign a Collaborative Program Agreement for an Environmental and Conservation Sciences Degree. This agreement will be what is commonly referred to as a 2+2 program – two years in a Yukon College program and then two years in the University of Alberta Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree program. Most students will begin with two years in either the Renewable Resource Management or Northern Science Diploma programs before transferring into the BSc, however other routes of entry will also be available. All studies could take place at Yukon College taught by UofA and YC faculty, or students could choose to spend some or all of their +2 study time at UofA. It will also be possible for students from Edmonton to complete part of their program in Whitehorse.

Yukon and Alaska Writers in Northern Review

December 2, 2009

A special fall literary issue of the Northern Review, Yukon College’s multidisciplinary journal of the arts and social sciences of the North, features a collection of northern poetry, fiction and essays by more than 40 writers from northern Canada and Alaska.

The Northern Review in the only peer-reviewed journal in Canada devoted exclusively to northern issues and published North of 60 - at Yukon College. The special edition will be released this month and will include both up-and-coming and well-known Yukon writers such as, Patricia Robertson, Erling Friis-Basstad, Lily Gontard and Clea Roberts.

Eric Heyne is the Interim Dean of Arts at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and was guest editor on the special edition. "This is the second special literary issue; the first was published in 1993," he says.

YC's New Site Draws 81,000 Visits in Two Months

November 25, 2009

Yukon College’s new website is gaining momentum and seeing increased traffic, with 27,000 unique visitors who connected to the site 81,000 times in the first two months.

The website was soft-launched at the end of September as part of the College’s rebranding. The objective of the new site is to simplify navigation, sport the new Yukon College brand and provide current, intuitively located information.

“Improving the identity of the College is one of our six strategic goals and the website is an important component of that,” Bedard says. “Increasingly, this will be the source for program and course information.”