The mission of BCIT is to build pathways for career

The mission of BCIT is to build pathways for career success in the global marketplace through teaching excellence and applied education and research. Special Edition: School of Business BCIT Financial Management Technology courses are now being delivered in China at Jiangsu Institute of Economy and Trade Technology (JIETT). Pictured here are BCIT representatives with the administration, faculty and students from JIETT’s new program. Financial Management courses now in China Thanks To a new agreement with the Jiangsu Institute of Economy and Trade Technology (JIETT) in nanjing, students at JIETT can now earn a BCIT International Diploma in accounting. students who complete the diploma may be eligible to enter into Financial Management’s accounting degree program at BCIT. The planning for the international program began in spring 2005 when Lawrence Gu, director of BCIT’s International Business services and Dick Dolan, dean of BCIT’s school of Business, made the initial contact with JIETT and performed a risk assessment. By april that year, Financial Management’s associate dean Tim Edwards was at JIETT working with the staff to hammer out the details of the program. In the end, a threeyear program, consisting of all the Financial Management (accounting option) courses, English courses as well as courses specific to JIETT, was developed. By summer, Education Council had approved the program, and course kits were quickly made (thanks to the support of the school of Business faculty) in time for the first intake that fall. continued page two Volume 13, Issue 7, March 28, 2006 Inside heather Mathieson Memorial Fund .........3 Electrical student wins .................................3 save the Date ..................................................3 school of Business special Edition ...... 3-6 new to BCIT .....................................................7 aTC event ..........................................................7 Confucius Institute opens ...........................7 E-Portfolios show students’ work .............8 PD Day 2006 ....................................................8 2 Financial Management courses now in China Since the program started in October 2005, more than 125 students have been accepted into the program. Nadine Lancaster, Financial Management faculty member visited JIETT in December to spend time in the program’s lectures and labs and to deliver a ‘BCIT-style’ accounting lecture to JIETT faculty who will be teaching the BCIT courses in future terms. To ensure BCIT standards are upheld, more faculty visits to JIETT are planned. JIETT has spent time at BCIT as well. JIETT faculty member Connie Fan arrived at BCIT in September 2005 as a visiting scholar to spend six months in the Financial Management department researching how the various courses are taught here. The information that Connie will take back with her to JIETT will be a valuable resource for her colleagues. Financial Management looks forward to accepting the graduates of this BCIT/JIETT program into the ranks of Financial Management alumni in the years to come. Electrical student wins award and earns great career CONgrATuLATIONS TO Chris Fynn, the 2005 winner of the Bill Woodill Memorial Award, which recognizes exceptional achievement in electrical apprenticeship training. Not bad for a guy who “avoided school like the plague,” until he says, “a good friend told me about an electrical course at BCIT.” In 2000, Chris enrolled in BCIT’s Secondary School Apprenticeship (SSA) Electrical Program through his Surrey high school. At the time, he says, “It sounded a lot better than the nothing I was doing, so I talked to my teacher and we got the wheels in motion.” Chris Fynn wins the Bill Woodill “I didn’t understand at first the extent to which the Memorial Award. course would change my life but almost instantly, it changed for the better,” Chris reflects. “The instructor Don Zaklan was an excellent teacher and person who really motivated me.” Says Chris’ instructor, Don Zaklan, Surrey Electrical Campus, “This program provides young people with the skills to make a transition from high school to a successful career in trades and it shows with Chris Fynn.” After completing the SSA program, Chris completed his technical training at BCIT, worked steadily for four years and is now a Journeyman Electrician. “I remember when I started I thought journeyman status was a long ways away,” says Chris, “but it went pretty fast and it’s the biggest accomplishment I’ve ever made.” Memorial fund awards top students IN hONOur OF heather Mathieson, the School of Manufacturing, Electrical and Industrial Processes (MEIP) has established the heather Mathieson Memorial Fund to award top students in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Technology program. recipients will be selected by program faculty. The endowment will provide perpetual financial support for student awards. MEIP welcomes and encourages contributions from fellow BCIT employees. Contributions from other sources are also welcome, to reach the goal of a $10,000 endowment. heather Mathieson worked at BCIT for 18 years in the School of MEIP before she was diagnosed with and battled breast cancer before she passed away in 2005. In addition to helping students, the fund will honour the memory of heather and her love of academia. Join the School of MEIP in honouring heather Mathieson by sending a cheque payable to the BCIT Foundation, 3700 Willingdon Ave., Burnaby, B.C., V5g 3h2. An income tax receipt will be returned to you. We will also acknowledge your gift to heather’s family so they will know that her influence had a lasting impact on the school. If you have any questions, please contact Susan Walters at the BCIT Foundation 604-432-8868 or e-mail Susan_Walters@bcit.ca. Save the Date April BCIT Open House 2006 Apr. 7 and 8 BCIT Burnaby Campus May Employee Excellence Awards May 17 June June Convocation Ceremonies June 21, 22, 23 Willingdon Conference Centre Graduating Awards Ceremonies June 21, 22, 23 SE2, great hall 7– 8 Contact: Michelle_Traynor@bcit.ca www.bcit.ca/openhouse 17 Contact: Marnie_Wright@bcit.ca 21–23 Contact: Michelle_Traynor@bcit.ca 21–23 Contact: Michelle_Traynor@bcit.ca BCIT Update | March 28, 2006 3 Message from the Dean I aM PLEasED To present the highlights of the school of Business over the past year in this edition of Update. We have become more active on the international front and, in fact, last spring we established a relationship with the Jiangsu Institute of Economic and Trade Technology (JIETT) in nanjing, China, enabling JIETT to offer our International Diploma in Financial Management starting this past fall. on the first day of registration, all 100 seats were filled. our students excelled in competition with other universities and community colleges. Last spring the Marketing association’s BCIT chapter competed against 300 u.s. schools and took top honours in the Case Competition and the sales Competition. our aCE students were semi-finalists in the national competition in Toronto last May. Marketing research students once again won the top provincial award in marketing research – that’s the fourth year in a row! Financial Management students in competition with community colleges throughout the province took first place in a stock portfolio contest (and are in the lead again this year). The Broadcast students won several awards at the annual Broadcast Educators association conference last June. our new Media students captured the ZeD People’s Choice award at new Media slam this past year. once again our Business students achieved success against a variety of students from universities and community colleges in the national case competition sponsored by royal roads university. and, as you will see on these pages, the 2006 season has started very well with the Tourism students recently winning the 1st annual Tourism Case Competition. These are fabulous experiences for our students and, of course, vicariously thrilling for the rest of us! on the subject of awards, Broadcast Educators association of Canada recognized Brian antonson’s contribution to the industry by presenting him with the John ansell Distinguished service award. It is difficult to imagine a more fitting recipient for this particular award. This past year, the school of Business absorbed the activities of the Call Centre and its personnel as well as the educational operations previously housed within BCIT International. The Business Management studies program has become part of Business administration. This fall we will accept our first students into the new Graphic Communications Technology diploma program. The Graphic Communications Technology program is the first completely new diploma we have launched in some time. The program is part of the Digital arts department and its Dick Dolan graduates will vie for positions within the print industry. on the retirement front, we lost the services of Chris Clark and Larry Jones, both long-term members of the Business administration department. They will be missed. all in all, an exciting year! Many thanks to everyone. - Dick Dolan, dean Tourism Marketing students best in B.C. BCIT TourIsM MarkETInG students wowed the judges at the Tourism Industry Conference this year, earning first place in the 1st annual Tourism Case Competition. students from tourism programs at three other postsecondary institutions (Capilano College, Thompson rivers university and Malaspina university College) also competed. In the competition, student teams were asked to prepare a 20-minute presentation on why nPa airlines (a fictional legacy carrier based in seattle) should start flying into a selected B.C. destination. a panel of senior industry executives grilled the students after their presentations and then selected BCIT’s team as the winning team. The CEo of Tourism B.C. watched the entire competition and remarked that he was blown way by the quality of the BCIT students’ presentation. Congratulations to our students Jennifer Leung, Becky Parker, John McLaughlin and Mike Miezlaiskis, who secured us bragging rights as having the best and brightest tourism students in all of B.C. for 2006. special thanks to roz Casey for the assistance and leadership she provided to the team in preparing them for this competition. March 28, 2006 | BCIT Update School of Business 4 Anthony Cavanaugh: from broadcast communications to the ‘perfect career’ in real estate ask any LayPErson about the relationship between broadcasting and real estate and they will probably tell you that the two professions are completely unrelated. anthony Cavanaugh knows better: after receiving a first-class education in BCIT’s Broadcast Communications program, anthony now enjoys a successful career in the real estate industry. and for anthony, the two professions are closely linked. BCIT gave anthony the solid foundation he needed to work in B.C.’s broadcast industry. “The skills I learned at BCIT gave me the opportunity to work closely with media types and to gain a very good understanding of what they were looking for in print, radio and TV stories,” he says. after graduating in 1994, anthony joined the real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver (rEBGV). It is here that anthony launched his public relations career, using the training he received from BCIT. “While I wasn’t practising broadcast communications per se, my education in broadcasting taught me how to put together stories and made me a far better Pr practitioner,” he explains. In 1997, anthony returned to BCIT and enrolled in the part-time Marketing Management (Marketing Communications option) certificate program. his work for the rEBGV had convinced him of the close link between public relations and marketing. after earning his certificate in 1999, anthony landed a job with the real Estate Council of B.C. Because his new job brought him a whole new level of responsibility and put him in a position of authority, anthony knew he needed to hone his management skills. once again, he turned to BCIT and enrolled in the Bachelor of Technology in Management degree program. “I finished my degree in fall 2005,” says anthony, “and the result is that I have not only rapidly accelerated my career as a competent public relations professional, but also gained the necessary skills to effectively manage people at a high level. “The BCIT experience definitely helped me to find the path I wanted to go down. I would tell anyone: ‘Don’t be afraid to go out there and give it a try. you never know how things will end up’.” Commercial Real Estate Program students visit Concord Pacific First-ever Cirque de Learning hits DTC on Jan. 27, For ThE first time ever, BCIT’s Call Centre of Excellence hosted a Professional Development Day for industry clients at the Downtown Campus. This exciting event provided learning opportunities in a dynamic and fun environment. It was aptly titled “Cirque de Learning - a full day of adventure, open to everyone to discover, grow and enjoy.” The cirque theme came to life as participants arrived to see mardi gras/ cirque displays at registration and on atrium tables, balloons, music, and even a stilt walker. all classrooms had motivational quotes displayed and instructors were identified wearing BCIT convocation gowns. Participants also had a chance to do some valuable networking. The event kicked off and ended with keynote speaker, Terry small, of Terry small Learning Corporation, a master speaker, teacher, trainer, and learning skills specialist. The 2006 Commercial real Estate program students outside the Concord Pacific Presentation Centre with Grant Murray (fourth from left) and David Wan (far right). on Jan. 30, students of the Commercial real Estate program visited the Concord Pacific presentation centre in yaletown as part of the program’s real Estate Principles Course. Concord Pacific, developer of the largest master-planned community in north america, was represented by Grant Murray who gave the students a 90-minute presentation, encompassing the history of the former Expo site, the development planning process that was carried out, and current marketing initiatives in which the company is engaged. Led by David Wan, instructor, Commercial real Estate program, the students were also given an exclusive tour of several Concord Pacific show suites, demonstrating an important part of how real estate developers market their product. BCIT Update | March 28, 2006 School of Business 5 Randy Taylor keeps learning arE you a BETTEr teacher when you are also a student? Perhaps randy Taylor can answer that question better than most. “If students see instructors valuing education within their own lives, it sure helps in the classroom,” says randy. “When a student hears the instructor say they, too, have trouble writing exams, it helps them feel more comfortable and understood.” For much of the past 14 years, Taylor has been completing various diplomas and degrees while teaching in the radio program within BCIT’s Broadcast and Media department. randy is currently completing his PhD at simon Fraser university’s Communication department, an exceptional task on its own. The achievement becomes all the more remarkable when you consider that he began his educational adventure without any prior credentials – not a single degree or diploma. so how did he do it? The transformation began in 1992 when he entered a unique initiative created at BCIT through the university of alberta and Vancouver Community College. The BEd program was available to any BCIT instructor who was looking for an education degree and who had a minimum 10 years’ teaching experience plus 10 years working in a particular profession. over the next three years randy completed two diplomas in education followed by the undergraduate degree. From there randy completed his master’s degree in Communication at sFu in under two years. “I couldn’t have accomplished this without BCIT’s flexibility and aid in helping instructors’ educational and personal goals – it’s been amazing!” randy says. randy is working on his PhD at sFu and will complete it this fall. “This time around the challenge has been the pursuit of new knowledge,” he says. “My Ma focused on discovering a breadth of knowledge; now I have to build on others’ work and create something that hasn’t been done before.” Professional development takes instructor ‘Down-Under’ TWo oF BCIT’s strategic initiatives include increasing applied research and international activity. Masoud Jalili, an instructor of Information Technology for the school of Business, decided to combine both in an innovative professional development leave. From January until June 2006, Masoud is a guest researcher at The university of south australia (unisa) in adelaide. The purpose of the leave is to research the use of business application software to automate complex business processes. he will be investigating a number of real-world examples that students can use to study the integration of business Masoud Jalili, shown here meeting up with the locals, processes across multiple software platforms. is researching the use of business application software in adelaide, australia. unisa is an innovative and successful institution that has grown rapidly to be a major provider of australian higher education offshore. It has approximately 25,000 full-time equivalent students; international students make up nearly 30 per cent of this number. Masoud is working with the advanced Computing research Centre (aCrC) at unisa. aCrC was formed to act as a university-wide focus for research in the areas of computer science, software engineering and computer engineering. Graphic Communications Technology program starts September 2006 onCE aGaIn, BCIT meets industry demand with the announcement of the new Graphic Communications Technology program, run by the school of Business’ Digital arts department. Designed to provide training for Canada’s printing industry, the two-year diploma, whose first intake is september 2006, is unique to western Canada. The printing industry is one of Canada’s largest industries employing more than 98,000 employees in 5,000-plus companies across Canada. In B.C. there are over 11,000 employees in this industry. over the past 10 years, the printing industry has evolved through tremendous technological change and consequently there is now a pent-up demand for skilled and talented workers. The goals of the program are to prepare talented workers with a solid foundation of education and technical training so that they have the vision and knowledge to lead the printing and publishing industry in Canada into the future. The program will prepare students for careers in prepress, press, bindery and finishing, print management, and sales and marketing. The Graphic Communications Technology program is a collaborative effort between BCIT and the British Columbia Printing Industry association’s Task Force, an association that represents a large number of printing companies in the province. The printing industry and vendors have and are providing much-appreciated support for this new program. March 28, 2006 | BCIT Update School of Business 6 Radio students launch new FM station Vancouver’s downtown eastside benefits from VDC’s new project ThE VEnTurE DEVELoPMEnT Centre (VDC) is spearheading a project targeted at helping organizations located in Vancouver’s downtown eastside. The project, funded by Western Economic Diversification, involves matching up selfdirected student projects from BCIT, sFu, uBC and ECIaD with businesses and organizations located in the downtown eastside. Judy rendek, project coordinator, says, “The downtown eastside project demonstrates how each of the educational institutes can contribute its expertise by way of its students and faculty for the betterment of the downtown eastside area of Vancouver.” she adds, “By choosing business projects from the downtown eastside area, students [can] combine and apply their business skill sets with the values of corporate social responsibility. This is an experience that can’t be gleaned from a textbook and the results make a real difference in the day-to-day operations of these organizations.” as an example, Dr. sun yat-sen Gardens in Chinatown provided an opportunity for a team from BCIT to research and develop a plan for a teahouse in Phase III of the garden. yvonne Chui, executive director of the garden, says, “The students provide valuable groundwork for research and development that our non-profit organization does not have the time or resources to complete.” at this time, students are working with their clients to complete their projects. a wrap-up event will be hosted by the Venture Development Centre in June 2006 to showcase the combined efforts of students, clients and faculty involved in this program. Evolution 107.9 FM, run by students and guided by faculty, has hit the airwaves of Greater Vancouver. BurnaBy’s nEWEsT raDIo station, Evolution 107.9 FM, has hit the airwaves, and it’s all generated by students from the studios at BCIT Burnaby campus. The radio program in BCIT’s Broadcast and Media Department has taken its cableonly campus station, CFML, and put it on a transmitter for all of Greater Vancouver to hear. Evolution 107.9 FM is staffed by more than 80 second-year radio students and is guided by BCIT faculty. Evolution plays a wide variety of news and entertainment vignettes and documentaries along with sports information and live broadcasts of Burnaby Express hockey games. In essence, it is a hybrid model of traditional corporate radio combined with public and non-profit, service-oriented broadcasting. The station is on the air 24/7 playing adult album alternative (‘triple-a’) music from such BCIT Update | March 28, 2006 artists as Beck, Black Eyed Peas, Coldplay, Franz Ferdinand, hot hot heat, and kT Tunstall. The radio station’s purpose is to focus on the education of up-and-coming radio professionals and operate as a research lab hunting for new directions in the future sound of radio. unlike other campus stations, Evolution operates similarly to any large-city private radio station, including revenue generation activities within the Vancouver market. But an important distinction is that it is a not-for-profit entity focused on education and research activities. The station targets the difficult-to-reach young adult listener (under 30). already CBC and several private media companies such as standard Broadcasting Incorporated have expressed interest in developing co-research initiatives. School of Business 7 New to BCIT kerly acosta, faculty, Green Roof stephanie aldridge, faculty, Health Sciences Bin Bains, switchboard operator and telecommunications assistant, Facilities Management John Bonnet, faculty, Health Sciences Barbara Buchanan, manager, Occupational Health and Safety Camlon Chau, faculty, Business robert Corns, faculty, Health Sciences William Duvall, labour relations consultant, Labour Relations steve Elder, instructor, Transportation Maria Fedorov, research analyst, Building Science kelly henderson, faculty, Health Sciences Patricia kerekes, assistant instructor, Construction and the Environment svitlana kominko, degree program administrator, Business sharon Lewis, administrative assistant, Learning and Teaching centre kamran nemati, faculty, Civil Engineering Ian Peterkin, instructor, Transportation Walter Premier, instructor, Transportation Gerald rosario, technical support liaison, Learning and Teaching Centre Jan rulon, assistant instructor, Health Sciences rosalind smith, instructor, Transportation Thomas szafran, assistant instructor, Operations Management Colleen Trombley, technical staff, Health Sciences Christine Vandebeek, faculty, Business Valerie Warren, assistant instructor, Business Caleb Wei, instructor, Transportation Bob Williams, manager, Transportation Carol Wong, faculty, Health Sciences BCIT to soar with new elite Aerospace Technology Campus In a DraMaTIC ceremony at BCIT’s current richmond-based aerospace Technology Campus (aTC), the lead donors supporting the new aTC, currently under construction on 12.2 acres at the gateway to Vancouver International airport, were treated to everything you may expect on a first-class flight: cookies, airplane-shaped chocolates, and even a pair of aviator glasses. To top that off and as a thank-you to our supporters, a plane featuring all of their logos was wheeled in through a cloud of smoke, accompanied by students, to the sounds of TokiDoki Taiko Drummers. at the new campus, BCIT, already the largest aerospace training school in Canada, will offer a full range of certificate, diploma and degree programs in aircraft maintenance engineering, airport management, and flight operations. at the event, BCIT announced an additional $6.8 million in support from government and industry, including funding from Western Economic Diversification Canada for tower simulation technology – BCIT will be the first post-secondary institution in Canada to have this, joining an elite handful of schools in north america. This technology will offer BCIT students a significant advantage in the aerospace field, and underscores why BCIT continues to be the leader in aerospace training in Western north america. In 2003, the Government of British Columbia recognized BCIT’s importance to the province’s burgeoning aerospace industry when it announced its new B.C. aerospace strategy, subsequently committing $16.4 million in funding for the aTC. The further $6.8 million comes from other partners who will be making critical investments in the new campus including Phoenix-based honeywell aerospace, raytheon Canada, WestJet, BMo Financial Group, CIBC, the rBC Foundation, yVr, hsBC, highbury Foundation and London air services. The new 300,000-square foot campus is expected to open in 2007. a webcam of the construction can be found at www.bcit.ca/planning/. Canada’s first Confucius Institute opens at BCIT BCIT oPEnED CanaDa’s first – and so far the country’s only – Confucius Institute in February at an event at the Downtown Campus. Madame Chen Zhili brought greetings from the Chinese state Council, and along with China’s Minister of Education, Zhou Ji, and a large contingent of VIPs from China, toured the facility. They were joined by B.C.’s deputy premier, shirley Bond, who remarked on the importance of building educational bridges to China, as well as Minister of Economic Development Colin hansen and Minister of Community services Ida Chong. These six ministers were joined by BCIT’s president, Tony knowles, board chair Bob Wilds, Mayor sam sullivan of Vancouver and a number of other VIPs for a ceremonial ribbon cutting. BCIT has been given the honour of hosting the Confucius Institute by the China national office for Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language, as the People’s republic of China looks to assist people worldwide in understanding Chinese language and culture. The Confucius Institute at BCIT currently offers six courses with topics ranging from Doing Business in China to Basic Chinese for Travellers. March 28, 2006 | BCIT Update 8 PD Day 2006 a success “LIVE your LIFE as an exclamation, not an explanation” – inspiring words from this year’s PD Day plenary speaker Dr. Violet Malone. They rang true during one of BCIT’s most successful professional development days ever. PD Day is designed to serve our own career and life aspirations, and each year this special day celebrates the diversity of interests and talents that colleagues eagerly share. PD Day helps to demonstrate the Institute’s commitment to lifelong learning; it helps put an exclamation mark on our claim of being Canada’s Premier Polytechnic. PD Day started with the Brenda Baird jazz band hitting the stage at 7:45 a.m., and it was non-stop action well into the late afternoon. The day’s 80 different sessions provided something for every one of the 1,150 registrants. Early registration was a key strategy to attending the most popular presentations. some sessions had waitlists on the very first day of registration. Morning coffee and lunch gave staff, faculty and management an opportunity to informally talk with one another. at lunch, 980 meals were served (with no line-ups!) and there was a lot of animated conversation. The hidden Passions display drew big crowds giving us a peek into the creative endeavours that some of us pursue outside of BCIT. PD Day continues to evolve. one of the more prominent additions this year was the BCIT authors’ showcase: a Celebration of research and Inspiration. This display of Publishing information The BCIT Update is published throughout the school year by the Marketing and Communications department. submissions are welcome, and should be forwarded to the editor by Update deadlines. While every effort will be made to accommodate all submissions, please note that inclusion depends on the amount of space available. To ensure your story is included, book your space with the editor in advance of the submission deadlines. Submission deadlines Mar. 27 for apr. 25 issue May 5 for May 30 issue June 9 for June 30 issue The editor reserves the right to edit for brevity, libel and accuracy. Update is available on the web by going to www.bcit.ca/update. Update is produced on InDesign Cs publishing software and printed on recycled paper. Editor Emma Lee 604-456-8105 Emma_Lee@bcit.ca Design, layout, and prepress Leah Ibbitson 604-432-8738 Leah_Ibbitson@bcit.ca Distribution Julie ali 604-451-7072 Julie_ali@bcit.ca From the keynote address by Dr. Violet Malone to the hidden Passions display, PD Day 2006 was a great opportunity for BCIT staff and faculty to learn from one another. published works by members of the BCIT community illustrated a tradition of scholarly work and a foundation upon which the Institute’s research mandate will grow. We’re hoping that this part of PD Day flourishes in the future. Thanks to all who participated and to those who contributed to the success of the day. Contributors Christen Crossley Chris Golding David horspool allison Markin Jean Mitchell Paul razzell kevin ribble Paul sawyer Derek Thompson David Tikkannen David Wan Photographer scott Mcalpine Printing BCITimaging DID you EnJoy PD Day? – The keynote speaker, the workshops, the luncheon, the entertainment, the prizes, the networking and sense of community? PD Day doesn’t just happen. It is the result of many hours of planning and painstaking attention to detail, mostly by folks from all over the Institute who take on the work over and above their regular duties. Perhaps you might like to pass on your own thank you to those you know! Visit www.bcit.ca/pdday to view the list of volunteers, as well as to see photos and read highlights of the successful event! BCIT Update | March 28, 2006