Jrnst, vcc CITY CENTRE a June 1991 Off the wall Olympics iom stait to finish, the fust KEC Keyboarding Olympics was an event of fun and games. Oigamzed by the Computei and Business Studies Depaitment, the contest set iccords foi dubious achievements. Awaids weie piesented foi accom¬ plishing the most enois, "Bloopeis and Blundeis", the most backspaces, "Backwaid People", the lowdiest, "Paity Animals" and the slowest, "Tuitle People" The competition did, howevei, also determine the fastest keyboaideis m the West. The wmneis, both at 77 net words pei minute, weie Doieen Shaian, secietaiy to the administiative managei, and Shona Moody, data entiy cleik with Institutional Reseaich Winning the relay event were the "Flying Fmgeis": Moody, Pat May, administrative assistant to the College Boaid and piesident, and Cheiyl Agoston, secietaiy with Public Relations and Development Sande Lee came out on top in the student event at 62 woids pei minute Some of the mles weie developed along the way. When the depaitment found it had insufficient funds to piesent a medal to eveiy winner, the lelay event wmneis weie given medals with nbbons long enough to go aiound the necks of the entne team The winning teams loved it. "Watch out foi oui next Keyboaiding Olympics," says Department Head Cathy Tolsma. "We make oui own rules, so we don't have to wait foi foui yeais1" And that's a new mle too. Fastest Fingers in the West winners of the relay event were (L to R) Shona Moody, Cheryl Agoston and Pat May Lome Malo, Business and Computer Studies Instructor, presented the award Budget Bulletins Because of the week-long tuinaiound time in the punting of Spectium Update, we will attempt to keep VCC employees up to date on the college's budget situation through Spectium Bulletins The Bulletins can be pioduced VANCOUVER COMMUNITY COLLEGE much more quickly In the event of fastbieaking information, we will further attempt to speed up the communications process by posting the Bulletins rather than waiting to distribute them through the internal mail system 90 fundraising tops $1.2 million C—*? X- $ 2000 1900 1800 1 ¦S"Hal 1700 1600 1500 1400 •.%w- 1300 1200 1100 w# 11 M WW m 1000 900 800 700 ¦ b" » .H.¦ s1 o "B °H ' 600 WW WW 500 # ii 400 300 i li 200 100 0 1987 DONATIONS 1988 1989 ENDOWMENT FUND The good news fiom the VCC Educational Foundation is illustrated by the above giaph: consistent and substan¬ tial increases in fundi aismg over the past foui-yeais. Dunng 1990, the Foundation laised over $1 2 million in donations, inteiest, gifts-in-kmd and government giants. Of this amount, $570,000 was disbursed by way of awaids and tiansfeis of gifts The remaining $630,000 was added to endowment allowances. One of the objectives of the Founda¬ tion is to inciease the endowment funds to $5 million within a five-yeai penod. At $2 million, the Foundation is slightly ahead of that taiget PAGE 2 WW w^- At $2 million, the Foundation is slightly ahead of its five-year target ^UmF ^ \ vi WW WW 1 S tfQs \y| AA 1990 GIFTS IN KIND The Foundation boaid has seveial new members: Oksana Exell, Vice Piesident and Corporate Secietaiy of the B.C Trade Development Corporation; Barry Lloyd, Vice President of Sheet Materials, Seaboard Lumber Sales Company; Bruce Moffat, Semoi Account Executive, B C Group National Accounts, Sun Life of Canada; Heather Shannon, paitner in the accounting firm of Ernst and Young; Jim Simpson, Manager, Treasury Services, Cansulex Ltd. and Giover Sinclau, DC10 Captain, Canadian Pacific Anhnes And congratulations to Bany Irvine, Piesident of Tilbury Cement, on his election as the new chauman of the board. Food for thought as college gets $200,000 worth of computer power (Repi mtedfiom the Vancouvei Sun, Apnl 10,1991) than tiade it in, we decided to give it to someone who could leally use it" kind of thing you thiow into the back of Eveiybody benefits Neptune Food Suppliers of Richmond had outgiown its Computei of Canada agieed to handle mainframe and was teady foi something bigger Vancouver Community College, "It's gieat," says Jim Goard, diiectoi of mfoimation and computer sei vices foi VCC. "We needed to do something, but weren't expecting this at all. It will like every college in North America, be a huge gam foi both students and would give its academic eye teeth for some pume haidware. A deal was stiuck faculty." - and the college gets a $200,000 Prime modernize classioom mstiuction in the college's computei mfoimation systems progiam, and will latei be used to suppoit the college's libiaiy system. mamfiame. "We've giown a lot and were ready to upgrade our own equipment," says Petei Whittall, president of Neptune. "Rathei The Prime CPU 4150 computei will But a mainframe computer is not the a tiuck and drive acioss town. Prime the tiansfer - and threw in $53,000 woith of software to lun the machine. "Eveiyone benefits," says Bill Thompson, account managei foi Pume Computei, "especially the students I've got two college-age kids myself VCC needs support like this." The entue lelocation process is expected to take appioximately one week Goaid says he expects to have the system up and running by May. Prime President Guido Smit presents computer to VCC Educational Foundation President Sheilah Grant Neptune president Peter Whittall looks on PAGE 3 Clowning around ... for fun and profit ( By Dave Wiebe Today, John Karmazinuk looks like a clown He has the red nose, funny face, padded belly and all It's a costume he's donned to help sell goodies at a tiade fair, and it's indicative of how far he and others in the VCC Small Business Progiam will go to be a success. The piogram, offeied thiough the Small Business Development Centie at City Centre, is a six-week pilot pioject "designed to cieate entrepieneurs" It looks at all the technical aspects of mnning youi own show —accounting, cash flow, staffing, maiketing—with emphasis on thoiough planning. Guest speakeis offei then expeitise, stones of both success and failure, and the everimportant netwoiking contact. As a John Karmazinuk gets serious about business by donning a clown outfit team, students cieate mim-busmesses and go through tnal mns. The progiam is headed by Joy Davies, a former successful entrepieneui and now the small business development officer at the college. In February, she and otheis in the Small Business Development Centie decided to test the waters with a full six-week piactical couise on business stait-up. They lan an ad that biought staitling lesults. Davies had hoped foi 20 01 so lesponses. She The progiam leadeis have tailoied the formal education system to better suit the entiepieneunal spirit. The couise content lemains extremely piactical, the structure very flexible. "We weie tiymg to give them 'leal world' expenences," says Davies "The statistics show that you fail foui times befoie you succeed, so what we aie saymg is 'Fail heie Be open to the piocess Success can be modelled'." mates, he too has a family—a wife and three childien Rather than an added buiden, he looks at a family as an advantage to the entiepieneui "We have to succeed. We aie piepaied to take the calculated nsk to succeed, and to work hard doing it." "We offei something that ically steers away fiom the theoiy and deals more with the leality," says Glen Wittei, Dnectoi of Coipoiate Maiketing Sei vices for VCC and one of the cieatois of the piogiam. "Often in the real maiketplace it's the instincts that mattei most We want to give them (students) a chance to test their in¬ Davies says many of those who jumped at the ad aheady have a postsecondaiy education, which goes against all the accepted statistics about entiepie¬ neurs, but does leflect a more lecent Business, ideally, means profit, and aheady the piogiam is looking to icahze some of its own. Fifty per cent of all earnings gamed thiough the minibusinesses established over the six weeks aie deposited into a newlycieated micro-bank. This money will m turn be made available to the students when they head out to start then leal tiend. businesses. stincts " ago that he successfully established his Syd Haitley, division chaii of the Business Depaitment at City Centie, is anothei driving foice behind this pioject. own business, investing in leal estate in Ontaiio But, like many, he got caught when the maiket took a dramatic down¬ turn, and took a big loss. got 300 Says Hartley "I think the philosophy is While Karmazinuk may look a tad silly m his clown get-up, it isn't the fust time he's looked foolish. It wasn't long that most entiepieneurs who start small businesses do not suppoit formal education, and that's a premise of this "Half a million dollars," he shrugs. "Now I have to stait again." program." lifestyle." Like several of his class¬ PAGE 4 Kaimazinuk says he is "building a It's anothei way of exposing the students to the leal woild appioach at eveiy turn. Politicians share stage on education By Constance Bussenden "The two-day session was veiy successful, one of the best yet," said Michael Sharzer, past piesident of the Langai a Faculty Association An estimated 265 faculty and staff attended the association's annual piofessional development days, Apnl 23-24. On the hot seat at the kick-off panel weie thiee of the province's top educa¬ tion spokespeisons: formei Mimstei of Advanced Education, Job Tiammg and Technology Biuce Stiachan, Advanced Education Clitic Bairy Jones of the NDP, and Goidon Wilson, head of the BC Libei alPaity "In the past, faculty have generally felt politics or government didn't influence their situation veiy much," says Sharzei "They could basically do then job isolated from political factors. But it's become very appaient that political decisions regaiding funding, piionties and capital expendituies have a diamatic influence on woiking conditions and opportunities at a community college. We felt it would be educational foi faculty to heai the political leadeis who are most connected to advanced education so they could make some judgements about the kinds of policies and piograms the parties lepresent" Not surprisingly, the furthei the three Provincial politicians (L to R) Bruce Strachan, Gordon Wilson and Barry Jones mented: "Foi the past ten years, the piovmce has not had an education plan Without a plan, you fly by the seat of your pants " Citing "stiange messages" fiom such Socied decisions as closing degreegiantmg institutions, tempoiaiy appoint¬ ments for suppoit staff, loll backs of increases and the lack of a grant system foi students, Jones said that college admimstiators are veiy fiustiated. "They need an inciease of nine to ten per cent to maintain the status quo. The four per cent level is seen as a disastei " speakers were fiom holding power, the moie concrete then answers became. Standing behind his government's "six-fold increase" m capital spending since 1986, Strachan called B.C.'s university-college system "unique in Canada compaied to other provinces " While revenues foi the province are down, Strachan noted that education spending will be "maintained, but not increased as over the past four years." On the other hand, science and technol¬ 'For the past ten years, the province has not had an education plan. Without a plan, you fly by the seat of your pants.1 -Barry Jones ogy funding will be cut in the fall, but "as far from the classroom as possible " Futuie plans include the opening of additional institutions in Cranbrook and the Eraser Valley. Taking the offensive, Jones com¬ As for lowering the funds to science and technology, Jones said: "Talented math and science students aie already being turned away from higher educa¬ tion because of poor financial aid fiom the province As fai as aid goes, we'ie still in the Maritime range m terms of student suppoit" Wilson, a former chief negotiatoi for the Capilano Faculty Association, made his biases known off the maik. "Educa¬ tors are used as pawns," said Wilson. "The only way to avoid polanzation is to ensuie a widei range of repiesentation m Victoria " Wilson stiessed that "colleges must be icturned to the community" through the implementation of an elected college advisoiy council Repiesentatives from governments, unions, faculty, students and the community would sit on the council Formula funding also came under Wilson's attack. "This is not an effective way to recognize priorities in an educational institution," he said "Sometimes small class sizes are what is needed in B.C." If the Liberals weie elected to power, the party would set a fixed election day. "This will help the government to plan and plan effectively. Post-secondary education is critical It is also very expensive. But it is the most important investment we can make " PAGES Equipment show among best in N. America The two-day Tianspoitation and mobile paint-iefinishing classioom Equipment Technology Show at KEC's which has travelled the U S and Canada technical tiaining centie was attended by moie than 2,500 guests and 130 paiticipants. A lepiesentative of Sheiwin Williams, exhibitor of the populai for the last two years, said the atten¬ dance and quality of the show weie equal to the top trade shows of its type on the continent. The show was piesented by KEC's Automotive, Auto Collision and Diesel depaitments to offei a unique gatheimg place foi mdustiy, educatois and students Piofessionals demonstiated the latest in technological know-how, educatois piovided infoimation on training foi industiy's needs and students previewed job prospects with potential employers. Richaid Tamm of Windeimeie High School and John Hui of Bntannia weie winners of incentive dooi prizes Tamm, who won a 21-speed mountain bike, and Hui, a poitable steieo, visited the show to study careei tiaming oppoitumties. Current students helped sell the program to visitors Windermere principal PAGE 6 International Education Scholarships Scholarships to study and/or work abroad are available to VCC faculty, staff and students. Here are the stories of three recent winners. Ken Thomas Peter Lear VCC International Education VCC International Education Scholarships Scholarships Ken Thomas, a student at VCC's Langaia Campus, has leceived a $9,000 scholaiship fiom the college to study m Japan and lesearch the early contribu¬ Petei Leai, Vancouvei Community College's Math and Science Cooidmatoi m the Basic Tiaimng foi Skills Development Depaitment, will spend two months in India's high tech city of Bangaloie, giving woikshops on chaos theory and fractal geometiy For those of us asking 'what the heck is that': chaos theoiy is an inventive mathemati¬ tions made to that country by Canadian Brian Pendleton explorei Ranald McDonald. McDonald amved in Japan in 1848 five yeais before the aruval of Commo¬ dore Perry hastened the end of Japan's Asia-Pacific Scholar's Award cal appioach to predicting natural isolation - and eventually taught English to Japanese statesmen, military officials and even samuiai warriors. To be eligible, students must be a citizen of a Pacific Rim countiy, satisfy appiopnate academic standaids and have a documented mteiest in cultuies othei than theii own One scholaiship of $9,000 will be awarded annually. Brian Pendleton, Vancouver Commu¬ nity College's Pacific Rim Co-oidmatoi, will spend six months m Japan teaching and learning the ways in which students m that country are "internationalized" to meet the expanding global trading patterns. The Asia-Pacific Scholar's Awaid will also allow Brian to help guide VCC m pioviding a global perspective to the hundreds of Pacific Rim students who attend classes at the college. This awaid is administered by the B.C. Centre for International Education on behalf of the Mimstiy of Advanced Education disasters such as earthquakes oi ava¬ lanches, while fiactal geometry mea¬ sures the toughness of surfaces-eveiytlnng fiom locks to leaves on a tiee. The unique stiuctuie of a crack on a rock says a lot about how it was foimed; the loughness of the surface of a leaf provides insight into how it may be affected by pollutants in its enviionment. To be eligible for this awaid, the VCC instructor, staff membei or student must be a Canadian citizen or landed immigiant and a permanent lesident of B.C., studying oi woiking full time in a public post-secondary institution. ( For more information and application forms, contact International Education, 875-1131. PAGE 7 Take advantage of the 25th Anniversary If you weien't able to attend VCC's 25th Anniveisaiy paity, you can still take advantage of the celebration A commuter-style coffee mug emblazoned with the 25th Anniveisaiy logo is available to eveiy employee who hasn't yet leceived one Togetyoui mug, contact. Saiaj Kumaie (KEC), Margo Lupien (Langaia) or Suzanne Paterson (CC). "The turnout exceeded the oiganizing ¦ committee's expectations," said commit¬ •; w There aie also bottles of the annivei¬ saiy wine, led 01 white, available at tee chairpeison Joan Hoisley. "It was veiy nice to see faculty, staff and admimstiatois come togethei fiom eveiy cornei of the college to enjoy each othei 's company. "A special thanks should go to all of those who seived the wine and woiked at the cash bai " The celebiation also piovided enjoyment foi the community, with the flowers being dehveied to a local hospital and employees who weie away fiom woik ill. The lemamdei of the cake was sent to the Dogwood Intermediate $6.50 pei bottle or $72 pei case The wine comes with the anniversary logo oi with the logo and an "overpnnt" which says Langaia Private Reseive. To pui chase the wine, contact Kaiin Giion Care Lodge at 324-5511 (Local 249). The anniveisaiy paity was a lousing success Acting President Ross Carter cuts the cake This day belonged to the environment The first Environment Day at Langara May 30 featured the launching of an "island" project on campus and in the neighbourhood, a lengthy list of prize draws and food and to encourage the breeding of ducks in what is now officially named Walden Pond entertainment The event was a rousing success with plans already being considered Activities also included the planting of an Environment Day tree, a litter pick-up for a repeat performance next year PAGES Wong means business in Swaziland By Doieen Chui-Chai Wong said the Swazis aie talented home-based ciaftwoikeis, but they lack basic maiketing skills. She suggested the development of "an open maiket day Alice in Swaziland! Alice Wong, Co-oidmatoi of the Centie foi Small Business at KEC,was among the fust gioup of eight B.C. educatois to be awaided the Common¬ concept". The adaptation of Canadian tiaining models and systems to the Swazi context pioved simple because of built-m similarities such a bilinguahsm and the wealth of Learning Fellowship The only woman iccipient in hei gioup, Wong's award took hei to Swaziland where she assisted in the development of instruc¬ tional materials foi the management of small businesses. level of English of participants The Fellowship Progiam is a joint ventuie by The Commonwealth of Learning and the B C Mimstiy of Advanced Education and Job Tiaimng. Under this progiam, ten educatois fiom developing countries are bi ought each yeai to educational institutions m B.C. to study methods and techniques in distance education. The B C. awaid winners aie then sent abroad. "When the University of Swaziland lequested guidance m couise develop¬ ment for small businesses, we invited Ms. Wong, who is well-iecogmzed foi her achievement in this field," said Susan Phillips, senioi progiam officei for the Commonwealth of Leai nmg. Alice Wong the pnvate sectoi Hei findings lesulted in a small business development piogram pioposal foi the Umveisity of Swaziland The pioposal included guidelines foi "training the tiamer", development of distance education models in siSwati (the "The giowth of small business is umveisal and so is the need foi tiainmg," said Wong "It was a good learning experience to exchange lesouices. I did not just give, I learned." Wong finds the piogiam "valuable expei lence foi someone wanting to woik oveiseas" She encouiages anyone inteiested in the piogiam to contact hei foi application details. Time did not peimit her to take in the scenic Swazi sights, but she brings home lasting memories of friendly and courteous black Africans keeping traditions alive against a backdrop of national language of the Swazis) and the European-owned pulp mills and Western development of small business lesomce centres in towns and mral areas imports. Wong feels that being pait of the progiam has made hei moie awaie of the workings of international aid foi developing countnes. "UNIDO (United Nations Industnal Development Operation) did a needs assessment of a small business matenal development pioject in Swaziland and lecommended the assistance," she said. Swaziland, a small countiy in southern Africa, is slightly largei than Vancouvei Island. Although nch in agncultuial and mineial lesources, appioximately twenty-five peicent of its 750,000 inhabitants aie unemployed. To encouiage a moie vaiied economy, the government decided to stimulate the giowth of small businesses. Swaziland is the designated business tiaimng, lesource and development centie for SADCC (Southern African Develop¬ ment Co-oidination Centre), which consists of ten member countnes. In Mbabane, the capital, Wong visited government agencies, chambers of commerce, educational institutes and business professionals to suivey business needs and reseaich tiaimng mateiials used in Swazi education and in An outgoing (far out going?) group olparticipantsatthe recent Management Skills forSupervisors'courseyukked it up during the final photo session In the back row, Langara Bookstore Assistant Manager Susan Reynolds (left) and Director of Educational Telecommunications Bob Lajoie use Langara Dean of Student Services Linda Holmes to demonstrate how to karate chop an employee who has asked for the day off Holmes, meanwhile, practises a cost cutting gesture on seminar leader Diane Kerr and Langara Library Assistant Neil Kelly On the left is City Centre Librarian Eva Sharell PAGE 9 Factors Contributing to Economic Growth Contributions of Selected Factors to Real Economic Growth in the U.S.A., 1948 - 1978 MORE LABOUR MORE CAPITAL ADVANCES IN BETTER ALL OTHERS KNOWLEDGE EDUCATION This graph from an American study, clearly indicates that advances in knowledge and education are key factors contributing to real economic growth HRD Project plots economic future It may become the Sullivan Report of advanced education. B.C.'s Human Resouice Develop¬ ment Pioject, headed by foimei VCC Piesident Paul Gallaghei, has been compaied to the Sullivan Repoit on pumaiy and secondaiy school educa¬ tion But when the Human Resource Development Pioject's mandate is completed in two years, its steering committee will have pioduced a bluepnnt for advanced education and job tiaming—and beyond that, a bluepnnt foi the piovince's financial and social futuie. "Human lesouice development refers futuie of any society," said Gallagher. "B.C.'s Human Resource Development Pioject is challenged to propose the most effective ways m which oui human potential can be icalized " The goals of the pioject aie to: * Provide an open piocess involving all of the stakeholdeis in all aspects of post-secondary education and job tiaming. Steering committee membeis include lepresentatives from industry, labour, education, student groups, native people and community groups. * Focus on a long range stiategy foi human development—economic and to the development of the people of oui social—and arrive at some consensus- province, and—many would say—the based decisions that will ensure the needs of B.C.'s citizens in a comprehen¬ sive and affordable mannei; development of people is the real key to the individual, social, and economic PAGE 10 * Piepaie a set of fiamework policies and stiategies foi consideiation by the Ministei of Advanced Education, Tiaming and Technology, aftei public consultation B.C.'s cunent standaid of living is mainly the lesult of the nchness of its natuial resouices. Competitiveness in the future, howevei, will depend much moie on human potential as successful economies aiound the world become mcieasingly knowledge-based and innovation conscious (The above graph indicates the importance of knowledge and better education as contributors to economic growth m the U.S fiom 1948 to just 1978). ( cont'd next page Economic Growth from page 10 Gaiy Mullins, the Advanced Educa¬ tion Ministry's deputy minister and steenng committee chauman, said. "The pioject is necessaiy because of changing economic and social leahties. For the fust time, Canadians are experiencing a decline in their standard of living At the same time, we aie expected to compete in a global environment of advanced technology, demanding increased innovation, productivity and quality." Technology and economics aie only pait of the pictuie, howevei Success is also tied to Canadians' ability to think critically and rationally, communicate cleaily, undei stand and woik with diverse cultuies, develop shared values, and remain flexible and tolerant m dealing with social issues. One of the committee's tasks is to implement a process that will ensure futuie resource needs are met despite limited tax revenues. "If education and tiaming aie the building blocks on which we constiuct Canada's economic futuie, then employeis and institutions must meet the challenge of providing world class employee upgiadmg and student innovation," said committee membei Keith Giay of the Business Council of B.C The pioject is lelying on various stakeholdei gioups to find ways for public and private sector organizations to ensure that the need for education and tiaining is satisfied. Printing Production aids Michael Dunahee search Even though it's been over two months since the disappeaiance of five year old Michael Dunahee from a Victoria playground, corpoiate and community groups continue then seaich effoits. Recently the VCC Printing Pi educ¬ tion Depaitment students and faculty have teamed up to produce a massive distribution of posters depicting the missing boy "It all happened veiy quickly," says Doug Goidon, Co-ordmatoi of the Printing Production Piogiam. "It staited with a phone call. We got it all in place m one morning." That phone call came from Shaion LeClair, who, along with June Eplett, has been operating the Michael Dunahee Seaich Centie out of LeClau 's home. After talking to Gordon, it didn't take long to get the ball rolling. donated by Island Papei Mills, Mitchell Press, Hemlock Printers and Benwell Atkms Regei and Company and Canadian Fine Color contnbuted ink, and Running Giaphics pitched in with film and printing plates. The production of the poster was done by VCC piinting students. For them, tins job meant moie than just gieat tiaining. "We had three classes of 20 people working on it, as well as some pait-time students coming m," said Technical Assistant Nancy Rose. "It's been a student project fiom the word 'go'," says Gordon. "Eveiy student in the department was involved. They weie coming in eaily and finishing up late. They were getting tired, but were just great." One and a half million posteis came off the presses. "We brought it into the production The 8 1/2" by 11" poster, which has contiol depaitment, and the decision to go with it was immediate," says Goidon. "It was a student pioject and we aie a community college. It is oui job to help the community " two veisrons, shows a picture of Michael Dunahee, his description, information on his last sighting, and phone numbers Gordon went to industiy for papei stock, plates, film and ink. Paper was "And they deliberately specified 'Canada' on it," points out LeClau. "This thing is now on an international scale." "Qui members have high expecta¬ tions of both the process and the results," said committee membei Ed Lavalle, Piesident of the CollegeInstitute Educatois Association. Hundreds of people are expected to be involved m a vanety of sub-projects over the next two years. Spectrum Update is published monthly by the Vancouver Community College Public Relations and Develop¬ ment Department. Editor—Chuck Poulsen Langara—324-5475 PAGE 11