Camosun Educators Honoured at National Colleges and Institutes Conference
Camosun College hosted its second national conference for Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan) at the Empress Hotel and Conference Centre, April 29 to May 1.
More than 950 educators and leaders from colleges and institutes across Canada and around the world participated, making “Na’tsa’maht: Working together as one,” the highest attended CICan Conference in over 20 years.
Camosun faculty, staff, administrators and Board members led or hosted several important workshops at the event, including: leadership and governance; student experience; applied research; entrepreneurship and innovation; the future of skills; and, international education.
“One of the common themes for all institutes nation-wide is the topic of reconciliation, and our faculty and staff in Eyēʔ Sqȃ’lewen, the Centre for Indigenous Education and Community Connections, did an amazing and insightful job of weaving Indigenous cultural teachings and this important theme and throughout the rich content of the conference program,” said Camosun President Sherri Bell.
Camosun was also honoured to receive two prestigious CICan Awards of Excellence this year. Two teams from Eyēʔ Sqȃ’lewen and the School of Trades and Technology were recognized at the conference for their exceptional work in these areas:
Gold CICan Excellence Award for Indigenous Education
Eyēʔ Sqȃ’lewen, Centre for Indigenous Education and Community Connections [video]
This award recognizes Camosun and Eyēʔ Sqȃ’lewen’s accomplishments in delivering culturally-relevant and outstanding Indigenous education, programs and services to this community for over 25 years.
“From enhancing Indigenous student success through integrating Indigenous content into curriculum, to the Elders program, employee training, our community partnerships, and the work being done toward reconciliation, we congratulate Janice Simcoe and all the faculty and staff of Eyēʔ Sqȃ’lewen for their incredible educational contributions,” added Bell.
Bronze CICan Leadership Excellence Award for Non-Managerial Staff
Olaf Nielsen, Tom Newton, Susan Wilson and Larry Underwood
This award recognizes the innovative Carpentry Apprentice Training educational model developed by Camosun’s School of Trades and Technology for the remote communities of the Nuxalk Nation.
“This team’s collaborative approach, strong relationship building and teamwork together resulted in a highly successful trades training program that has currently yielded 31 carpentry apprentices now working and benefiting that community,” said Bell.
“Thank you to all those on our Camosun team who played a role in the success of this national post-secondary event,” added Bell.