Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Community Colleges Continue to Gain Respect And Break New Ground

The misconception that universities provide students with a better education than colleges is beginning to fade away. That’s because colleges have expanded their offerings, student services and facilities to keep up with the times and ensure that students obtain an education that is not only well rounded but also respected by employers.

In Ontario, there are a number of respected community colleges but Centennial College stands out from among the rest for several reasons. It embodies forward movements, ensuring that it is keeping up with the times and even breaking new ground. Here a look at some of the areas in which Centennial College excels.

Campus Improvements: This college offers four campuses across the eastern end of the city of Toronto. Each campus is tailored to suit particular curriculums by offering the latest software, mock environments, labs and "live labs" (for example, Progress Campus features a restaurant that is open to the public and run by students). The college continuously makes changes to the locations to improve services and keep up with evolving curriculums. Progress Campus has actually been at the focus of a major transformation that included the building of a state-of-the-art athletic centre that serves as both a place of recreation for students and a classroom for students in programs like Fitness and Health Promotion, and Recreation and Leisure Services. Additionally, Progress Campus saw the expansion of its Culinary Arts Centre to include commercial kitchens that feature both traditional and modern equipment (such as a tandoori oven). Now that this transformation is complete, the Ashtonbee Campus Renewal project held its Official Groundbreaking Ceremony in the fall of 2013. When completed, the Ashtonbee Campus, which houses the School of Transportation, will have consolidated student services functions and faculty spaces, and significantly expanded library and athletic areas.

Community Commitment: As one of the most respected community colleges in Ontario, Centennial College recognizes the importance of forging relationships with its students, grads and members of external communities. That’s why it offers community initiatives through its Community Outreach such as Helping Youth Pursue Education (HYPE), the First Generation Student Project (FGSP), Aboriginal Outreach, and Outreach to Women in Non-Traditional Careers. Students are able to get involved in any of these initiatives for personal or career fulfillment. Furthermore, Centennial College students can volunteer their time every Saturday at the school’s athletic centre, where they tutor youngsters to improve their school work and coach the children to improve their basketball skills.

Procurement Initiatives: The Purchasing Department of Centennial College serves the interest of the College community, Ontario residents and vendors by facilitating the acquisition of all goods and services in compliance with the BPS Directives achieving best value for money and supporting the Colleges objectives to achieve excellence in education. Centennial College also is committed to eliminating barriers and improving accessibility for persons with disabilities in a manner that respects dignity, independence, integration and equality of opportunity. As required by Ontario Regulation 191/11 made under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), 2005, Centennial College incorporates accessibility criteria and features when procuring, goods, services and facilities, except where it is not practicable to do so.

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