News

University of Saskatchewan President Peter MacKinnon and Joan Greyeyes, advisor to the president on aboriginal initiatives, will be in Whitehorse on Tuesday Nov. 3 and Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2009, to speak with students, members of the public, community leaders and U of S alumni. Members of the media are welcome to attend the following events:

1)Peter MacKinnon and Joan Greyeyes will join U of S alumni and friends for a wine and cheese reception and presentation: 

Place:Westmark Whitehorse Hotel & Conference Centre
Time:Nov. 3, 5:30 - 7 pm
Theme: “Where Great Minds Meet” - The current state of the University of Saskatchewan will be discussed, followed by a question and answer period.

2)The Whitehorse Chamber of Commerce will host Peter MacKinnon and Joan Greyeyes at a chamber breakfast:

New Bachelor of Science Program in the Yukon

In collaboration with the University of Alberta, Yukon College will be offering a Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Environmental and Conservation Sciences.  To learn more about the BSc Program, course offerings, and admissions for January and September 2010:

• October 29th, Yukon College, Whitehorse (Ayamdigut), Pit (inside front doors), 7:00-8:30 pm.  Public information session
• October 30th, Community campuses via videoconference (please contact your Yukon College community campus for information on how to participate), 12:00-1:00 pm.  Public information session.

For more information, contact:

Thompson Rivers University Provides YC Students with Admission

Whitehorse � On October 29th Thompson Rivers University (TRU) delegates will arrive at Yukon College to sign a Memorandum of Understanding giving Yukon College students access to �Dual Admission� at TRU and YC.

Students in the Liberal Arts, Sciences or Business will be eligible to apply for Dual Admission to the TRU Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Business Administration degree. �This process guarantees students transfer from Yukon College to TRU in one of these three degree programs,� said Karen Barnes, VP Education and Training. �This type of agreement is something we�ve been working towards over the past year.�

Yukon College is attracting students from around the world and is fostering relationships with two of the most prestigious universities in Japan, which have a total of 87,000 students.

Last year Yukon College attracted 13 students from Waseda University, one of Tokyo’s leading private universities. The College has also established a Memorandum of Understanding, outlining a relationship with Meiji University, another of Tokyo’s Ivy League institutions. And this fall, Yukon College’s Yoshie Kumagae will be back in Japan recruiting more international students.

Kumagae is the College’s International Education Coordinator. She says the College has a well-established reputation in Japan and her contacts there continue to grow. “The College has a strong relationship with Japan and our Japanese student base continues to grow as a result of our reputation,” Kumagae says.

Governing Under the Midnight Sun

Heritage Conference
Oct. 22-25, 2009

2009 is a signal year for the public governments in the northwest of North America. It’s a hundred years since Yukon got a wholly elected Legislative Council. It’s 50 years since Alaska became a state. It’s 30 years since the Epp Letter gave Yukon responsible government. And it’s been a year since a van load of faculty and students visited the college from University of Alaska Fairbanks.

Join us for Governing Under the Midnight Sun conference, 22 to 25 October. Day sessions on Friday and Saturday are at Yukon College; social sessions at various museums around town in the evening. The banquet will be held in the foyer of the Legislature. The Aron Senkpiel Lecture is Friday evening, Beringia Centre. Heritage workshops are Sunday, Yukon Archives. Program is here.

Yukon Research Centre of Excellence Celebrates Opening

The doors to the Yukon Research Centre of Excellence were officially opened today by Premier Dennis Fentie, Yukon College Board Chair Clarence Timmons and Council of Yukon First Nations Grand Chief Andy Carvill.

“This opening represents a milestone in establishing Yukon’s commitment to the growing northern-based knowledge sector,” Fentie said. “Yukoners are well aware of our need to adapt to changes in climate, environment and economy. The Yukon Research Centre of Excellence initiative, which we committed to in 2006, is well represented by talented individuals and dedicated partners, to place Yukon in the forefront of research and innovation in these areas.”

Radio broadcasting students at Yukon College are utilizing their workplace skills with their own three hour radio program in partnership with CHON FM, Yukon’s Aboriginal radio station.

Every weekday, 11 students in the Skills for Employment Radio Broadcasting Program, create and record content for their hip-hop program, The College Vibe, which airs weeknights from 9-12.

The radio partnership is part of a workplace essential skills program offered at the College, which gives students real work experience. Liz Bosely, Skills for Employment Instructor, says the students have complete creative control and treat the program as a real job. “The students are learning about technology, teamwork and effective communications,” Bosely says.

Bosely says the student’s first show was on September 21st, but she can already hear improvement. She says the students have practiced script writing skills and will soon incorporate interviewing skills into the program.

Yukon College is celebrating its receipt of $80,000 in endowment funds. Funds are donated to the College through the Yukon Foundation.

On October 7th, Yukon College President, Terry Weninger and Chair of the Yukon Foundation, John Firth will officially unveil an Endowment Wall, displaying donors to the Yukon College Endowment Fund.

The ceremony will take place at 11 a.m. on the second floor of the College, visible from the staff parking lot entrance.

“I am honoured to have received these significant donations to the Yukon College Endowment Fund,” said Terry Weninger, Yukon College President. “It’s a testament to our donors’ valuation of post-secondary education. We look forward to developing the fund further, to the benefit of Yukon College students.”

Yukon College matches donations to the Endowment Fund up to $15,000 per year.

Five students will be presented with a Northern Residence Award and two students will receive Millennium In-Course Excellence Awards on September 17th. One of the students is a two-time award winner. The ceremony will take place from12:00-1:00 in the Yukon College Boardroom.

The five awards are distributed by the Canadian Northern Studies Trust; the awards branch of the Association of Canadian Universities for Northern Studies (ACUNS).
Students are awarded the Northern Studies Trust for research projects they will undertake in their programs that will contain fieldwork in northern or circumpolar regions.

The purpose of the Canadian Northern Studies Trust is to develop a group of scholars and scientists with northern experience and enhance the educational opportunities available for northern residents. To be eligible students need to be enrolled in a full-time post-secondary program at a recognized Canadian university or college.

Over the past few months, Yukon College has been working with the local Pandemic Planning Coordinator, the Department of Health and Social Services and the Yukon Medical Officer of Health to prepare for a possible second wave of the H1N1 virus and the upcoming fall and winter flu season.

Colleen Wirth, Director of Student Services, says staff and students are receiving the information they need to reduce their risk of contracting or spreading flu viruses.
“We want to do everything we can to ensure the health and well-being of our students, staff and faculty,” Wirth says.

Yukon’s Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Brendan Hanley will speak and take questions about H1N1 during Student Orientation. The discussion will take place in the Pit on September 14th at 12 p.m.

Yukon College will welcome students for the new school year during Student Orientation September 8th � 18th. Student Orientation Coordinator, Kieran Slobodin has organized events to help students transition into college life including, school tours, a barbeque and a pie-eating contest on the first day of school.

Orientation events are another way the College supports an active student life, where students can learn, meet, socialize and engage in healthy activities.“These events help to create a welcoming atmosphere for students, especially those coming from outside of Whitehorse,” Slobodin says. “It gives students a chance to develop friendships early on in the school year.”