It was a milestone year in 2015 for Parkland College. The Trades and Technology Centre opened its doors after years of planning and a new president took the helm. On top of that, new programs and partnerships and a growing scholarship fund contributed to another successful year in the Parkland.
January 2015
A group of students from Yorkton Regional High School and Sacred Heart High School toured the construction site of the Trades and Technology Centre in Yorkton. The students were the first high schoolers on site and were able to get a behind-the-scenes look at the facility and learn about the programs that would be available when the facility opened in September 2015.
Ahead of Dr. Fay Myers’ retirement as President of Parkland College at the end of the 2014-15 academic year, the College’s search for a new president progressed to the posting stage. The Calgary office of Boyden Global Executive Search led the effort and sought input from College staff, stakeholders, and the community.
February 2015
A special 10th anniversary logo for the Dollars for Scholars Golf Classic was unveiled. The emblem featured a yellow tenth-hole flag over a two-tone blue circle containing the Dollars for Scholars name.
The College released the findings of a pair of agriculture research projects it conducted in the summer of 2014 in partnership with the East Central Research Foundation. Scientists working on a forage project found that varieties of barley are more likely to be adversely affected by a later seeding date than oats and triticale. They also found that applying a fungicide to spring wheat for the suppression of fusarium head blight at the early heading stage produced greater yields than fungicide applied at the flag leaf stage.
March 2015
On March 18, the Government of Saskatchewan revealed its 2015-16 budget, which contained $4.5 million to complete construction of the Trades and Technology Centre. It was the final installment of a $10 million commitment the government made in 2013.
The College awarded over $110,000 in Internal Scholarships to 81 students from across East Central Saskatchewan on March 24. It marked the first time that Parkland College had awarded more than $100,000 in scholarships all at once.
April 2015
As part of a class project, a group of Essential Skills students presented 12 bookbags to the Yorkton Family Resource Centre. Each bag contained a book, a toy, and a craft that parents/caregivers can use to play and learn with their children. The students made four bookbags each for kids under 3, ages 4-7, and 7 and up.
Dwayne Reeve was announced as the new President and CEO of Parkland College, effective July 1, 2015. Reeve, the former Director of Education at Good Spirit School Division, would replace Dr. Fay Myers upon her retirement.
May 2015
Fifteen students graduated from an Introduction to Mining program in Fort Qu’Appelle. The introductory Essential Skills project, in partnership with Carlton Trail College and International Minerals Innovation Institute (IMII), prepared Aboriginal students for work in Saskatchewan’s mining industry.
Dr. Fay Myers was honoured with Colleges and Institutes Canada’s (CICan) Distinguished Service Award for her many years of service on behalf of Canadian colleges and students.
June 2015
Parkland College held its annual graduation ceremony June 5 in Yorkton to congratulate and celebrate 335 students who successfully completed one of more than 20 programs offered at the College in 2014-15. The graduates represented 60 communities, and included students from Manitoba and British Columbia.
The 10th annual Dollars for Scholars Golf Classic raised over $26,000 for scholarships at Parkland College. It was the fourth straight year that the event raised over $25,000. About 125 golfers participated and close to 100 sponsors contributed to the event’s success.
Partners, friends, and community members gathered at the Trades and Technology Centre on June 26 to bid farewell to Dr. Fay Myers at her retirement celebration. Myers stepped down effective June 30 after 18 years as the College’s President.
July 2015
Dwayne Reeve officially joined Parkland College as its new President and CEO.
Western Economic Diversification Canada announced $250,000 in federal funding for the Trades and Technology Centre. The money was earmarked for equipment in mechanical trades and welding courses.
August 2015
Parkland College and First Nations University of Canada signed an agreement to expand their Indigenous Education partnership. The agreement allows the four-year teaching degree to be delivered in both Fort Qu’Appelle and Yorkton.
September 2015
The Trades and Technology Centre opened to the public and classes began Sept. 8. The new facility offers several skills training programs, including Welding, Power Engineering, Heavy Equipment/Truck and Transport Technician, Agricultural Machinery Technician, and Multi-Mechanical Trades. It also hosts corporate training and safety courses.
The College launched its first mobile app. Students can create an account to access their course schedules, receive important alerts, interact with the College on social media, and even chat with friends and classmates directly on the app. The Parkland College App is available as a free download for iPhone and Android mobile phone users.
October 2015
The College awarded a record $118,000 in Entrance Scholarships to 36 students from across East Central Saskatchewan. It is the highest dollar total ever awarded at one time by Parkland College.
The first round of Parkland College’s youth skills development project in Jamaica got underway. The College is partnering with a technical institute there to help develop essential skills and pre-technology training in key sectors of the Jamaican economy, and prepare students for employment.
Parkland College marked the official Grand Opening of the Trades and Technology Centre on Oct. 28. Hundreds of supporters turned out to celebrate and thank the donors who made the facility possible.
November 2015
More than 2,300 high school students from the Parkland region attended Career Explorations 2015 at the Gallagher Centre in Yorkton. The sixth annual education and career fair attracted close to 90 exhibitors from Saskatchewan, Western Canada, and North Dakota.
With partners from the University of Saskatchewan College of Nursing and Sunrise Health Region, the College helped unveil Yorkton’s Health and Education robot. SEYMOUR is used as a teaching aide in the Bachelor of Nursing program and allows students to “see more” when interacting with remote instructors through the robot.
December 2015
Parkland College was selected to partner with Sault College (Ontario) on a new multi-year education project in Africa. The colleges will work with a technical institute in Tanzania as part of a Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan) program. Parkland College’s project will develop a bridging (pre-technology) program to help students build skills and climb into higher levels of training.
Using a $40,000 donation from the Canadian Welding Association Foundation, Parkland College unveiled a Lincoln Electric virtual reality arc welding trainer at the Trades and Technology Centre. The simulator allows students in the Welding program to hone their skills in conjunction with live welding, which saves time, reduces expenses, and allows students to get more practice.
