Hi Applied Arts,
October seemed to rush past without me getting an update out to you. I certainly don’t want to make that a habit (again), so here are some items of interest from across the Division and College for November:
Welcome Jesse Whitehead and Genevieve Richard!
Way back in the spring of this year, Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada informed the College that a proposal we’d submitted in 2016 to deliver the Health Care Assistant program based mainly in Haines Junction had been approved. I won’t go into the long backstory on the proposal, but by the end of June a working group had determined there wasn’t a sufficient number of students in the communities available to enroll in full-time study. Rather than send the funding back, we proposed a related but new idea to INAC, an idea still focused on health care education in the communities but oriented more towards curriculum planning and development than delivery. Our leads on this project, Jesse Whitehead and Genevieve Richard, just arrived in the Territory this week and have been busy orienting themselves to the College. For now, they’re taking up residence in A2708 (Pat McClelland’s old office), so stop by and say hello if you get a chance. I’m assuming there will be a more formal email of introduction going out soon; in the meantime, welcome aboard Jesse and Genevieve!
Indigenous Governance Degree Progress
Dr. Ron Bond was in town on Nov. 14 & 15 to put us through our paces in a mock CAQC degree-level site visit. A huge thank you to all those who participated in the sessions. As expected, there were a few bumpy moments, but overall I think we’re ready for the real thing on Nov. 27 & 28. Assuming all goes according to plan and the external reviewers recommend approving the degree, CAQC will consider giving the program its final approval at its meeting in February 2018. And assuming CAQC approval is given, there is then just one more bureaucratic step: YG passing a regulation concerning the degree; I understand that this regulation is already being drafted. All of which means that we should finally be able to go public with the program early in spring 2018.
2018-19 Work Plan
Senior Executive Committee members shared early drafts of their 2018-19 unit work plans at SEC’s last meeting on Nov. 8. As always, the real Applied Arts work plan is much wider in scope than the short version I’ll be reporting on at SEC meetings next year; the short version includes the five following items:
- Secure good enrollments in the Indigenous Governance degree and Climate Change Policy certificate as well as in targeted Applied Arts programs;
- Continue program development work on the Northern Studies degree, Yukon Adult Graduation certificate, and a post-baccalaureate teaching certification;
- Begin follow-up work to the Yukon School of Visual Arts and Health Care Assistant program reviews;
- Complete a program review of our northern studies specializations; and
- Develop a learner pathway between the Yukon Native Language Centre’s programs and YNTEP.
2018-19 Budget Planning
Round 1 of budget planning for the next fiscal year is now over. We presented our draft budget to Karen Barnes, Karen Harker, Clint Sawicki, Michael Hale and Jacqueline Henley on Nov. 8. As always, a huge shout out to Carolyn Kauth—the number cruncher, the spreadsheet shredder, the Finance Faerie from the Prairies (I tried doing something with Saskatchewan, but it was beyond me)—for keeping me and the chairs on track throughout October. Hopefully, all our wish list wishes come true . . .
YNTEP Faculty at URegina TEP Symposium
Brian Lewthwaite, Mark Connell and Carrie-Lyn Robinson attended TEP Gathering 2017: Indigenous Knowledge Exchange in Regina on November 8 & 9. I’m hoping to hear a little more about this event at an upcoming HEHS meeting.
New MyYC
A working group of the Applied Arts admin team held its first meeting to consider Applied Arts’ presence in the new MyYC (accessible via Office365). Plenty of work yet to do, but we’re at last starting to come to grips with the new platform.
That’s all I can think of for now. If I’ve missed anything, or you want me highlight something in an upcoming blog posting, let me know. Try to get out there and play in the snow this weekend!
Take care,
Andrew