Winter 2010

www.cotr.bc.ca/cotr-International

Creating awareness by supporting internationalization and global learning opportunitiesfor our students, staff and community

2009 - A YEAR IN REVIEW

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Student RecruitmentStudents attended from 28 countries: Australia, Cambo-dia, Chile, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Israel, Jamaica , Japan, Kenya, Korea, Libya, Lithuania, Mexico, Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Trinidad, USA, Vietnam and Zambia.

DEPARTMENTMessage from the Executive Director

by Patricia Bowron

WHAT’S INSIDE...

Department & Team Message from the Director.......2 Highlights.................................2 Internationallization at COTR...3

Programs MAST, ELT, TRMP....................4 TIFR, ATBO..............................5

Projects Kenya.......................................6 Test Your International Knowedge............................6 Ecuador....................................7

Partners COTR at Home........................8 COTR Abroad..........................9

Mobility Staff Mobility...........................10 Student & Intern Mobility.......11

International Department Meet the Staff.........................12

Photo CreditsLisa Ramsey, cover; Mauricio Flores Salazar, pg 4,11; David Gahr, pg 4; Melodie Hull, pg 4; Kye Walker, pg 5; Graham Knipfel, pg 6,7; Pauline Bennison, pg 7,10; Jeff Cooper, pg 8,9,11,12; Sonja Janousek, Pg 10

Internationalization at College of the Rockies has continued to grow in 2009. We have seen 10-12% growth in attendance of international students at COTR this past year; we managed six international development projects funded

through CIDA with work in Ecuador, Kenya and Tanzania; we began a review of best practices for inclusion of international competencies, internationalization and global themes into our curriculum across many college programs; and we have enrolled our first group of students into our new Global Studies Graduate Certifi-cate program. This growth is an indication of the great passion and innovation of College employees and partners. Thank you to all of you who have contributed over the past year; we look forward to your involvement again in 2010. In an effort to reflect some of this enthusiasm and creativity for internationalization, we have chosen to provide this latest version of our newsletter as a Year in Review. We hope you will enjoy the pictorial approach to celebrate the past year.

EditorShannon Parnall

Community KAGA.......................................7

Highlights

Recruiting initia-tives were under-taken in Taiwan, China, Japan, Ko-rea, Kenya, Zam-bia, Jordan, UAE, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Libya and Chile.

Programs of study included English Language Training, Tourism and Recreation Management, Welding, Business Administration, Office Ad-ministration & Technology, Applied Computer Certificate, Early Child-hood Education, Human Kinet-ics, Human Service Worker, Timber Framing, Automotive Services Tech-nician, Adventure Tourism Business Operations, Mountain Adventure Skills Training, University Studies, Adult Basic Education, Global Stud-ies and Professional Cook Training.

Partnership DevelopmentDuring 2009 COTR was involved in 6 development partnerships; 19 em-ployees travelled on overseas work; 4 students traveled to Ecuador, and 7 interns completed assignments in Ec-uador and Peru.

COTR also had the pleasure of hosting more than thirty visitors in 2009 from:

Australearn, Universidad Espiritu Santo,Kimathi University College of Technology, Osaka Gakuin University, Chilean tourism and education in-dustry, European delegates from Spain, Scotland and Finland, and Catering and Tourism Develop-ment Levy Trust (Kenya).

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Student Enrolment 2007 - 2009

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A recently released federal government study demon-strates how international

students contribute significantly to Canada’s economy. The Economic Impact of International Education in Canada contains some remark-able numbers beginning with $6.5 billion – the total amount spent by the 178,000 international students in Canada last year. This figure is greater than the values of the export of coal and coniferous lumber – two of Canada’s traditionally largest ex-port sectors.

According to the report which was published in 2009, education servic-es are Canada’s number one export to China and the second largest ex-port to South Korea. College of the Rockies Executive Director of International Affairs Pa-tricia Bowron believes that interna-tional students also contribute to the local and regional econ-omy. “We have a record number of international students for the Winter 2010 semester: 119 from 26 different countries. This represents about six per cent of our total student population and their tuition is not subsidized as is the tuition for Canadian students. They also need housing, transportation and goods and services during their stay.”

“As with the national federal gov-ernment study, approximately 75 per cent of our international students come from Southeast Asia but we are seeing an expanding market in Europe and the Middle East,” Bow-ron continued. “We are also explor-ing more recruitment opportunities in Africa.”

The government report also points out the cultural and ethnic diversity international students bring to our communities: ‘while s t u d y i n g here, students from abroad bring diverse perspectives, expertise and skills to Ca-nadian class-rooms and labs. This positive ef-fect is not restricted to just the larg-est urban cen-tres. The presence of international students at our institutions in smaller communities brings together many cultures from around the world which in turn, infuses the broader community with diversity.’

Bowron agrees, “We know that, over the years, the inter-national students living, shopping and recreating in our communities have contributed greatly to a grow-ing global aware-

ness both inside and outside College of the Rockies. Many have made close friends here and continue to keep in touch, or encourage their Canadian friends to visit them in their home countries which also contributes to cross-cultural awareness.”

Another point the report makes is ‘when international students graduate from our schools and return to their countries of ori-gin, many become business, governmental and academic leaders, creating international networks that strengthen Canada’s economic and diplomatic ties abroad.’

Internationalization at College of the Rockies

DEPARTMENT

The presence of international students at Canadian institutions provided employment for over 83,000 Canadians and gener-ated more than $291 million in government revenue last year.

EQA is a Government of British Columbia quality assurance des-ignation that identifies and pro-motes public and private post-secondary institutions that have met or exceeded government recognized quality assurance standards and consumer protec-tion mechanisms. The Ministry of Advanced Education and La-bour Market Development sets all EQA policies.

College of the Rockies now EQA Certified!

(Education Quality Assurance)

Along with student recruitment, Col-lege of the Rockies continues to be active in consultancy and develop-

ment work over-seas. “We have close ties with educational insti-tutions in Sweden, Japan, Kenya and France as well as transfer agree-ments in Ecuador and Australia and exchange agree-ments with Chile, Spain, Scotland and Finland. Col-lege of the Rock-

ies’ internationalization strategy continues to grow and is an integral part of our core education and busi-ness planning,” Bowron concluded.

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PROGRAMS

Popular Programs at COTR

University TransferTourism and Recreation ManagementBusiness Administration Mountain Adventure Skills TrainingTimber FraminigEarly Childhood EducationHuman KineticsHuman Service WorkerOffice Administration & TechnologyAdventure Tourism Business OperationsProfessional Cook TrainingGlobal Learning StudiesEnglish Language Training

Mountain Adventure Skills Training student, Mauricio Flores Salazar from Chile (right), en-joyed winter field trips hiking, ice climbing and canoeing near Golden, BC.

English Language Training (ELT) students interact with Bachelor of Nursing (BSN) stu-dents throughout the year at a variety of fun and educational activities. Right: ELT Student Jong Won Yoon plays sax for fellow ELT student Fernando Benitez Cor-rea and BSN students.

Above: Tourism and Recreation Management students at historic St. Eugene Mission Right: Tourism students hosted an evening networking event at COTR. (L to R): Patricia Punanco Silva and Shanna Wangat; guest speaker MLA Bill Bennett

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PROGRAMS

“The academic curriculum was interesting (and made more so by the efforts of our teachers), the certification courses were challenging and high level and the trips were amazing.”~ Tyler Coghill, ATBO Diploma Graduate

The Timber Framing program attracts people from around the world interested in working in the timber frame industry and/or wanting to build their own timber frame structure. Stu-dents have the opportunity to assist with the design and build-ing of one framed structure and two or three projects.

Above: Students working in the Timber Framing shop

Right: Timber Framed entrance to program classroom

Above & Left: Adventure Tourism Busi-ness Operations program students explore and learn about the Kootenay region

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PROJECTS

TEST YOUR INTERNATIONAL KNOWLEDGE

1. Which of the following is the highest city in the world?a) La Paz b) Quito c) Lhasa d) Cuzco e) Bogota

2. Which of the following has the lowest land elevation?a) Death Valley, CA b) Dead Sea Shore, Israel c) Bentley Subglacial Trench, Antartica

3. How many letters are in the longest non-technical word in the Oxford English Dictionary?a) 32 b) 24 c) 28 d) 29 e) 31

4. Following are local names. Do you know the English name for these countries?a) Han-guk b) Suomi c) Hsiang-kang d) Deutschland e) Al Arabiyah as Suudiyah

5. Lunar New Year, or Spring Festival as it is also known, is the most important of the Chinese celebrations. What day does it fall on in 2010? a) February 1 b) January 28 c) February 14 d) March 1 e) February 186) How many Arab countries exist in Africa?

a) 8 b) 5 c) 2 d) 10 e) 7(answers on page 10)

Kenya

President and CEO of College of the Rockies, Dr. Nick Rubidge (right, centre), celebrates the official launch of the new Sustainable Tour-ism Diploma program at Kimathi University College of Technology (KUCT) in Nyeri, Ke-nya, along with KUCT and industry represen-tatives.

Above: Graham Knipfel, COTR International Proj-ect Coodinator, leads a Muringato Elementary School class in percus-sion-infused HIV/Aids awareness activities.

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Ecuador

PROJECTS

Kootenay Action Group for Africa

COMMUNITY

The Kootenay Action Group for Africa (or KAGA), has been operating since late

2007 with a small but dedicated group of volunteers. With more than $4,300 remaining from their local fundraising efforts, KAGA recently made the decision to re-duce its capacity and operate on an ad hoc basis. In consultation with COTR’s International Education and Development Department, part of this decision included dis-persing the bulk of their funds to five worthy organizations who

would most benefit from KAGA funding.

The groups that successfully ap-plied for and received KAGA funding are the Girls’ Opportu-nity Fund (aka. GO Africa), Mur-ingato Primary School, the Oyani Healthnet, the Circle of Hope Daycare, and the Nyaribo Dispen-sary. These organizations all strive to help children in rural areas of Kenya and the funds received from KAGA will go a long way in helping them meet their goals.

Dr. Jude Onunga of the Oyani Health-net. inspecting a fish farm from a youth group that his orga-nization is assisting

Children at Circle of Hope Daycare

Iguana go to Ecuador! Universidad Espiritu Santo (UEES) is located in Guay-aquil, Ecuador’s largest city. Guayaquil has a variety of sustainable tourism sites and parks, including one affectionately and appropriately named Iguana

Park. (pictured left and below)

COTR and UEES have been working together for more than 10 years. Funded in part by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), COTR and UEES are currently collaborating on a four-year project to develop and deliver a post-graduate program at UEES in Sustainable Community Entrepreneurism. This new program is designed to increase employment opportunities for its grad-uates and reduce poverty in coastal Ecuadorian communities.

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College of the Rockies has been receiving funding from the Canadian Inter-national Development Agency (CIDA) through the Association of Canadi-an Community Colleges for a variety of international partnerships. These

projects often involve visits from our overseas partners. Pictured here during a training program in June 2009 are (L to R) Principal Prof. Kioni and Dr. Kamucha from Kimathi University College of Technology in Kenya, COTR International Project Coordinator, Graham Knipfel, and Luis Chavez from the Universidad Es-piritu Santo in Ecuador waiting for a media event with Kootenay-Columbia MP Jim Abbott, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Coopera-tion. This particular visit included seminars and workshops with COTR faculty and management on sustainable tourism, technology in post-secondary education, utilizing advisory committees in curriculum development, and gender equality in international development.

PARTNERS

COTR AT HOME

Internationalization at College of the Rockies does not end at bringing stu-dents into our own community. It actu-

ally goes beyond our domestic borders to reach far away communities. A recent visit by a Chilean academic and industrial del-egation to Canada, (pictured at right) host-ed by the College, met with a number of business people in the East Kootenay area. They commented on how reaching across borders “can help us move forward in a number of fronts, with greater confidence and effectiveness.”

International student recruitment is an ongoing process that involves a lot of preparation and planning. One of its

success components is the department’s initial preparation to familiarize itself with the new market. This includes understanding the people, their culture and the educational system adopted by the country.

The last quarter of 2009 marked the start of a recruitment effort by College of the Rockies to enter new student markets in the Middle East and the Mediterranean basin. This started with visits to the United Arab Emirates, Jordan and Turkey followed by a visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (which took place in January 2010). In Turkey, the recruitment initiative of College of the Rockies’

International Department was merged with the efforts of. Martin Ross, Director of International Education at Southeast Kootenay School District # 5.

Omar Badran (right) met with Michael Lazaruk, Trade Co-missioner, Embassy of Cana-da in UAE.

Presentation for students at UAE school.

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Left: COTR Recruitment Specialist George Watson pins a Vancou-ver 2010 Olympic pin onto the lapel of Mr. Li in Dalian, China. Mr. Li met with COTR and Dalian Maple Leaf School representa-tives during the Maple Leaf Recruitment Fairs held in China.

Mr. Li’s daughter, Kathy (right), received her BC Dogwood certificate from Dalian Maple Leaf (Jinshitan campus) and is currently en-rolled in University Studies at COTR. She plans to transfer to UBC to complete her Bachelor of Commerce Degree.

COTR ABROAD

Above: COTR International Project Coordinator, Jeff Cooper (right), with student volunteers at the 1st Sino-Canada High School recruitment fair in Suzhou, China in November 2009.

PARTNERS

Over the past five years, COTR has developed a strong work-ing relationship with Maple Leaf Educational Systems, and

more recently with Sino-Canada High School in China.

The Maple Leaf and Sino-Canada High Schools follow the same curriculum as secondary schools in British Columbia, and Maple Leaf graduates receive a BC Dogwood certificate just as they would if they completed their studies in BC.

This allows for a smooth transition for their graduates to come to Canada to attend post-secondary institutions such as COTR.

Steve Munshaw and Jared Riel of the Kimberley Fire Department traveled to Doha, Qatar in October 2009.

Below: Steve and Jared (kneeling) with some of the graduates

Steve and Jared provided training for 24 members of Dolphin Energy in Confined Space Rescue and High Angle Rescue.

Above: Confined Space Rescue training

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MOBILITY

TEST YOUR INTERNATIONAL KNOWLEDGE ANSWERS (Quiz on page 6):

1) c) Lhasa is the highest city at 3658m above sea level. La Paz is 3,630m; Cuzco at 3,399; Quito is 2,819m and Bogota is at 2,644. For comparison, Cranbrook is 921m and Kimberley is 1110m above sea level.2) b) Dead Sea Shore is -417.5m. Death Valley is -86m. Some consider the Bentley Subglacial Trench the lowest, however it is covered in ice. If the ice melted it would be -2555m. (CIA Factbook 2009)3) d) floccinaucinihilipilification – which means deciding something is worthless – is the longest. At 28 letters disestablishmentarianism is the most famous and is the longest non-technical, non-coined word.4) a) S. Korea b) Finland c) Hong Kong d) Germany e) Saudi Arabia5) c) February 14th is the start of the Year of the Tiger6) a) 8: Somalia, Sudan, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algiers, Morocco and Mauritania.

Staff

College of the Rockies’ faculty members Pauline Bennison and Marla Riehl spent two weeks in Ecuador as consultants focused on internationalization and gender respectively.

Pauline and Marla had the opportunity to work with COTR part-ner, Universidad Espiritu Santo (UEES) in Guayaquil, Ecuador, to develop a post-graduate program in Sustainable Community Entre-preneurism.

Building on the strong working relationship forged in COTR’s 2000-2004 base project Sustainable Eco-Tourism: A Work in Prog-ress. The new Environmental Entrepreneurism project is designed to increase employment opportunities for UEES graduates and to reduce poverty by providing training and support through student practicum projects in coastal Ecuadorian communities.

This project is administered by the Association of Canadian Com-munity Colleges and is funded in part by the Canadian International Development Agency.

Right: (L to R) Pauline Bennison, COTR; Nancy de Hilgert, UEES; Pedro Morales, President of Community, Puerto El Morro; Sonja Janousek, COTR; Ubaldo Figueroa, President of EcoClub Los Delfines, Puerto El Morro; Marla Riehl, COTRLeft: Above: Dos Mangas artisans and weaversBelow: COTR faculty member Marla Riehl at Puerto el Morro EcoClub Wharf

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MOBILITYStudents & Interns

Since 2001, COTR has deployed over 100 Canadian interns and students overseas in career-related work opportunities. Five interns based in Ecuador and two

interns in Peru completed COTR’s 2008/09 CIDA-funded In-ternational Youth Internship Program.

Above: (L to R) Interns John Probyn, Lorien Nesbitt, Kaven St-Pierre, Chelsea Wilson and Natalia Lizarazo at an Ecuador-ian-Canadian Chamber of Commerce event in January 2009.

Right: Intern Lana Kopp (centre) with Peruvian artisans at Minka Fair Trade in Lima, Peru.

Finnish Exchange students (L to R) Tuomas Haavisto, Emil Lindfors, Pihla Kivisto, Johannes Voutilainen, and Joanna Nikodin studied tourism at COTR as part

of the Canada-EU Program for Cooperation in Higher Edu-cation, Training and Youth. In addition to Finland, countries participating in this program are Spain and Scotland.

While in Cranbrook the Finnish students visited many of the surrounding areas. Here they enjoy the view from Fisher Peak.

The faculty and students of the Scottish Agricultural College in Auchincruve, Scotland hosted Dr. Laura Cooper (second from left) to breakfast with “Robbie Burns” during her recent trip promoting COTR and the Sustainable Tour-ism Student Mobility Program.

COMING SOON - New CIDA Youth Inter-shipsFind out more about Internship opportunities at www.cotr.bc.ca/InterDev

Find out more about student mobility/exchange opportunities at www.cotr.bc.ca/cotr-International

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Patricia BowronExecutive Director, International Affairs

Omar BadranManager,

International Education & Mobility

Sonja JanousekInternational Project Facilitator

Ecuador

Graham KnipfelInternational Project Coordinator

Tracey BrentonInternational Project Coordinator

Jeff CooperInternational Project Coordinator

Shannon ParnallInternational Education Assistant

Cheryl WebberInternational Education Coordinator

Marifer LamInternational Education Assistant

Visit our website: www.cotr.bc.ca/interdev for electronic versions of newslettersQuestions or Comments? Contact us:

College of the Rockies, International Education & DevelopmentBox 8500, Cranbrook, BC Canada V1C 5L7

Telephone: 250-489-8248 Fax: 250-489-8254email: international@cotr.bc.ca

MEET THE INTERNATIONAL STAFF

International Student & Agent Services

International Projects & Opportunities