Media releases

• New Badgers get head start to University career

  Thursday, July 20, 2017 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE: 20 July 2017 – R00133

  Making the jump to post-secondary education can be intimidating for students. But a number of programs are available to incoming Brock University students to make the transition a little easier.

  With those programs taking place during the summer months, the Brock University campus remains a busy place.

  Smart Start

  Throughout July and August, around 2,000 students will be coming through Brock’s longest-running transition program.

  “Our objective is that students leave Smart Start prepared and relaxed for their first day of school, and that guests feel confident in knowing that Brock is the best place for them to be,” said Courtney Keogh, Recruitment and Liaison Officer — Smart Start and Group Visits.

  Students learn how to use their new ID card, can finalize their course registration with the help of Brock’s academic advisors, and learn more about finance and awards, student housing and things to do in Niagara.

  “Our program is unique in that we are one of the only universities in Canada that does a full-day program with all of these services immediately on hand,” said Keogh, adding that the Smart Start program has expanded to run later into August, accommodating students who may have been away for work or travel.

  LEAP

  For students who want to get an even more in-depth look at university life, the LEAP program involves an overnight stay in a Brock residence, skill-building workshops, an orientation on the public transportation system, and a service-learning volunteer opportunity with a local community partner.

  “We provide a small, intimate experience for incoming students to have an enhanced understanding of services on campus while at the same time making close connections with their peers,” said Megan Brown, Community Engagement Co-ordinator and programming leader.

  BaseCamp

  For the more adventurous students, Brock BaseCamp is a unique introduction to university life through three- to five-day backpacking, canoeing and rock climbing trips along the Niagara Escarpment, Ontario provincial parks, and various conservation areas during the month of August. It’s a model that has been adopted as a best practice by other Canadian universities.

  Co-founder and Recreation and Leisure Studies Professor Tim O’Connell said students learn about the cultural and natural history of where they are travelling, as well as how to follow the Leave No Trace principles.

  “Many BaseCamp participants appreciate learning how to travel lightly through our provincial and national parks,” says O’Connell. “In fact, many of them apply these principles to their everyday lives when they are back on campus or at home.”

  For more information on any of the programs, visit brocku.ca/start or email studentlife@brocku.ca.

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:

  * Dan Dakin, Media Relations Officer, Brock University ddakin@brocku.ca, 905-688-5550 x5353 or 905-347-1970

  Brock University Marketing and Communications has a full-service studio where we can provide high definition video and broadcast-quality audio.

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  Categories: Media releases

• Michael Owen returns to Brock as new Dean of Education

  Thursday, July 20, 2017 | By ddakin

  MEDIA RELEASE: 19 July 2017 – R00132

  Brock University’s next Dean of the Faculty of Education will be a familiar face to many people around campus.

  Michael Owen fulfilled several senior academic administrative roles during his first tenure at Brock (2000-07), and on August 15 he will return as Dean of a Faculty in which he was once a professor.

  Over the past three decades, Owen (BA, Carleton; MEd., University of Alberta; PhD, University of Toronto) has served in academic leadership positions at universities in Ontario and Saskatchewan. For the last seven years he has been at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT), where he served as Vice-President, Research, Innovation & International and, more recently, Interim Dean and Dean of the Faculty of Education.

  His first tour of duty at Brock began in 2000 as Director of Research Services, after having led the same portfolio at Ryerson University and University of Saskatchewan. He would also serve Brock as Director of the Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute (2001-03), Associate Vice-President, Research and International Development (2004-07); and a tenured professor for graduate and undergraduate studies in the Faculty of Education.

  Owen said he welcomes the opportunity to return to the region and to Brock.

  “The Faculty of Education at Brock University is a leader in teacher education and educational research in Ontario and Canada,” said Owen. “It is an honour to return to Brock to lead a team of highly dedicated and talented faculty members and staff who, individually and collectively, contribute to the scholarly life of Brock and the Niagara region and to advancing Brock’s mission to the cultural, social and economic development of Niagara and Ontario.”

  This week’s announcement, which completes a recruitment search spanning numerous months, was made by Provost and Vice-President Academic, Tom Dunk.

  “We are very pleased to have someone with such extensive experience in academic leadership re-joining the Brock community,” said Dunk. “Michael’s deep knowledge of the Ontario university landscape will benefit the Faculty of Education and the entire University in challenging times for post-secondary education.”

  Owen will succeed David Siegel, who is stepping down after serving as Interim Dean of the Faculty of Education since April 2015. During his term, Siegel helped create an administrative makeover plan for the Faculty of Education, which is expected to be introduced in the summer of 2018.

   

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:

  * Dan Dakin, Media Relations Officer, Brock University ddakin@brocku.ca, 905-688-5550 x5353 or 905-347-1970

  Brock University Marketing and Communications has a full-service studio where we can provide high definition video and broadcast-quality audio.

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  Categories: Media releases