Media releases

• Career launcher: This fall, every Brock program will have an experiential option

  Wednesday, July 31, 2019 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE: 31 July 2019 – R00122

  Brock University graduates continue to enjoy employment rates that outpace the Ontario average.

  Data from the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities show that, six months after graduating, Brock grads have an employment rate of more than 90 per cent. Two years after graduating, the rate is more than 96 per cent. In both time frames, Brock’s numbers are above the average for all Ontario universities.

  A key factor behind this career success is Brock’s emphasis on giving students a taste of the workplace through experiential education.

  And, this fall, Brock will reach a new milestone when it offers experiential education opportunities in 100 per cent of its academic programs — more than 1.5 million hours dedicated to experiential learning in 1,039 different course sections.

  Sandy Howe, Brock’s Associate Director of Experiential Education, said the ongoing development of programming prepares students to take meaningful steps in their careers, both during their studies and immediately after graduating.

  “Experiential learning is huge for career outcomes, employment and personal development,” said Howe. “We are seeing a shift in post-secondary studies driving directly towards careers. Our programs help to clarify the path for success while offering real opportunities to set students on their way.”

  Some of the diverse experiential learning opportunities available to Brock students include volunteering with rescue dogs for a Sociology course, travelling to northern Ontario to collect rock samples for an Earth Science course and planning outdoor learning activities for elementary school students in a Child and Youth Studies course.

  In addition to benefiting students, experiential programming also allows for the growth of faculty members, Howe said.

  “It offers faculty the chance to expand their CVs and pursue unique funding opportunities while also exploring diverse ways of teaching and learning both in and out of the classroom,” she said.

  Cara Krezek, Director of Co-op, Career and Experiential Education at Brock, said the development reflects an ongoing commitment of numerous partners within the University to create the best possible learning environment for students.

  “When we came together to operationalize experiential learning at Brock in 2015, we wanted to be a leader in the field. This achievement shows that we have realized that vision,” she said. “Ensuring students have access to experiences that complement their learning, and understanding how that learning is relevant to their future careers are key outcomes we wanted to achieve.”

  As the offerings continue to grow, Krezek and Brock’s Co-op, Career and Experiential Education team are developing ways for students to more easily keep tabs on their course and work term experiences, as well as career outcomes. The group is preparing to launch a University-wide experience record through CareerZone, Brock’s online portal for career opportunities including job postings and experiential offerings.

  While these developments are taking place, the team is also actively working with other post-secondary institutions to spread Brock’s knowledge of experiential education.

  “We just launched a tool kit with Georgian College and Niagara College, where we are contributing to open resources and we are freely sharing information and strategies,” said Krezek. “What we started championing four years ago is now happening across Canada.”

  To learn more about Brock’s Experiential Education opportunities, visit the University’s Co-op, Career and Experiential Education website.

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:

  * Maryanne Firth, Writer/Editor, Brock University maryanne.firth@brocku.ca, 905-688-5550 x4420 or 289-241-8288

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  Categories: Media releases

• The power of friendship worth celebrating, says Brock prof

  Monday, July 29, 2019 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE: 29 July 2019 – R00121

  Bullies are often seen as powerful, but Brock Associate Professor of Psychology Andrew Dane sees greater strength in being a good friend.

  “There’s tremendous social power in developing good close friendships,” Dane said in advance of International Day of Friendship on Tuesday, July 30. “The thing about friendship is that it’s for mutual benefit. It’s about sticking together, loyalty, reciprocity, prosocial behaviour and helping one another, and there’s a lot of strength in that.”

  On International Day of Friendship, the United Nations invites individuals and organizations around the world to celebrate friendship according to their own cultures and circumstances.

  Reflecting on the pending celebration, Dane said research has shown that the attachment relationship between an infant and parent is crucial to building a child’s lifelong capacity to develop healthy relationships, including friendships.

  “Being there consistently is probably the most important thing parents can do,” he said. “By being available and sensitive in responding to the child’s needs, parents demonstrate that, when you need help, you can ask people and they will support you, they will understand you and they will make you feel better.”

  The parent-child dynamic provides a template for future relationships, Dane said. People who are securely attached are more open to intimacy and trust, and they expect kindness and support from others.

  “Everybody needs help and support,” Dane said. “Friends can be that resource for you when you need it.”

  But it’s not just about companionship. Having friends can also offer a measure of protection.

  Bullies use coercive, aggressive and purposeful behaviour to get what they want, he said, and they tend to pick on vulnerable people to show they’re tough and strong.

  “But, people who have friends are less likely to be victimized because they have people there to stick up for them.”

  Dane said friends are crucial in terms of mental health, too.

  “That social support protects people against developing things like depression, for example, or post-traumatic stress disorder after a trauma.”

  The power of friendship extends beyond our personal lives. According to the UN, teaching children to live together in peace and harmony can contribute to international peace and co-operation.

  It’s a notion Dane agrees with.

  “What I say about bullying versus prosocial behaviour and friendship applies at a political level,” he said. “There are parallels when it comes to relationships between leaders and countries.”

  Unfortunately, U.S. President Donald Trump has inflicted “lasting damage to trust and co-operation” by backing out of several major international agreements, he said.

  Dane acknowledged there is a risk in putting your trust in someone who could take advantage of you. But, he said, “it’s also a strength because, through those relationships, you can achieve a lot of your goals in a way where everybody benefits instead of a selfish way where people go along with you because they’re afraid or intimidated.”

  Seen through the lens of evolutionary psychology, bullying has its benefits, Dane said. Bullies tend to have more sex partners, giving them more chances to pass on their genes — but those benefits come at a cost.

  The dominance they achieve in the short term comes at the expense of co-operative long-term relationships, both at the individual and the societal level. Although they are popular, bullies are not well liked.

  In contrast, “co-operation, friendships and prosocial behaviour are all about building relationships. The payoffs are not as obvious but they’re more long term,” he said.

  “We’re much better off as individuals and as a society if people recognize the importance and work toward building those healthy prosocial relationships, including friendships and romantic relationships,” Dane said. “That’s the antidote to bullying, I think.”

  “Friendship is a better way to achieve one’s goals and to have social harmony and peace. It’s how you achieve an egalitarian society.”

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews: 

  * Maryanne Firth, Writer/Editor, Brock University maryanne.firth@brocku.ca, 905-688-5550 x4420 or 289-241-8288

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  Categories: Media releases