Media releases

• Canada’s top MBA students to compete in Niagara this weekend

  Tuesday, January 02, 2024 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE: January 2 2024 – R0001

  Canada’s future business leaders will descend on Niagara this weekend to compete for a chance to win the prestigious Queen’s Cup at the 2024 MBA Games, hosted by Brock University.

  Coming from five provinces, 269 participants will represent 16 of Canada’s top business schools from Friday, Jan. 5 to Sunday, Jan. 7. The MBA Games is considered the largest Master of Business Administration competition in Canada and brings together the best of academia, industry and community.

  Goodman School of Business Dean Barry Wright says he is excited to welcome participants and their advisors to both Brock and Niagara.

  “This elite group of students are the leaders of tomorrow,” says Wright. “The competition will enhance their critical-thinking skills, refine their ability to respond to challenges in real time and build their confidence as they prepare to enter the workplace while emphasizing the importance of teamwork.”

  As the winning team at the 2023 competition, Goodman won the right to host the event as defending champions. The organizing committee, consisting of eight Brock students who were part of the winning team, has spent 10 months planning the 2024 competition.

  “The MBA Games is not only a business case competition, but also a chance for graduate business students from across the country to gather and take part in academic, athletic and spirit competitions,” co-chair Hitesh Inder says. “The competition brings together some of the brightest minds in the country, fostering collaboration, competition and camaraderie. It is the most prestigious collegiate competition for graduate business students in Canada.”

  Events will take place over three days in both Niagara Falls at the Marriott on the Falls and at Brock University in St. Catharines.

  “Participants will engage in strategic decision–making, problem-solving and teamwork mirroring real-world challenges,” event co-chair Shania Pearl Maben says. “Beyond the games, the networking opportunities and exposure to industry leaders contribute to the participants’ professional growth, making the competition a pivotal stepping-stone in their journey toward becoming well-rounded business professionals.”

  The competition also includes a philanthropy campaign that sees schools earn points towards their overall score by raising funds for this year’s charity partner, the Canadian Mental Health Association’s (CMHA) Recovery College program. CMHA’s Recovery Colleges are focused on personal recovery in mental health and well-being, providing a learning space where anyone can access free courses, webinars, workshops and events to learn, gain new skills and connect with others in their community.

  Fundraising totals will be announced at the opening banquet on Jan. 5.

  Media are invited to attend the MBA Games, which offers a variety of filming, photo and interview opportunities throughout the weekend. For additional agenda details, please contact Goodman Marketing and Communications Manager Kaitlyn Little at klittle@brocku.ca or 289-929-7849.

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews: 

  * Doug Hunt, Communications and Media Relations Specialist, Brock University dhunt2@brocku.ca or 905-941-6209

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  Categories: Media releases

• Brock ceremony celebrates Canada’s first concurrent Nursing graduating class

  Tuesday, December 19, 2023 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE: December 19 2023 – R0120

  For the past 20 months, Joy Fadase has begun each morning looking at a note pinned to her wall encouraging her that she will soon become a nurse.

  The Brock University Bachelor of Nursing/Master of Nursing (BN/MN) student and 17 of her classmates recently reached a milestone that has brought them closer to their collective goal.

  On Friday, Dec. 15, the first class of Canada’s only concurrent BN/MN program celebrated the completion of the accelerated degree with a pinning ceremony — a rite of passage for graduating nurses that represents a commitment to nursing education and training. In receiving and wearing the pin, students accept the rights and responsibilities to provide excellent care to patients and their loved ones.

  Fadase considers herself a caring person and has always envisioned working in a hospital. With her mother and sister both nurses, she felt Brock’s BN/MN program was a great fit that complemented her bachelor’s degree in public health, her work experience as a diabetes technician and her certificates in health system management, personal support worker and pharmacy assistant.

  She was attracted to the program because it offered both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in just 20 months, and she had heard about Brock’s reputation for offering students practical experiences that build on the theory learned in the classroom.

  Brock’s BN/MN program places students in a variety of nursing specializations at health-care settings in Niagara and Hamilton. Fadase had clinical placements in critical care, mental health, cardiac care, labour and delivery, pediatrics and neonatal intensive care.

  “The clinical placements enriched my education because I was able to apply evidence-based practices in real-life health-care settings,” she said. “I developed critical-thinking skills that enhanced my understanding of complex patient needs.”

  In addition to clinical placements, BN/MN students have a practical component for the master’s portion of the program that focuses on developing their leadership skills. Students work alongside long-term care administrators and other health-care leaders to apply the knowledge they learned about strategic planning, team management, policy development, budgeting and more.

  It was this leadership training that attracted Palak Chopra (BSc ’22) to the BN/MN. After finishing courses for Brock’s Bachelor of Science in Medical Sciences degree in April 2022, Chopra started the BN/MN program the following month.

  “Other accelerated nursing programs are similar length, but they don’t offer a master’s, which is unique to Brock and was quite enticing for me,” she said. “I’m interested in the policy side of health care and would like to grow into a leadership role where I can influence bigger changes that we need in the current health-care environment.”

  Chopra is also grateful for the knowledge and experience she learned across a variety of specialty areas.

  “I like the flexibility of starting my nursing career in one area and then switching down the line,” she said. “With Canada’s chronic nursing shortages, it’s important to be able to work in different specialties and take on new opportunities when needs arise.”

  With the completion of the BN/MN program, Chopra, Fadase and their classmates are eligible to write the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN) to become a registered nurse. Once they pass, the pair hope to enter the Ontario workforce, possibly joining one of the organizations where they did their placements, such as Niagara Health or St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton.

  “We are grateful to our community health-care partners for providing excellent clinical experiences to our students,” said Dawn Prentice, Brock’s BN/MN Graduate Program Director. “The attention and care they offered our students in their placements helped them build confidence in their clinical skills and prepared them to provide competent, safe and ethical care to patients.”

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:

  * Doug Hunt, Communications and Media Relations Specialist, Brock University dhunt2@brocku.ca or 905-941-6209

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  Categories: Media releases