Last Year (2023) in Review

The educational adventure at Alexander College continues.

With no pandemic restrictions (finally!), we offered a full selection of in-person courses on campus, maintained a small number of on-line courses for increased access, and scheduled an increase in student and staff events on and off campus. The construction of the new Dunsmuir campus downtown was in full swing.

We increased our social media presence, breaking previous records. A record number of students enrolled in classes and we continued our commitment to community engagement.

Convocation ceremonies this year were held at the Massey Theatre in New Westminster. On July 14th record-breaking numbers of Academic Award winners from Fall and Winter terms attended the ceremony (i.e., Dean’s List, Honour Roll, and Scholarship recipients).

The fall convocation was held on November 8th. Nearly 500 guests and students attended (representing 60% of the graduates). As is traditional, recognition was given to student academic award winners and faculty award winners nominated by students.

A “Cyber Security and Online Financial Crime” workshop was hosted by an officer from the Burnaby RCMP. The event drew an audience that included students, staff, and faculty. While the workshop primarily targeted international students, the content presented was universally beneficial for all staff and faculty members.

The workshop focused on strategies to safeguard one’s online presence, personal information and stay up to date with the latest trends and threats in the world of cybercrime.

Career Advisors met with the Burnaby Board of Trade representatives to support and fill any labour gaps that some companies may have at this time. Career Advisors promoted 15 online Information Sessions held throughout the week of May 15-19 in preparation for the June Career Fair. From these information sessions many 1-1 follow-up appointments were made by the students.

A successful Career Fair was held on the afternoon of June 8th with 14 employers present and students being interviewed and hired on the day.

De-Stress Fests with engaging activities and snacks occur during final exam periods

The Canadian Job Readiness program began in the Fall semester of 2023. Canadian Job Readiness (CJR) is a mandatory graduation requirement for all degree programs offered by Alexander College. Whether a graduate plans to continue further study or transition into employment, Canadian Job Readiness aims to ensure that graduates are equipped with the basic knowledge and tools needed to effectively navigate the Canadian employment sector in the future. Our online Canadian Job Readiness program on Canvas assists students with job searches in Canada.

During the fall semester we enrolled five students for the Access 2.0 Mentorship program with the Burnaby Board of Trade. These students all have a business and or IT background. Once the Mentorship is completed the students will be eligible for a one-year membership with the Burnaby Board of Trade allowing them to network with professionals in their field.

The Green Committee is actively developing a comprehensive sustainability plan for the entire college. As a member of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) Alexander College was eligible for participation in AASHE’s Mentorship & Peer Collaboration Program. A member of AC’s Green Committee submitted an application and started a 1-year mentorship for the college in October.

Website/Social Media

Alexander College was proud to receive the Silver Creator Award for surpassing 100k subscribers on YouTube, making Alexander College one of the biggest post-secondary channels in Canada.

Check out popular social media series such as the “How Do You Say” greeting primer in the cultural awareness series on YouTube.

Go to our Social Media page for many entertaining and informative social media programs.

New Campus

The new campus at 570 Dunsmuir Street is nearing completion. The campus, set to open in the fall of 2024, will feature a Science Centre supporting lab science and computer programming and concentrations and degrees in health science. This campus will also serve as a centre for business programming in downtown Vancouver.

Course Delivery

• Enrollment in 2023 was the highest ever, with increased student demographic diversity, and an increase in number of associate degrees granted.
• Although Covid pandemic restrictions were no longer in effect and the majority of our classes were offered in person, we continued to offer a small percentage of courses on-line to increase the diversity of subjects and class times available for students.
• A Truth and Reconciliation Working Group was formed to create: new academic courses on indigenous themes; a practical teaching guide for faculty; and a digital resource platform for faculty and staff to facilitate knowledge of and collaboration on the Indigenization of the curriculum. The TRC Working Group completed most of its deliverables by June.
• The September 21 faculty professional development event focused on Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. The plenary speaker was Chanelle Tye, an EDI specialist. The overall faculty rating on the day’s events was 4.36 out of 5.
• A Transferrable skills working group was formed and was tasked with encouraging the deliberate implementation and recognition of transferrable, employment-related skills across the college curriculum. The Working Group created a draft transferrable skills framework that draws on the BC provincial government’s 2023 Labour Market Outlook materials and on the federal government’s New Skills for Success. This is to be rolled out at the January 2024 Faculty Professional Development Day.

Community Engagement

• In April the Alexander College Explorers team took part in the Vancouver Sun Run
• Alexander College made further donations to Burnaby Hospital, the Vancouver Food Bank, and Moscrop Secondary School.
• September 29 (in lieu of Sept 30th), AC observed the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation with presentations, displays and activities. The activities included Knowledge-keeper and Elder Denise Douglas, who organized a popular Bannock making workshop.
• In October, the Career Advising and Student Life units collaborated to offer a Volunteer Fair for students. They contacted our non-profit community partners in Burnaby and the surrounding area to showcase local volunteer opportunities. Many students asked where they can volunteer in Metro-Vancouver, which prompted Career Advising to plan a Vancouver event for our students next year.
• Two students, at the College as part of the Student Refugee Program, are studying and staying active in the community and are progressing toward graduation.
• Follow the exciting news from the Burnaby Hospital Foundation that acknowledges AC’s second gift in 2024 to the new Burnaby Hospital wing. See our blog post for information about the naming of a new department acknowledging Alexander College.

Institutional Summary and Response to DQAB Associate of Arts Program Review (June 2024) [PDF]