Collège Boréal, the French community college that guarantees students a job, celebrated two wins last week. Just as it handed out diplomas and certificates to 700 graduates, it was designated an official provider of French language services by the province.
The French Language Services Act guarantees people the right to receive provincial government services in French in 25 designated areas including government offices, hospitals and long-term care facilities. This is the first time a post-secondary institution has received the designation.
College president Denis Hubert said the designation, meaning Boréal's programs are equal to those offered by anglophone colleges, demonstrates the quality of its programs and "builds on the excellent results the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities recently published."
For six years running, Boréal has had the highest graduation rate of Ontario's 24 community colleges and ranked first for employer satisfaction in 2007.
Board member Rosaire Lavoie said if students don't land a job when they graduate, they can return the next year for free.
Addressing the graduates, he encouraged them to keep abreast of changes in an ever changing world. You'll come face to face with the impossible, he said. "Find solutions."
Hubert thanked the graduates for their choice of college. "By choosing Collège Boréal, you placed your academic achievement first as well as the satisfaction of your future employers. The world is yours, it can't wait to see you!"
Student award winners:
Sébastien Fournier, a graduate in the computer engineering technologist program at the Sudbury campus, received the Governor General's Academic Medal. This medal and $1,000 bursary goes to the student who completes his or her program of study and has the highest average of all the graduates in a diploma program. Fournier also received the Merit Scholarship in Technology and Administrative Sciences and $2,000.
Sandra Davidson, a graduate in the legal assistant program, received the Merit Scholarship in Health and Community Services and $2,000.
Christina Plante, from the Electronics Engineering Technologist - Industrial program, received the Merit Scholarship of the Institute of Trades and Applied Technologies and $2,000.
The Denis-Hubert Merit Scholarship, dedicated to secondary school students entering college was awarded to Aurore Lise Séguin, a Collège Notre-Dame student from Noëlville. The scholarship is worth $2,000.
Four personal merit scholarships from the Fondation du Collège Boréal were also awarded.
Alice Arbour, a graduate of the practical nursing program - Nipissing campus, received the Gisèle-Chrétien Scholarship. Courtney Trombley, a pre-health science graduate, received the Jean-Watters Merit Scholarship. Pauline Amaliza, a graduate of the business administration - marketing program, received the Fondation du Collège Boréal Scholarship. These bursaries are also worth $2,000.
The Woilford-Whissel Scholarship, which covers tuition fees up to $2,000, went to Benoît Lepage, a student in the heavy equipment repair technician program.
The Fondation du Collège Boréal awarded three ministerial scholarships. The First Generation Student Bursaries are given to young people whose parents did not attend college or university. The recipients are Dominique Langlois (child and youth worker program), Genet Limoux, (practical nursing program) and Luc Nada, (mechanical engineering technician program).
