January
26, 2000
College
and Shaw Communications Sign Landmark Partnering Agreement
Lethbridge Community
College and Shaw Communications
Inc. signed a major new partnering agreement that will bring
expertise, technology and employment opportunities to the LCC campus.
Today, Lethbridge
Community College and Shaw Communications Inc. signed a proclamation
of cooperation which will assist the College in meeting its primary
mission of providing workforce development for Southern Alberta.
Shaw is providing
the College with expertise in instruction and hands-on applications,
enhanced employment opportunities after graduation, new high speed
communications technology and a donation to the Colleges TEC
2000 capital campaign. LCC is the first community college to
sign such an agreement with Shaw.
Today,
we are honored to partner with a leading Canadian corporation that
will help us to bring our vision to reality, said LCC President
Dr. Donna Allan. This proclamation will enable LCC and Shaw
Communications to work together to build a platform for the future
that embraces technology, learning and work experience.
In the agreement,
Shaw will provide the Colleges Television Production diploma
program with qualified instructors and the use of Shaw TV facilities
to give students significant in-studio experience. The students
will work directly with Shaw TV staff and see the results of their
training put to use on Shaw TV programming. Students will also benefit
from receiving advance notice of employment opportunities within
Shaw Cablesystems.
Richard Burke,
team leader for LCCs Centre
for Communications and Multimedia, says that while the technology
aspects of the agreement will benefit students, faculty and staff
across the institution, it will be students in his centre that will
see the majority of the benefits in terms of practical training
and employment. The Centre for Communications and Multimedia delivers
programs in Advertising / Public Relations, Broadcast Journalism,
Television Production, Multimedia Production and Print Journalism.
Students
in our diploma programs will certainly see the tangible aspects
of the agreement when it comes to training and employment,
he says. But students across the whole campus will also be
beneficiaries of leading-edge course curriculum developed for delivery
on and off campus using the new facilities.
Shaw Communications
will also donate $100,000 to support the Colleges TEC
2000 capital campaign. TEC 2000 is a $4 million campaign to
add a third floor to the Colleges Technologies Wing and enhance
technology across the campus. With more than half of the funds raised,
the tendering process has begun and construction of the third floor
is scheduled to begin in early May.
Chris Braybrook,
a second year student in LCCs TV Production diploma program,
says that the agreement is a positive for a great program.
I came
to LCC because the classes would be small and I could get more individualized
instruction, he says. Now, with the agreement with Shaw
and the new construction of the Technologies third floor, I almost
wish I could be just coming into the program right now.
Shaw will also
broadcast curricula of certain College courses offered through Distributed
Learning Services. The growing number of distance courses delivered
and the volume of students enrolled in them gives this part of the
agreement great potential in the future.
On the technology
side, Shaw will provide LCC with communications solutions across
the campus including dedicated high-speed Internet service, cable
modem Internet service and remote access. College Computer Services
officials say that once connected to the new fibre-optic based business
service the 1,100 staff and student workstations will double their
current access speed to about two-megabits per second. Installation
is nearly complete and should be up and running in early February.
Shaw
Communications Inc. is a diversified Canadian communications
company whose core business is providing broadband cable television
and Internet services to approximately 1.8 million customers. Shaw
also has significant interests in direct-to-home television services
as well as providing telecommunications services to individual and
business customers. Shaw is traded on the Canadian Venture, Toronto
and New York Stock Exchanges.
Lethbridge
Community College, Canadas first public community college
was established in 1957. From the very outset its mandate was training
the future workforce. In the 43 years since its inception, Lethbridge
Community College has grown to 4,500 students but remains a leader
in providing high quality educational programs in southern Alberta.
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Dr.
Donna Allan, LCC President, (403) 320-3209
Richard
Burke, Team Leader, LCC Centre for Communications and Multimedia,
(403) 320-3359
Chris
Braybrook, LCC TV Production student, (403) 380-4359
Cheryl Dick,
Fundraising Director, 320-3486.
or
see the TEC 2000 website: lethbridgec.ab.ca/tec2000
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