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 College’s 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 College’s 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 LCC’s 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 College’s TEC 2000 capital campaign. TEC 2000 is a $4 million campaign to add a third floor to the College’s 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 LCC’s 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, Canada’s 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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