Recent History – 2000
Dec. 8, 2000
A recently-completed dormitory and just under $1 million in renovations elsewhere has not put the stop to changes at the Dawson Creek campus of Northern Lights College (NLC).
Speaking during a Dawson Creek and District Chamber of Commerce meeting Thursday, NLC spokesperson Cindy Lorincz delivered a long list of ideas and projects that are still being pursued.
A new continuing education centre is in the works.
“We’re centralizing all the continuing education activities in the one building behind the main campus,” Lorincz said adding that continuing education is one of NLC’s largest services, and that the centre would include lab and classroom space.
“When we do courses in that area, which must be cost recovery, we can develop courses very quickly to meet industry and business requirements.”
Lorincz also said that NLC will be taking the Peace Skills Development Centre under its wing, and there is a possibility of bringing a licenced practical nursing program to the college.
The aircraft maintenance and road maintenance programs may be expanded to include a runway maintenance program. And NLC is looking at a extending the tourism and hospitality program into a second year with an emphasis on business management.
Also, NLC is looking at further development of the oil and gas training program, which could help all of the college’s campuses.
“Down the road we’re looking at an oil and gas training centre for northeastern B.C.,” Lorincz said. “A little competition for southern Alberta, but that’s okay.”
NLC’s Web site may also be improved so that the entire calendar will be available on the Internet by this spring. Students can also register for NLC program on the Web, except for continuing education programs.
Lorincz said over 3,100 students attend the Dawson Creek campus in a given year. At any given time, there are just under 1,000 full-time and just under 800 part-time students at the Dawson Creek campus.
For the region, NLC handles just under 12,000. “For a region that has about 66,000 in it. That’s a significant percentage,” Lorincz said.
Lorincz said that many of those students come up from the Lower Mainland and the Central Interior to take university transfer programs at NLC, in part because there are so few spaces available down south.
“We have such a wonderful arrangement with the other universities in this province, that if you took English 101 with us, it’s the same as taking English 101 at the University of British Columbia or the University of Victoria, except that we don’t have a really nice swimming pool or a hockey team,” Lorincz said.
But tuition is much lower at NLC. “How can you compare $1,100 for first year university to $3,300 for the same thing?” Lorincz said.