Continuing Studies newsletter

In 2009, Continuing Studies organised conferences, symposia, lectures, workshops, discussions, courses and programs for over 40,000 adult learners at SFU’s three campuses and in our local, provincial and global communities. We’re looking forward to doing even more in 2010.

Continuing Studies’ Philosophers’ Cafés in local neighbourhoods, lectures and programs about urban issues, community dialogues throughout

British Columbia, partnerships with national organisations and international projects in Southeast Asia, Africa and China all help SFU promote and extend lifelong learning opportunities wherever a need exists.

As you’ll see in this newsletter, we make a major contribution to SFU’s core principles and educational approaches. We’re proud to share our work with you — from designing websites that capture moments of history, to helping the people of Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside find their voices and develop their creativity, to providing degree completion programs and courses for working adults.

This May, we will welcome Helen Wussow as SFU’s next dean of Continuing Studies. She brings an impressive administrative and leadership background in university continuing education and lifelong learning and a strong commitment to students in both credit and non-credit programs. I’m sure that she will continue to ensure that, through Continuing Studies, the strengths of the university serve the educational needs of our various communities. We hope that you will join us.

Tom Nesbit, Dean pro temContinuing Studies, Simon Fraser University

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Thursdays a hit in Downtown EastsideAn exciting pool of creativity is growing in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. The Thursdays Writing Collective, a program of free, weekly writing classes that began two years ago, has attracted 50 participants, aged 18–83, whose education ranges from elementary to post-secondary.

Canadian literary magazine Geist has called Thursdays “the biggest, boldest, and by far the most vital conspiracy of writers operating in Vancouver at present.”

And participant Henry Doyle says, “The classes made something click after writing on my own for 20 years on the streets.”

Thursdays grew out of Continuing Studies’ Writing and Publishing Program’s Writer’s Studio. organizer Elee Kraljii gardiner connects participants with other writing communities through public

readings and a website (www.thursdayspoemsandprose.ca). She also founded a press to publish the collective’s three anthology chapbooks.

Thursdays’ popular public readings have attracted well-known writers Michael Turner, larissa lai and Cathleen With and led to collaborations with poets Fiona lam and John Asfour.

Kraljii gardiner works with volunteer apprentices and, with the support of the collective, has offered editing workshops and seminars in the Downtown Eastside.

Thursdays was also part of the Vancouver 2010 Cultural olympiad, with participants reading from their published works in conjunction with writer and artist Michael Turner, in the Candahar Art Bar installation which he co-curated. www.thewritersstudio.ca

strengthening Korean tiesA new partnership with Mokwon University, Korea, is the latest addition to Continuing Studies’ English language and Culture program.

last fall, Tom nesbit, dean of Continuing Studies, and ElC program director Colleen Wood met with Mokwon University president Yo-Han lee to sign a Memorandum of Understanding. SFU will work with Mokwon University to customize an immersion program that will help Mokwon students develop their English communication skills and learn about Canadian culture and society.

The ElC program has several ongoing relationships with Korean educational institutions. Both Inha Technical College and Sangji University send students to SFU every July and January for customized four-week immersion programs. www.sfu.ca/elc

spring 2010 y www.sfu.ca/cstudies

New Aboriginal bridging programs a turning point for SFUTwo Continuing Studies programs that prepare Aboriginal students for post-secondary education have been granted credit status.

It’s another important step in implementing SFU’s First nations strategic plan, which aims to recruit and retain more Aboriginal students.

Aboriginal students who complete the Aboriginal University Prep Program or the Preparing for Health Careers: Aboriginal Pre-Health Program will now earn university credit and gain conditional acceptance to SFU’s degree programs.

Both programs teach courses in university-level reading and writing, mathematics and indigenous knowledge in the modern world. Students in the Pre-Health program also explore health-career options while building the academic prerequisites they’ll need to pursue programs in nursing, medicine or health research. In both programs, students also learn how to manage stress, and

to improve their study skills and motivation. “The Aboriginal Bridge Program now gives Aboriginal students

access to financial aid as well as credit for their achievements,” says natalie Wood-Wiens, program coordinator in the Community Education Program. “It creates a more accessible pathway to post-secondary education for all First nation, Métis and Inuit students.”

William g. lindsay, the new director of the office for First nations at SFU, feels that the Aboriginal Bridge Program will continue to grow and become an important cornerstone for what SFU can offer the Aboriginal community.

Says one student in the Pre-Health program, “Twenty years down the road, looking back, this program will probably have been the turning point for many of us in terms of whether or not we would have been waiting tables for the rest of our lives … Someone took the chance to believe in us.” www.sfu.ca/community

Dexter Anaskon and Amy-Lynne Cheena are enrolled in the Spring 2010 cohort of the Aboriginal University Prep Program.

Muriel Marjorie, Henry Doyle and Joan Morelli perform their work at the Thursdays Writing Collective.

Sergeant ruby Carey had always wanted to earn a university degree. But she needed a program that would work with her demanding career as an administrative clerk responsible for managing all administrative paperwork for more than 200 Canadian soldiers.

Almost three years ago, she found the solution—Continuing Studies’ liberal and Business Studies degree completion program.

The part-time program is a cohort program in which all students attend the same classes at the same pace and graduate together after completing three years of study.

For Carey, it meant she could continue working full-time and attend classes part-time to complete her Bachelor of general Studies degree.

It’s a solution that more mid-career adults are embracing. Earlier this year, more than 250 potential students attended fi ve information sessions about the program.

“The interest and enthusiasm for the program this year have been beyond expectations,” says ruth Price, program director. “We expect to have an exceptional pool of applicants from which to choose for this year’s program.”

Carey, 52, will complete her degree in June this year and then plans to apply to become a commissioned offi cer, a move that would give her better pay, more responsibility and greater opportunities. But she’s not discounting further education.

“This program has enriched my life with new friendships and new knowledge,” she says. “Feeding my head is wonderful. now I’m considering the possibility of getting a master’s degree.” www.sfu.ca/integratedstudies

Serving—and Learning

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Promoting healthier living for seniors

programs overvIew

IN BRIEFlIteracy lIves to help socIally eXcludedContinuing Studies is launching a two-year project called literacy lives to improve the literacy and essential skills of adults living in the Downtown Eastside.

Funded with a $765,000 grant from Human resources and Skills Development Canada, the program will take a grassroots approach that creates learning opportunities to fi t people’s real lives. It will integrate literacy and skills training into information materials on the area’s critical health concerns such as HIV/AIDS.

The goal, says Judy Smith, director of the Community Education program, is to improve employment and community involvement. www.sfu.ca/community

lIbrarIan lauded For anImated courseA series of online animated tutorials that teach SFU’s distance education students how to conduct library research has earned SFU librarian Moninder Bubber a “laud a librarian” award from the BC library Association.

Bubber created the series after noting students’ diffi culties in the online Women’s Studies distance course WS102: Introduction to Women’s Issues in Canada.

Bubber and distance education program director Alan Doree developed scripted, animated presentations that could be recorded and included in the course. “Students could then play them at their convenience, which is an important consideration in distance education courses,” says Bubber, “and I could easily update the tutorials when necessary.”

The tutorials are now used in several courses from the Centre for online and Distance Education (CoDE) and are also available to all SFU students through the SFU library website, http://at.sfu.ca/ItHerq. It’s also available on the Academic librarians in Public Service website. www.sfu.ca/code

restoratIve justIce certIFIcate launchesAn online Certifi cate in restorative Justice is now being offered through Management and Professional Programs (MPP) in Continuing Studies. Designed by MPP and the Centre for online and Distance Education (CoDE) with the help of the School of Criminology, this three-course online program introduces a new paradigm of justice.

restorative justice transcends the criminal justice model and instead focuses on processes that redefi ne personal conduct and civil engagement. The roots of restorative justice can be found in Aboriginal healing traditions and in the non-retaliatory responses to violence endorsed by many faith communities.

Students will compare traditional defi nitions of crime that relate to violating the law and its authority, with new defi nitions that view crime as harm and a violation of people and relationships. A similar credit certifi cate in restorative Justice is contemplated in the School of Criminology; it will be composed of six courses. www.sfu.ca/code and www.sfu.ca/mpprog

“sFu now” eXceeds eXpectatIonsThe new SFU noW program that lets working adults maintain their careers while completing a degree during night and weekend classes is exceeding all enrolment expectations.

Program organizers anticipated a 2009 enrolment of 890 students and then scrambled to accommodate 1,279 registrants. As a result, course offerings will increase at the downtown Vancouver and Surrey campuses beginning in May 2010.

“We’re reaching out to students with careers and removing the obstacles to earning a degree,” says neil Mathur, SFU noW director. noW students get priority enrolment, convenient class scheduling and a wide range of academic subjects, courses, and degree completion options. “It’s all about providing access, opportunity, and support to adult learners.” www.sfunow.ca

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A new educational website developed by 7th Floor Media in partnership with the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre demonstrates how events such as the olympics are more than just games.

Using original interviews and historical documents, the website More Than Just Games: Canada and the 1936 Olympics looks at the 1936 olympic games in Berlin—a watershed moment in the rise of nazi germany and Canada’s fi rst serious encounter with Hitler’s totalitarian regime.

The site’s resources, lessons and learning materials give students and teachers of Canadian history an opportunity to explore the issues faced by Canada’s athletes and politicians as they wrestled with the question of whether to participate in the 1936 games.

The website connects these issues with controversies around contemporary events including last summer’s Beijing olympic games and the 2010 olympic Winter games in Vancouver.

“In addition to telling some compelling and little-known Canadian stories, the website encourages critical thinking about Canada’s past and about the ways that people react to controversial situations,” says noni Maté, co-director of Continuing Studies’ 7th Floor Media team.

The website is based on an exhibit currently on display at the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre. The exhibit examines the controversies, achievements and consequences arising from Canada’s participation in the olympics held in nazi germany. www.7thfl oormedia.com

Exploring Olympic controversiesA new educational website developed by 7th Floor Media in partnership with the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre demonstrates how events such as the olympics are more than just games.

website Olympicsa watershed moment in the rise of nazi germany and Canada’s fi rst serious encounter with Hitler’s totalitarian regime.

Exploring Olympic controversies

Continuing Studies’ Seniors Program and the B.C. Ministry of Healthy living and Sport have a new partnership aimed at promoting awareness about programs and services for older adults.

The partnership includes fi nancial support for the program’s latest outreach DVD, A Place for Everyone: Age-friendly Communities, and article and program space on a new Ministry website, www.seniorsBC.ca, where seniors can fi nd information on healthy living.

The DVD, moderated by CBC radio’s Mark Forsythe, is a one-hour roundtable discussion featuring three panelists: architect and urban planner lewis Villegas, City Program director gordon

Price and gerontologist Elaine gallagher. Together they explore three important aspects of age-friendly communities: accessible transportation, affordable housing and public spaces.

“In addition to raising awareness about how to promote age-friendly communities of the future, this video will help planners and policymakers better understand what changes older adults want to see in their future neighbourhoods,” says Julian Benedict, coordinator of the Seniors Program.

The DVD will be distributed free of charge across Canada to over 260 community partner organizations. The Seniors Program and the Ministry will continue to explore other ways they can work together for the benefi t of seniors. www.sfu.ca/seniors

newslettersimon fraser university news y continuing studies y spring 2010

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newsletter simon fraser university news y continuing studies y spring 2010

language program news

Free Ita traInIng attracts a crowdMore than 80 graduate students and teaching assistants who speak English as an additional language registered in this semester’s International Teaching Assistants seminar courses, organized by Continuing Studies. It was the largest intake since the program began in 1992.

The free program, sponsored by the vice-president academic’s office, offers weekly three-hour seminars that integrate communication and teaching activities in a supportive and interactive environment. www.sfu.ca/cstudies/lang/ita

It’s all In the InterpretatIonIn March, trainees in Continuing Studies’ Interpretation and Translation Program (ITP) will be working as volunteer interpreters at the gloBE 2010 conference and expo.

ITP students frequently acquire practical experience at local events with an international focus. last october, trainees served as interpreters at a reception and trade show for the China Engineering and Technology Expo.

The eight-month, full-time diploma program, established in 1985 by the government of Canada and operated by SFU Continuing Studies, has helped hundreds of bilingual students become professional interpreters and translators, and effective intercultural communicators in other chosen professions. Twelve-week certificate programs are also available for speakers of Japanese and Mandarin. www.sfu.ca/cstudies/lang/aip

punjabI youth programs receIve posItIve FeedbacKContinuing Studies’ first summer youth camp in Punjabi language and culture last summer at the Surrey campus was popular enough to initiate an after-school program for youth aged 8–13 that is also receiving good reviews.

“our goal is to provide a useful educational heritage course for the Punjabi community,” explains program director Toshimi ono.

“The children learn language in the context of the crafts, music, dances, movies and games of their culture.”

Children in the language and Culture Program for Youth say they can now speak to their grandparents and that they receive good feedback from their relatives.

The next course runs every Saturday, March 27–June 26, from 2–4 pm. There will also be another summer language and Culture Camp for Youth July 12–23. www.sfu.ca/cstudies/lang

last summer’s sockeye salmon returns were the lowest in over 50 years, and far fewer than expected. The crisis spawned a two-day think tank, organized by SFU Continuing Studies staff last December, to identify the probable causes of the poor returns.

Adapting to Change: Managing Fraser Sockeye in the Face of Declining Productivity and Increasing Uncertainty engaged a diverse group of scientists including academics from SFU, UBC, BCIT and laval and Dalhousie universities.

After two days of discussions, the scientists produced a statement of agreement, noting that the productivity of Fraser river sockeye salmon has been declining for over a decade “to the point to where these fish are almost unable to replace themselves.”

“We believe that the expectations in 2009 were overly optimistic because forecasts did not adequately account for this decreased productivity,” they reported. “We should do a better job of communicating and responding to these large uncertainties and the resulting risks to the stocks.”

They stressed that the trend of declining Fraser river sockeye is not due to fishing and that “management responded appropriately by greatly restricting fishing to maximize the number of fish available for spawning.”

“The weight of evidence suggests that the problem ... occurred after the juvenile fish began their migration toward the sea”, and

“there is a need to increase Canadian research ... on the marine coastal environment.”

given the reduced marine survival of these stocks, and impending threats from climate change, the scientists emphasized that in the short term, even before the federal judicial inquiry is completed (March 2011), “we must be prepared for the need for continued fishery closures and additional precautionary measures such as experimentally removing farmed salmon from sockeye migration routes.”

SFU scientists included randall Peterman, rEM; Patricia gallaugher, Arne Mooers and John reynolds, biological sciences; and rick routledge, statistics and actuarial sciences. Jeff Hutchings, chair of the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada and chair of the royal Society Expert Panel on ocean Climate Change and Marine Biodiversity, also participated.

Scientists ponder poor salmon returns

A follow-up Speaking for the Salmon Dialogue (Summit on Fraser river Sockeye Salmon: Understanding Stock Declines and Prospects for the Future) is scheduled for March 30–31 at the Morris J Wosk Centre for Dialogue. The Centre for Coastal Studies and the faculties of science and environment are hosting the event in partnership with the Pacific Fisheries resource Conservation Council, rivers Institute, BCIT, Pacific Salmon Foundation Salmon Society and Watershed Watch Salmon Society.

The session is open to the public and student subsidies are available. www.sfu.ca/cstudies/science

Former premIer teaches negotIatIon sKIllsIt would be an understatement to say that Tony Penikett knows something about collaborative decision-making and dialogue. The former Yukon premier is an internationally renowned mediator and negotiator whose work has taken him to the eastern Arctic, South America and northern Europe. His most recent assignment was as a facilitator for an eight-nation Arctic governance Project conference in Tromsø, norway.

He also has a long-standing relationship with SFU, teaching in the Public Policy graduate program and the Undergraduate Semester in Dialogue. In 2004 he was a senior Fellow at the Morris J Wosk Centre for Dialogue, where he wrote a groundbreaking book on B.C. treaties entitled Reconciliation: First Nations Treaty Making in British Columbia.

This spring, Penikett brings his negotiation skills to the teaching team for SFU’s Diploma in Dialogue and negotiation.

“We are thrilled to have Tony Penikett on our teaching team to share his knowledge and skills,” says Joanna Ashworth, director of Continuing Studies’ Dialogue Programs. www.sfu.ca/dialogue/study+practice/diploma.html

Making a difference in Southeast Asia

when I grow up When I Grow Up, a documentary film about Jan Walls, founder and director of SFU’s David lam Centre for International Communication, will screen in Vancouver at the reel 2 real International Film Festival for Youth, April 9–16. It premiered at the Toronto reel Asian International Film Festival last november. Directed by Toshimi ono, Program Director for Continuing Studies’ language Programs, the film follows Walls’ life from his childhood in the American Midwest to his career as one of the most respected intercultural communication specialists in Canada.

steppIng stones to lIteracy Aboriginal adults living in remote B.C. communities have little access to programs that can give them the literacy and academic skills they need to succeed in post-secondary education and training.

That’s why Stepping Stones, a new initiative from Continuing Studies’ Community Education Programs (CEP), is developing a new online model for delivering these skills.

“research tells us that most online courses do not meet the needs of Aboriginal learners in rural communities,” explains CEP acting director Judy Smith. “So our approach will be informed by the input, expectations, desires and cultural realities of rural communities who are partnering with us on the project.”

Funded with a $996,771 grant from Human resources and Skills Development Canada, the 24-month Stepping Stones project builds on Continuing Studies’ successful Aboriginal University Prep program (AUPP). “Many Aboriginal people have had negative educational experiences,” says natalie Wood-Wiens, project coordinator. “We’ll create tools that work for various learning styles and the curriculum will combine foundational academic courses while affirming indigenous knowledge.”

The overall goal is to improve Aboriginal people’s access to better jobs or further post-secondary education and training. Project partners include member nations of the lower Stl’atl’imx Tribal Council in B.C.’s interior, the First nations Technology Council, literacy BC, BC Campus and the Stó:lo nation Human resources Development.

Working together, says Smith, presents an excellent opportunity to learn about best practices in designing online or mixed-mode educational material for Aboriginal people in remote communities. www.sfu.ca/community

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Can western universities make a difference to marginalized populations in Southeast Asia?

SFU graduate education student Jillian Chisholm, who spent three weeks in Phnom Penh, Cambodia last summer, says yes.

She went there to witness the accomplishments and local impact of a continuing education centre developed by the Adult Education for Development Project.

Funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), the project is a partnership between SFU and universities in Cambodia, Thailand and laos. Together, they are working to build institutional capacity in these three countries after decades of civil conflict and economic strife.

Chisholm met with a local woman whose ability to improve her impoverished life was limited by funding and the opportunity to further her education as a woman. Her participation in the project completely changed her life.

“I videotaped a series of interviews with her,” says Chisholm. “As a participant in the

project, she earned an MA in education from SFU and is working at the continuing education centre. now, she wants to do her PhD so that she can involve other women in curriculum development in Cambodia.”

Chisholm and other graduate students who traveled to Southeast Asia discussed their experiences at a november ’09 symposium organized by Continuing Studies’ office of International Development.

The Changing Face of Education in S.E. Asia attracted almost 100 participants interested in discussing education issues in the developing world, including adult education and its impact on poverty and on equal access to education.

The students reported on the enormous emotional impact they experienced as they worked and studied amidst the poverty in countries such as Cambodia and laos.

“Since my return to Canada, I have become so much more aware of the challenges facing women in developing countries as well as at home,” says Chisholm. www.sfu.ca/cstudies/international Jillian Chisholm

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4 newslettersimon fraser university news y continuing studies y spring 2010

Thirty-five years ago, distance education courses were delivered using print media and a telephone. Today, online delivery innovations are so exciting that they elicited loud “wows” during celebrations for the Centre for online and Distance Education’s (CoDE) 35th anniversary.

The Continuing Studies event included a showcase of new technologies used in five CoDE courses from various disciplines, including archaeology, biological sciences, fine and performing arts, math and criminology.

“The audience expressed a big “wow” during the biological sciences forest walk,” says Dianne Jamieson-noel, program director. “It presents a virtual tour of the forest from the ground

up to the forest canopy.” The “wows” were for clickable hot spots on the tour that revealed a complete ecosystem and the factors affecting it. other innovations included interactive quizzes, virtual meetings between students and instructors and an audio recording system for music and languages that lets the instructor insert feedback into the recording.

“In fact, participants were so impressed that many said they would think about taking some of the courses,” says Jamieson-noel.

CoDE courses are increasingly popular, she adds. In 2009, CoDE served 16,500 students (about 5,500 per semester) and delivered 270 courses for 20 SFU departments. www.sfu.ca/code

seeks emerging writersIf you’ve ever dreamed of writing the “great Canadian novel”, now is the time. The First Book Competition, organized by The Writer’s Studio in Continuing Studies, is looking for original, book-length manuscripts written in English by emerging Canadian writers who haven’t previously published a book. Vancouver’s Anvil Press will publish the winning manuscript in each of three categories: fiction, creative nonfiction and poetry.

“It’s a first in Canada,” says Betsy Warland, author and director of The Writer’s Studio. “First Book is a dynamic response to the fact that emerging writers from across the country find publishing more and more difficult in the current economy.”

She says it’s also a great fit with The Studio’s and Anvil’s goals of supporting talented emerging writers.

Anvil Press publisher Brian Kaufman agrees. “The First Book Competition will allow three writers with great manuscripts to bypass the slush pile and move to the front of the queue. It’s what the business types like to call a win-win situation.”

The deadline for entries is May 31. Submissions will be judged anonymously and on merit alone. Contest judges are Canadian fiction authors Mark Anthony Jarman and Karen Connelly plus poet and playwright gregory Scofield. www.thewritersstudio.ca

Online courses elicit ‘wows’

You’re invitedcontInuIng studIes publIc lectures and eventsMore info: www.sfu.ca/cstudies(V) Vancouver. (S) Surrey. (B) Burnaby.

March 30–31: Summit on Fraser river Sockeye Salmon: Understanding Stock Decline and Prospects for the Future (V). Fee $200 plus gST.

April 15: Seniors Program Certificate in the liberal Arts awards ceremony (V)

April 15: Video launch: So What is Art for Social Change? (V)April 16: The Writer’s Studio reading Series (Take 5 Café)April 27: Speaking for the Salmon workshop: Closed

Containment Salmon Aquaculture (V)May 3: Cadmium in BC Shellfish: The facts (B)May 3: Info Session — Tour of Wakayama, Japan (V)May 7–8: Spotlight on Pacific Herring: The keystone species in

the Strait of georgia (Parksville, BC). Fee $25.May 13: Career Development Practitioner Info Session (S)May 13: The Writer’s Studio reading Series (rhizome Café)June 5: Info Session — Tour of Wakayama, Japan (V)June 8: English language and Culture Info Session (S)June 10: English language and Culture Info Session (V)June 11: The Writer’s Studio reading Series (Take 5 Café)June 16: Career Development Practitioner Info Session (S)July 9: The Writer’s Studio reading Series (Take 5 Café)September 14: English language and Culture Info Session (S)September 16: English language and Culture Info Session (V)

upcomIng phIlosophers’ caFésFor additional times and venues: www.philosopherscafe.net

March 28: Finding balance (Vancouver)March 30: Building a citizen (Vancouver)April 1: Conspiracies, plots and deceptions (Vancouver)April 7: If women ruled the world, would the men ‘head for the

hills’? (Surrey)April 8: greed is good: The discourse of free markets and

human freedom (Maple ridge)April 10: Darwin’s logic, the human psyche and our

understanding of god (new Westminster)April 13: Wisdom (richmond); Art and power (Vancouver)April 14: Does the fear of death undermine our capacity for

living? (White rock); Therapy: does it work and if it does, who pays? (Burnaby)

April 15: War and victory: russian poetry of the second World War (russian language Café, richmond)

April 16: Water, water everywhere (West Vancouver); grow up and save the planet! (Vancouver)

April 18: We are as happy as we want to be — true or false? (Burnaby)

April 19: Spiritual experiences (Vancouver); The case against democracy (Port Coquitlam)

April 20: Animal rights (north Vancouver)April 21: Sloth (new Westminster)April 25: What are the responsibilities of the rich and powerful?

(Vancouver)April 26: Civilisation en péril? (French language, Vancouver);

Après olympics (Vancouver)April 28: Is science reductionistic? (north Vancouver)May 1: Christianity in the public square: Should Christians be

active in public debates? (new Westminster)May 5: Implications of a new World order (Surrey)May 11: “All you really need to know…” (Vancouver)May 12: Physicians and me (Burnaby); Who rules the world?

(White rock)May 16: Some believe that lucky events in their lives are

attributable to guardian angels (Burnaby)May 17: The purpose and meaning of life (Vancouver)May 18: Miracles (north Vancouver)May 19: What good is guilt? (new Westminster)

doIng busIness In mandarInA new Mandarin-language Certificate in Canadian Business Management Fundamentals is targeting Asian professionals in greater Vancouver.

It’s a large market, says raveen Sanghera, a program director with Continuing Studies’ Management and Professional Programs (MPP).

“According to the 2006 Canadian census, 33 per cent of immigrants to Vancouver are from China.”

The five-course certificate program for Mandarin-speaking professionals begins this spring at the Surrey campus. The courses provide a comprehensive overview of key functional business areas such as marketing, human resources, accounting and business law.

“our goal is to help participants improve their career prospects and enhance their success in their own business endeavours,” says Sanghera.

“It’s all part of SFU’s focus on strengthening our community partnerships and engagement. It also supports SFU’s academic vision to offer a wider range of educational options for mid-career students and new immigrants.”

To promote the program, MPP is working with Sing-Tao newspapers. Calvin Wong, general manager of the Sing Tao Daily, western Canada, says,

“We are very pleased to provide this opportunity for immigrants to learn how to do business in Canada, and to facilitate their integration into the community.” www.sfu.ca/mpprog

continuing studies dean Tom nesbit 778.782.5100 y www.sfu.ca/cstudieseditor Diane luckow

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