After having Jim Beatty for a teacher for two semesters and seeing his passion for Olds College, I felt he was an excellent candidate for the job. He got his job teaching at Olds College by being contacted by the Chair of the School of Business, and asked if he would like to do some contract teaching for a semester.  Although he had returned to the private sector, he missed teaching and so, after a few scheduled negotiations, he started to teach some classes in the Business Admin., Ag Management and Ag degree programs in January of 2010.

It didn’t take him very long to realize that Olds College was a pretty special place. The students were unlike the students he had taught back east –they had a good work ethic, fair language skills, and were genuinely nice people. The management and staff were welcoming and, to put it simply, he felt very comfortable in the environment.

As for what he likes about teaching at Olds College his reply was:

1. The students.  Pardon the expression but the “kids” are great. Overall—a good work ethic, most are anxious to learn and seem to be happy to be here although the student “community” isn’t as homogeneous as I thought it was.
2. The School of Business – “The SOB is relatively new and therefore still developing. I have a 40 year background in community colleges as a student, President of the Student Union, member of a Board of Governors (7 yrs.), part-time and full time faculty member. “He hoped that he could add value to the SOB because of his depth of experience.
3. The college community. It’s not completely perfect here. There’s always room for improvement but, of all the colleges he has been, Olds College is the best managed college he has seen.  But it’s not just the people at the top …the passion and dedication of staff across the college is unlike anything he has witnessed.
4. “Did I say the kids? Oh. Yah. Well….they deserve a second mention.

Jim Beatty has just recently been selected as Program Coordinator, for the Agribusiness program, and when asked if there is something about Olds College that he thinks people should know about? His response was that most people aren’t aware of the incredible scope of the College and how far its reputation extends. It never ceases to amaze him. An example of this is when last summer he was visiting Humber College in Toronto and dropped into the office of the VP Academic. He is a very introspective kind of guy- cool, detached etc. He asked me what I was doing, and when I told him that I was teaching at Olds College, he said, “Olds College …I’ve been there a couple of times. You people are doing some pretty interesting research out there”. I was shocked! Here was the number two guy at the second largest college in Ontario who knew a quite a bit about Olds College.

The college is quietly doing lots of innovative stuff –building partnerships, testing, trying, and adjusting the course of action. But …through it all, there is a very deep caring for the well-being and education of each student.  This is a very special place.

Go talk to Dr. “Bug”, Dr. “A”, the Equine people, Trades people, Neil French in Ag ….. anybody in any school. They will amaze you with their passion and dedication. Olds College is a very small school by almost any measure. But…I have never seen such a ratio of high performing people and the numbers of people who care, really care about education.  It doesn’t get any better than this.

It’s a privilege for him to rub shoulders with all the high calibre staff and students.

Thanks Jim for your Input and Perspective!

Imagine what it would be like to go to bed at night, afraid to close your eyes, in fear that in the morning, they may not open…As a student in the Agricultural Management program, we are exposed to new techniques and principles of agriculture every day.  But sometimes we confine ourselves to thinking that what we learn in class, only applies to the life back on the farm. This is wrong. Principles like crop rotation, fertilizer, irrigation, tilling, etc, will certainly help increase crop production, and add a few extra dollars to the bank.  But do we ever make the connection between agriculture and the health of millions of people? And more importantly, do we ever make the connection between agriculture, and the impact it has on those with HIV?

This is Charles. Charles is 4 years old. He has no brother, no sister, and both his parents died when he was 2. They both died from AIDS.

Charles

Charles is like every other 4 year old in this world; happy, excited for the surprises each day holds for him. Charles dreams of riding a bike and playing football with the older kids. Charles wanders the village with other orphans, looking for activities that will entertain them. This young man is very independent, and very happy.

But what you don’t know, and what Charles doesn’t know either, is he is infected with HIV.  And something else Charles is unaware of, is that he will not live to see his 10^th birthday… This mean’s Charles may never ride a bicycle, or kick a football with the older kids.

HIV – Human Immunodeficiency virus. HIV is a virus that enters your body, targeting specifically your immune system. The virus kills the CD4 cells, a white blood cell that is an essential defense mechanism in the body. When the human is infected with the virus, their CD4 cell count quickly drops, and once it is as low as 200 CD4 cells/per micro-liter of blood, you then are considered to have AIDS. At this point, the human body is so vulnerable to disease, that a common cold could come along and kill the victim.

Now let’s take a look at HIV/AIDS in Senegal.

Senegal is the prostitute capital of Africa, being one of the few countries in Africa where prostitution is still legal. Senegal also happens to be a wealthier country, where polygamy is practiced very heavily. An average man has up to 20 wives, and in some cases, even 40!

If we take a look at Uganda, we noticed that prostitution is illegal. And unlike Senegal, Uganda’s wealth is much lower, where rural villages make up the majority of the country. Therefore, polygamy is not affordable for most citizens, where the average man has 1-3 wives.

Now with these facts, it’s clear that Senegal’s rate of HIV/AIDS would be much higher than Uganda. But it appears to be the exact OPPOSITE! Senegal happens to have the lowest prevalence rate in all of Africa, being at 0.7%. This means that there’s approx 1 out of 150 Senegalese infected with HIV. Over in Uganda, they are experiencing one of the worst prevalence rates in all of Africa, being at 20% in the rural villages of Uganda (the majority of Uganda is made up of rural villages). This means 1 out of 5 Ugandans are infected with this deadly virus.

How does this happen? The prostitute capital of Africa has the lowest rate of HIV?

Harold Foster, a geologist, asked the exact same question. Traditionally, our society would look to the body for the answer. But as a geologist, Harold Foster looked in their environment, and found that Senegal happens to have the highest rate of Selenium in their soils, in the entire world! Whereas over in Uganda, their soils are deficient in Selenium. Something to note, is that when you are infected with this virus, the first thing that occurs in your body, is you become selenium deficient.

Something we (and by we, I mean YOU) often overlook is the impact our soils have on people’s health.  Instead of just producing products like meat, dairy, and produce, we are also producing “medicine”.  If there are no nutrients in your soil, then I can guarantee you that there are NO nutrients in your produce. This is an issue in Uganda, where their soils are so heavily deficient in nutrients, that the cause for such a high rate of HIV/AIDS, can be traced back to the dirt they trod on.

Charles will never get a chance to attend school, and understand the things we learn in classroom everyday. You don’t need a Ph.D in medicine to make an impact in developing countries.

I had the privilege of interviewing Rebecca, a first year student in the Land and Water program majoring in Land Reclamation. She enjoys learning about the environments complexity and the different compositions of it.

For students who wish to continue their education after attending Olds they can register for the Bachelor of Applied Science at Olds College or any other program of that nature at a variety of other institutions across the province.   Career opportunities stemming from these educational experiences include conservation group coordinator, water quality technician, land reclamation technician, environmental consultant, agricultural fieldsman, and environmental technician to name a few.

If students are unsure of any of the material delivered in the class room there are a variety of books available in the library as well as many highly trained staff with years of experience in the industry.  If you require any assistance finding anything in the library or on a website there are many skilled librarians who are ready and happy to assist you.

Rebecca recommends that students go into the program with an open mind as it will help you pick up on all of the important concepts and get the best learning experience possible.

Agricultural Management Program

One of the diploma’s that is offered at Old’s College is the Agricultural Management program. As a 1^st year student enrolled into this program, I can share some insight on some of the courses, experiences, and trips that the student should expect.

The agricultural program was designed to give the student a very general understanding of the different sectors of farming for their first year of studies.

• The first semester will include an agronomy, livestock, accounting, business, and communications class for the first semester.

• The second semester includes a marketing course, mechanics, bioprocessing, agricultural management principles (economics), and an agricultural technology course.

The student will walk away with a broad and general understanding of these practices, before specializing in a major the second year. Depending on the students desired choice of major, will determine the courses they will be enrolled in.

This program has been designed to educate students from various different agriculture backgrounds; dairy farmers, crop farmers, livestock farmers, and students who haven’t had the opportunity to work on one, yet desire to. With a mix of backgrounds squished into a classroom, the learning experience is amazing! Because every student’s farm back home is ran differently, methods and strategies are contributed not only from the professors, but the students as well.

All in all, the agricultural management program offered at Old’s College is a profitable investment for any future farmer who wishes to contribute to the success of their farm.

George Canyon came and did a live performance here at Olds College on September 29^th. He was accompanied by four of his band players and was just absolutely amazing. George, originally from Nova Scotia, now lives here in Alberta. He spends most of his time when he’s not touring on his ranch with his wife and two children. After being at the concert for only a little, it was obvious that George is a family man.  He is also a pilot and fly’s his own plane for fun.

George really got the crowd going with his music. Personally I’ve never been to a concert this small, but I think it’s better because it’s more real. He came out and shook everyone’s hand, took a little girl on stage, and even helped a girl with Down syndrome onto the stage to sing with! I think that’s why he enjoys coming to these small towns, because he gets a chance to connect with the crowd. George has fans from every age. There were lots of seniors that came to enjoy the concert, along with the college audience of course, but also little guys and gals. George even played a song from his new children’s album not yet released.  Something else he told us is that he just finished shooting a movie that will be released in 2013. Overall, the concert was a great experience. Getting to meet someone as famous as George Canyon was amazing. At the end of the night he came out for an encore and wowed the crowd! It was unfortunate he didn’t come out after for some autographs and pictures, but I still managed to get some autographs from the rest of the band. This was defiantly one of my best memories made here at Olds College thus far.

By: Bea de Jong

Living in residence is a great way to meet new people, especially if you are from out of province.  It is also convenient because you are close to all of your classes and there is a meal plan provided in the cafeteria so you don’t need to buy groceries.  If you do need to buy anything though, there are places within 10-15 minutes walking distance from the school.

 There are also various activities going on in residence, such as minute-to-win-it, various sporting events in the gym and so on.  These activities are a fun way of getting together with friends, or meeting new ones.  There is also a large common area  where students can go to work on projects, or hang out with friends.  There are also common areas located on each of the floors so students can get together and watch movies or hang out.  These are a few of the many things that residence has to create a  community like atmosphere for the students.

Hi everyone. I’m a first year student in the Business Admin program, and I chose Olds College based on athletics. Not just any athletics team but the rodeo team. Later on, after being admitted did I realize how truly awesome and different this college is. 

But first of all, Olds College has an amazing rodeo program in place that allows students to gain college credit through attending practices, class room time once a month, and seminars put on  for rodeo students. It’s not just for students that have been rodeoing all there lives but for beginners with or without a horse. The rodeo program has coaches that dedicate their own personal time to helping us every night at practices. For the students without a horse, they still can attend practices but just learn from the ground and by watching. The Olds College rodeo team also puts on three rodeos a year, and the students are a big part of planning it . Not all of the students are in the Canadian Intercollegiate  Rodeo Association but some do compete in it.

This summer well I was in Wyoming I had a change of plans in what program I wanted to take, and student recruitment really helped me figure out what I wanted to be when I ” grow up” and transferred everything over for me. This school is the school that went the extra mile to help me know that I was making the right choices, and they made everything very stress free for me .

Jen

One of my biggest worries coming to Olds College was will I make friends? And will I be able to do well in school… I have found with being part of the college rodeo club and also a student ambassador I have helped both of these worries. I think there are lots of benefits with being involved with extracurricular activities; some of them are making friends!

Being in a club or group of people with the same interests then you are for sure going to make friends. Participating in extracurricular activities also looks awesome on resumes; it shows employers that you’re responsible, motivated and work well with others. Being a Student Ambassador is a great way to build my resume and they also offer a bursary. Joining a sports team is also a great way to get in shape, and beat the freshman fifteen.

At Olds College there are a lot of interest clubs to pick, and also study groups by program. They can be found at http://www.oldscollege.ca/OCSA/clubs.htm . There are also sports teams that are competitive and intramural sports, they are found at http://calendar.oldscollege.ca/content.php?catoid=9&navoid=139  and http://www.gobroncos.ca/index.php/campus-rec  . Being involved in an extracurricular activity is a great way to get rid of stress, build self-esteem, and learn time management. It’s been proven in studies that students that are involved in something other than just focusing on school, do better academically.

Coming from a small town in Ontario, Alberta has really been an eye opener for me. I really enjoy seeing those beautiful mountains everyday and the blue sky’s that come with them. My first weekend in Alberta I couldn’t wait any longer to dive right into the mountains and this is why I went to Banff. Banff was probably one of the most amazing places I have ever been to. We spent the weekend hiking through mountains and doing some shopping in the beautiful town itself. It’s amazing to see that people from all over the world come there to visit.

Of course this was back in September when we were spoiled with a month of record high temperatures for that time of year. Everywhere we went people kept saying “oh you just wait and see, it will get cold out”. And all I could think was ‘ya,  ok, you people have been saying that for months now so I’ll believe it when I see it’.
And finally after being here for over four months now the weather has turned cold. I don’t think I’ve ever seen my thermometer at home say -40 degrees, without winchill, for a complete week straight.
The thing I’ve learned to appreciate most while being out here is that the sun comes out almost everyday. Even though it might be -40 the sun still shines and the sky is still blue so I really can’t complain.

So far going to a school in a western province has been a lot of fun. I’ve been able to do a lot of neat things. I’ve been to the CFR weekend and seen the cowboys perform along with watching Blake Shelton live in concert. I’ve also had the opportunity to meet George Canyon right here at Olds College, shop in one of the biggest malls in the world and meet a lot of fun people. The friendly attitude of the people out here is also something that’s really impressed me a lot. People just seem to have more time to stop and talk to you then the people at home. They are just a lot more welcoming and want to hear your story. There are still a few things I hope to be able to do while out here in Alberta, but so far it’s been a blast.

Bea D.

I believe that teamwork should be something that students are passionate about.  Students should feel that they are in-control of their learning and have every opportunity to make their experience positive and amazing.  At Olds College (OC), the instructors are receptive to this and assist students in their learning.  Just like learning, teamwork should be a life-long commitment.

As a homeschooler, I didn’t have the opportunities to work in teams for projects so I had quite an adjustment when required to work in a group.  It wasn’t the social aspect of it, but rather the “working with strangers” part.  Now, at OC, many instructors are asking for team (group) projects.  As a business student, it is important for me to recognize that I am entering a career where most projects will be team based – not individual.  By having to work in teams it offers a chance to work with people that have differing personalities.  Our skills are enhanced because we are introduced to different studying styles, work ethics and many other key elements to create a successful education.  Working in teams means that we are accountable to each other to ensure that we are paid, or in our case, receive satisfactory grades.  Teamwork should ensure quality for our careers.

Some instructors like us to pick our own groups and some like to assign groups.  Though the latter may seem like a frustrating assignment at first, it does get better.  Everyone just needs to remember to listen to everyone’s opinions – teammates have different skills!  You cannot work with your best friend every day at work (unless you both choose the exact same career path), so our instructors are doing us a favor.  One clear benefit that can be found from teamwork is brainstorming; many ideas all at once which can help create an “A” winning project.  Let’s think about the game of tug-rope.  You wouldn’t put someone as little as me as the anchor right?  Perhaps my skills can be placed somewhere else though!  Teamwork should be a positive element to our education.

By coming to Olds College, I have had the chance to explore great teams, good teams, and mediocre teams.  They were moments for me to know that this is how it will be in “real life”.  Sometimes the teams won’t be perfect – but the lessons learned from it were amazing.   Olds College, School of Business, has, in my opinion, fully developed a way for us to learn how to work in a teamwork environment and how to rely on each other rather than our instructors.  I am committed to teamwork in education; it will help prepare us for the real thing.