1. The Canadian Association of
Physicists (CAP) recently
announced the recipients of
their 2010 Excellence in
Teaching awards at the high-
school and CEGEP levels.
Among the honourees was
John Abbott College’s very
own Nathaniel Lasry of the
Physics Department, who took
the award for the Québec/
Nunavut region. Nathaniel will
be presented with a medal
during the 2010 CAP Congress
at the University of Toronto on
Thursday, June 10, 2010. He is
the first recipient of this award
for the region of Québec.
When asked how he felt about
receiving this award, Nathaniel
had this to say: “It feels great,
I strongly recommend it! It
gives me courage to take on
future endeavours which just
keep on getting more interest-
ing with time.”
Part of the Abbott team since
the fall of 2000, Nathaniel has
been praised for using and
promoting innovative peda-
gogical tools in teaching
physics in Québec and even
beyond. His unsurpassed
involvement in all things Physics-
related, on and off campus has
made him the perfect candi-
date for this award. Nathaniel
is also the founding president
of the Quebec Association of
Physics Teachers, a shining
example of his dedication to
the field.
Along with an affinity for
physics, Nathaniel is also pas-
sionate about education and
even received his PhD in
Educational Psychology in
2006 from McGill University.
Since then, he has been work-
ing on developing tools to
promote student-centered
active-learning such as
Problem Based Learning and
Peer Instruction developed by
Eric Mazur at Harvard. In addi-
tion to authoring a book titled
“Understanding Authentic
Learning”, Nathaniel also
developed the first online
Problem-Based Learning
resource for college physics
(www.ccdmd.qc.ca/en/pbl) in
French and English, a site cur-
rently used by teachers in 6
continents and indexed by the
comPADRE digital library, The
Physics Front and The Physics
Source portals. Nathaniel con-
tinues to work on Problem
Based Learning and collabo-
rate with the Mazur group at
Harvard.
Beyond his quest to revolu-
tionize the way we look at edu-
cation, Nathaniel continues to
bring everyday physics to the
public; teaching the magic of
physics through the physics of
magic and opening the eyes of
those that thought that physics
only existed in classrooms and
labs. When describing Nathaniel,
the CAP said that “His passion
shines through his presenta-
tions, his teaching and his
interactions with teachers and
students”, adding “He is an
exemplary physics teacher and
physics educators and he con-
tinues making a profound dif-
ference in the lives of his stu-
dents and colleagues.”
The Canadian Association of
Physicists is a professional
association representing over
1600 individual physicists and
physics students in Canada,
the U.S. and overseas, as well
as a number of Corporate,
Institutional, and Departmental
Members. The CAP Award for
Excellence in Teaching High
School/CEGEP Physics, which
is being introduced in 2010, is
intended to recognize excel-
lence in teaching physics in
Canadian high schools or
CEGEPs and to encourage and
promote physics at the high
school/CEGEP level in Canada. ■
MAY 2010
VOLUME 12 5
UPDATE
Abbott Please email articles in
MS-Word format to
communications@johnabbott.qc.ca
or provide on USB flash drive
to the Communications Office, SH-033
The next edition of the Abbott Update will
be published JUNE 2010.
AAbbbbootttt UUppddaattee 11 MMaayy 22001100
THANK YOU
to our article and picture contributors:
Produced by: John Abbott College Press
JAC TEACHER RECEIVES TEACHING
AWARD FROM THE CANADIAN
ASSOCIATION OF PHYSICISTS
by JAC Communications
Nathaniel Lasry
Picture courtesy of
Nathaniel Lasry
Picture courtesy of
Nathaniel Lasry
JAC Communications
Anna Woodrow
Neil Briffet
Lisa Mercier
Jill Gowdey
Nathaniel Lasry
Josiane Farand
Lyne DePalma
Susan Ajersch
Steve Shaw
Mike Green
Patrice Lemieux

2. Article by JAC Communications
Please join us in congratulating the students who made the
Dean’s List for the Winter 2009 semester. This merit went to the
top 36 students in the College who have completed all their
required classes for a given semester. These students, whose note-
worthy efforts will undoubtedly gain them some well deserved
recognition, went the extra mile to obtain outstanding academic
results and will be immortalized among the top students in John
Abbott history. ■
Congratulations!
Abbott Update 2 May 2010
DEAN’S LIST WINTER 2009 Back Row : Amanda Hakala, Michael Leung , Stefan Tihanyi ,
Ryan Patton, Marcel Tomaszewski, Benoit
Landry, André Lagarde, Ryan Clyde, Keven
Joyal-Demarais, Christopher Carpini, Cameron
Desrochers, Patrick Moynihan, James-Jesse
Plamondon-Willard, Devin Wood
Middle Row : Charlotte Bate, Antonio Rossi, Jonathan Spring,
Katherine Quinn , Alexandre Jiang , Marian
Deldelian, Rachel Dionne , Emilie Bougie-
Richardson, Steven Chen, Jan-Oluf Jensen,
Erin Benderoff, Jan Ramon Aquino, Alexandre
Kerametlian
Front Row: Janet McMillan, Andrew Francis, Alexander
McGarry, Mélisa Tullio, Erich Schmedt, Rebecca
Adel, Katherine Wallace, Hayley Toivanen,
Qing-Qing Yang
Missing: Nicolas Daignault
Picture by Josiane Farand
HATS OFF TO TWO JAC STUDENTS!
By JAC Communications
Congratulations to Pre-Hospital Emergency Care students
Christine Waller and Félicia Hastie, who were among the 20
women of this region honoured in the Hats Off to You! contest.
Organized by the Ministry of Education, Leisure and Sports, this
contest recognizes the efforts of women the choose a non-tradi-
tional career path.
Christine Waller and Félicia Hastie are both mature students with
a passion for helping others. They belong to the first PHEC cohort
and have ranked among the top of their class since their first
semester. ■
Christine Waller (left) and Félicia Hastie (right)
with Dean of Technologies Margaret Leech
Photo by Lyne DePalma

3. Congratulations to the John
Abbott College winners of
Le Regroupement des fonda-
tions collégiales de Montréal
(RFCM) Scholarships for the
Next Generation: Success
Starts Here awards: Steven
Chen, Kim Laflamme and
Gholamreza Maddahia.
RFCM is an association of the
Foundations of the 12 Greater
Montreal CEGEPs. These
Foundations support and
encourage students in their
quest for excellence by award-
ing scholarships and providing
financial support for various
extracurricular projects.
This past February, RFCM
launched a large competition
inviting all eligible students
from the 12 on-island CEGEPs
to apply for the scholarships
valued at $1000 each, with
three awarded to each CEGEP.
Thirty-six (36) students were
chosen by a jury, composed of
representatives from the
CEGEPs and TD Canada Trust,
the principal sponsor of the
event, to receive a scholarship
to support their studies in a pre-
university, career/technical or
Continuing Education program.
On Wednesday, April 28,
award recipients were recog-
nized at a gala ceremony with
over 400 guests, representing
a wide range of industries from
the greater Montreal area.
Recipients were matched with
a company related to their
field of study and were seated
with them for the evening.
A veritable window on the
emerging talents of our youth,
the gala awards ceremony
demonstrated the value of a
post-secondary education,
while recognizing the efforts of
the industries to engage the
next generation. ■
Congratulations
once again to all
of our winners!
Abbott Update 3 May 2010
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE WINNERS OF
THE SUCCESS STARTS HERE SCHOLARSHIP
by Lisa Mercier – JAC Foundation
Anthony Haddad (Student Success) and Peter Thomson (Academic Advising) with bursary recipients Kathryn Borbridge
and Camille Wyllie
The John Abbott College
Professionals Association
(JACPA) is extremely proud to
announce the recipients of this
year’s JACPA Bursary Program:
Melissa Cochrane, Camille
Wyllie, Sheena Jones and
Kathryn Borbridge.
For over thirty years, JACPA,
with strong encouragement from
its membership, has promoted
this bursary; and, much like our
annual Christmas fund donation
in support of needy students,
this is a voluntary initiative.
It should also be noted that in
response to the current economy
and the accompanying financial
pressures placed on students,
JACPA has increased its contri-
bution from last year’s $1500 to
$2000 with four bursaries of
$500 awarded this year. ■
JACPA BURSARY
PROGRAM
by Neil Briffet
Photo by JAC Communications
Photo by JAC Communications
Left to right: Lucie Fournier
(JAC Foundation), Gholamreza Maddahia,
Steven Chen, Kim Laflamme and
Erich Schmedt (Academic Dean)

4. Abbott Update 4 May 2010
The 19th
Annual Multicultural
Week took place March 29 -
April 1. “World in Motion” was
lots of fun and generated tons
of energy. The week started
with a traditional “Cabane a
Sucre” with the Casgrain
Centre’s Andre Marceau boiling
up sweet maple syrup and serv-
ing it on snow.
On Tuesday and Wednesday
over 200 students, faculty and
staff members organized
booths representing cultures
from Austria, China, First
Nations, Germany, Haiti, India,
Indonesia, Ireland, Lebanon,
Mexico, Pakistan, Palestine,
Quebec, Scotland, Sri Lanka
and Vietnam. The crowd was
also entertained by Indonesian
Dancers, a Belly Dancer and an
Irish Dancer. Students from
India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Haiti
and the Middle East performed
dances from their countries
throughout the two days.
The excitement continued on
Thursday with a Multicultural
Cake Cutting Ceremony fol-
lowed by toe-tapping French
Canadian music and dance,
and body percussion from
three members of La Bottine
Souriante. Sandy Silva, Benoit
Bourque and David Belanger
played their music and danced
their jigs but also educated the
audience on the history of
music and dance in Quebec.
Another educational aspect
was added to the week this year.
A student on the Organizing
Committee put together a quiz
for students to complete, in
which all the answers could be
found at the booths.
An estimated 1500 students,
faculty and staff members
enjoyed the sights, sounds and
tastes of the “World in Motion”.
Hopefully everyone learned
something new and gained a
little more understanding of the
cultures around them. ■
MULTICULTURAL WEEK 2010
“WORLD IN MOTION”
Article by Jill Gowdey, pictures by JAC Communications

5. Abbott Update 5 May 2010

6. Last Wednesday, the Sports
and Recreation Department
held its 36th
annual awards
night in front of a record atten-
dance at the Casgrain Theatre.
The awards night is the culmi-
nation of the Islander activities
and brings together all of our
intercollegiate athletes, coach-
es and support staff, to recog-
nize the student-athletes who
excelled throughout the sea-
son. Overall, the past season
for the Islanders was a good
one. Among the noted accom-
plishments: 2 teams complet-
ed a perfect regular season
(men’s lacrosse and the swim
team), the men’s rugby team
won their 16th
straight league
championship, the tennis team
won the league championship,
the swim team won all eight
league banners, en route to
capturing a second straight
provincial championship, the
lacrosse, flag football, swim
team and men’s rugby won the
Sportsmanship banner for their
respective leagues.
Numerous student-athletes
were also recognized by their
peers as league all-stars at the
regional, provincial and nation-
al level. Among the most nota-
bles, Dominque Bujold, from
the women’s soccer team, was
selected on the CCAA All-
Canadian team and on SIRC
CCAA Academic All-Canadian
team respectively.
On the academic side, the
men’s soccer team and the
cross-country running team
were crowned Most Improved
Academic Team and Best
Academic Team respectively.
Alexandre Jiang (swim team),
André Lagarde (baseball team)
and Benoit Landry (cross-coun-
try running team), were also
recognized as best student-
athletes with an average of
over 93%.
Lastly, the Doctor (Doc) Al
Légaré Memorial Community
Service Award, in memory of
“The Doc”, a longtime and
true Islander, was presented to
the men’s volleyball team for
their overall involvement with-
in the community. ■
Abbott Update 6 May 2010
ABBOTT HONOURS ITS STUDENT-ATHLETES
By Steve Shaw and Patrice Lemieux, pictures by Mike Green.
Graduating student-athletes with an 80% + average
Jeff Mills Award Recipient (Highest award): Scott Pemberton with Director General
Ginette Sheehy and last year’s recipient Meghan Wood
Emcees Brianna Miller (rugby)
and Jimmy Mellos (swim team)

7. Abbott Update 7 May 2010

8. The past two years have
been full of change not
only in our college programs,
departments, and classrooms,
but also in our secondary
schools, with the final imple-
mentation of the reforms of
the Quebec Education
Program (QEP). In fall 2009 a
few Pathways teachers
received a 5.2 release to con-
sider what changes were tak-
ing place at the secondary
level. Their work produced a
report and a series of recom-
mendations, the most impor-
tant being, that we share what
we learned with the rest of the
college. For this reason, we
organized the weekend
Pathways Retreat workshop in
April 2010.
At the Pathways Retreat
forty-six participants from
across the college including
faculty and administrators,
assembled in the Eastern
Townships to meet with sec-
ondary school teachers and
consultants. We explored their
expectations and concerns
about the first group of the
QEP reform students who will
enter John Abbott College
next fall.
SSoo wwhhaatt iiss PPaatthhwwaayyss aannyywwaayy??
Pathways Programs are the
entry programs at the college
to help students get the cours-
es, the skills and the confi-
dence they need to gain
access to their program of
choice. Pathways provides
many make-up courses to stu-
dents who have graduated
from high school without the
required prerequisites for a
program of choice, or to those
who passed the required
course but did not achieve
above 70, as needed, for pro-
gram entry. In addition,
Pathways students must take
and pass either a Learning
Techniques or Career
Explorations course. These
courses encourage students to
develop skills that help them
to be more successful in their
college studies and in the
workplace. They also afford
students an opportunity to
explore career options so that
they can make better program
choices.
WWhhaatt ttooppiiccss wweerree ccoovveerreedd??
A general overview of the
approach of the reform itself
was provided, and secondary
school experts provided a
snapshot of: 1) the student
learning profile and of the
level of preparation; 2) an
exploration of how the reforms
have been implemented
across different schools and
school boards; and 3) how this
next group of students will
have not only learned different
things, but learned things dif-
ferently.
WWhhaatt wwaass lleeaarrnneedd aatt tthhee
RReettrreeaatt??
Those who attended provid-
ed us with a great deal of feed-
back and agreed that the QEP
reform is complex in its design
and application. Participants,
in the feedback they provided
to us, were surprised about:
• the challenging level of the
tasks that high school stu-
dent face;
• the importance of rubrics
and the nuances of the eval-
uation criteria;
• the difference between and
the format of a Learning
Evaluation Situation (LES)
and an Evaluation Situation
(ES);
• how learning now focuses
less on the answer, and more
on the process;
Abbott Update 8 May 2010
CHANGE IS UPON US:
UNDERSTANDING THE IMPLICATIONS OF THE SECONDARY SCHOOL REFORM.
Article and pictures by Anna Woodrow, pictures courtesy of Susan Ajersch

9. • the scope of the change in
students learning styles and
expectations;
• how students no longer write
multiple choice tests or
exams;
• how the math courses have
been restructured; and,
• that lecturing is being
replaced with classroom
activities.
WWhhaatt ddiidd tthheeyy lleeaavvee wwaannttiinngg
ttoo kknnooww mmoorree aabboouutt??
• The role will we now need to
play in helping our students
to succeed.
• How classroom manage-
ment/decorum has changed?
• How we can better prepare
to evaluate this next group
of students?
• The changing profile of the
new ‘Generation Z’ students.
• How we can make better use
of technology to reach the
next generation?
• Evaluation rubrics, cross-
curriculum competencies and
Broad Areas of Learning.
• How to apply LES and/or ES
to all fields, programs and/or
disciplines?
• Concrete examples and
activities that will be useful in
every classroom.
• How the math courses feed
into the different programs
at JAC?
• How the QEP reform ties in
with the best practices at
CEGEP?
• If it is possible for non-
Pathways students to be per-
mitted to enrol in Learning
Techniques or Career
Explorations.
WWhhaatt iiss nneexxtt??
We were very pleased with
the level of engagement and
commitment of all of the par-
ticipants but we also recognize
that we have only scratched
the surface of information
available to us now. Much of
our early attention to the QEP
has been paid to the direct
changes occurring in second-
ary math and science courses,
however, we have are aware of
the greater need to extend this
discussion to all sectors of the
college.
On MMaayy 1199,, 22001100,, iinn PP220044,, aatt
99::0000 aamm,, there will be a work-
shop held on campus to
address questions raised at the
Pathways Retreat. Noel Burke,
Dean of Concordia University’s
School of Extended Learning,
will provide an overview of the
changes in the Quebec
Education Program. In addi-
tion, panels of our own teach-
ers and current secondary
school teachers, as well as our
own students and future stu-
dents, will inform us about
their personal observations,
experiences and expectations.
The college will be continu-
ing to support further peda-
gogical development on the
topics covered at the retreat,
but in the meantime, you can
join the portal community
“Pathways Retreat April 2010”
(found under the events cate-
gory), to gather more informa-
tion about this next group of
students. That is also where
you will find the answers to the
QEP crossword! Alternately
you can chat directly with one
of the attendees (listed on the
side of this page), or contact
myself (Anna Woodrow, HPR),
Phoebe Jackson or Karim
Jaffer (Physics), and/or Sean
Rashad Hughes (Chemistry),
who will be continuing this
work as the next Pathways
Coordinator in fall 2010. ■
Abbott Update 9 May 2010
This year’s attendees:
Susan Ajersch
Amélie Bérubé
Suzanne Black
Robert Boyes
Murray Bronet
John Buskard
Nancy Carosiello
Ronnie Dorsnie
Michael Dugdale
Paola Esposito
Larry Fagan
Christine Fambely
Sergio Fratarcangeli
Daniel Gatien
Linda Gelston
Lynda Giguere
Michal Goren
Grell Grant
Anthony Haddad
Jane Hannah
Linda Hougan
Sean Huges
Phoebe Jackson
Christine Jacobs
Cheryl Jenkins
Gary Johnson
Louise Legault
Rick Masters
Tom McKendy
Peggy Miller
Janet Morrison
Sharon Naraine
Tania Peres
Joanne Ross
Sharon Rozen Aspler
Sonia Savvidis
Erich Schmedt
Roberta Silerova
Richard Squire
Steven Strudensky
Jan Szumski
Nancy Thompson
Margaret Waller
Brian Watts
Alan Weiss
Anna Woodrow

10. Abbott Update 10 May 2010
by Phoebe Jackson

11. BUDGET AND STAFFING
PROCESS – 2010-2011
The directors met off campus on March 16
to analyze and prioritize the budget and
staffing requests from all services.
Pending financing from the MELS, the
requests will be presented at the June
Board meeting.
MEETINGS WITH MANAGEMENT
The Director General’s office has launched a
series of “Coffee and Talk” sessions with
the members of the Management
Association. GGiinneettttee SShheeeehhyy meets with
small groups of managers to discuss the val-
ues that the College should promote and to
get the managers’ opinions on the organi-
zational structure and its effectiveness.
CRISIS MANAGEMENT AND
SUSTAINABILITY
Work on the College’s Crisis Management
Plan is under way with the start of a risk
assessment analysis. A questionnaire on
risk assessment is being developed in col-
laboration with the ITS department and
will be distributed to a cross-section of the
College community in the weeks to come.
The information gained from this survey
will help prioritize further work on the plan.
Positive links have been formed with our
closest neighbours at Macdonald College
and we will be benefitting from their input
on shared matters.
Concurrently, the Health and Safety
Committee has worked collaboratively
since September to establish its mandate
and to draft a reporting structure, enabling
issues and problems relating to health and
safety to be addressed. Future work
involves the creation of a Health and
Safety Community page on My JAC Portal.
On the green side of things, the
Sustainability Committee has been meet-
ing regularly since September and bi-
monthly since the start of the Winter
semester, tackling a wide variety of issues
such as public transportation, energy con-
servation, composting and recycling. Of
note, the Committee organized a field trip
to a net-zero energy house building site in
Hudson during the March break and
organized activities around the “Bottled
Water Free Day” campaign on March 11.
To mark the end of the first year of our
recycling program, a survey of the College
community was conducted to gain a meas-
ure of understanding of current practices
and perceptions involving recycling on
campus. Over the next few weeks, the
Sustainability Committee will sift through
over 3800 responses in order to be able to
suggest and make improvements to this
much valued service.
APPLICATIONS FOR FALL 2010
Round one applications for Fall 2010 are
up by 7.2% in comparison to Fall 2009
(3744 F09 vs. 4015 F10). It is encouraging
to see significant application increases in
3-year career programs such as: Dental
Hygiene (82 F09 vs. 114 F10 33%), Nursing
(134 F09 vs. 189 F10 41%), Pre-Hospital
Emergency Care (49 F09 vs. 96 F10 96%),
Youth and Adult Correctional Intervention
(104 F09 vs. 96 F10 49%), Information &
Library Technologies (26 F09 vs. 36 F10
36%), Publication Design & Hypermedia
Technology (62 F09 vs. 77 F10 24%),
Computer Science (61 F09 vs. 80 F10
31%), and Professional Theatre – Acting
(40 F09 vs. 64 F10 60%). Consequently,
very little space is available in Round two
in technology programs.
Early acceptances were mailed during the
week of March 9 and the remainder during
the week of March 29. For the first time,
we will be sending a supplementary letter
to students who were not admitted to the
College. The JAC letter will be sent con-
currently with the SRAM notice of refusal
(invitation to participate in Round two) to
provide additional information regarding
our current increase in returning student
enrolment and success rate as well as
options for students who we may not be
able to accommodate during the day in
Fall 2010.
SUMMER SCHOOL ONLINE
REGISTRATION
The Registrar’s Office will be piloting
online summer school registration for stu-
dents who are currently enrolled at the
College in the Winter 2010 semester.
Information regarding the new procedure
is on the JAC website and registration will
be done using the Omnivox Course
Registration module. This process will
eliminate the need for students to miss
valuable class time lining up to obtain a
summer appointment time at the end of
the semester.
RÉGIME 4
MELS has introduced a new régime for stu-
dents entering CEGEP as of Fall 2010.
This involves the changing of all General
Education course content and course num-
bers (English, Humanities, French, Physical
Education and Complementary courses).
This régime also includes changing mise-à-
niveau course numbers for English, French,
Math, Chemistry and Physics.
DEAN’S LIST RECEPTION
The Dean’s List reception for the Fall 2009
semester took place on Thursday, March 18.
The event which usually honours the top
25 students in the College for a particular
semester was expanded and had 36 recip-
ients. The first floor of our beautiful Library
was host to a very upbeat event which
brought students, faculty, staff, administra-
tion and family together to celebrate not
only academic excellence but also recog-
nition of support. Kudos to our students
as well as the faculty and staff members
that helped them reach such heights.
CENTRE COLLÉGIAL DE
DÉVELOPPEMENT DE MATÉRIEL
DIDACTIQUE (CCDMD)
On Thursday, February 18, John Abbott
hosted the product launch of “Sonic
Truths: Popular Music and Knowledge”, an
interactive DVD-ROM for use in Creative
BOARD OF GOVERNORS
APRIL 13, 2010
R E P O R T
Operational
AAbbbbootttt UUppddaattee 1111 AApprriill 22001100

12. Arts Literature and Languages, Humanities,
Liberal Arts, and Social Science courses.
The DVD-ROM was created by RRooggeerr
HHaauugghheeyy (Humanities/Philosophy/Religion
department), and funded by the CCDMD.
The launch featured remarks by Academic
Dean EErriicchh SScchhmmeeddtt,, BBeerrnnaarrdd DDiioonnnnee and
VVeerroonniiccaa GGiillll of the CCDMD, which were
followed by a demonstration of the DVD-
ROM by the author. The project features
written texts, videos, still images, and
sound recordings arranged to be used as a
stand-alone course in popular music and
society, or as a resource for integrating
popular music into CEGEP courses. The
launch ended with a musical performance
by CCrraaiigg MMoorrrriissoonn,, PPaatt LLooiisseellllee and RRooggeerr
HHaauugghheeyy, which featured several songs
from the DVD-ROM.
COMMISSION D’ÉVALUATION DE
L’ENSEIGNEMENT COLLÉGIAL
(CEEC)
Dean of Arts and General Education TToomm
MMccKKeennddyy recently spent three days at
Vanier College as a member of the visiting
committee of the CEEC. He also took
part in the training for the Commission’s
upcoming visits to examine the implemen-
tation of the strategic plans that each col-
lege has been required to submit.
THEATRE DEPARTMENT
Two Faculty members from the Theatre
department, CChhrriiss BBrroowwnn and CCaarroollyynn
MMuurrddoocchh were runners-up for the
“Distinction Award” at the Montreal
English Critics Circle Awards (MECCA)
ceremony presented at Théâtre Ste-
Catherine on Monday, March 8, 2010.
LIBRARY MEDIA SERVICES
During the study break (March 1-5, 2010),
12 computers were added to the Library
main floor computer area, resulting in a
total of 24 computer workstations. This is a
100% increase of access to workstations for
the students. This project was achieved with
the collaboration of the Academic Dean
and ITS. New desks, designed to match
the existing furniture, were ordered and
delivered in February. These new worksta-
tions required additional electrical capacity
which was installed in the first week of
March. Students now have a shorter wait
time to access computers on the main floor.
RENOVATION COMMITTEE
The Renovation Committee has selected
three rooms to be renovated as soon as
this summer: HO-103, HO-203 and
H-230. One of the rooms is used by
English and Humanities, the second is
used by Psychology and the third by
Mathematics. These rooms were chosen
as they would be used by a large number
of students. The Committee also identi-
fied four more classrooms to be done
after the initial three. Some of the things
that the Renovation Committee would like
done are: acoustics, lighting, ventilation
and air quality, amongst other things. Let
it be noted that the Renovation
Committee has worked very hard and
should be applauded.
FURNITURE COMMITTEE
The Furniture Committee has been meet-
ing to determine where new furniture can
be placed. The type of chair has been
chosen, next will be the selection of tables
and then on to podiums. It was decided
that it would be a good idea to have
updated furniture in some of the “bad”
classrooms to lift morale until more sub-
stantial work can be done.
DENTAL HYGIENE ACCREDITATION
On March 22-24, the Dental Hygiene had
a site visit from the Accreditation
Committee. The Committee met with
Administration, Faculty, students and
departments of the College such as
Student Services. The Accreditation
Committee will produce a report with rec-
ommendations to which the Dental
Hygiene personnel will have a chance to
respond. The final report should come out
in Fall 2010.
CONTINUING EDUCATION
The Ambulance Technician AEC program
began on February 8 with 18 students.
Pending the implementation of the new
legislation governing the Real Estate pro-
fession, the last two cohorts in the old pro-
gram – one day and one evening group
are slated to begin on April 6.
DDiiaannee MMccGGeeee met recently with DDrr.. JJuuddiitthh
PPootttteerr, Dean of Continuing Education at
McGill University. Dr. Potter visited the
campus to learn more about our
Continuing Education programs. Possible
future collaboration was discussed.
The Centre for Continuing Education is in
the planning stages for the Kobe Gakuin
program in August. The Japanese universi-
ty cancelled in 2009 due to fears about the
H1N1 flu. We look forward to starting up
again this year with our 20th
group. MMaarrkk
MMccGGuuiirree from the Humanities, Philosophy
and Religion department will coordinate
the program.
Diane McGee made a presentation on the
activities of the Centre for Continuing
Education to the Academic Council at its
February 5 meeting.
Quebec Adult Learners Week was kicked
off at the Centre for Continuing Education
with a coffee and cake celebration on
March 18.
On March 25, LLiissaa BBooyyllee attended a very
stimulating meeting entitled Des voix réu-
nies pour des voies accélérées :
l’Intégration en emploi des personnes
immigrantes,,“ sponsored by the Conseil
régional des partenaires du marché du tra-
vail (in collaboration with Emploi-Québec
and the Ministère de l’Immigration et des
Communautés culturelles) and Défi
Montréal. It was a working session in which
MELS, Emploi-Québec, the Ministry of
Immigration and external resources came
together to share information and come
up with ideas on how to best integrate
new immigrants into Québec society.
Recent Graduations:
• Computerized Financial Management-09 on
February 10
• Network Administration-17 on February 25
• Web Technology-13 on March 17
• Real Estate-32 (Night) on March 18
• Real Estate-33 (Day) on March 29
STRATEGIC PLAN UPDATE
The deadline for comments regarding the
first draft of the 2010-2015 Strategic Plan
has come and gone. We are now analyzing
each comment received and updating the
plan for the April 23 deadline for submis-
sion to Academic Council.
For the most part, the plan has been well
received. A final version of the plan for rec-
ommendation will be ready in the near
future.
BOARD OF GOVERNORS • APRIL 13, 2010
Abbott Update 12 May 2010

13. CITC
For the second year now, the College has
relied on the Committee for Information
Technology Capital (CITC) to recommend
to the Academic Dean the information
technology and media purchases for the
upcoming year.
This committee is comprised of two mem-
bers from the ITS department, a depart-
mental technician, the coordinator of
Library Media Services, a Dean and three
faculty members. In the fall, the commit-
tee met once to issue guidelines and in
late January early February, the members
held meetings with more than 20 chairper-
sons to go through their requests.
A recommendation to the Academic
Dean was accepted in mid-March and on
March 23, ITS sent an individual response
to all academic chairpersons informing
them of their approved items for the 2010-
2011 academic year.
ONLINE COURSE CALENDAR
Major changes to the College Course
Calendar are ongoing, placing the bulk of
the information online and hopefully print-
ing about 80% fewer copies next year.
This year, the Communications Office had
the mandate of becoming more environ-
mentally friendly and this initiative would
help the College save approximately 30
full boxes of paper.
NEW BUILDING
In January, the ITS department went
through the process of identifying the
quantity and placement of every comput-
er, printer and phone that will go into the
new Health and Science pavilion.
PERSONNEL INFORMATION
New/ Changes – Staff Members
DDeeaannnnaa BBeevveerriiddggee,, Secretary II, in
Secretarial Services, replacing Katie
Nicholls effective March 8, 2010.
JJeeffff BBllaacckk,, Ébéniste (carpenter), in
Facilities Management Services, replacing
Anthony Rock who has retired.
AArriinnaa ddee LLeeeeuuww,, Agent de bureau, cl. 1,
permanent part-time position in the
Registrar’s Office effective March 23, 2010.
SShheeiillaa FFeeddrroocckk,, Technicienne en adminis-
tration, permanent full-time position in
Financial Services effective January 18,
2010.
RRoossaannnnaa FFoorrttuunnaattoo,, Technicienne en admin-
istration, a temporary full-time replacement
position effective February 8, 2010 until
June 30, 2010 or upon the earlier return of
Nancy Thompson.
MMaarrkk LLeewwiiss,, Technicien en informatique
in Information Technology, a temporary
full-time replacement position effective
March 24, 2010 until June 30, 2010 or
upon the earlier return of Mathew
Marshall.
MMaatthheeww MMaarrsshhaallll,, Technicien en informa-
tique, temporary full-time replacement
position in Information Technology effec-
tive February 22, 2010 until June 30,
2010 or upon the earlier return of Darrin
Tremblay.
KKaarrllii WWhhiittmmoorree, Agent de bureau, cl. 1, in
the Bookstore effective February 8, 2010.
Retirements
AAnntthhoonnyy RRoocckk –– Facilities Management
Services
New Faculty
MMaarrttiinn CChhaarrppeennttiieerr – Pre-Hospital
Emergency Care
IIaann CClléémmeenntt –– Computer Science
SSaannddrraa DDeellll’’EEllccee – Nursing
JJoohhnn HHlliibbcchhuukk –– Police Technology
KKaarrll LLaannggllooiiss – Police Technology
GGrreeggoorryy PPrrooppooppsskkii – Computer Science
JJoonnaatthhaann SShheecctteerr –– Police Technology
TToodddd SSoorreell – Pre-Hospital
Emergency Care
AAnnggeellaa VVeellllaa –– Foreign Languages
INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS
OFFICE
Barbados Summer Program
The Office Québec-Amériques pour la
jeunesse (OQAJ) approved to finance 70%
of the airfare and insurance costs for a
maximum number of 10 students. The
grant will be distributed equally amongst
all participating students.
International Stages Business Administration
The IPO/Business Administration recruited
10 students to participate in this program.
Financing has been obtained through the
Office Franco-Québécois pour la jeunesse
(OFQJ) for all 10 students.
Chile Mission Cancelled
An educational mission organized by
ACCC/CBIE to Chile has been cancelled
due to the earthquake. SStteepphhaanniiee HHyyggaattee
planned to participate in the mission. The
objectives of the visit:
To position John Abbott College for future
international student recruitment with spe-
cial focus on Engineering Technologies
and Business Administration.
To develop partnerships under the
Chilean-Canadian Leadership grant pro-
gram for students and faculty exchanges
and joint research projects
India Mission
DDiiaannee MMccGGeeee participated in a mission to
India (Kerala and Karnataka) to discuss
partnership possibilities between Canadian
community colleges and Indian education-
al institutions. The high profile trip was
organized by ACCC and partially financed
through DFAIT. A return visit by Indian del-
egates is planned for participation in the
International Forum at ACCC’s annual con-
ference.
Belgium
DDiiaannee MMccGGeeee was invited to visit the
Haute École Provinciale de Hainaut –
Condorcet in Belgium, where she made a
presentation on John Abbott as part of
their International Mobility Day. There is a
particular interest in exchanges, starting
with an agreement on stages abroad.
THE 5TH ANNUAL SUMMER JOB
FAIR 2010
The Summer Job Fair, organized by SSyyllvviiee
BBoouucchheerr and SSaannddrraa MMaarrttiinn of the Student
Employment Centre, hosted sixteen com-
panies in the Agora on March 17. Over
450 students attended and applied for
almost 500 summer jobs. Employers
accepted CVs, interviewed interested stu-
dents and, in some cases, offered the stu-
dents a summer position.
The list of companies present at the fair
included Airbounce Amusement, Bank of
Montreal, Beaconsfield Golf Club,
Caisses Desjardins Des Sources – Lac
Saint-Louis, Ste-Geneviève de
Pierrefonds and Vaudreuil-Soulanges,
BOARD OF GOVERNORS • APRIL 13, 2010
Abbott Update 13 May 2010

14. Château-Vaudreuil, CSSS West Island,
Elm Ridge Country Golf Club, Emploi-
Québec Placement étudiants, Fed Ex
Ground, Groupe de sécurité CLB Inc.,
Rona/Réno Dépôt, Royal Montreal Golf
Club, Sunny Acres Day Camp, Vigi Santé
Ltée, Volt Technical Resources (VMC) and
WIAIH.
To help students better prepare for the
Fair, the Employment Centre offered a
PREP DAY the day before (March 16)
where students were invited to visit the
Agora to have their CV reviewed, to brush
up on tough interview questions, to get
tips on salary negotiation or to visit the
fashion corner and learn how to dress for
interviews. The clothes were provided by
Ste-Anne’s NOVA Thrift Shop.
CV experts came from Carrefour jeunesse-
emploi de l’Ouest-de-l’Ile, Martin Hurst
Recruitment, McGill Career Planning
Service, PPaattrriicciiaa EEmmppssaallll (retired HR man-
ager at Pfizer), Concordia’s John Molson
School of Business, and Youth Employment
Services.
EMPLOYMENT RATES FOR
CAREER PROGRAM GRADUATES
The 2009 graduates faced significant chal-
lenges when looking for work last year due
to the slowdown in the economy, some
programs being affected more than others.
There was nonetheless a strong demand
for healthcare workers and Nursing and
Dental Hygiene graduates had excellent
employment rates. Library Technicians also
had a good rate at 87.5% with jobs in the
private and public sectors. Computer
Science and Engineering Technologies
saw the majority of their graduates contin-
ue their studies, leaving only a small num-
ber available for the job market. After
graduating from John Abbott College,
Police Technology students must continue
their studies at the Police Academy in
Nicolet in order to work in Quebec, but
the waiting period to enter the Academy is
a minimum of six months. This creates a
difficult situation for them. The programs
most affected by the economic slowdown
were Business Administration and
Publication Design & Hypermedia
Technology (PDHT), as many companies
instituted hiring freezes. The print industry
experienced a serious downturn, and
many small businesses were forced to
close or downsize. Youth and Adult
Correctional Program had a slightly lower
placement rate than the previous year and
many graduates work “on call” for public
sector services before securing permanent
employment in their field. Lastly,
Professional Theatre had a higher rate as
more graduates in the acting profile were
able to find contract work in Montreal, as
did the graduates of the design/technical
profile.
BLACK HISTORY IN MONTREAL
AND QUEBEC WITH
DR. DOROTHY WILLIAMS
On Monday, March 22, John Abbott
College welcomed DDrr.. DDoorrootthhyy WWiilllliiaammss
BOARD OF GOVERNORS • APRIL 13, 2010
Abbott Update 14 May 2010
CCaarreeeerr NNuummbbeerr ooff NNuummbbeerr ooff rreessppoonnddeennttss NNuummbbeerr ccoonnttiinnuuiinngg NNuummbbeerr EEmmppllooyymmeenntt rraattee** AAvveerraaggee
PPrrooggrraammss ggrraadduuaatteess tthheeiirr ssttuuddiieess aavvaaiillaabbllee ttoo wwoorrkk**** NNuummbbeerr %% ssaallaarryy ppeerr hhoouurr
Dental Hygiene 25 22 0 21 21 100 30.00
Nursing 80 57 12 42 41 97.6 21.77
Information & Library Technologies 11 10 2 8 7 87.5 20.06
Computer Science 15 13 9 4 3 75 14.62
Theatre (acting/design/technical) 17 13 4 9 6 66.7 n/a
Youth and Adult Correctional Intervention 25 22 8 13 8 61.5 17.38
Police Technology 82 68 13 55 32 58.1 17.29
Business Administration 20 12 6 6 3 50 12.25
Engineering Technologies 14 13 9 4 2 50 22.63
Publication Design and Hypermedia 23 21 5 15 6 40 16.77
Technology
TToottaallss 331122 225511 6688 117777 112299 1199..2200
A response rate of 80.45 % was obtained after reaching 251 of the 312 graduates.
* The Employment rate includes full-time and part-time employment rates in the field of study.
** When the number of graduates available to work is less than the number of respondents minus the number continuing their studies, it is because some respondents were
not eligible to work; they had not obtained their license to practice in the field as is the case for Dental and Nursing, or they are indisposed to work.

15. for an interactive lecture about Black history
in Montreal and Quebec. Her engaging
presentation led a group of approximately
175 students and staff members through
Black Montreal’s history from 1628 (when
Olivier Lejeune was the first reported
“imported” slave to Canada) to today.
Highlights of the event included stories
about Marie-Josèphe Angelique, a slave,
who in her bid for freedom, destroyed
almost half of Montreal by fire in 1734, and
the establishment of the first outward sign
of community identity for Black
Montrealers, the Coloured Women’s Club
of Montreal in 1902 (which still exists
today). Dr. Williams noted that her lecture
was not just about Black history, “today is
about all of our history.” The history of
Montreal cannot be explained without
unravelling the multicultural fabric that
makes up our great city.
Organized by DDaarrrryyll CClliimmaann of the Cultural
Diversity Office, this event represented
community engagement, and the integra-
tion of academic and social programming;
two cornerstones in the foundation of a
John Abbott College education.
WINTER SPORTS REVIEW
MEN’S BASKETBALL – New coach DDaavviidd
KKiinngg and his staff guided the Islanders to a
6-10 regular season record and a seventh
place finish in the FQSE AAA league. The
team started slowly but finished strong in
the second half of the season, missing the
playoffs by one game.
MEN’S VOLLEYBALL – In fourth place, the
Islanders qualified for the regional champi-
onships, but failed to advance to the
provincial championships.
SWIM TEAM – This talented team is in
search of its second straight provincial
championship. They have already won the
league title, the regional championship
and the “Éthique Sportive” banner. They
will swim for gold in the provincials at
College Vieux Montreal on April 10 & 11.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL – Key injuries
plagued the Lady Islanders this season as
they stumbled to a 3-17 regular season
record. The coaching staff and the
Athletics Department have already met to
focus their attention on improving the
team for next year. Six local new players
have already signed a Letter of Intent to
play for the Lady Isles next season.
WOMEN’S HOCKEY – With new coach
HHeennrryy BBiinnnniinngg at the helm, the Lady
Islanders finished the regular season with a
6-13-2 record, good enough for seventh
place. Playoffs have already begun and the
much improved Lady Islanders need two
more victories to qualify for the “Final Four”
on Easter weekend in Drummondville.
WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL – The women’s
volleyball team had an up and down sea-
son and qualified for the regional champi-
onships in eighth place before being elim-
inated at the provincial championships.
STEWART APARTMENTS
The residence recently hosted a cooking
workshop that was well attended by both
local and international students, as well as
those living in Stewart Apartments. Chef
PPeetteerr WWeebbsstteerr of Bouquet Garni demon-
strated a variety of dishes, and every stu-
dent went home with a cookbook provid-
ed by JAC on the Move, through the spon-
sorship the Québec Government’s Virage
Santé program. ■
BOARD OF GOVERNORS • APRIL 13, 2010
Abbott Update 15 May 2010
Congratulations to Steven
Strudensky of the psychol-
ogy department for composing
the winning title of the 2010-
2015 Strategic Plan:
Building a Collaborative Learning
Community: A Blueprint for
Student Success
Thanks to everyone for their
participation and feedback! ■
Steven holding his prize with Director
general Ginette Sheehy
2010 - 2015 STRATEGIC PLAN
Photo by
JAC Communications

16. Abbott Update 16 May 2010