from VCCA Journal, Volume 7, Number 1, Summer 1992, 34-37
© Copyright 1992 VCCA Journal
Although opportunities for promoting faculty development in rural community colleges are available, they are constrained by budget limitations and travel costs; consequently, expenses are usually the responsibility of the individual, especially when traveling out of the country. Professional Enrichment in Toronto or P.E.T. was developed to provide selected faculty members an opportunity to visit and learn from a country similar yet distinct in many ways. P.E.T. was an effort to promote the concept of community and collaboration through the participation of three rural colleges with support from an urban institution in Canada in a one-day innovative practices conference that included sessions on articulation, multi-culturalism, and teaching approaches in the classroom.
Program Development
The six-day activity (June 11-16, 1990) was sponsored in part by Humber College of Applied Arts and Technology in Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada. The project involved the participation of two full-time faculty members from Dabney S. Lancaster Community College, three full-time faculty members from Mountain Empire Community College, and two full-time faculty members and the project director from Southwest Virginia Community College. Selection criteria included representation from various divisions within the institutions, recommendations from administrators, and the absence of any prior out-of-country travel. Initial interviews with prospective participants were conducted through campus visits and a teleconference.
With consideration to the financial limitations of the participating institutions, the following initiatives were undertaken. First, ground transportation was provided by Southwest Virginia Community College, the lead institution. Second, a meal allowance of $25 a day was provided and reimbursed by each school represented; and third, participants were housed on the Humber College campus at $15 a night for each single room (the residence hall did not have double rooms available). Costs for lodging were supported by a grant from the Virginia Community Colleges Association. Prior to the trip, training sessions for the participants were conducted at Mountain Empire and Virginia Western community colleges. The sessions included information on Canadian immigration, currency exchange, and a video program on Ontario Province and Niagara Falls courtesy of the Canadian Embassy.
Description of Activities
On the first day, the participants were treated to a sit down dinner with representatives of the International Projects Department at Humber College. Personnel from this department were responsible for the schedule of activities. The next day, the participants attended a round-table discussion on post-secondary education and ethnic diversity. The afternoon included a tour of the Kensington market in Chinatown, known for sidewalk shops and open-air seafood stalls. Participants ate lunch at a Chinese fast food center, then visited a Chinese pastry shop, an herbal shop, and the Toronto Art Gallery to view a local exhibit. Activities for the third day included a visit to the University of Toronto campus, lunch at a Greek restaurant, a visit to a Greek pastry shop and the Ontario Science Museum. The fourth day, the group participated in the one-day conference entitled "Humber Showcase - Innovative Practices: Foundations for School/College Linkages" that included a variety of concurrent sessions. During the opening session, Dr. Robert Gordon, president of Humber College, introduced the participants to an audience that had well over 300 in attendance! The last day, the participants travelled to Ottawa, the capital of Canada, to visit the historic parliament buildings and the natural history museum, site of the Meech Lake accords. Lunch was at a French restaurant in Hull, a town bordering Quebec province. Through prior arrangements, participants met with the Philippine Ambassador to Canada who provided insights into the presence of U.S. military bases on the islands. On the travel day back home, the group stopped at Niagara Falls for brunch and last minute souvenir purchases.
Evaluation
A written evaluation was devised to determine the project's effectiveness and to suggest plans for a similar program at another time.
The following replies came from an evaluation question requesting "some similarities and differences between the people you met and those that represent where you live."
I suppose I found more similarities than differences between "us" and "typical" Canadians. Their style of dress, types of food, recreational activities, and life-styles are very similar to ours. I found them to have a greater awareness and concern for their quality of life, which was revealed by their dedication to recycling and environmental issues. Even through they are facing some very serious, divisive issues, such as the Meech Lake issues and the native Canadians' legal right to tribal lands, etc., I found the Canadians to be very patriotic people, displaying their flag more readily than Americans.
The differences between the people we met and ourselves were few. The one point driven home was the fact that living in a rural area we have very few chances to meet people new to our country (immigrants). Therefore, we are not exposed to the variety of cultures, customs and foods taken as an everyday occurrence in Toronto.
Another question dealt with how the participant would "introduce and make available this international perspective to your college, students and the local community." Several responded:
Since my return I have been talking with colleagues and students about my experiences. Most of the people I have talked with were surprised at the number of similarities between the two countries. I plan to bring to the attention of my students the ease with which one can travel in Ontario and the diversity of the city of Toronto. Mountain Empire Community College maintains a Speakers' List which is available to various community organizations. I intend to include my name on this list especially to promote travel to and within Canada.
A summary of the trip is being included in our division newsletter. In addition, I hope that we will include a special news release in our local papers. I plan personally to do a scrapbook of my pictures and make them available to the college population.
I will do a showcase on Canada's police forces; will give a presentation at our August in-service; will apply for grant monies to take a group of my students next year; and will generally promote my trip as an excellent learning and fun experience for international public relations.
To summarize her experience of the activity, a participant shared the following:
I feel the project was very successful and I am happy I was able to participate in it. I feel I have made not only "contacts" but friends that I will continue to correspond with. I would strongly recommend that the colleges continue to support such a project, for it allows faculty an opportunity to gain professional enrichment and development in a unique situation.
Recommendations
Part of the evaluation requested additional information that could be considered for a similar activity in the future. It was suggested that, first, an overnight stay during travel would reduce the discomfort and strain of a thirteen-hour drive, the travel time it took for the group to reach Toronto, Ontario. Second, faculty interaction with colleagues from the same discipline at Humber College should be included. This would allow, for example, business faculty members to meet their counterparts and compare course content and teaching methods. Third, scheduling of the trip prior to the summer term would avoid teaching conflicts. Lastly, lengthening the activity for a full week with at least an overnight stay in Ottawa, the capital of Canada, would allow for a more leisurely tour rather than a hectic one-day visit.
Implications for Practice
The scarcity of funds for faculty development activities further requires that institutions cooperate and work together to bring about cost-effective programming. Similar to the "Spring Break in Toronto" project involving students (Doromal and Miller), this faculty development activity was accomplished with minimal external funding, using existing staff and resources with encouragement and support from the International Projects Department of Humber College without whose assistance this activity would not have been possible.
Works Cited
Doromal, Q.S. and Cindy N. Miller. "Spring Break in Toronto: Exposing Students to a Global Society." VCCA Journal 5.1 (1990): 14-17.
Quintin S. Doromal, Jr., a Counselor for the Student Support Services Program at Southwest Virginia Community College in Richlands, Virginia, is Project Director for Meeting the Global Challenge Grant--a two-year SCHEV funded curriculum revision project.