President's Letter - Annual Report 08/09

I am very proud to report that enrolments at Selkirk College stand at their highest level to date in our college’s 43-year history. With an 18% increase in applications last year, and another 8.5% over that this year, all indications are that enrolments will continue to grow into the coming year.

This growth in enrolment is due to a number of factors: the diverse enrolment management efforts of our staff; the economic downturn; Selkirk’s comprehensive range of programs with certain offerings unique to our college, as well as a wide array of online courses; excellent instruction and lower comparative tuitions.

Factors that can be easily overlooked, particularly in the retention of students, are the physical infrastructure and the workplace environment of the college. We have moved ahead energetically on both of these fronts in the past year. We were very fortunate to secure the funding necessary to upgrade the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system at our Castlegar Campus, and also to replace the ancient heating system at our Nelson Silver King Campus with new energy efficient boilers. Both projects will add to the comfort and effectiveness of our students and staff, and to our environmental sustainability goals. We are also working vigorously both on the provision of affordable student housing in Nelson--definitely required for both recruitment and retention, and on the upgrading of the regional transit system to service students more effectively than it presently does.

Employee engagement also contributes significantly to the effectiveness of our learning environment. A staff engagement survey was completed in 2007-2008 and we have worked throughout 2008 - 2009 and into the current year to develop and implement a plan of action which will make Selkirk College an increasingly good place to work, and thus serve students better than we have ever done. Our Selkirk community is dedicated to our mission of developing empowered, effective students through rewarding educational and life experiences that are built on our region’s distinct identity. With that mission as our underlying inspiration, and with the values that we hold dear, we are committed to have a work environment where we continually learn to make our workplace one that is not only good, but great.

I want to take this opportunity to thank all of my Selkirk colleagues for making 2008-2009 a very good year. You can take a great deal of pride in your many contributions to our college and our learners.