As President Sean Kennedy noted in his message about the 2023-2024 Business Plan and Budget, Niagara College has launched a dedicated website for its Dream Big Fund.
Introduced in 2022-2023, the DBF provides seed funding for pilot initiatives, outside of regular budget allocations, and enables NC to more nimbly and quickly approve activities that support one or more Strategic Plan Key Areas of Focus and Actions.
In short, the Dream Big Fund is enabling us to say yes to more ideas, more quickly.
To date, this fund has invested more than $1.5 million in initiatives and ideas to enhance the student experience, foster academic excellence, support the development of people and expand experiential learning, helping boost capacity across the College in areas including research and innovation, community partnerships, fundraising and more.
The website is a resource to learn more about the fund, including areas of the College it will support, projects associated with the fund, recent announcements, and the application process.
Those interested in applying to Dream Big Fund can review eligibility, the approval process, and reporting requirements, as well as download the application form, which can be found on the website here.
Project Spotlight
The DBF website will continue to spotlight projects enabled by the fund, like the ones below:
Enhanced learning in the Green Automotive Technology Lab
In the Spring of 2023, the Dream Big Fund enabled the purchase of an electric vehicle (EV) conversion kit to transform a 1979 Chevy pick-up with gasoline engine into a working electric vehicle. This cross-discipline project will benefit Motive Power students through course integration as well as those from other trades programs through the Trades Student Club. As the automotive industry continues to evolve, this project will enrich students’ academic experience by giving them a unique, hands-on learning opportunity and expanding the capacity in the lab.
First-of-its-kind Coaching in Education event
Leveraging the Dream Big Funding and a partnership with the College of the North Atlantic, Niagara College co-hosted a first-of-its kind event for over 150 educators across Canada – including NC faculty – to learn about coaching in the classroom. This professional development opportunity – Seachange in Coaching in Education – took place virtually March 21-22, giving faculty the chance to explore the connection between coaching practices and teaching.
New fitness technology to enhance athlete performance
In the fall of 2023, Athletics and Recreation received a special funding injection through Dream Big to leverage technology – including performance trackers, heart rate sensors, and camera equipment – to help student athletes enhance and improve their fitness outcomes using an evidence-based approach. Equipment was purchased for both the Fitness Centres – for use by all NC students – as well as Knights varsity athletes.
Indigenous Education Cultural Consultant (IECC)
The fund has most recently supported the creation of an 18-month Indigenous Education Cultural Consultant (IECC) role fulfilled by Indigenous activist and community leader, Karl Dockstader. The role of the IECC will help support the College community to develop a three-year plan that centers around accountability and responds to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada calls to action, Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan) protocol and the Indigenous Peoples Education Circle (IPEC) action plan.
To view the new website and learn more about the Dream Big Fund visit, niagaracollege.ca/dreambigfund/.
