Whitehorse –  Yukon  College students at the Haines Junction Community Campus are busy preparing for Friday’s Haitian Fundraiser Luncheon. Students from all program areas have joined forces to plan, organize, and prepare the event for an expected 200 people.

Students will be serving a spaghetti dinner with a choice of either moose meat or vegetarian sauce along with Caesar salad, garlic toast, and dessert. Haines Junction businesses, agencies, and residents have generously donated the provisions for the event. The money raised will go to Doctors Without Borders and the Red Cross Haiti Relief Fund.

Whitehorse – Whitehorse – Students at Yukon College will be able to get a first-hand account on the subject of rejuvenation of ice-wedge cracking in the North. Carleton University researcher Dr. Chris Burn is at Yukon College this week as part of his role as Northern Chair for the Natural Sciences and Research Council of Canada (NSERC) who works with the Yukon Centre of Excellence. Dr. Burn is invited into the classroom to present permafrost science findings to the students.

Whitehorse – Yukon College and the University of Alaska Southeast are signing a Memorandum of Understanding to offer the web-delivered Master of Business Administration Program to Yukon students.

The purpose of the MOU is to expand opportunities for students interested in pursing an MBA and to meet the professional development needs of the Yukon business community.

The signing will take place Tuesday January 26th from 9:30 – 10:30 in the Yukon College Boardroom.

“This is a significant step that will allow Yukon College students to gain the necessary skills to become leaders in a variety of areas,” says Jeff Wolosewich, Acting Dean of the Division of Applied Science and Management. “It’s important that the Yukon work to develop and retain our leadership capacity.”

The program will offer a mix of theory and practice in areas such as, marketing, accounting, corporate strategy and human resource and personnel administration.

Yukon College has two visiting graduate students working at the Yukon Research Centre for Excellence this semester.

Vicki Sahanatien is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Biological Sciences, at the University of Alberta, Edmonton. She is completing her doctoral studies on Polar Bear Sea Ice Habitat Selection and Climate Change in the eastern Arctic. Her research is interdisciplinary, combining ecological, physical and social sciences. Sahanatien lived and worked for many years in the Canadian Arctic, and has conducted field studies from 66N to 83N. She finds the arctic an exciting place for research as it possible to explore exceptional landscapes, new ideas, and discover alternative ways of understanding.

Staff and faculty at Yukon  College have recently received territorial and national awards. At the Commissioner’s New Year’s Levee on January 1, 2010, Jennifer Moorlag received the Governor General’s Caring Canadian Award and Bunne Palamar, was awarded the Yukon Commissioner’s Award for Public Volunteer Service. David Mossop was awarded the Gerry Couture Stewardship Award in December.  

Yukon College will be closed for the holidays between December 25 and January 3, reopening on Monday, January 4, 2010. We look forward to serving you at that time!

For over 20 years, Yukon College has celebrated the arrival of the holidays with a First Nations feast and this year will be no exception, with a festive event planned for staff and students.

Before students leave for the holidays, they will have the chance to gather for the feast on December 8th at 12 p.m. in the “Pit.” There will be turkey with all the trimmings, oranges, candy and more. Ben Charlie will provide entertainment with his fiddle and Mr. and Mrs. Claus may also make an appearance.