TIMMINS, ON: Three of Northern College ’s finest leaders are set to retire June 30, 2014. College Vice-Presidents Loran Charbonneau, Bob Mack and Peter MacLean will be leaving the college after providing over 90 years of combined service. These individuals have had a profound effect on shaping the college into the entity that it is today.
Loran Charbonneau, Vice-President, Finance, Administration and Aboriginal Services, started at Northern College in the early 1990s as a part-time professor in the Entrepreneurial Business Skills program. She has held several positions at the college, including financial analyst, controller, executive director of finance and institutional research, and executive director of college operations and services.
Charbonneau has always been a champion of barrier-free learning, and has been instrumental in ensuring students with physical or cognitive disabilities had access to tools and services that could assist them with their studies. Charbonneau was steadfast in her efforts to promote cross-cultural understanding, and spearheaded the process to embed Indigenous culture into the curriculum of all of Northern’s programs. She has led various initiatives to establish an environment where Indigenous learners feel welcome and inspired.
“Increasing access and relevance to post-secondary education for all learners, regardless of factors like background and ability, is positive for our whole community,” said Charbonneau. “I’m proud to see that the incorporation of all people and cultures into our student body and program content is a driving force behind all activities at Northern College.”
Bob Mack, Vice-President, Community, Business Development and Employment Services, started at Northern College in May of 1979. He has held a number of positions with the college, including special project leader, dean of instruction and associate regional director.
Under Mack’s management, the college’s Apprenticeship, Community and Corporate Training (ACCT) division has seen substantial expansion. He credits the college’s strong leadership and vision with giving him the tools necessary to grow the ACCT division.
“We wouldn’t be where we are today if we played everything safely,” said Mack. “Our size and location in many ways forces us to be creative and take on some element of risk. Our years of experience in these areas has placed us on the forefront of innovation in Ontario’s post-secondary sector.“
Peter MacLean, Vice-President, Academic and Student Success, started at Northern College in 1970 as a professor in the college’s English department at the Kirkland Lake Campus. He has held a number of positions, including president of the local, director of human resources and plant services, principal of Kirkland Lake campus and executive director of the south region.
In over 40 years of service to the college, MacLean has held positions at the Haileybury, Kirkland Lake and Timmins campuses, and he has spent extended periods working at the Moosonee Campus. MacLean’s oversight has helped to strengthen Northern College’s focus on locally relevant programming.
“I think it’s important work that we do here,” said MacLean. “We have the ability to change lives, and I think we do change lives. My experiences with Northern College have been entirely positive, and I have no regrets.”
“Statistics show that nearly half of Canada’s labour force will be entering retirement over the next decade. This effect is multiplied by reports showing that 43 per cent of Canadians are now retiring before the age of 60. We are not immune to this trend,” said Fred Gibbons, President of Northern College. “I sincerely want to thank Bob, Loran and Peter for their exceptional contributions and many years of service to Northern College. Together they have laid a remarkable foundation of fiscal responsibility, innovation, and leadership upon which we can continue to grow to meet the changing needs of students, employers and the communities we serve.”
