65 RedRoses to be shown in Bosa Centre screening room

The story of Eva Markvoort, a young woman from New Westminster with cystic fibrosis who died while waiting for a double lung transplant, has been made into a documentary called 65 RedRoses. This powerful message of life, love and hope will be shown to the public on Thursday, March 8 at 4:30 p.m. in the Nat and Flora Bosa Centre for Film and Animation at Capilano University. The centre is located in the north campus off entrance 2 at 2055 Purcell Way in North Vancouver. Admission is free. Everyone is welcome.

After the showing, Capilano University president, Dr. Kris Bulcroft, members of BC Transplant, and 65 RedRoses co-director, Nimisha Mukerji, will answer questions from the audience. HelloCoolWorld, who runs the campaign for BC Transplant and owns the rights to the film, will be present with assorted products that display the artwork on the poster. The proceeds fund the BC Transplant campaign. 

By opening up her life, Eva started a global campaign for organ donation and CF awareness. In her final days as she was dying in St. Paul’s Hospital, she used a video blog to keep in touch with the many thousands of people moved by her experience. Sadly, her breath ran out on March 27, 2010, while waiting for a second transplant.

65 RedRoses has won numerous awards, been featured on CBC, and is a revision of the original film released in 2009 to incorporate Eva’s death.

The documentary is now owned by Cap’s library and is available for class use. The presentation and film are ideal materials for exploring issues around organ donation and transplants, public health, documentary film making, and public health campaigns.

A number of Cap U employees and students of have had their lives restored by organ transplants. Today, more than 800,000 people in BC have registered for organ donation. In B.C. during the 2011 calendar year, 285 people received organ transplants and 432 remained active on the wait list, hoping for a chance to live. Many more are not quite sick enough to qualify for the active list.

In collaboration with University of British Columbia medical student Cyrus McEachern, Eva Markvoort created the stunning photographs for BC Transplant’s Live Life. The backdrop of the poster is Eva’s own image.

Capilano University tourism students accept first place award from B.C.’s Minister of Environment

Left to right: MLA for North Vancouver-Seymour Jane Thornthwaite, B.C.’s Minister of Environment Terry Lake, Capilano University tourism degree students Louise Wirtz, Nada Mher Al Saadi, Frankie Aeng and Nic Alder, and Minister of Advanced Education and MLA for North Vancouver-Lonsdale Naomi Yamamoto are all at Cap on Nov. 25 to see the four students accept awards for their first place finish at the Tourism & Hospitality Case competition held in October. More information can be found on Capilano University’s newsroom blog. Photo by Ken Barbour.

Capilano University honours outstanding alumni and individuals

Eight outstanding individuals will be recognized May 5 at Capilano University’s 2011 Alumni Awards of Excellence to be held at the Terminal City Club at 837 West Hastings Street in Vancouver.

The Distinguished Alumni Award recipients are: 

Mark Watson

Mark Watson, an alumnus of Cap’s Faculty of Arts & Sciences, is the assistant coach for the San Jose Earthquakes. Watson was a member of the Capilano Blues soccer team between 1989 and 1991. He has played for the Canadian National team and a record 23 games for the Canadian Olympic team.

Cory Weeds

Cory Weeds, owner of Vancouver’s Cellar Jazz Club, is a graduate of Cap’s Jazz Studies diploma program in the Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts. Weeds bought the Cellar Jazz Club in 2000 and compilations of some of the Cellar’s live performances saw the birth of his successful record label, Cellar Live.

The One to Watch Awards recipients are:

Deanne Lazaruk

Deanne Lazaruk (Faculty of Tourism & Outdoor Recreation) is known as the face of the International Mountain Biking Association in Canada. Lazaruk earned a Mountain Bike Operations Certificate at Capilano University after completing a BA in Kinesiology and Applied Health. Additionally, she holds a Level 4 National Coaching Certification program designation, which is extremely challenging to obtain. Few women in Canada hold this certification.

Krissi Bucholtz

Krissi Bucholtz (Faculty of Arts & Sciences) is a graduate of Capilano University’s Global Stewardship program. After spending time in Sierra Leone, Bucholtz started an organization called the Planning for the Elimination of Poverty through Love and Education (or PEOPLE), to provide mentoring and counselling programs to youth, particularly young girls. She was recently awarded the Mahatma Ghandi scholarship for voluntary community service in areas related to peace, justice and human rights.

Sean Aiken

Sean Aiken (Faculty of Business) turned the biggest graduating student challenge into a playground of opportunity.  A graduate of Cap’s School of Business, Aiken didn’t have a clear idea of what to do with his BBA, so he took his uncertainty on the road. He worked 52 jobs in 52 weeks, which culminated in a book called The One Week Job Project. He then launched a documentary called the One Week Job Project Summer Program, which provides students from across North America with the opportunity to experience a mini journey similar to his own. 

President’s Service Award:

Pat Dejong

Pat Dejong, acting vice-president of Retail Banking for BMO, is the former chair of the Capilano University Board of Governors

Award for Excellence in Empowering Learning:

Doug Abercrombie

Doug Abercrombie (Faculty of Student Services & Development) was a longtime employee of Cap’s Department of Athletics and is the retiring coach of the award-winning Capilano Blues Women’s Soccer Team.

Janet MacDonald

Janet MacDonald (Faculty of Health and Education) is the retiring manager of Capilano University’s Children’s Centre. She has been at Cap for 35 years.

Capilano University joins ShakeOut BC earthquake exercise

IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, January 17, 2010
Contact:  Shelley Kean at 604.983.7596

(NORTH VANCOUVER, B.C.)—At 10 a.m. on Wednesday, January 26, Capilano University will be participating in a province-wide earthquake drill called ShakeOut BC.

At that time all students, employees and visitors should Drop, Cover, and Hold On as if a major earthquake was occurring. Stay in this position for at least 60 seconds. There will not be any campus closures, road closures, class cancellations, power outages, or other simulated effects of the hypothetical earthquake.

Official rescue teams who have been dispatched to the scene of disasters around the world continue to advocate use of the internationally recognized “Drop, Cover and Hold On” protocol to protect lives during earthquakes:

• DROP to the ground (before the earthquake drops you!)
• Take COVER by getting under a sturdy desk or table, and
• HOLD ON to it until the shaking stops.

Facilities at all three of the university’s campuses will also practice an emergency evacuation. This exercise will provide an important opportunity for members of Cap’s Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) to practice essential skills to prepare for a real emergency. EOC team members are trained in emergency management and follow the Incident Command System.

The main goal of ShakeOutBC is to get British Columbians prepared for major earthquakes. Visit here for tips on what to do.

It is expected that more than 200,000 individuals and organizations province-wide will be taking part in this important drill. Anyone can register to participate by visiting http://www.shakeoutbc.ca/register

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New name for film and animation centre reflects leadership and philanthropy

An artists’s rendering of the new Nat and Flora Bosa Centre for Film and Animation.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 18, 2010
Contact:  Shelley Kean at 604.983.7596

(NORTH VANCOUVER, B.C.)–Capilano University’s board of governors is pleased to announce that the new facility being built at our North Vancouver campus has officially been named the Nat and Flora Bosa Centre for Film and Animation.

The proposal for the name was in recognition of the Bosa family’s generous $6 million gift in support of the facility and Nat Bosa’s leadership in the community.

Nat Bosa has an international reputation as a development industry leader, built through a commitment to forward thinking, integrity and quality. He and his wife, Flora, are also well-known for their philanthropy and generous assistance of organizations – from a downtown San Diego school serving the homeless and at risk children to their generous and ongoing support of the arts.

“I am very committed to supporting education,” Bosa said. “It is my belief that we have all the talent in the world here, and that if we nurture that talent with the proper training and technology, students will flourish.”

Phase one of the Nat and Flora Bosa Centre for Film and Animation was funded by a $30.2 million combined contribution from the federal government (through Industry Canada’s Knowledge Infrastructure program) and British Columbia’s provincial government.

Capilano’s chancellor, Peter Ufford, emphasized the important roles that both government and members of the private sector play in enabling the future success of students.

“I want to commend Nat and Flora Bosa, as well as the governments of B.C. and Canada, for their most generous support of this new Centre for Film and Animation,” he said. “As Capilano continues its transition from a 40-year-old college to that of a new teaching-focused university, we are greatly encouraged by this demonstration of confidence in our institution. It serves as a leading example for those who are considering contributing to the new centre and other deserving expansion projects at all three of the University’s campuses.”

When complete, the structure will be approximately 6,400 sq. metres (69,000 sq. ft.) and will serve about 400 students annually. It will become a new focal point for the campus, creating a hub at the north end where our main bus loop is now positioned.

Cannon Design has been contracted as architects. They are ranked among the leading international firms in planning and design for healthcare, science and technology, education, sports and recreation, commercial and government clients. MHPM Project Leaders Inc. has been contracted for project management and Ledcor is the construction management team.

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Capilano University honours outstanding alumni, individuals and organizations

 

 

 

Dianne Whelan

Elicia MacKenzie (with Andrew Lloyd Webber)

Rob Butler

Seanna McPherson

James Haga and friends

Monday, April 26, 2010
Contact:  Janis Connolly at 604.990.7968

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(NORTH VANCOUVER, B.C.)—Several outstanding individuals and organizations were recognized April 22 for their contribution to Capilano University’s mission of enabling student success at the 2010 Alumni Awards of Excellence.

Distinguished Alumni Award recipients were: Rob Butler, one of Canada’s top ornithologists and wildlife biologists who has inspired generations of biologists; and bestselling author, Anosh Irani, whose books The Cripple and His Talismans, The Song of Kahsunsha, and his latest novel, Dahanu Road,  have received literary acclaim worldwide.

The One to Watch recipients included filmmaker Marshall Axani, whose short film The Light of Family Burnam, garnered seven awards at the Vancouver Short Film Festival, including Best Director and Best Picture; James Haga, a graduate from Capilano University’s Global Stewardship program who completed an internship with the African Canadian Continuing Education Society in Kenya and earned accolades for quickly building efficiencies into their programs in the Kakemega region. Upon graduating from Cap, James went on to Simon Fraser University where he became a Rhodes Scholarship nominee; Capilano University Musical Theatre graduate, Elicia MacKenzie, who captured the hearts of the Canadian public in 2008 when she auditioned for and won the coveted role of Maria in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Sound of Music. Elicia won a Dora for her performance in the production that ran for 15 months at Toronto’s Prince of Wales Theatre. She is currently rehearsing for the starring role of Sherry in the Mirvisch production musical, Rock of Ages; Dianne Whelan, an accomplished photographer and documentary filmmaker who is currently at 17,000 feet on Mt. Everest filming her next production, 40 Days at Base Camp. Her film, This Land, was awarded Best Short Canadian Documentary at the 2009 Planet in Focus Film Festival in Toronto. Her experience in the Canadian High Arctic was the subject of her first book, This Vanishing Land. 

The Outstanding Teaching Award recipient is Seanna McPherson. Seanna brings years of experience working in the film industry and has been teaching in Capilano’s Motion Picture Production Program since 2003. In addition to her commitment in the classroom to teaching, Seanna led the process for developing the Bachelor of Motion Picture Arts Degree that has just received final approval from the Ministry of Advanced Education.

President’s Service Award Recipients include: The Advisory Council  for the McRae Institute for International Management. The Advisory Council was instrumental in the development of Capilano’s award-winning McRae Institute for International Management. Members of the Advisory Council included: Atonio Arreaga-Valdes – Honorary Consul General of Costa Rica in Vancouver; Dr. David Fung – founder of ACDEG International; Bill Johnson, former Canadian Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City; Johnathan Manthorpe, The Vancouver Sun’s International Affairs columnist and foreign correspondent; Andre Nudelman, chairman of Addexo and leader of its international expansion; and the late Jonathan Powles, who was one of the most significant figures in Canada-Japan relations, including Japan chair for BC’s Asia Pacific Trade Council, among other official posts; Sewell’s Marina, a family run operation that has over the years offered professional, positive work experiences for many Capilano students; Pacific Arbour Retirement Communities, which, as the lead sponsor of Capilano’s Eldercollege program, has enabled Capilano to offer programming accessible to seniors at locations around the North Shore. PAG has also provided funds to support Continuing Education’s summer camps for children and last year funded the Pacific Arbour Speaker Series at Capilano’s Performing Arts Theatre, which featured discussions by renowned author Margaret Atwood and Canadian physician Ray Wiss, who wrote a memoir of his experiences working on the front lines in Afghanistan; and, RBC, which has become a partner in working with arts programs at Capilano to help ensure our students have the opportunity to engage in the kind of relevant hands-on experience that is essential for them to move their art careers forward.

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Baba Brinkman brings The Rap Guide to Evolution to Capilano University

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, January 8, 2010
Contact:  Dr. Andrea Westcott at 604.986.1911, local 2427

(NORTH VANCOUVER, B.C.)—Join Canadian actor and rap artist, Baba Brinkman, for a free and entertaining performance of The Rap Guide to Evolution at Capilano University on Thursday, January 14 at 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Cedar building, room 148.

The Rap Guide to Evolution explores the history and current understanding of Darwin’s theory, combining hilarious remixes of popular rap songs with clever lyrical storytelling that covers natural selection, sexual selection, evolutionary psychology, and much more. This laugh-out-loud comedy engages the audience directly with challenging questions about cultural evolution.

Baba Brinkman is best known for his award-winning one-man show The Rap Canterbury Tales, which has delighted audiences around the world since 2004, sparking renewed interest in the work of Geoffrey Chaucer. In 2008, Dr. Mark Pallen, author of The Rough Guide to Evolution, asked Brinkman if he would “do for Darwin what he had done for Chaucer” and Brinkman happily took up the challenge.

Further information is available at www.babasword.com.

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