**NORTHERN COLLEGE NEWS RELEASE**

Northern College is pleased to announce that a provincial governing body has named one of Northern’s longstanding faculty members Outstanding Educator of the Year.

The Ontario Association of Certified Engineering Technicians and Technologists has recognized Mary-Anne Church for her impactful efforts on the lives of learners. A member of Northern College’s Engineering faculty for over two decades, Professor Church has helped guide thousands of young engineering technology students through their studies, providing them with the tangible industry connections they need to develop a meaningful career within the engineering technology sector.

“I’ve worked to build community between our students as they go through their studies and the professional community they hope to become a part of when they graduate,” stated Professor Church, an Engineering Professor at Northern College. “This has been such an important part of their training because it does several things at once: makes their future more tangible, serves as a motivator for them, and demonstrates the connection between their training and the professional world they intend to work within.”

Church maintains that her role as a professor is only part of the kind of effort it takes to connect students with meaningful employment within industry. “Networking is how they do business,” stated Church.

“I’m not a professional engineer, but in my role as a teacher, I organize networking events to connect the two worlds of post-secondary and private industry. I get the students to the event, I bring in industry and then, when the moment is right, I’ll go in and connect them as best I can.”

Tapping into the synergies that result from bringing partners together in ways like this is something that Northern does intentionally and does well.

“These initiatives are part of a larger institutional strategy to provide students with the highest quality experiential learning environment possible – harnessing the powerful impact of the closely-connected northern professional community,” stated Northern College President Dr. Fred Gibbons of the work that Professor Church has undertaken.

“Northern College is proud of individual efforts like those of Professor Church that bring both students and industry partners together in a forum that can lead to their mutual success,” he added.

“Industry connections and reputation are key to enhancing the student and graduate experience,” stated Aaron Klooster, Dean of Trades and Technology at Northern College.

“Advocating for the worth of our students and graduates to industry as our faculty members, including Professor Church has done, makes a significant difference to how we work together innovatively,” added Klooster.

Northern College, located in the northeastern part of the province of Ontario, is committed to providing students with a meaningful education that not only prepares them for the professional working environment, but encourages the kinds of connections that allow them to achieve measurable success shortly after graduating.

The College extends its sincerest congratulations to Mary Anne Church as an exemplary faculty member who exhibits and upholds the principles that guide the institution towards fulfilling its mandate – ‘success for all through learning and partnerships.’

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