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Post date: Apr 04, 2017 2:50:31 AM
Riding to Buffalo NY yesterday allowed me to get up early and make the short trip down the river to view Niagara Falls before breakfast. Coffee is not needed when you are standing so close to so much water thundering over a gorge. I know the falls have been overexposed and over exploited by the industrial revolution but they are quite simply a stunning phenomenon. Nature so powerful even our best attempts to exploit it with daily onslaughts of tourists (like myself) seem futile. Actually I think I was there at the perfect time because the falls were at maximum volume due to the winter run off and visitors were at a minimum due to the thawing weather. Most of the amenities were under renovation or closed for the off-season. I suspect the entire area will look quite different in a few months. Indeed even during the time I was there, the sun shone warm and the number of visitors increased with each passing hour. Because the day was shaping up so nicely I decided to cross over the bridge into Canada, and drive the northern route along lake Erie to move further west. Crossing over to the Canadian side of Niagara Falls there are some notable changes. Standing down wind from the falls the constant water evaporation from the falls makes it much cooler. There are also a greater density of man-made kitschy tourist attractions and casinos. At this point on earth nature has given us one of her greatest exclamation points, and we have responded by adding a wax museum, and a haunted house…
Mohawk College of Applied Arts and Technology
The real reason I crossed over into Canada is because I wanted to investigate their two-year college system and compare it to all the colleges I had visited in the US. Looking at the map I found a college in Hamilton (yes it’s becoming a trip theme) Ontario, that I could make it to easily without going too far into the northern cold. I know I’m not searching for a holy grail or anything, but even this far into the trip I still hope to come across some meaningful differences or better practices that I can bring home. What I found was a nice balance of many elements I have seen at other colleges. The college on a whole really impressed me. Its students were incredibly diverse, and the college showed signs of actively supporting and nurturing this diversity. It was also very tech focused with lots of computer classrooms, glass walled labs and libraries and almost every lounge space outfitted with electrical plugs.
The library was titled Library & Collaboratory and was spit into different sections. At the uppermost level was a large collaboration open space suitable for group review sessions, printing and informal tutoring. This space was loud and bustling with engaged activity. The main floor was a hybrid space, reference librarians and stacks, where cell phone use was discouraged but not mild conversation. Towards the back rooms were designated as silent study spaces. It appeared that every student had a computer, and plugs and wifi were ubiquitous. Hi tech looking help desks handled tech support. A similar prominent help desk using a DMV like appointment system handled all student services. The high tech nature of this campus was prominent, and it is of note that the classes I saw were all filled, as were the hallways and study spaces. The college and everyone I spoke with were explicitly student focused. My attempts to find the secrete sauce to this success were less than successful. The people I spoke with were very professional and helpful. As far as I could see that is what made the college work. Professional managers and support staff doing a professional job…
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