Durham College gets top marks for its kind culture

In 2014, while Dr. Elaine Popp was attending a leadership conference in British Columbia, she met two employees from Durham College of Applied Arts and Technology (Durham) who spoke highly about the people and the friendly, supportive culture at Durham. A couple of months later, when Popp saw a posting for a vice-president’s role there, she remembered their conversation and applied. “The moment I stepped on campus, I felt welcomed and supported,” she says.

Durham College, which has campuses in Whitby, Ont. and Oshawa, Ont., offers a broad range of applied arts and technology programs. “Durham is like a friendly, collaborative, mini city,” says Popp, who was appointed president in March 2024. “Our campuses have everything students and staff want and need, yet we’re small and nimble. Durham doesn’t treat you like a number – you have a name here.”

During the first week of classes, it’s not uncommon for Popp and other employees to walk students who are lost to their classes. Lucy Romao Vandepol, director of student and career development, has done so many times. “It’s an opportunity for me to engage with that student as I walk with them, ask some questions and provide them with additional information,” she says.

Romao Vandepol first joined Durham in 2007 as a first-year experience coordinator, which was a 14-month maternity-leave contract. Since then, she has worked as a full-time staffer in five different departments, benefited from myriad professional development programs and completed a master of arts degree with a focus on education (Durham reimbursed her tuition fees). “I love learning, and the numerous opportunities have helped me grow personally and professionally,” she says.

Throughout her time at the college, Romao Vandepol has also taught several general education classes part-time. “No matter what your role is, you really feel like you’re part of something bigger,” she says. “It’s such a collaborative experience to be part of that.”

Popp agrees that the literally collegial nature of the collaboration is outstanding. “It’s really a place like no other in terms of support,” she says. “Right from our recruiting process, candidates are exposed first-hand to the type of culture we nurture here. We’re all singing the same song, not just in the interviews but also in daily practice.”

Training and development are key to retaining top talent. “I experienced that investment as a young employee earlier in my career, and I’m in the role I am now because of that,” says Popp. “I want all employees to feel like their supervisor is encouraging them and that their strengths are fully tapped into.”

Training comes in many areas, including modules in mental health first aid, leadership and development, onboarding and orientation, Indigenous culture and reconciliation, and intercultural awareness. Formal and informal mentorship programs are available for faculty and support staff.

Many students go on to become employees. Popp has heard several of them say that it was their “dream” to work at Durham. And several employees send their children there, thanks to a generous tuition discount.

Romao Vandepol continues to get excited by the work that she and her colleagues do to support students’ experiences and development. “There’s variety in each workday and opportunities to try new things, and still lots for me to learn and do,” she says. “We’re always looking to the future, because the world is changing, and our students’ needs are changing.”

This article appeared in the magazine announcing this year's Greater Toronto’s Top Employers winners, published December 3, 2024 in The Globe and Mail. This article was prepared with the financial support of the employer, which reviewed but did not write its contents.

Durham College entices people to pilot green practices

During orientation week at the Oshawa and Whitby campuses of Ontario’s Durham College of Applied Arts and Technology, every student receives a package that includes a reusable water bottle with stickers to personalize it. Then, they’re encouraged to use the hydration stations across campus. “Clean, safe water should be free and accessible to everyone,” says Durham's president, Dr. Elaine Popp.

Durham College, which offers a broad range of applied arts and technology programs, has a long history of implementing environmentally friendly practices, as well as featuring sustainability courses in its curriculum. When employees asked for more bike racks and bike-repair stations across campus, senior leaders listened. “We try to demonstrate how to live those values, not just tick the boxes,” says Popp, who cycles the 34 kilometres from home to campus whenever she can.

Through employee surveys, town halls, and pop-up and visioning sessions, senior leaders have learned that sustainability is an important consideration for their people, community partners and region. “Getting everyone on board is part of creating a culture of positive change,” says Amanda Blenkhorn, the director of ancillary services who oversees sustainability. “Then you need people who can drive things across the finish line.”

Part of Blenkhorn’s cultural background is Indigenous, and she finds peace in nature. “I’ve always been very respectful of the land and Mother Earth,” she says. “So, this work is a perfect fit for me.”

Blenkhorn chairs the Green Impact Team, comprising faculty, staff and students from across the college. “We’re like-minded people who are passionate about conservation and want to make a difference,” she says. “We don’t work in silos — we’re looking for ambassadors to bring forth ideas and share information back to their own areas.”

Durham’s administration fully supports piloting new projects. For example, Blenkhorn recently got the green light to develop a recycling and repurposing program for disposable gloves used in food services, labs and housekeeping. Currently contracting out to a company in Québec, the college’s students are investigating taking the program in-house.

“It’s still in the testing phase but already so powerful,” says Blenkhorn. “Even if it doesn’t work, we’re trying new things and coming together as a community to share this passion.”

Popp is a proponent of pilot projects. “Innovation stems from trying to model the behaviours we want to champion and to call out what we could improve,” she says. She credits “amazing” donor partners for helping fund sustainable initiatives, such as an organic regeneration compost system in which 90 per cent of food waste gets recycled.

In January, Durham launched a food-services program where customers pay a deposit to receive their meal in a reusable container, then get the full deposit back when they return the container. This initiative diverts packaging from landfills. “It takes a while for some people to get used to doing things differently, but there’s definitely an appetite for people to get involved more,” says Blenkhorn.

In 2024, Durham launched an Energy Conservation and Demand Management plan to outline specific actions to promote good stewardship of its environment and community resources in the years to come. The plan will look at future projections of energy consumption and review past conservation measures. By 2030, the college aims to reduce electricity consumption by 16 per cent and natural gas consumption by 52 per cent, along with other targets like lowering greenhouse gas emissions.

Popp encourages everyone to pitch ideas to help meet the targets. “There’s an innovation spirit in all we do, so let’s hear about what might be possible and see if we can try it,” she says.

This article appeared in the magazine announcing this year's Canada's Greenest Employers winners, published April 22, 2025 in The Globe and Mail. This article was prepared with the financial support of the employer, which reviewed but did not write its contents.