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Education Council

Education Council (also known as EdCo) is an internal governance body of Okanagan College as required by the . Education Council considers curriculum and educational policies relating to students, standards, planning and operations.

In carrying out the business of Education Council, members exercise their best individual judgment in accordance with the Okanagan College Mission, Vision, Values and Strategic Directions. All eligible members vote freely on all issues considered by Education Council regardless of their association with a particular portfolio/area of the institution.

Council meets on a monthly basis except during July and August. During the summer, and other breaks, the Operations Standing Committee deals with matters requiring action. The Operations Standing Committee is subject to the authority of Education Council and its work is reviewed and ratified by Council.

Other Education Council Standing Committees provide in-depth curriculum (the CPR committees), academic policy (ARP), and calendar review (CCC). These standing committees make recommendations to Education Council and Council relies on its standing committees to ensure appropriate program area expertise as well as the independent perspective provided by additional members from outside the program area. All standing committees report directly to Education Council.

In December 2005, the Okanagan College Education Council officially took over from an Interim Education Council in place during the transition from Okanagan University College (OUC) to ºÚÁÏÌìÌÃ

Okanagan College Education Council has its roots in the Okanagan University College Education Council. The OUC Education Council met for the first time in February of 1995 following substantial changes to the College and Institute Act of British Columbia (“the Act â€). These changes to the Act included the establishment of a bicameral system of institutional governance in which the Board of Governors and Education Council were assigned roles and responsibilities.

OUC Education Council met monthly on a regular basis from February 1995 until April 2005. On March 17, 2004, the BC government announced the 2005 dissolution of OUC and the institution was placed under the control of a government-appointed Public Trustee.

The South Kelowna, Vernon, Penticton, and Salmon Arm campuses of OUC became the new Okanagan College and the Okanagan College Interim Education Council was formed with faculty, staff and students elected to the former OUC Education Council and moving to ºÚÁÏÌìÌà To ensure representation from all regions and representative groups, a small number of volunteers were also named to the Interim Education Council. These members, as well as administrators named by the Okanagan College President, met from May to November of 2005.

Following elections, the formally-constituted Okanagan College Education Council began work on December 7, 2005. 

The bylaws under which Education Council operates are available.

While some members of Education Council are appointed, others are elected. Faculty (10 seats) and support staff (two seats) elections take place in the spring; student (four seats) elections take place in the fall. The Election rules are available online.

What’s New at Education Council

The Okanagan College Education Council has updated its academic governance structure to better support curriculum development and academic policy review. These updates take effect September 2025.

Committee Restructuring Highlights

  • New Committees Introduced:
    • Integrated Curriculum Proposal Review Committee (ICPR): This committee reviews curriculum proposals, ensuring they meet institutional standards and academic priorities prior to Education Council review.
    • Academic Governance Committee (AGC): Focused on academic standards and effectiveness, the AGC supports the identification, review and recommendation of policies in alignment with the College’s strategic plan.
    • Provisional Approval Committee: Provides an expedited, one-time-only approval of curriculum when normal timelines cannot accommodate the regular review process. This committee ensures urgent proposals maintain academic expectations while meeting external deadlines.
  • Retired Committees:
    • The five Curriculum and Program Review Committees (CPRCs) have been dissolved as of June 2025. Their responsibilities have been redistributed to Curriculum Review Committees (CRC) within each academic area.
    • The Academic Regulations Committee (ARP) academic policy review functions have been integrated into the new Academic Governance Committee (AGC).  

The updated structure is designed to clarify committee roles and improve the efficiency of curriculum and academic policy review processes. 

Members of the 2025-2026 Education Council

Under the province’s , an Education Council consists of 20 voting members, representing the following areas:

     (a) 10 faculty members, elected by the faculty
     (b) Four students, elected by the students
     (c) Two support staff, elected by the support staff
     (d) Four educational administrators, appointed by the College’s President

MemberRoleChair & Vice-Chair Terms
Jillian GarrettEducation Council ChairMay 4, 2023 - July 31, 2026
Morgan MartinEducation Council Vice-ChairAugust 1 2025 - July 31, 2026

Faculty Representation

MemberProgramTerm
Jillian Garrett (Chair)ArtsAugust 1, 2022 - July 31, 2026
Brenda RidgeleyBusinessAugust 1, 2024 - July 31, 2026
Christopher TorrieFoundational August 1, 2024 - July 31, 2026
Brett WadeHealth & Social DevelopmentAugust 1, 2024 - July 31, 2026
Morgan MartinScience & TechnologyAugust 1, 2022 - July 31, 2026
Kelly BrochuTrades & ApprenticeshipDecember 7, 2023 - July 31, 2026

Regional Faculty

MemberRegionTerm
Claude HurtubiseCentral OkanaganAugust 1, 2025 - July 31, 2027
Leanne MalloryNorth OkanaganAugust 1, 2021 - July 31, 2027
Bryan WhiteShuswap RevelstokeDecember 12, 2024 - July 31, 2027
Wendy WheelerSouth Okanagan Similkameen August 1, 2025 - July 31, 2027

Support Staff Representation 

MemberPositionTerm
Michelle SomervilleSupportNovember 7, 2019 - July 31, 2026
Vivian MorettiSupportAugust 1, 2025 - July 31, 2027

Student Representation

MemberRegionTerm
Samreet KaurCentral OkanaganNovember 1, 2024 - October 31, 2025
Shirelle NickoliNorth OkanaganAugust 1, 2025 - July 31, 2026
Kaelah RileyShuswap RevelstokeNovember 1, 2024 - October 31, 2025
Sara DelgadoSouth Okanagan Similkameen August 1, 2025 - July 31, 2026

Educational Administrators

MemberTitleTerm
Samantha LenciProvost and Vice President, Academic Appointed
Danny MarquesAssociate Dean, Trades & ApprenticeshipAppointed
Joan RagsdaleSpecial Advisor to the PresidentAppointed
Chris NewittAssociate Dean, Arts and FoundationalAppointed

Ex-officio or Non-voting Members

MemberTitlePosition
Neil FassinaPresidentEx-Officio
Inga WheelerRegistrar and Secretary to Education CouncilEx-Officio
Cindy BattersbyBoard of Governors RepresentativeEx-Officio
Rhea DupuisIndigenous AdvisorNon-voting

Approved Items, Agendas and Minutes

Please note that Education Council is in an advisory role to the Board of Governors and many of the items approved by Education Council also require Board of Governors approval before they can be implemented.

The current can be viewed on the online, with regular meetings quarterly in March, May, September, and December. Please consult with the Education Council Secretary should you have any questions about the process or lead time required for full approval of an item.

Education Council Meeting Schedule

2025/2026 Financial Year

September

Meeting:
September 18, 2025
Submission Deadline:
September 4, 2025
Location:
Kelowna
Possible Board Approval Month:
December

October

Meeting:
October 16, 2025
Submission Deadline:
October 2, 2025
Location:
Vernon
Possible Board Approval Month:
December

November

Meeting:
November 20, 2025
Submission Deadline:
November 6, 2025
Location:
Kelowna
Possible Board Approval Month:
December

December

Meeting:
December 11, 2025
Submission Deadline:
November 27, 2025
Location:
Online
Possible Board Approval Month:
March

January

Meeting:
January 22, 2026
Submission Deadline:
January 8, 2026
Location:
Online
Possible Board Approval Month:
March

February

Meeting:
February 19, 2026
Submission Deadline:
February 5, 2026
Location:
Online
Possible Board Approval Month:
March

March

Meeting:
March 12, 2026
Submission Deadline:
February 26, 2026
Location:
Kelowna
Possible Board Approval Month:
May

April

Meeting:
April 16, 2026
Submission Deadline:
April 2, 2026
Location:
Kelowna
Possible Board Approval Month:
May

May

Meeting:
May 21, 2026
Submission Deadline:
May 7, 2026
Location:
Salmon Arm
Possible Board Approval Month:
September

June

Meeting:
June 18, 2026
Submission Deadline:
June 4, 2026
Location:
Penticton
Possible Board Approval Month:
September

News and notices

It is election time at Okanagan College, starting with a call for nominations for positions on the Board of Governors and the Education Council.…

Nominations are now being accepted for the upcoming Education Council Election.  

Please be advised that elections will be held…

Events

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