A partnership in hands‑on learning

The idea of a blank map — one as large as a kitchen table — would be cause for alarm more than excitement for most travellers. But for students taking part in the Dalhousie Earth Sciences advanced field school, it’s both exhilarating and daunting.

The annual trip takes students out of the classroom and into the field, travelling to western Nevada and eastern California for month-long learning experiences. Rachel Milligan, who graduated in 2014 with her BSC in Earth Sciences with first-class honours, attended the field school twice, once as a student and once as a teaching assistant. She says it was perhaps the highlight of her time at Dal.

“Day by day, you develop field mapping skills and apply them to a variety of real-world geological problems,” she explains. “You draw on everything you’ve learned in the classroom, along with your newly found skills, and your map starts to take shape. My completed map was one of the most rewarding things I’ve done throughout my education.”

A renewed partnership

The advanced field school is made possible thanks to financial support from Shell Canada Limited. through the company’s Campus Ambassador Program (CAP), which supports hands-on learning experiences at 10 Canadian universities including Dalhousie.

Back in March, Dalhousie and Shell Canada announced a renewal of Dal’s involvement in CAP, with Shell committing $600,000 over three years for experiential and extracurricular learning opportunities in the Faculties of Engineering, Science and Management. The announcement included $500,000 for the Shell Experiential Learning Fund (SELF) which supports field trips (like the Earth Sciences advanced field school), guest lectures, conferences and events, extracurricular competitions, and diversity initiatives. It also included $100,000 for a new Offshore Energy Fund to support learning opportunities related to offshore energy development.

Read more: Shell renews support for enhanced learning experiences at Dal (March 25, 2015)

Dalhousie was an inaugural partner in CAP when it launched in 2005, and the relationship between the university and Shell Canada dates back even further, to the 1960s. However, it has recently become a topic of discussion via media reports about the details of the Campus Ambassador Program contract. Questions about the agreement have also come up at the Dalhousie Senate.

Typically, financial partnership agreements such as the one between Shell and Dalhousie are not released publicly. However, in the interest of transparency and addressing concerns that have been raised, both Dalhousie and Shell Canada have agreed to share the full agreements, with the exception of personal information which has been removed as per privacy laws..

A detailed partnership

There are actually two separate agreements in the partnership: one covers the $500,000 for SELF, the other the $100,000 for the Offshore Energy Fund. The agreements — known officially as “Social Investment Agreements” — do not constitute a charitable donation: Shell Canada does not receive a charitable tax receipt for its contribution to the university. Instead, the agreements recognize the mutual benefit of the partnership and outline, in comprehensive detail, the particulars of the funds, how they will be used, and how the partners will communicate and recognize the relationship.

View: Shell Experiential Learning Fund agreement [PDF]
View: Offshore Energy Fund agreement [PDF]

Some of the concerns that have been raised relate to that recognition, though it is a standard component of any such agreement. The documents outline a commitment on Dalhousie’s part to acknowledge Shell’s contribution in various publications, events and materials (including, as appropriate, use of Shell’s logo); an option for Shell representatives to participate in some of the sponsored field schools or other events related to the agreement (at Shell’s expense); and that the renewed partnership is to be announced with an event. These stipulations are not imposed on Dalhousie; they are mutually agreed to by both parties, and in many cases simply document activities the university would generally undertake following the launch of such a partnership.

(Similarly, each agreement notes that neither partner is to make announcements or statements about the agreement without the consent of the other — a standard clause to ensure both parties apprise one another of any plans for major public activities related to the partnership.)

The bulk of the documents outline how the funds will be used at the university. Among these applications are $90,000 for field trips/schools in the Earth Sciences program, $60,000 to support student learning opportunities in the Faculty of Engineering and a total of $45,000 to support diversity initiatives in geosciences, engineering and business.

Opportunities for applied learning

Peter Fardy, acting vice-president external for Dalhousie, says the agreements are written in similar fashion to those for other partnerships in which Dal programs team up with external organizations.  

“Dalhousie’s departments and Faculties regularly seek out partnerships to help advance shared goals — with government, with funding agencies, with hospitals and non-profits, and with the private sector,” he says. “In fields like Engineering, Earth Sciences and Management, a partnership with a company like Shell means those programs can offer students unique opportunities to apply their skills in the field — the sort of experiences students typically wouldn’t have until well into their careers.”

Becky Jamieson, chair of the Department of Earth Sciences, says hearing about the experiences of students like Rachel is gratifying and shows how the advanced field school is achieving its goals.

“Four years ago, the department did a curriculum mapping exercise to identify what was needed for our students to have the best learning opportunities,” she explains. “We identified a month-long field school as a high priority for students to gain skills that are desired in the workforce.”

At the time, though, the proposed field school was without a funding source, and the department anticipated it might take two or three years to get off the ground. Given the department’s existing partnership with Shell Canada and the Campus Ambassador Program, they reached out to see if Shell was interested in funding the field school to get it up and running more quickly. The department received an enthusiastic response.

“In keeping with our own goals, Shell is interested in providing a well-rounded geological education for students,” says Dr. Jamieson. “Shell recognized the advanced field school would accomplish this and were very supportive. We would not be able to offer these types of learning opportunities to our students without their investment. It’s incredibly important to employers when young professionals are entering the workforce with real-world experiences.”