North Island College has granted Professor Emeritus designations for two long-time faculty members who each spent decades with the college.
This year, NIC recognized Harley Elias and Norma Pelletier. Elias taught in the faculties of Tourism and Hospitality and of Business at NIC for 30 years, while Pelletier spent 33 years at NIC in the Business Administration program.
Pelletier started at NIC in 1990 and retired in 2023. From her early days supporting distance students in Port Hardy to her instrumental role in developing our Bachelor of Business Administration – Accounting program, her connection to the college runs deep. In addition, she worked with the Chartered Professional Accountants of British Columbia (CPABC) to ensure that NIC courses continued to meet the requirements for acceptance into the CPA program.
“During Norma's 30-plus years of employment at North Island College, she consistently demonstrated how much she cared about the quality of the education the students received,” said Judith Marriott, chair of the Department of Business Administration.
During Pelletier’s last few years at NIC, she led the program review process for both the Bachelor of Business Administration and the Post Degree Diploma.
“Throughout my career with the college, I have endeavoured to represent the college as best I could,” she said. “I often put the needs of my students before my own and have retired knowing that all those years were well spent.”
She is actively engaged in the community as a member of the Rotary Club of Comox and was a member of the Comox Valley Shark Swimming Club for many years, including a role as its Treasurer. With her Emeritus designation, she hopes to be available as a guest speaker, tutor or substitute instructor or perhaps teach at ElderCollege.
Elias was a long-standing faculty member in Tourism & Hospitality and Business and also spent almost 20 years as chair of LINK BC, which represented a network of B.C. colleges offering tourism and hospitality programs. He also served as a strong advocate for NIC as a board member with Go2HR, Destination BC and more.
He is known not only for his professional expertise but for how deeply he cares about his students. His colleagues often speak of his calm, positive energy and his unwavering dedication to those he has taught.
“Harley gets to know and understand his students’ needs and interests, so he can help with advice on course and educational choices,” said Murray Erickson, a Faculty of Business Administration colleague. “The students, even after graduating, continue to come by and see Harley and continue to contact him for advice or just to stay in touch.”
As far as his Emeritus designation, Elias sees a couple of areas in which he wants to continue to support NIC and students: international students and the alumni network.
“While we can never know our impact on the future of our students, I would hope my students’ lives and careers are better for our time together,” he said.
Each year, NIC takes nominations for Emeritus honours to recognize the outstanding service of retired employees to the college and their broader community. To be eligible, recipients must have worked at NIC for at least 10 years, demonstrated teaching, service or research excellence and contributed significantly to student success or the educational community.
