Linda Cross: A Business instructor focused on innovation and personal connections

Like many others in the Camosun Family, Linda joined the college as a Community Education instructor. She felt fortunate to be welcomed into the department by Chris Oulton-Smith and the CE team in 1980. Linda’s many contracts with CE led to an opportunity to teach a few classes for the School of Business. At that time, Camosun was a place where casual assignments often became part-time appointments which, in due course, became a full-time instructor position.

Linda felt blessed to be able to work with such a fine cohort of faculty and staff in the School of Business. Teaching Business Communications, Organizational Behaviour and Introduction to Management provided her with opportunities to connect with students on a personal level. She loved challenging them to always consider the “people” side of business.

Linda felt that Camosun’s School of Business was a wonderful mixture of high standards and innovation. Instructors were encouraged to help students achieve the best they could while, at the same time, they were encouraged to try new approaches to education.

Linda was involved in the innovative BASIS program which brought a consistent cohort of first year students and instructors together to share curriculum, projects and technology in a highly integrated approach. Linda also felt privileged to be the Coordinator of the Integrated Business Case, a project in which first year teams of Business students coordinated projects from all six of their first term courses to create an innovative business idea. Linda was always inspired to see the best of these ideas presented at a gala event with judges from the business community choosing the most deserving concept.

Linda is thankful for the rewarding career she was able to have at Camosun. She is also grateful that it allowed her to meet the lovely man who is now her husband – Alec Lee.

Submitted by Faye Ferguson, CCARE Retiree