People of Georgian: Running Owen Sound Campus personal for hometown leader

What’s your story?

The Georgian community is full of unique, inspiring perspectives —and we’re sharing them as part of an ongoing series.

People of Georgian: Meet Dr. Dave Shorey

I grew up in Southampton and went to high school in Owen Sound, so Grey–Bruce is my home.

I lived in the Region of Waterloo for 20 years. When the opportunity came up to return home and advance postsecondary education with Georgian, it was a personal and professional gift and an easy decision for me to make.

Getting the chance to do this work, full-time back home, is quite meaningful.

Two adults and a child pose with a grizzly bear mascot in front of a background reading "Georgian Alumni Association." — *Dave, right, and his wife and daughter meet Georgian’s mascot, Growler.*

Dave part of ‘migration’ back to Grey-Bruce

Things have changed considerably in Grey-Bruce since I grew up here in the 1980s and 90s, and I’ve seen a migration of people who went away for postsecondary now moving back to the area. My parents are still here, my brother made his way back, and close friends of mine have also returned.

My wife, daughter, and I are so pleased to be in Grey-Bruce and particularly enjoy close and easy access to natural environments. It is hard to beat the sandy beaches on the shores of Lake Huron, the rolling landscape of the Beaver Valley, and all that the Saugeen (Bruce) Peninsula has to offer.

A person drives a boat through a marina. — *Dave loves spending time outdoors with his family in the Owen Sound area.*

A person kneels down in front of a river and holds a fish.

‘Education is important to me. It changes lives. It did for me’

Growing up, I was completely unaware of what the Owen Sound Campus offered and didn’t appreciate all that this campus meant to the community.

When I was living elsewhere and working at Wilfrid Laurier University, I was always trying to figure out ways to expand awareness of postsecondary opportunities with youth in Grey-Bruce because education is important to me. It changes lives. It did for me.

I learned quickly what Georgian offers the region. It’s a community-connected and multi-campus institution that meets the needs of communities across Central and Midwestern Ontario.

An adult and child wearing Georgian Grizzlies merchandise take a selfie in front of a hockey rink. — *Dave and his daughter at an Owen Sound Attack game.*

The Owen Sound Campus is a platform for many different people and partners to reach their goals:

We have one-, two-, three- and four-year programs, along with graduate education.
We’ve also grown from 100 to 700 apprentices on this campus in motive, service, construction and industrial trades. Before we offered apprenticeship programming, students had to travel for hours to complete trade school. This meant they would have to leave their homes, be away from their families, and spend money on accommodation. Now, they can stay local and go home each night.
We have a robust marine-focused modular training offerings, with over 1,500 active mariners annually coming through our Centre for Marine Training and Research.
We have free academic upgrading, and comprehensive wrap-around services that support student retention and persistence to graduation.
We are a hub for community-connected engagement and learning, with non-profit organizations and community-based services connecting with students and with each other on campus to support a thriving region.
We have programming for high school students, including dual credits, Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Programming and Specialist High Skills Major programming. We also have numerous on- and off-campus engagements to profile promising careers and the education Georgian offers to help people get into those jobs. We work hard with local school boards to inspire youth to think about what their futures could be.
We support rural economic development through Georgian’s Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship department through our local Henry Bernick Entrepreneurship Centre presence and multiple industry-connected research projects that build capacity in underserved communities.

It’s wonderful to be a part of all of this, and it’s meaningful to me to see how we can be a platform for so many people.

Two adults, one of whom is wearing a long purple convocation robe, with another adult and a child stand outside in front of building and some trees. — *Dave, with his wife and daughter, recently completed his EdD in Educational Leadership.*

Dave ‘invested’ in home community

My years in the university sector were focused on supporting student transition and success through cross-institution partnerships and programs.

Community building was critical to student success, so I care very much about the things that happen outside of our students’ academic experiences as much as I do what happens inside the classroom.

Because this is my home, I’m that much more invested in the community.

Dr. Dave Shorey (he/him), Executive Director of Georgian’s Owen Sound Campus. He holds a Doctor of Education degree from Western University, where his research focused on building innovative systems to sustain and enhance rural-serving campuses.