Another $10-million donation for ACC

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This article was published 16/01/2024 (645 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

In a monumental stride toward advancing agricultural education and sustainable practices, Assiniboine Community College announced on Monday that it has received another transformative $10-million donation, this time from an anonymous philanthropist.

The new donation propels the planned Prairie Innovation Centre for Sustainable Agriculture closer to realization and marks the second significant $10-million donation for ACC within a month.

Local philanthropists Gord and Diane Peters donated $10 million to the ACC School of Business, which will now be called the Peters School of Business, last December.

ACC president Mark Frison told the Sun the new donation is earmarked for the Prairie Innovation Centre.

“The $10 million is dedicated to the construction/renovation of the 220,000-square-foot former Parkland Building at our North Hill Campus to house the Prairie Innovation Centre for Sustainable Agriculture as part of the Russ Edwards School of Agriculture and Environment,” Frison said.

The centre, he said, will include new, expanded and refreshed agriculture and environment programs, a hub for sector engagement, and applied research capacity. One in three jobs in agriculture is expected to go unfilled by 2029, he added, and the college’s plan to address that shortage is to go from fewer than 300 seats in agricultural-related programs to more than 800 seats.

“The $10-million donation is part of a larger $20-million #AgBelongsHere fundraising campaign for the PIC, which initially began as a $10-million campaign,” he said. “As the scope of the project expanded, so did the campaign’s goal, as the fundraising efforts have already exceeded the $20-million target.”

He said the Manitoba government has played a crucial role in supporting the planned centre, committing $10 million last year for detailed final design and including a 216-seat early learning centre as part of the project. During the election campaign, Premier Wab Kinew pledged an additional $60 million, embedding it after the election in mandate letters to Advanced Education and Training Minister Renée Cable and Agriculture Minister Ron Koshtyshyn.

“Our government is thrilled to work with Assiniboine Community College to expand the delivery of high-quality education that will see students graduate into in-demand, family-supporting careers in agriculture, benefiting our entire province,” Cable said in a press release on Monday.

ACC continues its pursuit of a $40-million investment from the federal government, the final piece of the puzzle for the largest-ever community fundraising campaign in western Manitoba history.

The latest donation will be allocated for building construction, renovation, capital equipment, and scholarships and bursaries for students.

Along with expanded programming and increased capacity for applied research, the Prairie Innovation Centre will provide a venue for producers, industry, researchers, government and students to come together, solve problems and share ideas.

In Monday’s news release, the college described the centre as “a one-of-a-kind Canadian college project that will bring together collaborative learning spaces, applied research labs, multipurpose spaces and amenities that will serve both industry and the college community.”

Russ Edwards School dean Tim Hore said the fundraising campaign for the Prairie Innovation Centre has seen “strong, steady support,” demonstrating the recognized need for the project in the region and the province as a whole.

“We know it will be a game-changer for agricultural education and industry advancement,” Hore said. “A donation of this magnitude validates that important work of faculty and staff and reflects how our graduates are viewed by the sector.”

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