What a year for Assiniboine

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 23/12/2023 (740 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

What a very special year for me, as I remember 2023.

10. Honouring roots in agriculture and community with honorary diplomas: Some well-deserved honours were handed out to community and sector leaders.

Dori Gingera-Beauchemin spent a career developing the agricultural sector as deputy minister of agriculture for the province. She is such an icon in the ag sector that from coast to coast she can simply be referred to as “Dori” and everyone knows who you are talking about. There was no more fitting way to mark Manitoba Ag Days than awarding her a diploma in Agribusiness.

The duo of Rick and Karen Chrest have been dynamic leaders in our community for decades, so it just seemed appropriate to recognize them together. Rick served the city as mayor, the Brandon Chamber of Commerce as executive director and the Keystone Centre as general manager — three pillars of the Brandon economy. Karen, once the face and voice of Brandon through CKX, has lent her talents to numerous charitable causes and community organizations. Their honorary diplomas in community development were well deserved.

9. The Russ Edwards School of Agriculture and Environment launches new brand: The No. 1 story of 2022 was the creation of the Edwards School. In September, the momentum of the project was personified in its new brand identity. Mr. Edwards displayed his continuing generosity by surprising the college with an additional $300,000 gift from his company, Westman Group Inc. (WGI), for student awards.

8. Assiniboine students qualify for Skills Canada competition: Winnipeg was home to this year’s national Skills Canada competition. With nine students from Assiniboine taking home medals from the provincial competition, the five who won gold punched their ticket to the national competition on home soil.

7. Cougars Athletics re-introduce curling program: After winning curling national championships in 1987 and 1989, the national program went on hiatus in 1991. This September, the college announced the return of curling, led by Curl Manitoba Hall of Fame coach and former ACC employee Maureen Bonar. The team has already secured a berth at CCAA nationals in Fredericton in March.

6. Weston Family Foundation grants $1.7 million for sustainability initiatives: The Weston Family Soil Health Initiative granted researchers in the Edwards School $1,680,827 for a five-year project to enhance soil ecosystems in western Canadian agriculture. The project aligns with our agriculture and environment applied research strategy by responding to sector challenges, improving sustainability and being responsive to industry needs through partner-driven collaboration and research.

5. Program growth readying more students to enter the labour market in Manitoba: Assiniboine has grown significantly over the past decade, with the vast majority of that growth coming without any new program funds from government. This past year saw a renewed interest in funded program expansion, which was of great benefit to learners, employers and communities.

New program funds have led to the announcement of new program opportunities in Mechatronics Engineering Technology: Automation and Robotics in Brandon, Horticultural Production at our Parkland campus in Dauphin, and a variety of Early Childhood Education and Nursing offerings around the province!

4. 216 child-care seats to be a focal point of North Hill campus expansion: In July, the Province of Manitoba, in partnership with the Government of Canada, announced a significant expansion to child-care capacity in Manitoba. That includes 216 spaces at our North Hill campus, to be housed in the building to result from our Prairie Innovation Centre expansion. One of the largest early learning centres in the province, it will include a learning lab and be a demonstration site for the college’s province-leading early childhood education offerings. It will also contribute an additional $10 to $20 million to the construction costs for the Prairie Innovation Centre.

3. Record number of students graduate from Assiniboine: This past academic year, Assiniboine recorded the highest number of graduates in our institution’s history, with 1,648 students receiving diplomas, certificates, and advanced diplomas. Among those obtaining credentials were 350 Indigenous graduates, another new high-water mark for the college.

Based on the track record of our graduates from other years, we can anticipate that more than 90 per cent of our graduates will choose to live and work right here in Manitoba. That’s a net population and brain gain for Manitoba, as fewer than 90 per cent originated from Manitoba.

2. Prairie Innovation Centre surges toward reality: As we wrap up the year, private citizens, foundations, community organizations and businesses have contributed more than $18 million toward making our Prairie Innovation Centre for Sustainable Agriculture (PIC) a reality. We are certain to eclipse $20 million early in 2024.

As the largest private fundraising project in Westman history, it caught the attention of government. In January, at Manitoba Ag Days in Brandon, the province contributed $10 million to allow final design to occur. In July, the province announced that up to $20 million in additional funding would be provided for the construction of a province-leading, 216-space early learning centre as part of PIC.

During the provincial election campaign, now-Premier Wab Kinew committed an additional $60 million to the centre. He wasted no time solidifying that commitment through clear mandate letters to the ministers of advanced education and agriculture to make PIC a reality.

The college is working to secure a commitment from the federal government to complete the funding package and head toward construction in the fall of 2024.

1. Peters School of Business: The past decade has seen tremendous growth in business program offerings — including the introduction of advanced diplomas, an MBA partnership that’s headed toward a fourth intake, significant enrolment growth in office education, doubling intakes for network administration technology and a renewed suite of creative media programs — but we know there’s more to do.

That ambition is reflected in the new name: The Peters School of Business. Mirroring its industrious and inspirational namesakes, Gord and Diane Peters, the newly established Peters School of Business will continue to grow across the province and build a brand that rivals any college business school in the country.

With Diane as a graduate from our renowned practical nursing program, and Gord being the legendary founder of Cando Rail and Terminals, the college could not be more pleased that they have honoured us by allowing their names to be associated with our business school.

A college-high $10-million gift from Gord and Diane will power that ambition. Thank you doesn’t do our gratitude justice!

The past year was one for the record books, but 2024 holds just as much promise. We look forward to providing exceptional learning experiences for students that contribute to continued prosperity in a province poised for growth.

Best wishes to all for a happy and healthy 2024.