KENTVILLE, NS - It’s all about making post-secondary education more accessible and giving students the tools they need to succeed in the Nova Scotia job market.
The Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC) Foundation has launched the public phase of the Make Way Campaign at campuses across the province. It will run until June 2018.
NSCC Kingstec Campus Principal Jason Clark said they would be inviting people to consider the NSCC as a philanthropic option and identifying potential donors during that timeframe. Donations can be made a single time or over several years like some of the major donations they’ve already received.
Clark said the public launch in October was a way to make some connections in the community and with staff to garner more support. Each campus has its own fundraising goal with Kingstec hoping to raise $550,000 for campus-specific priorities. This will mean more resources to support deserving students who will go on to contribute to the province’s economic and social advancement.
“The thing that makes me the most excited about it is that all of that money stays right here at Kingstec,” Clark said.
He said they would allocate funds as the donor wishes in a way that their gifts could have the greatest impact. Students attending Kingstec over the coming years will benefit in the form of bursaries, student aid and investments in programming and state-of-the-art equipment. This will help prepare students for jobs in their chosen fields.
The overall goal of the province-wide campaign is to raise $25 million to support student success through student aid, innovative learning opportunities, instructional equipment and centres of expertise.
Clark said they’ve done very well so far provincially, raising $21 million. The campaign kicked off with a gift of $4.6 million from the Joyce Family Foundation and the Sobey family recently donated $6.5 million.
Clark said these and a couple of other large donations gave the campaign a lot of momentum. They’re now moving on to a more localized campaign in communities where campuses are located.
Serving the province through a network of 13 campuses, the college offers 120 programs in five academic schools: Access, Business, IT and Creative Industries, Health and Human Services and Trades and Technology.
In 2016-2017, the NSCC Foundation awarded 1,000 scholarships and bursaries and helped 850 students through unforeseen circumstances with urgent aid. However, the foundation received 16,000 applications for awards during that academic year.
The NSCC is committed to building Nova Scotia’s economy and quality of life through education and innovation. Programs reflect labour market needs and opportunities.
In an annual survey of its graduates, the college has found that 87 per cent are employed, most in their field of choice, with 92 per cent of those employed living and working in Nova Scotia.
