From the President's Desk: September 25, 2024

As you may know, each year I work with the Board of Governors to develop my vision for the upcoming year. I would like to share a few of my goals for the 2024-25 academic year:

• Learner success – I will connect with students across the college to understand their perspective and foster a sense of belongingness, to promote engagement and learning opportunities. As in the past, I will continue to attend as many student functions as possible such as student council meetings, regular walkabouts and final presentations. I am dedicated to providing resources and supports for students to succeed academically and personally.
• Relevant programming and research – Through the Program Matrix document, I will ensure that programs are of the highest quality and excellence, ensuring a structured approach to assessing and monitoring program relevance.
• Sustainability – Lakeland College has a culture of living our values and empowering our staff to achieve our mission and vision. I will continue to align Lakeland College’s Vision 2030 plan to the Government of Alberta’s focus, priorities, and reporting structure. Staff can expect regular Stay Connected sessions, whereby the Senior Leadership Team will keep employees apprised of day-to-day operations.
• Connectivity – I will continue to foster strong, collaborative relationships with internal and external stakeholders to enhance our impact on rural sustainability, raise the college’s profile as a leader in our field, and attract further support and resources.

Feast on the Farm is always a highlight of our summer here at Lakeland. It’s an opportunity to meet new and familiar faces, to reconnect with our community, and all for such an amazing cause. We pride ourselves in providing our students with experiential, hands-on learning opportunities that bring our students beyond the classroom and prepare them to excel in the workplace. The support we receive at this event helps us make our students’ experiences much more dynamic, hands-on, and exciting. Together we raised $82,000 for student-led initiatives. I want to thank everyone who helped make this event such a success.

August also brings together student-athletes and the community to participate in the annual Lakeland Rustlers Golf Tournament. This event helped raise $37,000 to support championship teams, ensuring they have the funds to compete at significant levels each year. Again, thank you everyone.

Another highlight of the summer was welcoming the Honourable Rajan Sawhney, Minister of Alberta Advanced Education, for a tour of the Vermilion campus and the Emergency Training Centre. The students involved with the Jasper wildfires were especially pleased to be acknowledged by the minister.

I’m looking forward to an exciting and productive year, providing an inclusive, safe and welcoming place to learn and work.

Until next time,

Alice