With all 342 available seats filled, Olds College’s 2010 Gala was once again a rousing success. On hand among the many supporters from industry and alumni were dignitaries Luke Ouellette, Minister of Transportation, and Mary Anne Jablonski, Minister of Seniors and Community Supports. They were joined by eight colleagues from the Alberta Legislature, two Members of Parliament, a Senator and former Alberta Premier Ralph Klein who was also the evening’s keynote speaker. Wildrose Alliance Party leader Danielle Smith was on hand as well.
The evening kicked off with an intimate reception and silent auction netting much-appreciated contributions that, combined with funds raised in a live auction later that evening, created total gross revenues of $163,000 and a net profit of $75,000 for the Olds College Opportunities Fund. These proceeds are a “best ever,” marking a 65 per cent increase from the previous year. The Opportunities Fund supports a variety of important initiatives such as ongoing curriculum renewal and access to leading learner and instructional technology.
Olds College President Dr. Tom Thompson then welcomed the evening’s guests and announced that Olds College will be conferring honorary degrees upon Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills MLA Richard Marz, Rocky Mountain House MLA Ty Lund and Jim Gibbons, outgoing Superintendent of the Chinook’s Edge School Division. “These three men have worked tirelessly on behalf of the Community Learning Campus and have been absolutely vital to the success of this innovative project,” said Thompson.
Growing the Legacy, March 12, 2010
To view full slideshow install Flash® plugin and enable Javascript.Following dinner, Ralph Klein delivered his keynote address, stating that the College shares many of his principles. “Olds College understands the notion of healthy balance between academics for the sake of learning and job readiness and hands-on training,” he said. “They always struck me as really responsive to the needs of industry, government and the needs of their students.”
A major highlight of the evening was the announcement of the Heavy Equipment Industry as Olds College 2010 Partner of the Year (see video below). “There are few groups that could have had such a powerful, influential impact on Olds College in such a short period of time,” said Bill Quinney, Olds College Board of Governors Chair. “We have worked together not only to build meaningful partnerships and innovative educational programs, but to build the very world that we and our loved ones live in and share.”
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