Brandon’s post-secondary institutions team up to launch ‘Welcome Students’ campaign

Brandon’s two post-secondary institutions are teaming up to roll out the welcome mat for students across the city.

Using yard and boulevard signs, business banners, and a social media campaign, Brandon University (BU) and Assiniboine Community College (ACC) are taking advantage of the back-to-school season to show-off and celebrate just how important students are to the community.

The “Welcome Students” campaign will help visibly demonstrate the impact and benefits that students bring to Brandon and the region.

“The more than 6,000 students who attend BU and ACC each year bring our community significant economic, cultural and social benefits,” says ACC President Mark Frison, who notes that post-secondary students make up around a tenth of Brandon’s population. “Brandon is increasingly seen as becoming a destination for post-secondary education, which benefits our entire community.”

“Post-secondary students are enthusiastic and motivated, and they come to Brandon to study but many decide to stay helping to build strong communities and a vibrant province,” says BU President and Vice-Chancellor Dr. Gervan Fearon. “Brandon benefits from having two complementary post-secondary institutions that work together to provide students with a full range of learning, research and training opportunities.”

Many of the opportunities and resources that are developed for students are also community resources as well. Supported by large student populations, BU and ACC are able to offer facilities and events for everyone — from the annual events held at the Manitoba Institute of Culinary Arts at ACC’s North Hill Campus to the BU Observatory and the Healthy Living Centre.

The “Welcome Students” campaign also includes individuals, community organizations and businesses who have volunteered to host the distinctive signage in their offices or storefront, or who have placed signs in their yards or windows.

Any businesses who want to participate can request a sign or banner be delivered to them simply by emailing either institution at communications@assiniboine.net or communications@brandonu.ca.

“Our students receive significant support and encouragement from our community partners, including government, business and cultural organizations,” Fearon said “We recognize and appreciate this support, which truly makes a difference. We are all Team Brandon.”

“Students who spend their post-secondary years in Brandon can forge ties here that will last for decades. They can build relationships, put down roots, and contribute to our region for many years into the future,” Frison said. “When forecasts show that three-quarters of all new jobs will require some form of post-secondary education, it’s vital that we all come together as a community to support students and help them succeed.”

This new initiative builds on a growing history of collaboration between ACC and BU. In 2014 the institutions, along with the Province of Manitoba, signed Growing Together – Vision 20/20, a memorandum of understanding aimed at fostering collaboration between the two institutions to meet student, community and social needs.

With ongoing partnerships that include students sharing residence space and transferring credit through 2+2 programs, the institutions continue to work on making Brandon a great community for students to come to pursue their post-secondary education.

Assiniboine Community College has been providing exceptional learning experiences for over 50 years. For staff and students alike, ACC offers unparalleled learning environments, following the philosophy of ‘learn by doing’, which combines theory with hands-on learning inside classrooms, labs, kitchens, shops, fields and the college’s Sustainable Greenhouse.

Brandon University, founded in 1899, promotes excellence in teaching, research, and scholarship, and educates students so that they can make a meaningful difference as engaged citizens and leaders.

Contact