KENTVILLE, N.S. — When it comes to making post-secondary education more accessible and giving students the tools they need to succeed, goals set for the Make Way Campaign have been exceeded.
In the fall of 2017, the Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC) Foundation launched the public phase of the Make Way Campaign at campuses across the province. Fundraising has now concluded.
NSCC Kingstec Principal Jason Clark said it’s very gratifying to see the way so many donors, supporters, partners and community volunteers rallied around the campaign and the NSCC Kingstec Campus in a show of support for student success.
“Thanks to the generosity of donors, we have secured $662,000 to help students at our local campus,” Clark said. “It’s an incredible outcome, and we are so very grateful to everyone who supported Make Way.”
Across the NSCC network, more than $32 million has been raised. Clarke said they are “ecstatic” to have exceeded the original goals. They hoped to raise $25 million across the entire NSCC network and $550,000 for Kingstec. This means even more students can be helped.
Clark said that when the campaign was first envisioned, the college was looking at various avenues for donors to contribute. The categories decided on were student aid, instructional equipment, innovative programming and centres of excellence.
From the level of support shown, Clark infers that the public sees a lot of value in what the NSCC is contributing to the provincial landscape, from both economic and quality of life perspectives. The college is helping mold future citizens with respect to having an entrepreneurial mindset, caring about local communities and giving back.
Clark said the majority of the money raised through the campaign was contributed specifically for student aid, such as bursaries, student sponsorship and urgent aid. Of the $662,000 raised for Kingstec, $654,000 was earmarked specifically for this purpose.
He said the wishes of donors would be respected in terms of allocating the money. Several larger donations are designated for endowed bursaries.
Clark said financial barriers often impact the ability of students to attend college or to stay enrolled. When these concerns are removed, students are better able to focus on studies and have more successful outcomes.
“The last thing you want is for someone to leave for a financial reason, so this is going to put a huge dent in that. It’s going to have a significant impact,” Clark said.
The provincial campaign kicked off with a gift of $4.6 million from the Joyce Family Foundation, earmarked specifically for the urgent aid program for students across all campuses. The Sobey family donated $6.5 million to the campaign.
CELEBRATION OF SUCCESS
A Make Way celebration event held recently at the NSCC Kingstec Campus featured several speakers, including Clark, Kingstec manager of student services John Smith, NSCC Vice President of Campuses and Communities Cathy MacLean and students Katie McDonald and Jeremiah Banks.
“It was a very memorable moment to be part of that event,” Clark said.
A toast was given by Susan Hayes, friend of NSCC and co-chairwoman of the Kingstec Campus Make Way Committee, and an art piece designed by NSCC alumnus Bee Stanton was unveiled. The artwork was inspired by and is intended to recognize supporters of the campaign.
Clark said the atmosphere was incredibly positive. It was touching to hear the student testimonials about the positive impacts urgent aid and bursary support have had on their college experiences.
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