Re-Opening
of South Campus at Grant MacEwan
College
Remarks
by Hon. David Kilgour,
MP
for Edmonton Southeast and Secretary
of State (Asia-Pacific)
at
Grant MacEwan College, South Campus,
7319-29 Ave.,
January
18, 2003
Edmonton
Minister
of Learning, Mayor Smith, Guests,
It
is a great honour to be here to
celebrate the reopening of the
South Campus of Grant MacEwan
College –one of
the finest educational
institutions in Alberta.
Permit
me to tell a true story about.
Grant MacEwan, who one survey
indicated is the best loved Albertan
of all time:
In
early 1986 he was invited to participate
in events at the various campuses
of Grant MacEwan Community College.
Rising at perhaps 5 a.m. at his
home in Calgary, he boarded a
Greyhound bus for the four-hour
trip to Edmonton. He visited the
several campuses for "Grant
MacEwan Day" and was dropped
off at our public library determined
to do some research on a new book.
Declining
to be put up by the college overnight
at the local YMCA (where he invariably
stayed because he found overnighters
there interesting to visit with),
he changed his cleaner clothes
in the library public washroom
and was picked up there to attend
a college dinner, where he was
the guest speaker.
He spoke for 20-25 minutes without
notes on public service and Tommy
Douglas (who had recently died)
and was then driven back to the
bus depot to catch the late bus
for home, doubtless arriving well
after midnight. He was 83-years-of-age
at the time.”
Canadian
Education
As
Secretary of State (Asia-Pacific),
a major priority is promoting
Canadian educational products
and services abroad. Wherever
I go, I hear wonderful things
about Canada and our system of
post-secondary education. We have
a reputation as global leaders
in scientific, cultural and technological
innovation, our achievements in
these fields will in large measure
determine our future success as
a nation.
The
world is changing; It is the young
and educated who are leading the
charge. Consequently, post-secondary
education and life-long learning
are now more important than ever.
As
new technologies emerge, the need
for renewed skills training and
an adherence to life long learning
becomes increasingly important.
We are in the midst of a massive
shift in the way we communicate,
in the way we do business and
trade, and ultimately, in the
way we live. More and more institutions
- like the facilities here at
Grant MacEwan – will be relied
on to prepare and equip Albertans
with the appropriate skills required
in the global marketplace. Canadians,
by the way, are modern Phoenicians.
About one of three jobs
and about 45% of our economy is
trade related.
at one of Grant MacEwan College’s
four campuses this year. The College,
which offers 1,500 career-related
courses, university transfer programs,
applied degrees, professional
development courses, and corporate
training, is a world-class contemporary
educational centre.
Liasing
with the local business and technology
sectors to develop and offer applied
bachelor's degrees in areas where
there is a demonstrated labour
market demand, is perhaps the
college’s greatest strength.
With
a graduate employment rate in
2001 of 96%, students have reason
to believe they are being well
prepared to succeed in the real
world.
The
$10 million renovation and expansion
of the South Campus will continue
the tradition of excellence at
Grant MacEwan College. With 14,000
square feet of new space, this
campus can now accommodate twice
the number of students it could
and that’s good news for prospective
students and our local community
alike.
The
world is shrinking almost by the
hour. We must ensure sure that
as few people as possible get
left behind. And Grant MacEwan
College is playing a leading role
in training, teaching and preparing
Albertans for the new knowledge-based
economy.
Hearty
congratulations to all of you
here today!
Thank
you.
-30-
|
