All is golden for Niagara College
School celebrating 50th anniversary with other colleges across the province
It’s a golden time for Niagara College.
About a hundred people came together at the Welland campus Wednesday morning to celebrate 50 years of the college’s achievements.
College president Dan Patterson said it has been exciting to celebrate the college’s golden anniversary.
He said he’s pleased with how the school has always put students first and continues to have an unwavering commitment to student success.
“We are taking it to a new level … bringing the world to Niagara and Niagara to the world,” he said.
Larry Cote, 79, was one of many college retirees who attended Wednesday’s festivities. He was one of the first professors to teach at Niagara College.
He said looking at how much the college has changed throughout the years is “amazing.”
The Welland campus had its start on Woodlawn Road. Where a farmer’s field with cows and mud was back then, today stands a bustling academic community.
It now also operates a campus in Niagara-on-the-Lake and has a presence in Saudi Arabia.
“The college grew very quickly and it was a very collegial atmosphere … I didn’t envision what it would be like today,” Cote said.
He said it has been great to see the college exceed all of his expectations to become an internationally known college.
Part of what makes Niagara College important to Cote is how innovative the staff is. He said past and present presidents and staff have always kept up with labour trends and anticipatied what will come next in innovation.
Welland Mayor Frank Campion, who spoke at the event, agreed with Cote, saying the college is ahead of the game when it comes to innovation.
Campion said the college has benefited the community of Welland in many ways, including economic development. Having a world-renowned college in the city has been attractive for corporations and businesses.
The City of Welland declared this week Niagara College Week to recognize the school’s 50th anniversary.
The city also created a floral tribute during the summer at the corner of Price Charles Drive and Colbeck Drive.
To honour the milestone the college’s Woodlawn Road address was changed to 100 Niagara College Blvd., off First Street. The college will also be planting 50 maple trees at its campuses this month.
Twenty-four colleges across Ontario have been celebrating their golden anniversaries this year.
To emphasize the importance of such a milestone, the Ontario Colleges 50 Campus Tour mobile trailer was created featuring information and interactive activities about the colleges. Wednesday the 12.6-metre-long trailer made a stop at Niagara’s Welland campus.
Tour co-ordinator Eleni Rouvas said it was the trailer’s 15th stopover. She said faculty, staff and alumni from each Ontario college have been enthusiastic about it, including those who attended Wednesday’s event.
“It’s been very positive,” she said with a smile. MAllenberg@postmedia.com twitter.com/M_Allenberg