News Archives: Event Recognizes President's Contributions
Thursday, July 11th, 2019
Mark On You A Vital Tribute to Don Gnatiuk event happening on September 12, 2019.
Grande Prairie Regional College’s longest-serving President and CEO has announced his plans to retire, and the community has an array of ways to honour Don Gnatiuk, including a September farewell event.
Mark On You – A Vital Tribute to Don Gnatiuk, a dinner and evening of celebration, will be held on Thursday, Sept. 12 at the Pomeroy Hotel & Convention Centre. Tickets are $50 each and are available at gprc.me/markonyou or by calling 780-539-2023.
“The last 12 years have been an incredible era of growth for GPRC under Don’s leadership,” says Carmen Haakstad, Vice-President, External Relations.
“Some of the highlights include the Fairview merger and addition of the learning centres located in Edson, Hinton, Grande Cache, and Jasper; the partnership with Alberta Health Services for new education space for our nursing program in the new regional hospital; celebrating the 50th anniversary; receiving approval to move towards degree-granting status; the expansion of our fine arts facilities; and GPRC’s growth in the realm of research.”
One way to pay tribute to the outgoing President and CEO is by contributing to GPRC’s Vital Campaign.
“The campaign’s goal is to reach $20 million by 2020. It’s Don’s dream to achieve that target so GPRC can do even more to help students reach their post-secondary goals in our community,” says Haakstad. “We’re closing in on that with $18.5 million in contributions so far.”
Priority projects include creating a health education centre, including providing palliative care education; advancing athletics; increasing student supports; expanding creative and performing arts; and improving trades infrastructure. Learn more about the campaign at gprc.me/vital.
People who want to honour Don with a gift may also donate to The Don and JoAnn Gnatiuk Community Leadership Award Endowment, a legacy to recognize the contributions of the Gnatiuk family to the College and the region it serves. The endowment will provide an annual award to high-achieving GPRC students who have made exceptional contributions to their community. Donations to the fund will be counted within the Vital Campaign.
About GPRC
GPRC is a comprehensive community institution, publicly supported to provide opportunities in post-secondary education in northwestern Alberta. Established in 1966 in Grande Prairie, GPRC now includes campuses in Fairview and Grande Prairie, and learning centres in Edson, Grande Cache, Hinton and Jasper. GPRC offers a wide variety of career certificates and diplomas, pre-employment and apprenticeship trades, university transfer studies, and several opportunities for on-campus degree completion at baccalaureate and master levels through collaborations with four-year universities. For more information visit gprc.ab.ca.
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For more information, please contact:
Carmen Haakstad
Vice-President, External Relations
GPRC
780-539-2070