More than 1,000 future Douglas College students will benefit from a recent decision by the Douglas College board to invest an additional $1 million in student aid.
The money will be used to provide financial support to students who might otherwise not have the opportunity to pursue post-secondary education as well as to recognize academic excellence.
"A post-secondary education will be essential for most jobs in the future," said college board chair Paul Wates in a press release. "As the fastest growing college in B.C., we want to make sure that those who want to advance their education are not held back by financial constraints. The board knows that this new legacy fund will help to alleviate the significant financial challenges many students face, and this also helps ensure Douglas remains an access-based institution offering many career and educational pathways."
Wates added the board wanted to recognize the students who excel academically and has earmarked approximately one-third of the fund for scholarships.
The Douglas College Board Legacy Fund will provide up to $100,000 a year to students over 10 years, with 70 per cent allocated for bursaries and the remaining 30 per cent for scholarships.
Scott McAlpine, president of Douglas College, says the board's decision to establish the legacy fund acknowledges the continued growth and development of the college, the increasing enrolment at Douglas and the need to increase access to post-secondary education.
"British Columbia and Canada need more graduates from all types of institutions if we are to continue to remain competitive as an economy and advance as a society," McAlpine said in the release. "This legacy fund is not only an investment in students at Douglas College; it's an investment in the future of the province. It is visionary, it is about our students, and it is about the future - a true legacy for the students of tomorrow."
Douglas College is one of the largest colleges in British Columbia, providing bachelor's degrees, university transfer, career and post-degree programs for more than 20,000 students each year.
For more information, visit douglascol lege.ca.
