Belleville, Ontario, February 6, 2017 – To help mark the Ontario colleges’ 50th anniversary celebrations in 2017, colleges have launched a new William G. Davis Innovation Fund contest that encourages students and alumni to pitch creative projects and initiatives that will compete for cash prizes.
The fund has been named after former premier William G. Davis, who served as Ontario’s education minister from 1962 to 1971 and brought in the legislation that established the college system. The fund has been named in his honour as a tribute to the bold and creative thinking that revolutionized post-secondary education in Ontario.
“When we launched the Ontario college system 50 years ago, I had hoped that we would create a meaningful and rewarding system that prepares students for a broad range of careers,” said the Honourable William G. Davis. “That hope was not only realized but surpassed. Today’s colleges are preparing students for many of today’s most challenging careers.
“This new fund will promote some of the truly innovative ideas being developed at colleges throughout the province,” he said. “It is truly an honour to have it established in my name.”
Entrants can be a graduate or current full-time student from one of Ontario’s 24 colleges with an idea that could improve Ontario and beyond. Applications can be made in the categories of entrepreneurialism, health and welfare, arts and culture, or community benefit.
The first-place winner will receive $15,000 to help fund the project and the second-place entry will receive $5,000.
“Our students and alumni consistently demonstrate original thinking and entrepreneurship,” said Ann Marie Vaughan, Loyalist College President and CEO. “This new fund will showcase great examples of the ways in which colleges prepare graduates to launch their own ventures and bring innovative ideas to the workplace. It will be exciting to see the creative proposals that are pitched.”
The detailed timeline for submissions and voting, full contest rules and regulations are available online at amazing50.ca/innovationfund. Successful entries must be achievable, sustainable, measurable, original and linked to the individual’s college experience.
Students and alumni will be able to start posting proposals in March. A shortlist of the top applications will be publicized in August and the winners will be announced in November.
Full details about the fund can be found here. Follow our 50th anniversary updates on: Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
About Loyalist College
We put you to work™. When it comes to grads getting jobs, 87.4 percent of the College’s most recent graduates found employment within six months of graduation compared to the provincial average of 83.6 percent, according to Provincial Key Performance Indicator (KPI) results released in April 2016. Located on more than 200 acres in the beautiful Bay of Quinte region, Loyalist College is a close-knit community where students and their success come first. Loyalist provides personalized attention in small classes, rewarding field placements and superior student services. To prepare students for in-demand careers, Loyalist offers more than 60 full-time programs; apprenticeships; and hundreds of online, distance and in-class courses, as well as opportunities for continuing education through more than 70 university transfer agreements. The College’s wide selection of advanced diplomas, diplomas and certificates aligns with market-driven disciplines including applied sciences, biosciences, building sciences, business and management studies, health sciences, human studies, justice studies, media, arts and design, and skills and technology. In Ontario, the College’s new Digital Media Centre and The Bay of Quinte Skills Centre, which is LEED® Silver certified, are training centres of choice for students, as well as College business and industry partners. The College is a key driver of the social and economic health and prosperity of the area and contributes 5.4 percent to the Gross Regional Product. This represents an overall effect on the regional economy of $530 million – based on a 2014 Report by Economic Modeling Specialists International (EMSI). For more information on the College’s Belleville and Bancroft campuses, visit loyalistcollege.com.
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Contact: Kerry Lorimer, Director, Marketing and Communications,
Loyalist College, klorimer@loyalistc.on.ca, 613-969-1913 ext. 2536