Providence University College and Theological Seminary has officially launched the Buller School of Business and unveiled the IMPACT 2020 campaign.
The Hon. Kelvin Goertzen, fellow MLA Cliff Graydon and RM of Hanover Reeve Stan Toews, as well as numerous other elected officials and dignitaries, were on hand Tuesday, September 20 as Providence students burst through a temporary barricade concealing a just-finished, landscaped courtyard, ceremonially revealing the institution’s new facilities.
“This is a very important occasion because the Buller School of Business will give students from the Southeast and beyond the opportunity to study Business in a unique environment,” remarked Goertzen, the Manitoba Minister of Health, Seniors and Active Living, in his address to the outdoor audience. “My hope is that as students go through this university program that they’ll always remember that there’s another lens to look at Business through – there’s another way to use the successes and gifts God has given, and that is to help others.”
Accessible from the courtyard the Buller School of Business, additional Science-specific classrooms and a Welcome Centre designed to house all student services were quickly swarmed by invited guests and Providence students, faculty and staff. Guided tours of the spaces followed a stand-up luncheon.
Named after Kitchen Craft and Norcraft co-founders Herb and Erna Buller, the Buller School of Business has already begun training future entrepreneurs, employees and business leaders through its Bachelor of Business Administration degree program.
Demand for Providence Business graduates has long outstripped supply, and the Buller School’s combination of Christian ethics, hands-on learning, high-achieving faculty and green initiatives will ensure local, national and international businesses will be well-served by Providence alumni going forward.
“We are celebrating the opening of the Buller School of Business, with outstanding learning facilities, state-of-the-art classrooms and the latest technologies,” stated Herb Buller. “Erna and I believe we need young people with strong, vibrant faith in the secular marketplaces around the world – some of them entrepreneurs, some of them Business professionals, some of them in the non-profit sector.”
Laura McDowell, a fourth-year Business student at Providence, echoed Buller’s sentiments.
“I believe that Christ-centred Business education is important in creating true difference-makers,” she said, adding that Providence is positioning itself to thrive. “I think these changes will also help students to thrive when they go from this place to be difference-makers, and to glorify God, in all that they do.”
The Buller School of Business, the Science classrooms and the Welcome Centre have been made possible by IMPACT 2020 – the largest fundraising campaign in Providence history.
Through the quiet phase of IMPACT 2020, and thanks to the generosity of donors, 70 per cent of the $12.5 million target has been realized in cash and pledges, and Tuesday’s festivities officially opened the campaign to public support.
Over the next four years IMPACT 2020 will continue focusing on its five priorities: the Providence Fund, Campus Enhancements, Program Enhancements, Endowed Scholarships and Employee Development. Further, noticeable changes will take place at the Otterburne campus over that time and by 2020 Providence will have established itself as one of the leading, Christian universities in Canada.
“Over 500 Providence alumni are currently serving in Manitoban non-profit organizations,” said Providence President Dr. David Johnson. “If we add to that the alumni who are serving in businesses, schools, hospitals and homes in communities in Manitoba, throughout Canada and around the world, we can see that Providence is an impact player, a game-changer, a difference-maker.”
