On Wednesday of last week, Assiniboine College released a new strategic plan to their internal community, and with it comes a concentrated direction on expanding their locations to further facilitate the course load they're offering their students.  Also, they have refreshed the name of the college, dropping the word 'community' in their title, and with that a new logo has been launched.

The new strategic plan has been in the works for over a year and will take the college into 2030 with renewed focus and direction.

President, Mark Frison says when they embarked on the next generation of their strategic plan, they wanted to ensure college's image reflected their direction and ambition, and part of that was to launch a new visual identity.

"And that new visual identity includes a modification to the name, Assiniboine College," explains Frison. 

The term 'community college' doesn't always have positive connotations on the larger scale when it comes to the quality of education, especially in the United States, and the Brandon college no longer wanted to be viewed as 'sub-par' because 'sub-par' it certainly isn't!

"As I said to our staff, the word 'community' might be leaving the name, but it is still part of our DNA," he adds. "We pride ourselves as the leader in community-based education in Canada. We offer programs in more than 25 communities every year, and our new strategic plan takes us to want to be in 30 communities every year by the year 2030." 

Please listen to more with Mark Frison below as he explains this in more detail!

Assiniboine College began its educational journey as the Brandon Vocational Technical Centre in 1961 with a staff of 4, teaching two courses to 24 students. By 1966 it had grown to a staff of 24, offering 11 programs to 300 students.  In December of 1969 the name changed to Assiniboine Community College. Today, Assiniboine College offers more than 75 certificate, diploma, advance diploma, and apprenticeship programs to over 2800 full-time students.  As well, they facilitate numerous off-campus part-time and evening programs which contributes to their annual enrollment of over 11,000 students.

The new logo 'signifies the pathways that provide direction and meaning, whether through higher education, career growth or personal development. It reflects the interconnectedness of teachers, students, programs, skills, knowledge, community and industry—all working together to guide and empower individuals toward success,' shares their website.

'The logo features a geometric A, signifying Assiniboine. Its shape is also inspired by the rich heritage of Manitoba’s First Nations and the Tipi, symbolizing the beginning of life and the nurturing environment of a home, and Assiniboine’s commitment to Indigenous prosperity.'

'Artistically, we have retained the purple and red hues that have become known to Assiniboine and are inspired by Manitoba’s essence—the purple symbolizing the Prairie crocus while the red represents energy, strength and passion, with notes of inspiration from the Manitoba flag.'

Frison says they expect to roll out the new strategic plan in full force in the Fall student intake season.