Hope College is more determined than ever to offer courses this fall after receiving a vote of confidence from its supporters.
inSide Drumheller reported on February 1 that Drumheller Town Council voted to withdraw a three-year funding commitment of $5,000 per year for Hope College. Its reasoning was that circumstances had changed drastically since the town initially pledged the funding in 2011. At the time, Hope College was pursuing a grant and had simply asked for pledges of support that would be honoured if their application for government funding was successful.
President of Hope College, Jon Ohlhauser, said the town’s decision prompted the college to take a step back and reassess its support, and address the question of whether they should wait until they could offer more health related courses, or go ahead with courses they have received approval for.
These courses include business, tourism and justice studies.
“It caused us to rethink and ask ‘is this a question that is pervasive in the community?” said Ohlhauser.
To find out more they went to their original supporters.
“We hosted a series of luncheons for those folks that pledged back in 2011. We also had a forum and asked the general population the same question and they were all affirming,” said Ohlhauser.
He said they didn’t hear from anyone wishing to postpone their launch. In fact, representatives from Delia expressed they were even more interested in the college’s current offerings more than courses focusing exclusively on health related fields.
Because of this, Ohlhauser said they are interviewing for a recruiter and will be getting set for a fall launch.
While the Town of Drumheller has not come forward to renew their funding commitment to the burgeoning school, Hope College and the Town have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to show the two groups have areas of agreement. It reads:
•Hope College is an organization committed to providing tertiary educational opportunities to learners from across the province within the Town of Drumheller through the establishment of a campus officially known as Hope College.
•The Town of Drumheller encourages and supports the principles of economic development, structured and sustainable growth and learning for the citizens of Drumheller.
•The Town of Drumheller and Hope College agree to a continued exploration of mutual interests and initiatives for the potential establishment by Hope College of a viable and sustainable campus in Drumheller through appropriate communication and consultation between them.
“The signing of this MOU reaffirms Council’s commitment to post secondary education in Drumheller,” said Mayor Yemen in a press release.
Ohlhauser says the MOU does not bring a financial commitment.
“We’re fine with that for now. I think as the project moves forward and we get a little more traction, there may become an opportunity to reinvestigate that,” said Ohlhauser.
