BY GREG STAMPER
Conestoga just got even more diverse.
With the help of a $300,000 donation from one of Canada’s largest banks, Scotiabank, Conestoga’s Centre for Entrepreneurship (C4E) has created a new place for international students and alumni to come for information and advice on creating a small business.
On Oct. 24, the partnership was officially announced by a group consisting of Conestoga’s president John Tibbits, Scotiabank’s district vice-president Chris Stager, Conestoga’s executive dean of entrepreneurship and applied research Barbara Fennessy, and Conestoga Students Inc. president Jason Wright.
“I think it’s going to be very exciting for our international students and our immigrants in the community who need a place to reach out to, to understand how to do business in Canada,” Fennessy said.
The money being donated by Scotiabank is going toward the funding of the new Scotiabank International Business Office, a Startup Student workshop series which consists of five activities that provide full-time and part-time students with practical tools and advice for starting a business, and lastly, a program titled Global Citizenship, which will help international students learn through studying, working, volunteering and networking.
“We understand that entrepreneurs are the backbone of this country. This is why we are so interested to help launch this program to help students and entrepreneurs at Conestoga,” Stager said.
The international student population at Conestoga has grown drastically from 15 years ago when there were all but three students from foreign countries. Currently, the international student population is over 1,000 students; this growth is something Tibbits wants people to recognize within the school and community.
“The bottom line is the entrepreneurial side and the international side are embedded in our strategic plan and we measure ourselves against these initiatives.”
Along with the business office and the programs being funded by Scotiabank, there will also be scholarship opportunities that students in both their first and second years of schooling can apply to receive; two first-year scholarships of $2,500 and three second-year scholarships of $3,000.
Any international students wishing to know more about the services or programs offered by the Scotiabank International Business Office can contact the C4E at c4e@conestogac.on.ca, visit the website at www.conestogac.on.ca/c4e or drop into the C4E, located in Room 2A218, at the Doon campus.
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