Northwest Community College (NWCC) is doing some further community engagement ahead of changing their to Coast Mountain College.
Back in February, the President and CEO of NWCC Ken Burt said the northwest part of the name doesn’t work for marketing. He said it makes it harder to attract students from overseas and says a different name is needed to make them more competitive internationally.
“In the U.S., a community college is something that is less than a college but more than a high school. So, when you’re dealing internationally, it has a different meaning than what it does in BC,” said Burt.
Northwest Community College says the proposed name change comes after two years of research and strategic planning.
The other names that were looked at included Sitka College, Skeena College, Northcoast College.
“The work we did with staff, students and community around the strategic planning process really demonstrated that the core purpose of the college is to create adventurous pathways to transform lives,” said Burt in a media release this week.
“Our students are learning in some of the most unique classrooms in the world – from oceans and glaciers to First Nations language classes and culturally significant locations in the region. Our unique field schools are giving students a chance to bring their studies to life outside the four walls of a traditional classroom.”
The college says representatives are conducting a three-week engagement period with key members in the region to determine the level of support for the proposed name change. Once that’s finished, NWCC says letters of support will be forwarded to the Ministry of Advanced Education, Skills and Training along with a formal request to change the college’s name.