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By Justine Kelsie

GPRC will thrive with university-status: former Students’ Association President

Feb 26, 2018 | 3:21 PM

With the Grande Prairie Regional College on the way to getting university status, fewer people will have to leave the city to further their education. 

President of the Students’ Association for the 2016/2017 academic year had to leave the city to continue his studies. Mike Moman is currently working on his Sociology degree with a major in Criminology and hopes to one day go into Law. 

“I am currently in Calgary to finish my degree because, unfortunately, we didn’t have any room for me to advance at GPRC in completing any more education. So, I was doing whatever I could make sure students in the future didn’t have to go through the same things I did,” said Moman. 

Moman had run his campaign for President on lobbying the government to become a university. When elected, he started to work.

“We had postcards made up that had ‘GPRC Polytech-U’ [on them]. A lot of people were signing little personal messages to the Minister. It was hundreds and hundreds of these postcards. It was probably close to 1,000 signatures that we received. We were making sure everyone was aware.”

Moman, along with members of the Students’ Association, and Mayor Bill Given went to the legislative building that year to advocate for the students and tell Minister of Advanced Education Marlin Schmidt what was happening with students. 

“There are people that have to drive four hours every day just to go to class at GPRC. That is something we wanted the government to see,” explained Moman. “They would have to travel another three to four hours to attend a university.”

Schmidt made the announcement last week at the college.

“If anything, it will give me warm tingles knowing I did my job [as President]. I wasn’t doing it for any selfish reason. I was doing it because that is what the students wanted me to be the president for.”

Moman hopes to come back to Grande Prairie one day to make it his home once again. 

“I know what it is going to be for the community. It is going make Grande Prairie such a thriving centre for business and trade.”

 

by Justine Kelsie