I headed out on a bike ride in late spring with my kids on a wonderful path that goes along the coulees 
behind Lethbridge College. After we passed by the Cullen residences and the Garden Court Dining Room and looked ahead, my kids came to an abrupt halt.
“Where did that building come from?” one of my daughters asked. “What’s been happening here?” her twin sister said. “Wow!” added my son.
Wow, indeed. Since last April, the south end of campus has been a hub of motion. Trucks of all sizes, equipment of all kinds and skilled tradespeople by the hundreds (many of them Lethbridge College alumni) have come to create a building that will house programs in the college’s Crooks School of Transportation. Their work has largely been done with little attention from the public – my kids weren’t the first ones to ask where that building came from once they made their way to the back part of the campus.
The first phase of the building – with a roofline that mimics Lethbridge’s gently rolling coulees – opened for its apprentices on Aug. 24 and the grand opening celebration is set for Sept. 30. When the second phase of the project is complete in 2017, the new facility will add nearly three football fields worth of space to the campus and will make room for 2,300 students in eight trades and four technologies programs. And it’s all been happening while most students, staff and community members are unaware that the biggest building project in the college’s history is rising right behind them.
This issue of Wider Horizons celebrates motion in its many different forms. There’s the movement it takes to build a state-of-the-art facility, of course, and the motion of the courses and programs that will be taught in that new building. But you will also find stories about alumni whose jobs involve near constant motion – whether they are providing nursing care on a helicopter or driving an adaptive race car around a track. There’s even a recipe where motion is integral to the outcome - tossing a pizza crust high in the air.
The college itself has been a whirlwind of activity since its opening 58 years ago. Two aspects have been firmly in place throughout all of the changes, however, and they are Lethbridge College’s commitment to student learning and pride in alumni achievements in all forms. We hope you enjoy this issue.
Cheers,
Lisa
P.S. We are planning a special issue next fall on the many fabulous faculty and staff members at the college. If you know a past or current Lethbridge College faculty or staff member whose story should be shared in the pages of this magazine, just email [email protected]. Thanks!
