CALGARY - Sharon Carry, President and CEO of Bow Valley College, on behalf of the College and its Board of Governors, received an imagineCALGARY Partner in Action award. The College was recognized last night at the 2010 Annual imagineCALGARY Partnership event for its leadership in practices that support the long-term sustainability of Calgary.

To be sustainable, a city and its people must pay particular attention to those issues that affect its health. Issues such as how the city grows, how it is governed, how we support the natural environment, and all of the systems that keep the social structure and economy moving forward..

“We share the vision of imagineCALGARY--a vision of connection and community,” said Sharon Carry in her acceptance speech. “Our College is all about connection—to one another, to our places, to our community. We live the vision of connection and community in all the work we do.”

Carry sited the College’s newly renovated landmark downtown North Campus building as a testament to the adage of “reduce, reuse, recycle.” The construction project recycled windows, used old concrete to raise the elevation of the main floor, and installed state-ofthe- art mechanical systems. The project proved that sound environmental decisions make good economic sense as well; the North Campus was retrofitted at less than one-half the cost of constructing an entirely new building of the same dimensions.

The College’s economic contributions to Calgary’s vitality are even more profound and far-reaching. An emphasis on fast, focused, and flexible programs creates work-ready graduates who enter Calgary’s workforce with the skills they need to contribute meaningfully the economy of not only this city, but also their family and communities.

The College was nominated for this award by Gary Slipp, Manager, Global Business Centre, on behalf of Calgary Economic Development.

imagineCALGARY is the blueprint helping Calgarians create a sustainable future for exceptional quality of life for generations to come. More than 18,000 Calgarians developed The imagineCALGARY Plan for Long Range Urban Sustainability, and today imagine CALGARY Partners are committed to bringing the Plan’s vision to life.

Bow Valley College – Calgary and region’s One and Only Comprehensive Community College – with more than 11,000 full- and part-time students, is a leader in health and business career training, adult upgrading, and English as a Second Language. BVC’s Test of Workplace Essential Skills (TOWES), workplace training for immigrant professionals, and employment services provide a wide range of services for business and professionals. Established in 1965, Bow Valley College is in the midst of a multi-million dollar expansion, creating state-of-the-art facilities and doubling its student capacity by the year 2013.