LAKELAND - Portage College will be hosting spring open houses at its campus locations across the Lakeland region from March 4-6.
According to Emily Steele, the marketing supervisor at Portage, those who attend the open houses can expect to have the opportunity to engage with faculty through program booths, explore programs offered by the post-secondary institution, participate in campus tours, and speak with student advisors regarding any admission questions they may have.
“All 40 programs the College offers will be represented at each Open House for the three-day event,” Steele told Lakeland This Week. “Faculty and academic advisors will be available to speak with students to answer any program or admission-related questions.”
In addition to career exploration, the open houses — which will be held from 6-8 pm in Lac La Biche on March 4, St. Paul on March 5, and Cold Lake on March 6 — will offer attendees a chance to enter to win a student prize pack, learn about athletic services at Portage College, enter a draw to win $1,000 off tuition, and be well fed with a free BBQ.
Steele said the open houses are important for several reasons. Not only do these events allow the College to stay engaged with the local community-especially regional high school students-but they also provide an opportunity for the next year’s academic students to get a feel of the college services and classes, which she says make their first days on campus more comfortable.
“We often have enrolled students attend our Open House to see their classroom space and meet faculty,” she stated.
Last October, Portage College held open houses at each of its Lakeland campuses, which Steele says drew a considerable amount of interest.
“The fall 2023 open houses were very well attended…we saw over 315 students attend across all three campus and received over 130 applications for the upcoming year,” she explained, adding that this is an increase from the 230 students who attended the fall 2022 open houses.
She said Portage College officials are hoping to have the same level of engagement for the upcoming spring open houses and encourage anyone with questions to contact the college at 1-866-623-5551.