Some of you may be able to remember back to the first week of school and all the blue “Great Chemistry” signs that were visible around the Brandon community. These were part of a welcoming campaign for students organized by BU and ACC that was meant to highlight the collaborative relationship between the two schools and the positive influence that these institutions, through their students, have on Brandon. The signs are gone now, and the campaign has ended. As has any university anxiety you might have felt in those first weeks, I hope.

As with the conclusion of any campaign we now ask ourselves if it was a success, and it seems to have been just that. Not only were the Great Chemistry signs put up on the BU and ACC campuses, but also in the yards and windows of any of the members of the community that were willing to display one such sign as a symbolic gesture of support for the post-secondary students of Brandon. The amount of businesses and homes that participated suggests that the campaign was well received. Altogether it seems to have achieved the desired effect of displaying a welcoming spirit to students and showcasing the cooperation of BU and ACC.

So what exactly does this cooperation entail? In 2014 the two institution signed a memorandum of understanding that was designed to engender cooperation between the two schools in order to satisfy student, community and social needs. In accordance with this memorandum, students from both schools are provided with a shared residence space the ability to transfer credit within the 2+2 program and there is an effort to create a joint business school. All of this has not ended with the Great Chemistry campaign, but continues on as it has in the past.

With the completion of another successful campaign this year the two schools can look forward to carrying on the tradition in the 2018-2019 school year.