The transformative investments made at Fleming College over the past year are an inspiring reminder of the impact community philanthropy can have on student success today and for future generations.
On Thursday, April 30, Fleming College alumni, donors, faculty, and governors gathered at the Sutherland Campus in Peterborough for a Community Impact & Appreciation Event.
The celebration saw remarks from Fleming leaders and a guided tour of some of the investments that were made possible thanks to the generosity of the community.
A record year of giving supports Fleming’s future
“The very best colleges have engaged and supportive communities, and that is certainly the case here at Fleming,” said Don Gillespie, Chair of the Board of Governors. “This is a time of both significant change and immense opportunity for Fleming College.”
In 2025-26, Fleming College benefited from a record-breaking year for philanthropy, with donor support totalling an impressive $3.57 million in new gifts and commitments. These gifts are already being invested to empower student success and solidify the future of the college by supporting scholarships, enhancing student life on campus, and strengthening in-demand programming.
This comes during a time when colleges across Ontario are facing significant challenges stemming from declining student enrolment, rising costs of program delivery, and shifts in government policy, all on top of continued inflation that also affects students and their access to education.
A commitment to accessible education and student success
Despite these challenges, Interim President of Fleming College Dr. Theresa Knott noted that Fleming students remain highly sought after, particularly in high-demand sectors like healthcare and skilled trades. She added that the school’s integration with St. Lawrence College reflects the opportunity to respond to the challenges with more impact.
“Together, we can expand access, strengthen programming, and enhance our ability to meet the evolving needs of students, employers, and communities across a broader region,” Knott said. “We’re very pleased to be integrating as equal partners with a college that is similar to Fleming in so many ways. Both Fleming and St. Lawrence are institutions with strong community roots, shared values, and a commitment to student success.”
Fleming’s commitment to student success is being supported by generous donors, including the Joyce Family Foundation, whose $1.5 million gift allowed the college to establish its largest-ever endowed fund for student tuition assistance in 2025.
In April, Fleming College also announced its first-ever Entrance Scholarship Program to provide bursaries for full-time domestic students, including mature learners and returning alumni and students in health and skilled trades programs. The program is being funded in part by donors, including contributions to the Fleming Forward Fund, which has reached $110,000.
Additional support was given to fuel program innovation and development through new equipment, simulation technology, and investments in Hy-Flex classrooms. The Student Administrative Council made a generous investment in student athletics.
Donor Kerri Davies: From mature Practical Nursing student to community leader
One such donor is Fleming alumna and Board of Governors member Kerri Davies, who has made a commitment to helping future students because she feels Fleming was “foundational” to her decades-long career in healthcare and strongly believes in the college’s future.
That’s why Davies has made plans for a legacy gift to Fleming College to support mature students enrolled in the college’s Practical Nursing program, from which she herself graduated in 1992.
“Kerri Davies’ story reflects the lifelong relationship our alumni have with Fleming, and how a transformative student experience can evolve into a career defined by leadership, compassion, and impact,” said Katie Pezoulas, Fleming College’s Executive Director of Advancement and External Relations. “We are very grateful for her gift and confidence in Fleming College.”
Over three decades ago, Davies was a mother of three looking to get back into the workforce after running an at-home daycare. She applied for a position at Fairhaven long-term care facility, where she had worked previously as a healthcare attendant, only to discover the educational requirements for personal support workers had changed. She immediately drove to Fleming College to explore her options and ultimately enrolled in the part-time Registered Nursing (RN) program.
“I thought it was brilliant that they started the part-time RN program,” Davies said. “It allowed adults who were working, either in other careers or at home with their families, an opportunity to get advancement and career opportunities.”
In 1991, she enrolled in Fleming’s full-time two-year Practical Nursing program. After graduating at the top of her class, she was immediately hired for two part-time jobs at the Civic Hospital (now Peterborough Regional Health Centre) and the Victorian Order of Nurses. For the next several years, she worked as a nurse in a range of settings, including at Fairhaven – a full-circle moment in her career as Davies began her working life at that facility, alongside her father who had been an orderly.
Those roles led her to her first administrative position in the healthcare sector, when she became the Executive Director of AON’s Royal Gardens Retirement Home and, when AON opened the doors to Canterbury Gardens in 2009, they hired Davies as the inaugural Executive Director.
“It was less than eight years from my graduation and I was able to put together, through my experience and from my nursing diploma from Fleming College, a resume that positioned me for leadership,” Davies said. “I went from being a community nurse, a hospital nurse, and a long-term care nurse to helping others in their careers.”
That included partnering with Fleming College to create opportunities for nursing students to do their placements in real settings.
“It helped us break down some of the stereotypes nursing students had about the experience of working in a retirement home,” she said. “Almost all of my senior team were Fleming graduates, and almost all of them came through a job placement.”
Her successful career earned Davies the Alumni Distinction Award from Fleming College as well as a Premier’s Award nomination in 2009, a City of Peterborough Civic Award in 2001, and the Business Woman of the Year Award in 2014. As an exemplary alumna and community leader, Davies was asked to join the Fleming College Board of Governors in 2020.
As for her legacy gift, Davies said she wanted to give back to the college that helped launch her career in a way that reflects her own life experience.
“I wanted to help other people in my situation, whether they’re a mother returning to the workplace or someone laid off and trying to redefine himself in a career,” she said. “I’m very confident in the future of Fleming.”
Showcasing how donor investments are making an impact
During the April 30 event, attendees participated in a tour of the School of Health and Community Services, where guests experienced how expanded healthcare programs, flexible delivery, and simulation-based learning is playing a key role in producing the in-demand healthcare talent needed in our community, region, and province.
Nick Stone, Associate Vice President of Applied Health, explained how fully immersive lab spaces with 360-degree projections and customizable interactive touchpoints provide students preparing for careers in firefighting, nursing, and policing with practice scenarios they will encounter in the real world.
Fleming is building on its longstanding suite of healthcare programs, with recent additions includings Respiratory Therapy in 2023 and Diagnostic Cardiac Sonography in fall 2026. In addition to producing more talent, Fleming is embedding principles of resilience training into all healthcare programming to ensure graduates are equipped to face increasingly challenging environments
Philanthropic support will bring this vision to life and will continue to enhance student success and strengthen Fleming’s future.
“It was a joy to welcome supporters and community leaders to campus and showcase how our innovative, simulation-based learning and expanded healthcare programs are preparing the next generation of healthcare professionals,” Pezoulas said. “It is an exciting time, and we are grateful to have support as we move forward.”
To support the future of Fleming College by donating to the Fleming Forward Fund, visit flemingcollege.ca/fleming-forward.
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