Providence Stories

TODAY, we’re sharing stories from Providence that tell of what your donation can do throughout the year in support of students’ growth and development – both spiritually and academically. 

We see the quality of our professors at work in and out of the classroom. We are encouraged by the students who come to Providence to take our programs. We believe these stories will inspire and remind you that it takes all of us to make a positive impact in our communities, across the country and around the world. 

Paige Heide, recent BSc Health Science alumna, took four years of study at Providence with the goal to get into a prestigious and competitive post graduate optometry program at the University of Waterloo. “I will forever be thankful that Providence was such a significant part of this plan,” says Heide as she reflects on her undergraduate experience, attributing the strength of Prov’s academic environment, athletics opportunities and community to her overall success. READ MORE.

Bruce Duggan, an Associate Professor of Management who has recently been awarded emeritus professor status, started at Providence more than two decades ago as the Director of the Buller School of Business. He’s been leading business initiatives in the area of innovative sustainability focusing on First Nations communities. His projects, emerging from his “Special Topics” class, include housing retrofits for energy efficiency, renewable energy development, and food security solutions. Duggan collaborates with Indigenous partners, government agencies, and students to create practical business plans addressing economic and environmental challenges. His work blends academia, consulting, and community engagement, fostering long-term self-sufficiency in remote regions. LEARN MORE.

Providence is known for its Theological Seminary and the quality of its teaching and practicums to prepare the student body for ministry. One student, alumna from the MDiv Biblical Studies program, Shannon Johnson Friesen, graduated from Providence and went on to plant a congregation in Southern Manitoba. She describes the Seminary as the place where “she was affirmed in her call for the first time.” READ HER STORY HERE.

Providence is led by exceptional professors, like Associate Professor of Theology and Ethics Dr. Robert Dean, who recently received the Vital Worship, Vital Preaching Grant (2024) in the amount of $17,000 US for teacher-scholars. It was awarded by the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship in Grand Rapids to support a ministry-related research / writing project. LEARN MORE. 

Dr. Michael Gilmour is a Distinguished Professor of New Testament and English Literature at Providence University College, where he has worked as part of the faculty since 1998. He is the author of a number of books, including Creative Compassion, Literature and Animal Welfare (2020), Animals in the Writings of C. S. Lewis (2017), Eden’s Other Residents (2014), and The Gospel According to Bob Dylan (2011). In his latest published book (2024), Dr. Gilmour examines what literature and the Bible as conversation partners can teach readers about ethics. READ HIS STORY HERE for a conversation with Gilmour about his book Reading the Margins: Encounters with the Bible in Literature.