Unite. Inspire. Act.
Three simple and inspirational words that embody our aspirations as a school and which represent the Pearson College UWC student journey.
You will be seeing a lot of these words, together with a brand-new celebratory logo, around campus and across the globe as we invite everyone who has ever studied, worked, volunteered, played at or supported Pearson to celebrate our school’s 50th anniversary throughout 2024 and 2025!
That’s right, 50 years ago, in September 1974, the first cohort of Pearson College UWC students arrived on a still semi-wilderness campus where legend (and a few reliable sources) has it, they began their learning odyssey by building their own bedframes.
Well, those brave and idealistic young people from across Canada and around the world built much more than that. Together with generations of students, teachers and generous supporters, a strong and unique foundation of global learning and teaching was built along Pedder Bay on what we acknowledge and honour is the traditional territory of the Sc’ianew First Nation.
An occasion like this milestone anniversary is a time to honour the people who helped make the last five decades possible, to celebrate the impact of the 4,400 Pearson alumni around the world and to look ahead with optimism, enthusiasm and humility to the next half-century. We hope to see and hear from many of you, no matter where you live, during this celebratory time.
As we finalize our planned events and gatherings for everyone with a College connection, we already know that alumni reunions hosted on campus are always popular in bringing Pearsonites together to reconnect, reminisce and recharge. In honour of the 50th anniversary, we are taking the opportunity to invite more alumni back to campus than ever before.
For each of the next five-decade reunions planned over the two summers, registration will be limited to the set reunion cohort until March 31 of that year. After that date, registration will be open to alumni from any year who want to return to campus.
We are excited to try something new that will allow greater collaboration and networking across years, but of course, there will still be many opportunities for cohort peer-to-peer connects! Check our Alumni Reunions webpage for details and online registration.
We know many alumni and friends may not be able to make it back to campus, so we’re hoping to facilitate other ways to connect. If you’d like to share your memories about life on campus through a 1 to 3-minute selfie video, you can send that to us at communications@pearsoncollege.ca.
Several alumni visitors to campus have already recorded videos but we’d love to have contributions from former students across all our decades. Watch for these to be posted and compiled as we build out a 50th-anniversary microsite.
You may also have seen our callout to alumni, friends and supporters of Pearson to share digital copies of their archival pictures, documents and what-have-you! While we have access to material on our open Pearson Digital Archive, contributions from your personal collections of campus and Pearson-related adventures are very welcome. Over the next few months, as we construct both a 50th microsite and in-real-life displays, we hope that we will be able to include your submissions! You can get started here and thank you in advance!
We also want to encourage your initiatives in gathering alumni and friends of Pearson around the world. To that end, we will be working to develop an online “Event in a Box” that may help guide you in building mini-reunions across the globe. Stay tuned!
Our 50th Anniversary Logo and Tagline
We wanted the visual mark of our milestone celebration to reflect our appreciation for those who lived Pearson’s history and our optimism for many more decades of living our mission-driven purpose.
The integration of our “permanent” college logo links this anniversary imagery inextricably to Pearson College UWC. The vertical “bookmark” version is eye-catching and makes a visual statement (but we also created a horizontal version that works well in certain situations).
Overall, the format represents 50 years of mission, innovation and conveys a deep respect for our campus’ natural learning environment. The three intertwined and interconnected lines represent our Past, Present and Future, Pearson students, educators and alumni, and the land, sea and sky so important to the campus experience. The Pacific Northwest colours are the four Pearson “brand” shades of blue for visual continuity with how we present ourselves online, through publications and in signage.
We wanted a tagline that was inspirational and conveyed what we always aspire to do: Unite diverse young people from many backgrounds, Inspire and support them to understand their potential to be agents of positive change and encourage and give them the tools to Act upon their skills, knowledge and personal passions.