Georgian celebrates grand opening of John and Eileen Holland Study Lounge in Automotive Business School of Canada

Aug. 10, 2016

There has been great excitement over the past year in Georgian College’s Automotive Business School of Canada (ABSC) with the opening of new student spaces.

The John and Eileen Holland Study Lounge – created with a $100,000 donation from John Holland – was officially unveiled today with industry representatives, students, staff and members of the Holland family in attendance.

Holland, one of the founding members of the ABSC, continues to share his industry expertise through his work with the ABSC Board of Directors.

Georgian College President and CEO MaryLynn West-Moynes says that while the college strives to provide innovative spaces for students to succeed, none of the improvements in the ABSC lobby would have been possible without the generosity of donors like John Holland.

“This much-needed and soon-to-be much-used study lounge is a quiet space where students can reflect on their coursework and prepare for their careers in the industry,” says West-Moynes. “We are so fortunate to be supported by industry leaders like John Holland who help ensure that our students have everything they need to accelerate their success.”

Students not only benefit from using the space, it also appeals to prospective students and their parents when they visit the campus to see first-hand what Georgian has to offer them.

Holland says he hopes the study lounge will inspire the next generation of industry leaders and entrepreneurs to shape the industry’s bright and prosperous future.

“I am pleased to see that the study lounge is going to be a great help to students from across the entire college, not only those from the Automotive Business School of Canada,” he said. “Having a quiet zone, a place of thought and reflection is very valuable these days. Perhaps from out of this lounge we will have a future president of a large corporation or even a prime minister.”

Second-year Automotive Business diploma student Marcus Sisconetto says that having donors like Holland enhance the student experience.

“Without funding from supporters such as Mr. Holland, my educational experience, and the experiences of my classmates, would be very thin,” says Sisconetto. “That’s why I travelled so far from my home in Brasilia, Brazil to attend Georgian – it’s a truly great college supported by great donors.”

Holland’s donation was made in support of Georgian’s fundraising campaign, the Power of Education: Transforming the Student Experience.

Georgian offers the only Honours Bachelor of Business Administration – Automotive Management degree in Canada, as well as a diploma in Automotive Business. Graduates of these unique programs secure great jobs in many sectors of the automotive industry, including aftermarket, dealerships, finance and insurance, remarketing, corporate head office, fleet management, marketing and advertising, and event management,