Great Plains College president steps down 

Posted on 27 January 2022 by Ryan Dahlman

Great Plains College president and CEO, David Keast, announced that he will be stepping down from his position and moving into retirement at the end of June 2022. 

“We are grateful for David’s expertise over the past 10 years – he has taken us through various economic cycles and continues to navigate the organization through the pandemic. He has certainly helped sustain the strategic directions of the college and move them forward,” said board chair Cindy Lowe. “We wish him all the best as he moves into retirement.” 

During his tenure, the college’s four strategic directions – optimizing student success, delivering education to meet labour market demand, valuing employees and building and enhancing partnerships – have been realized under Keast’s direction and leadership. The introduction of a health, dental and mental wellness program for students, distribution of over 2 million in scholarships, the placement of international students at college campuses and full institutional eligibility status with the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), have been identified as key among many of his accomplishments. Development in programming and relationships with external partners including industry, municipal governments, First Nations and newcomers to Canada have also expanded and continue to be central to college growth. 

“Over the next few years, partnerships, basic skills training, enhanced post-secondary programming and international education must continue to be a priority for the college if it is to realize the future that all of us here envision” said Keast. “It has been my privilege to help lead the organization toward this future and work with staff on the strategic priorities of the institution.” 

The college’s board of governors has retained the services of Saskatchewan Educational Leadership Unit (SELU) to lead an executive search process for the next president and CEO. The search process has begun and the posting is located at http://www.greatplainscollege.ca/work-us.