BELLEVILLE – The fifth president of Loyalist College has finally been installed.

When Loyalist first opened its doors in 1967, 172 students were enrolled. In 50 years, more than 40,000 people have graduated from the school.

Dr. Ann Marie Vaughan joined the college in November of 2016. She was the president and CEO of the College of the North Atlantic in Newfoundland and Labrador from 2011 to 2016.

The College of the North Atlantic consists of 17 campuses, an annual budget of $140 million and 9,000 full and part-time students.

Vaughan said she was delighted to come to the Quinte region from Newfoundland because it's such a friendly place.

"You can feel that something big is going to happen here," she said.

In 2015, Vaughan was recognized as a top CEO in Atlantic Canada and has 25 years of leadership experience.

During the ceremony, Vaughan was presented with the president’s robe and hat and she thanked the Board of Governors and said she felt blessed to be a part of the community and the college.

In her first five months as president, Vaughan has been very involved with the school, learning about the programs and meeting the faculty and students.

“Everything has been wonderful so far,” said Vaughan. “People have been so welcoming and I’m so happy to be here.”

Vaughan said she has plans for working with the community and promoting the college and hopes to continue conversations with students and faculty at the school. She also wants to work on developing a better relationship between Loyalist and the military in Trenton.

She added that she wants to come up with ways to help Loyalist grow within the community.

Plans for student success are important, said Vaughan, and helping them get the skills they need for future employment is a top priority.

“We want to make sure that the experience is a fun and rewarding one for them,” she said. “We also want to focus on health and wellness and there are some talks about a health centre for the college.

“I’m looking forward to the months and years to come.”

Vaughan added that more plans to improve the school and its involvement with the community will be revealed in September.