For immediate release – July 13, 2026
Lakeland’s farm transformation project wins international Impact Award
(Vermilion, Alta.) Lakeland College’s transformation project for the Student-Managed Farm – Powered By New Holland (SMF) was awarded a platinum Impact Award by the International Association of Facilitators (IAF). As the IAF’s highest honour, the award acknowledges organizations that have achieved a positive and measurable impact using facilitation.
“Agriculture is constantly evolving, and it’s growing exponentially at Lakeland,” says Todd Sumner, vice president, academic and research, at Lakeland. “Since 2010, we’ve doubled our landmass, tripled the number of students in our programs, and added a commercial bison herd to our offerings. To stay ahead of that growth and plan for the future, we needed to evaluate our SMF delivery model and ensure our staff had a sense of ownership of the project. Using an external facilitator made sense for us, and being recognized for our efforts with this award is further proof of the importance of this project, and that we made the right choice in seeking support from Trina.”
The project was facilitated by Trina McCarroll from McCarroll Consulting. It had a clear purpose: to strengthen the SMF service delivery model by building greater clarity and a stronger sense of belonging among staff and faculty. Through a series of facilitated workshops and interactive discussions, McCarroll assisted staff and faculty in Lakeland’s School of Agricultural Sciences in gaining a stronger sense of belonging to the SMF project, as well as giving them an opportunity to contribute, defining roles and responsibilities, and connecting day-to-day activities on the farm with the long-term vision for it.
“Through the process of facilitation, we achieved measurable, meaningful results that will have a positive impact on our SMF,” says Sumner. “The project showed us what becomes possible when our team is given structure and support to update our keystone program offering and move forward with clarity and purpose. Staff were surveyed at the beginning and the end of the process and the growth we saw exceeded our improvement goals.”
The platinum award is the highest level an organization can achieve from IAF, recognizing outstanding mastery, leadership and exemplary contributions. Lakeland is one of only seven organizations to receive the 2026 platinum award, joining other groups from Belgium, Singapore, Finland and Tanzania.
In addition to the transformation project McCarroll facilitated, the SMF is currently undergoing a facilities and infrastructure revitalization plan that will ensure it can continue to support the exponential growth of interest and enrolment in the program.
To learn more about the SMF and Lakeland’s agricultural programming, visit lakelandcollege.ca.
About Lakeland
Established in 1913, Lakeland College is a place of possibility that serves more than 7,000 students every year at its campuses in Vermilion, Alta., and Lloydminster, Alta./Sask., and through online and off-site programs and courses. Lakeland offers programming in the areas of agricultural sciences, business, energy, environmental sciences, fire and emergency services, health and wellness, human services, interior design technology, trades and technology, university transfer and foundational learning. For more information visit lakelandcollege.ca.
