Red Deer College contributes to the intellectual, economic, cultural and social development of this region. On March 29, we were able to share and celebrate these contributions with our community at our first ever State of the College address. At this event, people from across Central Alberta joined the Minister of Advanced Education, Marlin Schmidt, and our Board of Governors to share the impact of our faculty and staff on learners and the communities of Central Alberta.
Also at the event, Minister Schmidt introduced RDC’s new board chair, Morris Flewwelling. Flewwelling has a long history of leadership and community involvement in Central Alberta and we feel very honoured to have him as our board chair. He has always been a strong advocate for the college and I look forward to his leadership as we continue to move forward on the ongoing growth and evolution of the college.
The future of RDC will always be about our ability to offer programs of study that are relevant to the needs of our communities and prepare our learners for the work and careers of today and tomorrow. We are a comprehensive community institution and we celebrate our connections with the diverse people in our region and around the globe.
RDC’s contributions are often achieved through partnerships at the local, regional, provincial, national and international levels. The partnerships include everything from faculty members engaging with community groups for research projects, to RDC connecting with other post-secondary institutions for the benefit of international learners, to the college’s role in the upcoming 2019 Canada Winter Games.
We are very proud of our contributions to our communities and the rich partnerships that help us reach these achievements.
The foundation of our success comes from the teaching and learning that happens at the college. But student learning doesn’t just happen in classrooms. Through practicums and applied learning opportunities, students have the chance to develop real world skills while still in school. Our partnerships with our community members, organizations and business leaders, help make that possible and allows our students to learn and grow.
The college is always seeking new programs to provide quality, practical education that is relevant to our learners and the communities we serve. Sixty-four per cent of our students are from this region. We want to increase that number and have more young people be able to stay in central Alberta. Providing future degrees and programs in all credential levels would increase access and reduce costs for learners who would no longer need to leave to complete their post-secondary education. Having learners – and graduates – stay in Central Alberta would positively impact our local economics.
If you would like to learn even more about Red Deer College and our strong connections to Central Alberta, I encourage you to view The State of the College publication on our website at rdc.ab.ca/statecollege.
RDC is truly your college. We look forward to working with you as we continue to evolve and seek new opportunities to ensure we contribute to this region in new and meaningful ways.
Joel Ward is president and CEO of Red Deer College.