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Dean wants to build connections

Joseph Doucet was in Red Deer on Thursday to renew some old acquaintances.

Joseph Doucet was in Red Deer on Thursday to renew some old acquaintances.

Dean of the Alberta School of Business at the University of Alberta since Jan. 1, Doucet was too new at his job to know most of the people at the alumni luncheon at the Red Deer Golf and Country Club. But he’s determined to strengthen local grads’ connection to their alma mater to the north.

“I really believe our alumni are important,” he said. “They’re our ambassadors, they are the people who feel tightly affiliated with the school — and that’s valuable, whether they’re employers, whether they’re sending their kids, whether they’re talking with the school.”

Doucet said the Alberta School of Business serves students from across the province, and beyond. About 65 to 70 of its approximately 2,000 undergraduates hail from the Red Deer area, he said.

Doucet downplayed concerns about young residents from here moving to Edmonton for their post-secondary education and never returning. Many graduates do end up in the Red Deer region, he said, as do others not originally from here.

“In places like Red Deer or Peace River, we sometimes think about that exodus. But we should also think about the people who choose and are happy to leave that bigger city.

“If there are jobs here, kids from Edmonton will think of moving here. Many people in this room today are Edmontonians who came here for employment and wouldn’t move back to Edmonton.”

What the Alberta School of Business wants to do, said Doucet, is create career opportunities for its students.

The University of Alberta has an agreement with Red Deer College that allows qualified RDC students to transfer to the Alberta School of Business after one or two years. But business students at the college can now also earn a bachelor’s degree in business administration without leaving Red Deer — thanks to an agreement between Red Deer College and Mount Royal University.

Doucet said his institution has benefited from Alberta’s strong economy. Graduates are able to find work, out-of-province students are motivated to come here and prospective faculty members see greater opportunities for their spouses.

The school’s programming has also been influenced by the pervasiveness of the energy sector, he noted. Specialized energy courses are offered at both the undergraduate and MBA levels.

“If you want to be an accountant and work in Alberta, chances are you will have some kind of interaction with the energy sector.”

Doucet hopes to meet with more U of A alumni in Red Deer in the future. And he plans to do the same at other communities in Alberta.

hrichards@www.reddeeradvocate.com