Strategic Plan Measurements Messages

Message from the President and CEO, Fred Meier

When we launched In Front of What’s Ahead, RRC Polytech’s five-year Strategic Plan, in 2021 it was the beginning of a bold new era for the College. We collectively took a conscious approach to find how the plan’s values and commitments fit into our daily work, and how we can use the plan to align our efforts towards common goals. 

What I’ve personally seen over the past two years is an overwhelming effort from dedicated individuals to put their strengths together and find new ways to support students and grow Manitoba’s industries. We created this plan amid a global pandemic that had already disrupted the way we work and think, and it was a ripe opportunity to do things differently. Today, I am proud to see how many staff and faculty at RRC Polytech live out the commitments of this plan in everything they do. 

The Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) outlined in this report are a new tool that we can use to focus our efforts even more, and create clear goals for the institution. The KPIs are a true marker of where we are as an institution, which will help us determine what is possible as we continue to move through this strategic plan and beyond. This keeps us accountable to the communities we serve and helps shape the direction and priorities we need to take as Manitoba’s polytechnic. 

Measuring data in this way has clear benefits. I know each staff member has anecdotes and stories about the events, projects and other efforts that have been made towards the commitments of the strategic plan – this can now be backed up through the numbers we are measuring. It is the stories and the numbers together that paint a complete picture of our success, as well as opportunities for the future.  

Thank you to our staff, board, partners and stakeholders who have helped us reach this point. I look forward to sharing more with you as we develop and work towards our new goals.  
 
Fred Meier
President and CEO 
RRC Polytech 

Message from the Chair, Board of Governors, Loren Cisyk

The information presented in this report represents why I am proud to be a champion for In Front of What’s Ahead, RRC Polytech’s Strategic Plan. For our partners and stakeholders, including staff and students, there is incredible value in reviewing the successes and opportunities that have arisen over the last two years. 

While RRC Polytech has had a strong reputation in Manitoba for more than 85 years, reporting on the key metrics of our strategic plan demonstrates transparency and accountability. It shows students and prospective learners that we are dedicated to their academic success and training, it shows donors and industry partners that we are fuelling change, it shows our partners in government that we are remaining accountable to our mandates, and it shows staff and faculty that they are making a difference in the province.  

It is also a great value for the Board of Governors. While we usually participate in the College’s major events and receive regular updates from the President and leadership team, having concrete data and stories shared helps better illustrate the daily work and commitment being made by RRC Polytech’s talented staff and faculty. 

I’m impressed and excited about the progress we’ve been able to make together in such a short time and look forward to continuing the work to put Manitoba in front of what’s ahead.  

Loren Cisyk
Chair, Board of Governors 
RRC Polytech

Message from the Knowledge Keepers Council

Since forming the Knowledge Keepers Council in January 2022, we’ve convened regularly with members of the RRC Polytech community to discuss, develop and provide insight on a wide range of projects and proposals to help support the College’s efforts towards addressing the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s 94 Calls to Action and advancing Indigenous education in Manitoba.

Our Council is made up of Elders, Knowledge Keepers and Grandmothers from diverse backgrounds. Our cultural and historical knowledge and lived experiences inform the insights and guidance we have shared with the College community over the past year and a half. We want to celebrate the work that has been done, while also recognizing that there is still much more to do on this educational institution’s journey towards Truth and Reconciliation. Our call to the community is to continue to work towards this commitment and to dedicate themselves to learning and unlearning.

Collectively, we provide the RRC Polytech community with opportunities to participate in Truth and Reconciliation in a way that was not previously practiced by the College. We encourage staff and faculty to ask questions, further refine approaches to working with Indigenous topics — particularly topics that concern trauma or Canada’s true history — and creatively and intentionally incorporate Indigenous perspectives and ways of being into many of the College’s functions. 

One example is the collaboration on the design of the College’s Inclusive Pride flag — an evolution of the Progress Pride flag that includes representation for all 2SLGBTQIA+ community members, as well as specific Indigenous elements. In 2023, RRC Polytech raised the flags of Treaty One, the Red River Métis, and the new Inclusive Pride Flag as permanent installations at the Notre Dame Campus, along with the federal and provincial flags. We are pleased to have recently welcomed Koonshi Ivy Chaske to the Knowledge Keepers Council, who will bring teachings, perspectives and guidance from the Dakota Nations. This addition creates more representation and inclusion for the learners and staff we support.

Additionally, the Knowledge Keepers Council would like to acknowledge that prior to its formation, many other Elders, Knowledge Keepers, Grandmothers and community members had contributed to RRC Polytech’s current place in Truth and Reconciliation and the direction it will take as it responds to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 94 Calls to Action —  and that many more will, as the Knowledge Keepers Council grows in participation and scope. 

Chii miigwech.

Elder Paul Guimond, Okonace
Knowledge Keeper Richard Curé, Mashkode Bizhiki
Elder Allen Sutherland, Waabishki Mazinazoot Mishtaatim
Kookum Barbara Bruce
Elder Albert McLeod, Mashkode Giizhig
Elder Martha Peet
Grandmother Janice Millar
Koonshi Ivy Chaske