RRC Polytech President and CEO, Fred Meier, with honorary alumnus Gabriel Langlois, Mayor Scott Gillingham, and mascots from several Winnipeg franchises. (Photo: Darcy Finley).

Manitoba Moose celebrate Gabriel “Dancing Gabe” Langlois’s 60^th birthday with a special on-ice tribute

On Sunday, January 29 RRC Polytech Honorary Diploma recipient Gabriel “Dancing Gabe” Langlois was given star treatment at a Manitoba Moose game as he danced his way into a new decade.

To mark Gabe’s 60^th birthday, the Manitoba Moose invited RRC Polytech’s President and CEO, Fred Meier, Mayor Scott Gillingham, and mascots from several Winnipeg sports teams, to sing ‘happy birthday’ on the ice with fans in the stands joining in.

A Manitoba icon, Gabe received a diploma in Community Development from the College in 2021 for his devotion to volunteerism and the positive impact he has on our community. Gabe was presented with his honorary diploma during a virtual convocation ceremony in the height of the pandemic, so having the opportunity to celebrate Gabe and all his achievements publicly was nearly two years in the making.

Along with a rousing rendition of ‘happy birthday’, Gabe was honoured with a video tribute featuring fans, athletes, and dignitaries across the province, as well as a stellar cake designed by Jenna Rae Cakes, courtesy of RRC Polytech graduate Ashley Kosowan (Advanced Graphic Design, 2009), who is the co-owner and Creative Director of the beloved Winnipeg bakery. Eight lucky RRC Polytech alumni also won pairs of premium tickets to the game to help cheer Gabe on.

RRC Polytech wants to better serve our alumni community and we’re asking for your help.

We have engaged Probe Research, an independent public opinion research company, to conduct a confidential survey of RRC Polytech alumni. You are invited to share about your experience while you attended RRC Polytech and how you want to stay connected to the College. All alumni are invited to participate.

In appreciation for completing the survey and providing your feedback, you’ll be entered into a draw to win one of three prizes:

• Grand Prize (1): Dinner for Four at Jane’s (value $400)
• Secondary Prizes (2): New RRC Polytech merchandise from the Campus Store (value $100)

The survey will take approximately 15 minutes to complete. Please share this survey with other RRC Polytech alumni in your network!

*Survey Closed Friday, February 17, 2023. Thank you for sharing your feedback with us!*

Red River College Polytechnic’s Animal Care Committee (ACC) is seeking applications to fill the role of community representative – all interested RRC Polytech alumni members are encouraged to apply!

The ACC is dedicated to setting and maintaining high standards for animal use and care at RRC Polytech. The ACC community representative brings an outside perspective to the committee, providing insight, direction, and unbiased feedback.

Who should apply?

• You’re an RRC Polytech alumni member who has a love for animals and care for their wellbeing.
• You want to provide feedback and assist in the approval of Animal Use Protocols that we follow at the College.
• You care about the Veterinary Technology program and want to make sure the program continues to receive accreditation by the Canadian Council on Animal Care.
• You are passionate about volunteering for a good cause.

By joining the ACC as the community representative, you’ll gain valuable experience on a committee that is essential for the operations of our Veterinary Technology program. The community representative will sit as a volunteer on the committee and attend two to three meetings per year. Community representatives on the committee cannot be employees of RRC Polytech or employed in the Veterinary field.

The ACC seeks to fill this role before the next committee meeting, scheduled for early December. To apply, send a short biography and describe your interest in the role to Curtis Aab, Chair, RRC Polytech Life Sciences.

Deadline to apply is November 21, 2022. For more information, please contact Curtis Aab at caab@rrc.ca.

Earlier this month, RRC Polytech launched Career Bridge, a new online job board that aims to connect job seekers with employment opportunities. Open to all RRC Polytech students and alumni – both job seekers and employers – Career Bridge helps smooth the transition from school to workplace.

Just like its predecessor, Job Central, Career Bridge allows students to search for specific jobs and career fields, or simply browse all postings on the site. New employment opportunities are posted daily, including full-time, part-time, term, and seasonal positions – all of which are plentiful, as RRC Polytech students and graduates continue to be in high demand in a multitude of industries, both in the province and beyond.

Career Bridge is free for students, alumni, and employers. Students can use their RRC Polytech login credentials for six months after their last class. After six months, they can switch to an alumni account to continue to have access to the site.

A major perk of Career Bridge is the ability for applicants to upload and save resumes, cover letters, and application packages directly to the site. This creates a much more streamlined and effortless application process, allowing students and alumni to put their best foot forward in starting (or continuing) their career journeys. Job seekers can also keep track of applications and manage upcoming interviews, centralizing each step of the job search and application process in one easy-to-use platform.

Career Bridge offers employers immediate access to RRC Polytech’s current students and graduates, all trained for the future of work. The College offers more than 200 full-time and part-time hands-on degree, diploma, certificate, and apprenticeship programs, with students and graduates all eager to get to work in their respective industries.

The RRC Polytech Students’ Association (RRCSA) is accepting applications to fill its opening for an ex-officio alumni position on the Board of Directors. All interested alumni members are invited to submit an application!

The RRCSA is run by a student-led board of directors. The alumni representative on the RRCSA board brings industry knowledge and experience, and provides insight, direction, and mentorship to the team.

“The alumni representative plays a vital role on the SA board. We’re lucky to have the guidance of a graduate to help with planning and making decisions,” said Manpreet Kaur, President of the Students’ Association for the 2022-2023 school year.

The SA board oversees a $3 million budget for projects, initiatives, trust funds, and donation requests, all to support and enhance the student experience at RRC Polytech. Decisions made by the board impact the RRC Polytech student body, the entire RRC Polytech ecosystem, and the wider community. The alumni representative will help guide the creation of the SA’s Strategic Plan and sits on the trust fund committee, which oversees capital projects.

Last year, RRC Polytech graduate Jerri-Lynn Orr (Honours Graduate, Aboriginal Language Specialist, 2007) held the alumni ex-officio position on the board.

“Being able to give back to RRC Polytech by working alongside and supporting students is a really rewarding experience — especially those students who have stepped up to be a part of the RRCSA. It was amazing to see what they are capable of and help cultivate that possibility,” said Orr.

This volunteer board member position is a one-year term from September 2022 to September 2023, with an opportunity to extend per interest and approval. Meetings are held in-person monthly, with nine meetings a year.

The deadline to apply is August 19, 2022, at 3 p.m. For more information and to apply, visit the RRCSA website.

Red River College Polytechnic’s Animal Care Committee (ACC) is seeking applications to fill the role of community representative – all interested RRC Polytech alumni members are encouraged to apply!

The ACC is dedicated to setting and maintaining high standards for animal use and care at RRC Polytech. The ACC community representative brings an outside perspective to the committee, providing insight, direction, and unbiased feedback. The ideal candidate for this volunteer role has a love and passion for animals and their wellbeing. Community representatives on the committee cannot be employees of RRC Polytech or employed in the Veterinary field.

The community representative will sit as a volunteer on the committee and attend two to three meetings per year. The ACC seeks to fill this role before the next committee meeting, scheduled for December 3, 2021. To apply, send a short biography and describe your interest in the role to Curtis Aab, Chair, RRC Polytech Life Sciences.

Deadline to apply is November 30, 2021. For more information, contact Curtis Aab at caab@rrc.ca.

In past years, RRC Polytech’s Sustainability team and Alumni Engagement have hosted a daylong Winter Market featuring staff, student, and alumni makers to celebrate the holiday season and encourage buying local. It is one of our absolute favourite events!

While we’re thrilled to see in-person markets starting up again, RRC Polytech is not yet fully open to the public – so instead of an in-person market experience, we’ll once again be highlighting our awesome network of makers online.

Last year, in place of an in-person market, we created a maker directory – a compiled list of alumni, staff, and student makers who have participated in past Winter Markets – so we could continue to support these businesses during last year’s challenging holiday season.

This year, between December 1-16, we will be running a “12 Days of Holiday Shopping” campaign both internally for staff and students, and externally via social media, where we’ll be promoting a number of makers each day. We want to make sure we’re doing our part to elevate our makers and support local!

“When you buy local from small businesses and artisan makers, you’re supporting creative makers in our community and the local economy,” says Sara MacArthur, Director of Campus Planning and Sustainability at RRC Polytech.

Red River College has legacy of being employer-driven and future-focused. Since our early days responding to a post-depression and post-war world in the 1930s and 40s, to our new reality adapting to a pandemic, we’ve always been an institution where learning mirrors the market.

Today, we’re embracing a new model that fully represents who we’ve always been, who we are today, and who we’re growing into: Red River College Polytechnic.

The term polytechnic is used around the world to identify institutions focused on strategic workforce development. As Manitoba’s polytechnic, our top priority is preparing students to thrive in a rapidly changing world of work. We’re embracing a bold approach that shows our community and industry partners we’re not only ready to meet rapidly shifting demands, but also ready to lead the way forward.

The Red River College Students’ Association (RRCSA) is seeking applications to fill one ex-officio board member position. All interested alumni members are encouraged to apply!

The alumni representative to the RRCSA board brings industry knowledge and experience to the student leadership on the board, providing insight, direction, and mentorship. The SA board oversees a $3 million budget for projects, initiatives, trust funds, and donation requests, and decisions made by the board impacts the RRC student body, the entire RRC ecosystem, and the wider community. The alumni representative also sits on the trust fund committee, which oversees capital projects.

The successful candidate will serve on the board as a volunteer for a one-year term from September 2021 to October 2022, with the opportunity to extend per interest and approval. Meetings are held monthly during the evening via video conferencing.

Deadline to apply is September 8, 2021. For more information, visit rrcsa.ca.

In response to Manitoba’s growing game development industry, which has seen tremendous growth over the past five years, Red River College is launching a new two-year program geared toward video game design and programming.

“We previously had some classes at the College that covered some aspects of game development,” said Thomas Lepp, RRC Instructor and program coordinator for Game Development.

“Through consultation with industry, we designed a two-year program that focuses on video game development, with two distinct streams.”

The “Design” stream focuses on visual design and technical art production, while the “Programming” stream focuses on the implementation of game mechanics and design tools to optimize game production, as well as applied game mathematics and coding to support the creation of interactive gaming experiences.

While the Design stream is a perfect match for technical artists, the Programming stream is geared toward people who like to engineer solutions and solve technical programs using code and math. The best part? Students from both streams in this two-year, five-term program will collaborate on projects. Working in teams, students will create prototype games to explore and develop design and programming tools.

“Communication with teammates and instructors is a key skill we hope to develop as students explore and implement loop theory, which is the process of producing game design within a set of given requirements or constraints,” said Lepp. “To learn about games, we make games.”