Students in Red River College’s Advanced Graphic Design class have harnessed their considerable technical skills to create a new iPad app that showcases the best the College has to offer.

Fifteen students collaborated on the fall project, which saw them develop an iPad version of RRC’s 2013-14 Viewbook, an annual recruitment publication featuring info on the College’s programs and support services.

Now available in the App Store, the 2013-14 Viewbook app is enhanced by additional photos, videos and slide shows, and was inspired by a similar project a few years ago in which program coordinator Diane Livingston beta tested the Adobe software used to create the app. This software is now part of the Adobe Creative Suite software used by all Graphic Design students.

Livingston says the work provides Graphic Design students with valuable experience learning to use the technology to adapt existing print material. After finishing work on the Viewbook project, each student then designed and created his or her own individual iPad apps.

“Graphic designers are no longer designing just for print,” says Livingston. “We are a design school, so our students are designing user interfaces and web pages too. We know this is the way industry is going, because it allows them to save on printing costs.”

Students appreciated the chance to push the boundaries of their skill sets by using technologies they’ll encounter in the workforce, says Livingston, noting the Viewbook app has been especially well-received by RRC’s student recruiters.

“They love it because they can just take it on the road — plug their iPad into a projector, and all their program information is there,” she says.

Click here to check out the iPad Viewbook app yourself, and here for more information on RRC’s Advanced Graphic Design program.

(Each year, a maximum of four Lieutenant-Governor’s medals are awarded to Red River College students who, in the opinion of a selection committee, combine to the greatest extent in their graduating year academic and technical achievement, involvement in College and/or community activities, and good character.)

KIMBERLY COWAN
Professional Baking & Patisserie

Kimberly Cowan credits Red River College’s Professional Baking & Patisserie program for allowing her to turn her life’s passion into a full-time career.

Cowan spent her childhood on her uncle’s grain and cattle farm in her hometown of Landis, SK. When her family made the move to Portage la Prairie, it meant a lot would change for a then-teenaged Cowan. Through those transitions, one thing remained the same: her passion for food (specifically baking), which she inherited from her mother and grandmother, both talented cooks.

A few years after earning her Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in History, Kimberly decided to leave her full-time job at a local bank to go back to school and pursue a career in baking.  During her time with RRC, she competed in the Canola Bake-off in 2011 — tying for first with her Sticky Toffee Pudding entry. She also represented RRC in the baking category at Skills Manitoba and the Skills Canada Nationals, where she placed gold in the provincial competition. Read More →

Lt.-Col. B.S. Sandhu, President, Continental Group of Institutes, and Stephanie Forsyth, President and CEO of Red River College, sign a Memorandum of Understanding in Mohali, India.

Building on the success of its strong relationship with China, Red River College is actively recruiting in India this week and will sign deals with five educational institutions to bring hundreds of new students to Manitoba.

The enrolment of Indian students will increase opportunities for Manitoba students and help address Manitoba’s shortage of skilled labour. This year RRC has more than 150 students from China alone, and another 380 from several other countries, enrolled in three campuses. These successful models will be repeated to attract students from India with five-year agreements. After recruiting in India, RRC will target more international students working with sister campuses and educators in South America.

“Our India relationships benefit the college, the Province and India,” said RRC President and CEO Stephanie Forsyth from Delhi, India. “Foreign students, who pay the full cost of their education, allow us to develop even more programs and seats for Manitobans. Just as importantly, foreign students bring the global community to us. When they join our students and faculty on campus they help us all learn about their culture, and that helps us see how we can grow Manitoba and Canadian business abroad. India has a growing number of youth striving to achieve a strong post-secondary education, but the competition for limited spaces in India is strong. We provide educational opportunities in Canada that might otherwise be impossible to attain in India. The vast majority of these students have their sights on Canada as their future home.” Read More →

Red River College students will have an opportunity to network with leaders from Manitoba’s business community, at next month’s 2013 Directions Business Conference.

Approximately 600 people, including past RRC alumni, are expected to attend this year’s event, which will be held Feb. 6, 2013, at Canad Inns Polo Park.

The annual conference targets students from RRC’s School of Business and Applied Arts, providing them with a chance to meet industry leaders and potential employers. Participation also allows students to create valuable contacts, and to benefit from the experience of attending a professional business conference.

In the morning, students will hear from keynote speaker Norva Riddell, senior vice-president of sales and marketing for True North Sports and Entertainment. In addition, they’ll have the opportunity to sit in on a number of breakout sessions on topics ranging from mobile apps, environmental sustainability, corporate and social responsibility, and effective networking strategies.

In the afternoon, other industry leaders from across Manitoba will help mentor students by hosting  roundtable sessions in a variety of different career areas – accounting and finance, hospitality and tourism, entrepreneurship, marketing and sales, and information technology.

Click here for more information about the 2013 Directions Business Conference.

Story by Aaron Cyr, a member of the RRC Rebels Men’s Volleyball Team

As a member of dozens of volleyball teams over my playing and coaching career, I have experienced quite the range of trips. Whether it was a bus trip to Calgary or a cargo van ride to Brandon, there was always a unique adventure to be had. But when RRC Rebels Coach Dan Gilbert informed us this year’s trip was not to your typical destination of Saskatchewan, Alberta, or B.C. — but instead to the historic city of Havana, Cuba — I knew this trip would be special.

While a Christmas vacation to Cuba usually suggests 11:00 a.m. wake ups, beach siestas, and plenty of fruity cocktails, our plans were different. We were here to perform. The first four mornings started with 6:30 a.m. alarms, awakening us for early morning practice with Cuba’s top volleyballers. After being paired up with a Cuban positional counterpart, we spent some time stretching and warming up, at the same time crossing a language barrier and learning about one another.

Roberto, the Cuban coach, called us “rivals”, since we would eventually be on opposite sides of the net. But this was just not so. We became friends. This was difficult, since I spoke as much Spanish as he did English. Communicating with hand gestures — and sometimes just agreeing with “si” — was common. But when we hit the court to compete against each other, we spoke the same language. It wasn’t verbal, nor did it involve any hand gestures — just that the sport we had both played our entire lives now gave us common ground.  Read More →

Back by popular demand, Red River College’s Electrical Engineering Technology department will again host a series of spring Kids Kamps — free programs that introduce Grade 7 and 8 students to the field of electrical and electronic engineering technology.

The sessions will run at both the Exchange District and Notre Dame Campuses, every Saturday from Feb. 23 to April 7, 2013. A total of 12 sessions are scheduled (eight at the Exchange District, four at Notre Dame); students can take part in one session each.

The Kids Kamps will cover basic theory, but the emphasis of each session will be on developing practical skills, and on encouraging younger students to consider careers in science and technology. Read More →

The support and care of Manitoba’s most vulnerable populations will be top of mind among students this week, as Red River College’s Community Services department hosts its third annual Student Symposium.

The event takes place Thursday, Jan. 17 at the Notre Dame Campus, and will be attended by more than 250 students in RRC’s Community Services programs — including Child and Youth Care, Disability and Community Support, and Early Childhood Education (full-time and workplace), as well as students taking those programs off-site, including those in the CYC Certificate program out of Ndinawe.

The theme of advocacy will be addressed through workshops focusing on accessibility, self-care/self-advocacy, and justice, as well as those touching on advocacy through music and health promotion in child care centres. Workshop presenters include Community Services faculty and students, as well as representatives from a number of local community agencies, including Graffiti Gallery, Just TV, and the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority.

This year’s keynote speaker is the Robb Nash Project — a local band whose multi-media presentation covers a range of youth-related topics, including bullying, addiction, suicide and substance abuse.

The symposium is made possible with funding and support from RRC’s Community Services program and the RRC Students’ Association, as well as the Independent Living Resource Centre.

With the start of a new year, Red River College is proud to open its newest facility, the Paterson GlobalFoods Institute (PGI).

The first group of residents moved into PGI earlier this month, and classes officially started on January 9th for 300 students enrolled in programs in our School of Hospitality and Culinary Arts.

The Culinary Exchange café will start serving the public on January 15th, and Jane’s restaurant will open its doors on February 21st, which is also when a grand opening celebration will be held for this wonderful new addition to Red River College’s Exchange District Campus.

Several local media have featured stories on the facility over the past few weeks, including:

• CBC Manitoba Radio
• Winnipeg Free Press
• Global Winnipeg
• CBC Manitoba TV

Red River College students can avail themselves of financial advice from one of Canada’s leading experts, when TV host Gail Vaz-Oxlade stops by the Notre Dame Campus next week.

The no-nonsense host of TV’s Til Debt Do Us Part and Princess, Vaz-Oxlade will visit RRC on Wednesday, January 16 from 2:30pm – 3:30pm in the South Gym. Her appearance can also be viewed via video-stream in Room 107 of the Exchange District Campus.

If you want to learn more about how to break free from student debt, how to keep your finances under check, or how to build a strong financial foundation that will last a lifetime, come visit Vaz-Oxlade as she swings by RRC as part of her Canada-wide tour to promote the new book Money Rules.

From the official announcement: “Money management doesn’t have to be full of tricks. Although money management isn’t rocket science, having discipline and making sound money decisions often feels more complicated than it should.”

Vaz-Oxlade is one of Canada’s most successful and respected financial writers and has authored several bestselling books, including Debt-Free Forever, Never Too Late, Money-Smart Kids, and It’s Your Money. In addition to her TV work, she’s a radio host on Newstalk 1010.

Earlier this month, Red River College’s Paterson GlobalFoods Institute opened its doors for a very special “sneak peek.”

Donors, partners and supporters of the College were invited to spend an evening in the Exchange District’s newest gem. Guests shared drinks and laughs while admiring the restoration of the historic Union Bank Tower.

They also took tours of the new facility, visited state of the art kitchens, classrooms, labs and even the new student residence — all while learning more about the equipment and sustainability features on campus. Andrew Paterson (shown, second from left), President and CEO of Paterson GlobalFoods was on hand to welcome the crowd and to announce the heart of PGI — upscale restaurant Jane’s, which is located in the building’s breathtaking former bank hall — was a special tribute to his mother.

PGI is scheduled to open its doors in January 2013, and will serve as the new home of RRC’s Culinary Arts, Professional Baking and Patisserie, and Hospitality and Tourism Management programs.