News

Staff, students and external partners of Red River College are invited to attend one of three upcoming Open Cafés, during which they can join the conversation surrounding the College’s next Strategic Plan.

The Open Cafés will be hosted by RRC’s Strategic Plan Governance Committee, with the goal of fostering a College-wide conversation about charting a future that takes into account societal trends and other influences on higher education.

“This series of Open Cafés and conversations will help us to define where we want to be in the next five years, and how we intend to get there,” says RRC President Paul Vogt. “Bring your best ideas and solutions — I look forward to the conversation.”

The new Strategic Plan will describe how Red River College will continue to provide relevant education, skills and innovation in a world where workplaces are changing — and becoming more demanding and more interconnected — faster than ever before.

Topics to be discussed include: strengthening strategic partnerships, advancing Indigenous achievement, elevating student success, and fostering sustainable growth.

The Open Cafés will take place at the following times and locations:

• Friday, Feb. 26: 9am – 12pm, Prairie Lights Dining Room (NDC)
• Monday, Feb. 29: 1pm – 4pm, Prairie Lights Dining Room (NDC)
• Tuesday, March 1: 9am – 12pm, Roblin Centre Dining Room (EDC)

A research partnership with Manitoba Hydro focusing on sustainable building infrastructure and transportation has earned Red River College the top honour from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC).

Presented today at a ceremony at the Governor General’s residence in Ottawa, NSERC’s Synergy Award for Innovation recognizes outstanding research and development partnerships between colleges and industry partners in the fields of natural sciences and engineering. Only one Canadian college receives the award each year.

“This award is the highest level of validation a college can receive for the impact and lasting benefits of its research partnerships efforts,” says RRC President Paul Vogt. “Our partnerships with industry stakeholders like Manitoba Hydro are critical to our mandate for supporting innovation in Manitoba, and providing our graduates with the skills that industry requires.”

Dating back more than a decade, the partnership between RRC and Hydro includes collaboration on such high-profile projects as the award-winning Manitoba Hydro Place and the development of a zero-emissions electric battery transit bus.

“The legacy of the relationship between Manitoba Hydro and RRC will live on in our downtown office tower and zero-emission buses operating within many North American cities for decades to come,” says Lloyd Kuczek, Manitoba Hydro’s vice-president of Customer Care and Energy Conservation.

“These projects provide daily reminders of what we can accomplish through collaborative research and of the importance of leveraging the capabilities of research partners like RRC.”

Read More →

Elder Mae Louise Campbell carries the gift of women’s medicine. All her life, she has shared her knowledge of Indigenous culture and traditional teachings to help empower the women around her.

And while Campbell (shown above, at left) is a familiar face at Red River College — where she’s served as a mentor for more than a decade — it’s her work with women in the larger community that led to her being honoured over the weekend with an Indspire Award in the category of Culture, Heritage and Spirituality.

“The thing that I look forward to the most is for our women to be able to see it and say, ‘Well, this Grandmother got this award, and the reason she received it is because of all the work she’s doing to heal women,’” says Campbell. “That message to me is more important than anything else.”

Campbell’s desire to see Indigenous women empowered was born out of her own personal journey of self-awareness, healing and spiritual awakening. Like many Indigenous people, Campbell says she struggled to find her identity. Her refusal to accept the difficulties of being a young wife and mother in a controlling relationship set her on the path of discovery.

“I knew that I had to find my voice and believe in the fact that I have the strength and the wisdom to be well in my mind, body and spirit, and to continue to grow,” says Campbell. “And I knew I would have to do that by discovering our traditional ways of women’s knowing, and understanding women’s roles in the community.”

Read More →

Congratulations to the latest recipients of Red River College’s Lieutenant-Governor’s Medals for Proficiency, which will be awarded tonight and tomorrow as part of our Winter Convocation ceremonies.

Each year, up to four medals are awarded to RRC students who best combine good character, academic and technical achievement, and involvement in College and community activities. This year’s winners are: Read More →

Congratulations to Red River College grad Dan Blair, who was named one of the Future Leaders of Manitoba at last night’s awards gala.

Blair, who completed RRC’s Business Information Technology program in 2015, took the top spot in the FLM’s 20-25 category, where he faced competition from both the University of Winnipeg and the University of Manitoba.

A self-described technology entrepreneur, Blair has launched several companies since graduating from RRC, including Bit Space Development Ltd. — a local consulting firm that helps small- and medium-sized businesses explore and implement such technologies as virtual reality, 3D printing and modern frameworks — and PanoPla, a new Innovation Alley startup that helps businesses, realtors and schools share virtual tours and other VR content.

A regular presence at educational conferences like SAGE (Special Area Groups of Educators) and EdCampWpg, Blair also works with local schools to bring 3D printing, virtual reality and single board computing into the classroom.

As well, he supports and organizes a number of community-based groups, including Winnipeg Android (a user group for Android developers and students), Winnipeg Web and Mobile Developers, Kids Code Winnipeg and Ramp Up Weekend. He was a finalist in Innovate Manitoba’s Pitch Day 2015 competition, and one of the winners of Ramp Up Weekend 7 last spring.

While still a student at RRC, Blair earned a number of recognitions, including the Co-operative Education Manitoba (CEM) Co-op Student of the Year Award in 2014. More recently, he’s been working with RRC’s Accounting and Computer Education (ACE) department, to mentor students and help build a project space where they can work with local startups to build their skills and learn more about business and technology.

Just in time for International Development Week in Canada, Red River College is proud to host a self-guided exhibit showcasing how Manitobans are working to improve the world through their actions at home and abroad.

Global Citizens: Manitobans Working Together for a Better World is on display from Mon. to Fri., Feb. 1-5, in the Roblin Centre Atrium at the Exchange District Campus.

Presented by RRC’s Diversity and Intercultural Services department (in partnership with the Manitoba Council for International Cooperation), the exhibit features photographs, stories and videos showcasing international projects with Manitoba connections.

On Tue., Feb. 2, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., members of RRC’s local Student Refugee Program (SRP) committee will be on hand at the display to discuss their involvement in global citizenships efforts.

Two members of the committee — students Yves Ngendahimana and Emily Regehr (shown above) — recently returned from Ottawa, where they took part in the weekend-long World University Service of Canada (WUSC) International Forum.

“It’s an opportunity for students to come together and talk about international development issues, and how they can promote global citizenship on campus,” says Lauren Konrad, RRC’s Student Integration Coordinator, noting this year’s event featured presentations on such topics as Women’s Economic Empowerment, Youth Employment and Entrepreneurship and Enabling Inclusive Markets. Read More →

A former Red River College student with ties to both TSN and CTV Sports was inducted into the Manitoba Media Roll of Honour this month, for his dedicated service in sports journalism.

CTV Winnipeg sports director Shawn Churchill, a 1993 graduate of RRC’s Creative Communications program, was inducted on Jan. 22 at the 60^th annual Manitoba Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association awards dinner.

Born in Saskatoon, Churchill enrolled at RRC after earning his Bachelor of Arts degree. He got his start in TV news working at a small station in Dauphin, eventually making his way to CKX in Brandon, then MTN (now City-TV) and CTV Winnipeg.

In 2004, he began working as a reporter for TSN; over the years, his career has found him covering multiple Grey Cups, World Curling Championships, Pan Am Games and the Memorial Cup.

Churchill wasn’t the only CreComm grad recognized at this year’s MSSA dinner. Current CreComm student Danielle Doiron received the Jack Matheson Memorial Award, named in honour of the former Winnipeg Tribune and CJOB commentator, and established to provide financial support to sports media aspirants.

For Red River College instructor James Culleton, one of the most interesting parts of his job is teaching students to problem-solve visually — a topic the award-winning furniture and graphic designer happens to be very well-versed in.

“Most people need graphic designers because they can’t communicate visually,” says Culleton, recent recipient of a prestigious Pinnacle Award from the American Society of Furniture Designers (ASFD). “Being a visual communicator is a key skill for all designers.”

That’s the lesson Culleton tries to teach students in his Graphic Design and Manual Writing and Design classes, both delivered through RRC’s School of Continuing Education.

Culleton first got involved with the College while working at Palliser Furniture, where he served as design director for close to 15 years. He launched a partnership between Palliser and RRC’s Residential Decorating program, by enlisting students from the College to design a booth for Palliser.

“It kind of started like that, and then I started teaching an online course on manual design,” he explains. “When the opportunity to teach graphic design came up I jumped at it. Graphic Design is a fusion of art and design, two things I love.”

This year marks Culleton’s third term teaching Graphic Design one night a week; he says he’s fascinated by the range of people who take evening classes at the College.

Some are people who are already employed and looking to learn a different skill, while others are fresh out of high school and seeking tools to become employable.

“Some [people] are in a job where they need the graphic design skills to complete a bigger project,” he said. “It’s a versatile skill and can help in a lot of different areas such as web design, making a flyers or giving presentations.”

Read More →

Want the latest campus safety features and resources — all at your fingertips? There’s an app for that!

Red River College recently launched a free Mobile Safety app that provides users with direct access to RRC Security and 911, as well as specific instructions on what to do in case of an emergency, among other valuable features.

The app — which works on most smartphone platforms — can be used to access RRC’s Safe Walk resource, or to send photos or emails directly to Security. It also provides instant alerts in case of campus closures, lockdowns or emergency situations, even when the app isn’t running.

The Mobile Safety app was released in collaboration with AppArmor, a developer of custom mobile safety applications and emergency notification systems for post-secondary and private institutions in Canada, the U.S. and Australia. AppArmor also partnered recently with the University of British Columbia, Georgian College, Centennial College and the University of Florida on similar safety resources.

“Their staff worked with us every step of the way to design exactly what we were looking for,” says Dave Clarke (shown above), Emergency Preparedness Coordinator at RRC.

RRC’s Mobile Safety app can be downloaded for free from the App Store, Google Play and BlackBerry World.

Learn more at the College’s Safety and Security Blog.

Red River College helped make history last week, joining with every post-secondary institution in Manitoba — as well as the Manitoba School Boards Association — in signing the Indigenous Education Blueprint, an unprecedented commitment to advance Indigenous education in the province.

The transformational framework is the result of a new partnership between Manitoba’s public school boards and the post-secondary education sector, now united in their efforts to enhance Indigenous education and reconciliation, and to make Manitoba a global centre of excellence for Indigenous education, research, languages and culture.

The Blueprint takes action on recommendations made by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, and will translate into success for Indigenous students and their families, thereby enriching the lives of all Manitobans.

“Indigenous youth are one of the fastest growing populations in Canada,” said RRC President Paul Vogt. “They are our future — our future leaders, entrepreneurs and builders — and the next generation of our country. As colleges, we have a responsibility to work with other partners to continue to build upon our diverse range of post-secondary programs that support Indigenous learners on their educational journey.”

Next steps include such action items as establishing a steering committee with all signatories, creating a collaborative website and social media platform, and hosting a conference on Indigenous education.

The partners who met Friday to sign the historic Blueprint include RRC, the University of Manitoba, the University of Winnipeg, Brandon University, Université de Saint-Boniface, Canadian Mennonite University, University College of the North, Manitoba Institute of Trades and Technology, Assiniboine Community College and the Manitoba School Boards Association. Read More →