For the first time in the department’s history, Alumni Engagement is embarking on a large-scale research project to better understand our alumni and what you need and want from the College. This will be a two-phase project with qualitative research (focus groups) beginning in June and quantitative research (online survey) beginning this fall.

You, our alumni, are incredibly important to RRC and are in an ideal position to give us valuable, first-hand information from your unique perspective. Invitations to participate in both phases of the project will be randomly generated (meaning you may or may not receive an invitation); if you are selected to participate and are contacted by our project partner Prairie Research Inc., we sincerely hope you take the opportunity to give us your honest feedback as it will be used to help influence future alumni relations programming.

We look forward to hearing from you and sharing your feedback in early 2017!

For additional information, please contact the Alumni Engagement department at 204.632.2359 or alumni@rrc.ca.

Red River College’s most recent edition of its Alumni Billboard Campaign has been recognized by the Canadian Public Relations Society (CPRS) and awarded the 2016 Manitoba Communicator of the Year (Large Campaign) Award. For more information on the campaign, please see a more in-depth post on RRC’s RED blog.

On May 4, the College and the winner in the Small Campaign category (the Canadian Museum for Human Rights) will be honoured at an awards presentation at the Winnipeg Art Gallery. Tickets to the gala are available here.

Congratulations to all of our outstanding alumni!

Red River College has a long and proud history of graduating many Rebel generations. If you or someone you know is enrolled in a full-time program of study and has a parent or guardian who is an alumni/apprentice graduate of RRC, consider applying for a $1000 Rebel Generation Award.

The spring award deadline is April 30. For more details, please visit the alumni awards page or contact the Alumni Engagement department at 204.632.2359 or alumni@rrc.ca.

Looking for ways to give back and volunteer with Red River College? Our hard-working students are finished their year-long business projects and look forward to showing our business partners what they have created. Please consider becoming a judge for our 2016 Entrepreneurship Tradeshow and Oral Presentations!

Tradeshow details:

March 17 | 1:00 – 4:30 PM | Wine and Cheese at 3:00 PM
Drop in at any time and judge three booths on their presentation and knowledge of the business venture they have created.

Oral presentation details:

March 21, 22 or 23 | 9:00 – 11:30 AM or 12:00 – 2:30 PM each day
Choose a date and a time slot that works for you! We provide a copy of the student’s business plan beforehand with a marking guide to aide you. On the date of their presentations, students pitch their ideas to the judges, and you have the opportunity to ask questions and provide feedback.

For more information or to sign up as a judge, please contact:

Andrea McCann-Suchower
amccann-suchower@rrc.ca or 204-632-2943

Navigate Winnipeg’s Know Your Zone program with ease using Snow Your Zone, a free app developed by Red River College grads Jeffrey Fulton, Rob Ring, and Mackenzie Plowman of Tilted Compass.

Avoid parking tickets (or costly tows!) by searching parking zones by address, street corner, or business name and getting notifications about upcoming bans.

The app uses data from the City of Winnipeg; using a map view, it shows your location, the zone you’re in, and whether there’s a ban affecting you right now or within the next 24 hours.

Snow Your Zone is available for free download on Apple and Android products.

The Embassy and Consulate General of Canada in Vietnam are building a Canadian Alumni Network that will bring together Vietnamese from all walks of life who have one important link: a Canadian education.

They are hoping that Vietnamese alumni from Red River College will join this network to help strengthen the important people-to-people links between Canada and Vietnam and encourage others to choose Canada as their study destination.

The Canadian Alumni Network in Vietnam will hold its inaugural events in March 2016, in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

If you are interested in participating in this new and exciting network, let them know by sending an email message to HOCHI.Alumni@international.gc.ca.

An award of distinction, the Honorary Degree/Diploma is the highest honour Red River College can bestow upon an individual. This award recognizes individuals in diverse fields who are distinguished by their significant accomplishments and contributions – locally, nationally or internationally – and whose receipt of the award will bring honour and distinction to RRC.

Past recipients of this award have included Ace Burpee, Lisa Meeches, Gail Asper, and The Honourable Mr. Justice Murray Sinclair. Consider nominating an individual if he or she:

1. Has made significant contributions to either: (1) Red River College; (2) a particular field of post-secondary study; and/or (3) post-secondary education on a local, national or international level;
2. Has accomplished great success in either a paid or volunteer position that reflects the values of Red River College;
3. Enhances or promotes the College’s image/reputation in Manitoba or elsewhere; and/or
4. Serves as an inspirational example to the College community due to significant accomplishment or achievement.

More information on these prestigious awards is available on the Alumni microsite, including the online nomination form. The deadline for nominations is Friday, January 15.

If you have additional questions, please contact the Alumni Engagement office at 204-632-2359 or alumni@rrc.ca.

2014 & 2015 Alumni Award recipients April Slater with son Fox (centre), Sterling Matthes (first right from centre), Brenna Blackman (second right from centre) and Tim Stevenson (missing).

RRC’s Alumni Association presented four recent graduates with Alumni Awards on Thursday, November 19, 2015 at a luncheon held to celebrate their accomplishments and achievements since leaving the College’s hallowed halls.

The Alumni Award, an annual award of $1000, is given out to two applicants per year who have graduated from a certificate, diploma or degree program within the last 24 months.

Our 2014 recipients are April Slater and Sterling Matthes. April graduated from Community Economic Development in 2013 and is very active in her community, sharing her passion for traditional dance, beading and singing. Sterling graduated from Business Admin – Accounting in 2014 and has continued his studies at the University of Winnipeg where he aspires to complete his 4-year BA in Accounting.

Our 2015 recipients are Brenna Blackman and Tim Stevenson. Brenna graduated from Digital Media Design in 2015 and is now enrolled in RRC’s one year Advanced 3D Computer Graphics Program. Tim graduated from Community Economic Development in 2013, works with Food Matters and is currently in New Zealand presenting at the Healing Our Spirit Worldwide conference.

Congratulations to all of our award recipients! We wish you all the best in your future endeavours!

For more information on available scholarships, bursaries and awards through Red River College, please visit our Awards and Financial Aid page.

Red River College is excited to announce it’s new Business Technology Management program (BTM), a two-year diploma that gives graduates the knowledge and skill sets to analyze, design, and manage projects and businesses in the field of information technology.

January 2016 marks the first intake of students, and the program will involve a four or eight-month co-op beginning in May 2017. Employers interested in hiring a co-op student or learning more about the BTM program and co-op requirements are invited to contact Dan Greenberg at 204-949-8382 or dgreenberg@rrc.ca.

If you are interested in either the Business Information Technology or Business Technology Management programs from a student perspective, please consider joining us for a joint information session on Thursday, November 12 from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. in Room P107 at the Roblin Centre.

Red River College is extending the VIP treatment to its graduates this spring, through a newly-launched promotional campaign that celebrates the achievements of not just our alumni, but also the diverse organizations where they find employment after graduating.

As part of the new campaign, RRC invited employers to partner with them on a creative, co-operative advertising blitz. The cost-sharing model provided an opportunity for industry partners to promote their own brands, while also showcasing a VIP (and RRC grad) within their ranks.

“RRC alumni are known throughout Manitoba and the world for possessing the necessary skills to be VIPs in their chosen fields,” says David Rew, interim president at RRC.

“It’s just one of the many reasons RRC Grads Get Hired. This spring, we’re celebrating the role our alumni play in driving Manitoba’s economy, and how they are leaders in their careers and their workplaces.”

Appearing this spring throughout Winnipeg and rural Manitoba, the new billboards, bus benches and digital ads feature more then 40 members of RRC’s accomplished alumni community.

“This is an excellent opportunity to partner with RRC and recognize a valued member of our executive team,” says Paul Soubry, president and CEO of New Flyer Industries, whose vice-president of human resources, Janice Harper, is featured on one of this year’s billboards. (See above.)

“Red River College develops skilled grads who are driving Manitoba’s economy, and New Flyer is pleased to provide meaningful employment in our community.”

Visit RRC’s Marketing and Web Presence site for a sneak peek of the full campaign.