Red River College will partner with Chitkara University — one of India’s leading teaching and research institutions — to deliver innovative programming and continue efforts to internationalize the College and compete on the global stage.

“Red River College is a global operation, and growing in stature in the area of international education,” says RRC President Paul Vogt.

“Over the past few years, we have significantly increased our efforts to internationalize the College, and the signing of this agreement with Chitkara University will allow us to continue to encourage academic collaboration, educational exchanges and innovative joint research projects with a leading institution in India.”

The College is exploring pathways to establish a satellite campus at Chitkara that will enable RRC to deliver the two-year Business Information Technology (BIT) program to students studying in India, beginning in the fall of 2019.

The proposed one-plus-one delivery model will also create new opportunities for students to complete their final year of studies here in Manitoba, and for RRC students to study overseas — part of the College’s student mobility strategy.

Last November, Vogt (shown above, fourth from left) travelled to Chandigarh, Punjab to visit Chitkara, along with Christine Watson, RRC’s Vice-President Academic, and members of the BIT and International Education team.

While there, they met with faculty and students, toured the school, and signed the MOU during the opening ceremonies of Global Week, in front of post-secondary institutions from over 60 countries.

“Our international partnerships position our institutions to prepare our students as global leaders and researchers in order to create stronger communities,” says Watson (shown above, third from left).

“Internationalization shapes our values, influences relationships and partnerships, and has a positive impact on the entire College community. This is why international partnerships such as this one with Chitkara are very important to us as a leading driver of innovation in Manitoba.”

In December, RRC welcomed delegates from Chitkara to tour the College’s ACE Project Space, Paterson GlobalFoods Institute, and the newest facility at the Notre Dame Campus – the Skilled Trades and Technology Centre, in hopes of expanding the partnership to new program areas in the future.

“We are stronger when we partner with like-minded institutions and work together to spark innovation, and ultimately bring change across the world,” says Sangeet Jaura, Pro Vice-Chancellor, International at Chitkara University (above, fifth from left).

“We are very pleased to begin this exciting new partnership and journey between Chitkara University and Red River College — two post-secondary institutions committed to global academic excellence through applied research and generating new and innovative learning opportunities for our students.”