RRC and Moose team up for reading
On Tuesday, December 8th, 2009, Red River College teamed up with the Manitoba Moose to launch the 2009-10 Respond to Reading program.
Posted: December 9, 2009
On Tuesday, December 8th, 2009, Red River College teamed up with the Manitoba Moose to launch the 2009-10 Respond to Reading program.
Posted: December 9, 2009
Red River College’s School of Indigenous Education is hosting its second annual Christmas Village at the College’s Notre Dame Campus on December 10-11.
All members of the public can get into the holiday spirit by enjoying milk and cookies with friends and family and then getting their photo taken with Santa -– all for free. Children can also write letters and draw pictures for Santa at the colouring and craft station in the beautiful Christmas Village.
Times:
Thursday, December 10 – 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Friday, December 11 – 9:00 pm to 2:00 pm
Location:
Aboriginal Student Support Centre (Building F – Room 209)
Red River College – Notre Dame Campus
2055 Notre Dame Avenue
For more information, please contact Angie Hutchinson at 632-3773.
Posted: December 8, 2009
Over 350 students, staff and family members gathered at the Notre Dame Campus for RRC's 5th Annual Welcome Party for Immigrant and International Students on Friday, November 20th.
The party featured Winnipeg’s premier sitar player Joshua Stanton, the Marco Castillo Brazilian Quartet, the reggae band Mello Man, salsa and meringue exhibitions by Bolero Dance Theatre, and the Latin Jazz ensemble Papa Mambo. Children could also enjoy carnival games, caricatures and glitter tattoos.
David Rew, Red River College Vice-President, Student Services and Planning; Miguel Lozupone, Project/Recruiter Officer, International Education; Richard Wolter, Red River College Students’ Association Vice President, Support Services, and Barbara Dixon, Manager, Diversity and Immigrant Student Support, brought greetings and talked about the significance of having this party for immigrant and international students to welcome them to the College.
“Over the past few years our immigrant student population has been progressively increasing, contributing significantly to the cultural diversity of our college. I'm delighted you not only have chosen to attend Red River College but that you have chosen to live in Canada and Winnipeg," said Rew. "Canada’s 142 year history is built on immigrants. I happen to be one of them. Immigrants have come to this country, sometimes through terrible adversity. They have worked incredibly hard, succeeded and made a difference to their communities and the country. You are our new generation of immigrant and international students. You too will succeed and make a difference. It is our job to help you succeed”.
Patricia Gonzalez, an international student from Chile currently studying the Sterile Processing Technician Program, attended the party with her classmates and said: “This party is amazing. It is a very good opportunity to meet new people, learn about other cultures and of course have a great time with your friends, especially because we could invite people who are not studying at the school, like friends and family. The food was delicious, the music very fun, good for dance. Thanks for let us having a wonderful time”.
Li Liu, international student at the Greenspace Management Program, originally from China, said: “I had a great time at the party. I absolutely loved it. It is an awesome place to meet people and make new friends. Thanks to all the people who organized this event.”
The 5th Annual Welcome Party for Immigrant and International Students was a joint initiative of the Diversity and Immigrant Student Support department, the International Education department, and Red River College Students’ Association.
Posted: December 7, 2009
Dr. Jeff Zabudsky has informed the Board of Governors of Red River College that he will be stepping down as President and CEO, effective January 31, 2010.
Zabudsky will be relocating to Ontario to become the President and CEO of the Sheridan Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning, which operates campuses in Brampton and Oakville. The move is a homecoming of sorts for Zabudsky, who is a native of Southern Ontario with several family members still in the area.
"I'd like to thank the Board and staff of Red River College, and our partners within government and industry for their tremendous support over the past five years," said Dr. Zabudsky. "Through their efforts RRC has established itself as an engine of growth for Manitoba, and a first-choice education option for students."
Highlights of Zabudsky's leadership at RRC include:
"Dr. Zabudsky has guided the College through a tremendous period of growth, and strengthened our profile in the community through his work with organizations like the United Way and the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce," said Sheryl Feller, Chair of RRC's Board of Governors. "His energy and passion for college-based learning will be missed."
The Board of Governors has formed a search committee to lead a national search for a new President. Cathy Rushton, MBA, FCA, current Vice-President of Finance and Administration, will serve as Interim President.
Posted: December 4, 2009
Red River College's leadership in developing sustainable new technologies has been recognized by the Province of Manitoba with a 2009 Excellence in Sustainability Award for Research and Innovation.
Through its Applied Research & Commercialization program, the College has engaged in several projects focused on sustainability in the building, construction and transportation sectors. Much of this research has centered on testing new technologies that bring environmental and economic benefits, such as:
"Red River College is committed to working with industry and public-sector partners to further Manitoba's economic growth and climate change goals through the development of innovative green technologies," said Ray Hoemsen, RRC's Director of Applied Research & Commercialization. "We're proud to have those efforts recognized by the Province of Manitoba and the Manitoba Round Table for Sustainable Development with this award."
To support its sustainable research agenda, the College and its partners have invested in the development of new facilities, like the Centre for Applied Research in Sustainable Infrastructure (CARSI) and the new Heavy Equipment Transportation Centre (HETC). These centres will be key resources in Manitoba's efforts to develop new technologies that enhance environmental, economic and social well-being.
Posted: November 22, 2009
Red River College hosted its annual Alumni Dinner on November 20th, where the two recipients of the 2009 Distinguished Alumni Award were honoured.
Dawna Friesen is a 1984 graduate of the Creative Communications program. After getting her start in broadcasting with local stations like CKX (Brandon) and CKND (Winnipeg), Dawna has gone on to work for the past ten years as a foreign correspondent for NBC News, based in London, UK.
Mervyn Gunter completed the Business Administration program in 1970. After a successful career with Royal Bank of Canada, Merv now owns Frontiers North Adventures, which operates the famous Tundra Buggy tours in Churchill, Manitoba.
Posted: November 17, 2009
Red River College's Dr. Jeff Zabudsky has joined over 80 college presidents from across the country on Parliament Hill this week to make the case for increased investment in Canada's colleges, polytechnics and technical institutes.
This is the first time the Association of Canadian Community Colleges (ACCC) has organized such a large group of college officials to meet with federal policymakers. It comes at a time when enrolment in college programs is growing across the country, and the need for college-based work to commercialize innovations is increasing.
For more information, see the ACCC news release below and Dr. Zabudsky's latest column in the Winnipeg Sun.
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Keep Canada competitive: Support colleges, institutes and polytechnics
OTTAWA, Nov. 17 /CNW/ – Canada must quickly ramp up its support for colleges, institutes and polytechnics, if we are to keep pace with our international competitors, says James Knight, president and chief executive officer of the Association of Canadian Community Colleges (ACCC).
"Science and technology minister Goodyear said recently that Canada does very well at supporting 'basic, discovery-oriented research' but not so well 'getting innovations out the door'. We agree, and one of the reasons for this is that Canada is not doing enough to support its colleges, institutes and polytechnics."
Knight says Canada lags behind other countries when it comes to commercializing the fruits of research and developing the products, processes and materials that fuel companies and creates jobs.
Colleges, institutes and polytechnics are key contributors to Canada's innovation system. They help businesses start, develop and grow. They also lead in finding applications for scientific research and transferring technology to the marketplace. But the chronic shortage of funding limits their capacity to perform these crucial functions and meet the needs of Canada's economy.
ACCC gives full marks to the federal government for targeting post-secondary institutions for capital investment as part of its recession-fighting stimulus strategy, and investments under the Knowledge Infrastructure Program (KIP) have been important. But the two-year, $600-million program ($1.2 billion including the provincial component) falls short of the estimated $7 billion needed to modernize and expand Canada's colleges, institutes and polytechnics.
"Our waiting lists were long before the recession," said Knight. "They are growing longer now as people who have lost their jobs in the recession flock to colleges to re-skill. Our capacity crunch is keeping thousands of qualified applicants who want jobs from acquiring the advanced skills they need."
The ACCC says two key issues require action: capital investment and support for industry-driven research partnerships.
To tackle the need for capital investment, the Association says the federal government should extend and expand KIP, and is calling for a five-year program would make $2.5 billion available to leverage matching provincial, private sector and institutional investments.
Second, ACCC is calling on the government to increase its current research and development funding by five per cent, or approximately $150 million and create an applied research and development fund to foster new research-and-development synergies between industry and colleges, institutes, polytechnics and cégeps.
"We understand the fiscal context that governments are in. But these are modest and realistic measures," said Knight. "Only by fueling our engines of innovation, skills-development and productivity growth can we continue to maintain the advanced, competitive economy needed to support a prosperous nation. From our perspective, inaction is not an option."
Posted: November 13, 2009
Former Red River College staff member Flor Marcelino talks to the Winnipeg Free Press about her new role as Manitoba’s Minister of Culture, Heritage & Tourism.
Posted: November 12, 2009
A new feature in Red River College's Creative Communications program this year is a requirement that all students maintain a professional blog. Students are gaining exposure to the growing field of social media, developing their online writing styles, and building an electronic portfolio or work.
As part of a recent story on blogging, Citytv's Megan Batchelor (a recent Cre Comm graduate herself) – interviewed several of the students along with PR/Advertising instructor Kenton Larsen about their experiences.
Posted: October 29, 2009
Waste Reduction Week 2009 (Oct. 19-25) was a success at Red River College as staff and students participated in a variety of activities to encourage them to reduce, reuse and recycle.
Vermicomposting Demonstration
Greenspace Management instructor Ruth Rob gave a demonstration of vermicomposting — a method of processing organic waste using Red Wriggler worms. Ruth was kind enough to offer an explanation for the RedBlog cameras:
Reusable Mug Sale
Urged on by a new poster that showed the staggering amount of disposable cups the College uses every year, coffee drinkers took advantage of a great deal on reusable mugs. In total 245 mugs were sold, which is equivalent to diverting 49,000 cups from the landfill each year.
Composting Lunch & Learn
A representative from Resource Conservation Manitoba gave a noon-hour workshop on composting.
Recycling Facility Tour
A dozen staff from different areas of the College toured the
facility that sorts through millions of tonnes of recyclable material
collected by the City of Winnipeg each year.
Recycling Bin Giveaway
Dozens of the College's old metal recycling bins were given away for reuse as planters and storage containers.
Waste Reduction Quiz
Congratulations to Notre Dame Campus student Max B. who won a $50 RED card for answering all the following questions correctly:
RRC Polytech campuses are located on the lands of Anishinaabe, Ininiwak, Anishininew, Dakota, and Dené, and the National Homeland of the Red River Métis.
We recognize and honour Treaty 3 Territory Shoal Lake 40 First Nation, the source of Winnipeg’s clean drinking water. In addition, we acknowledge Treaty Territories which provide us with access to electricity we use in both our personal and professional lives.