Olds College - RDC's 2019 Community Partner

RDC is proud to recognize Olds College with the 2019 Community Partner Award. The relationship between our institutions is centered on a spirit of collaboration, and this year we acknowledge three distinct ways that commitment has been demonstrated.

Our ongoing joint venture, Campus Alberta Central (CAC), creates pathways for rural learners to earn or begin post-secondary credentials without leaving their communities. RDC and Olds College instructors and facilities help to deliver programming on-campus, online and at remote learning sites.

Our main satellites in Rocky Mountain House, Stettler, Drumheller and, now, Ponoka, further reduce the burden of travel and relocation, allowing more central Alberta students to achieve success in post-secondary without sacrificing other commitments, or leaving communities they love.

Secondly, our partnership with Olds College during the 2019 Canada Winter Games was vital to the success of the Games, critical to our role in delivering them, and meaningful for our learners who moved to Olds College Campus for those four weeks when RDC became Athletes’ Village. Staff, faculty and students provided an exceptional experience for our learners, which reinforces the collaborative nature of the relationship between our institutions.

A third and meaningful collaboration is our long working relationship to develop and deliver a complementary program mix that maximizes the diversity of our shared programming. This collaborative effort eliminates duplication and allows each institution to develop depth within the academic departments in their portfolio.

Rather than split central Alberta into two smaller territories, viewing our program mix through a combined lens has given us the opportunity to provide our region’s learners with diverse learning opportunities, deliver programs in a way that makes efficient use of our resources and create opportunities for learners whose post-secondary choices would otherwise be limited by their inability to relocate.

Red Deer College initiated this award to honour our many and varied partners and to celebrate the spirit of genuine collaboration that benefits the overall community. It is through these partnerships that we are able to provide access to expertise, leadership, innovation and facilities as well as to enhance opportunities for our learners. These meaningful contributions assist in the development of Red Deer and our surrounding communities.

For more information, visit rdc.ab.ca/communityawards