COMMUNITY PARTNER AWARD 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.
OLDS COLLEGE 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
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Notebook | 2019
G. H. DAWE MEMORIAL AWARD
Community Partner Award
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.
The G.H. Dawe Memorial Award is presented by RDC to a community member who best exemplifies the values of Mr. George Harold Dawe (19101999). The College community fondly remembers Mr. Dawe for his contributions to this institution and to education in general. Mr. Dawe helped establish Red Deer College in 1963 and held the position of its first administrative officer. His commitment and dedication to education was outstanding and will serve as a model of lifelong learning for decades to come. Through dedicated service, the recipients of the G.H. Dawe Memorial Award have helped advance the mission of Red Deer College and bridge the College to the central Alberta community.
G.H. Dawe Memorial Award
RON MACLEAN Ron MacLean is a proud Red Deerian, and for his on-going and passionate role as an ambassador for this region, we’re proud to honour him with the 2019 G.H. Dawe Memorial Award. Throughout his decadeslong career as a sportscaster, MacLean has been a vocal supporter of this region, and a proud central Albertan. He has promoted our local athletes and supported the continued success of our athletic programs and teams. MacLean grew up in Red Deer. He and his wife, Cari, met in high school and have been together since. Cari MacLean completed the Bachelor of Recreation Administration through the RDC – University of Alberta transfer program. When she moved to Edmonton to complete her degree, Ron remained in Red Deer, working his way up at CKRD-FM, CKRD-AM and eventually, CKRD-TV. His hard work and dedication have paid off as he has enjoyed more than 30 years with Hockey Night in Canada. MacLean’s authenticity, commitment and expertise
have endeared him to Canadians and hockey fans around the globe. MacLean’s roots remain in Red Deer. The friendships he made growing up in central Alberta remain important connections for him and his family. He continues to emphasize the level of athletes our region produces and to promote investment in sport and sporting events for central Alberta. As honorary co-chairs of the 2019 Canada Winter Games, the MacLeans returned to Red Deer to support and promote the Games, meet volunteers and visit the venues and community spaces that served the Games, and which Ron helped fundraise for. It’s clear that no matter where Ron MacLean’s career takes him, he remains a Red Deerian at heart. RDC is proud to honour him for bridging central Alberta to the world through leadership, good citizenship and a commitment to community.
rdc.ab.ca/alumni | Notebook
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