Dr. Peter Nunoda, RDC president and CEO. (Red Deer College)

By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

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Eventful; that’s how Red Deer College President and CEO Dr. Peter Nunoda describes 2019 for the institution which is undergoing a multi-year facelift.

Nunoda, who became RDC’s 11th president when he took over from Joel Ward in September, says the transition to a university has been and will continue to be the biggest focus.

“It remains on track,” he says, with the name change to happen in fall 2020 and the first degree granted a year later.

“I’d look for us to be working more closely with the City of Red Deer to become a driver of economic prosperity in the region. We don’t see ourselves simply as a provider of post-secondary education. We think through applied research opportunities, and partnerships with private enterprise, that we can really create a very well-integrated environment where the university plays a pivotal role as a pillar of the community.”

Continuing to look back upon 2019, Nunoda believes the Canada Winter Games represented a major milestone for the college.

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“Not for just the college, but the city and region,” he says. “The opening of the Gary W. Harris Canada Games Centre was a highlight of the Games; it was a huge legacy project.”

The college was also home to the Games’ athletes village, and that’s not to mention RDC officially opened up a new 145-suite student residence in May.

“My initial impressions over my first four months is that the community has been incredibly welcoming,” Nunoda admits. “I am so impressed by the strength of the team I have the honour to lead.”

A committed team is just what’s needed when dealing with the challenges of tight budgets, which he noted remains an ongoing issue as well.

“We’re aware of the some of the challenges in the provincial budget in terms of the cutbacks to the post-secondary system. Our position as an organization is to seek greater external revenues (going forward),” says Nunoda.

“I’ve made a commitment to 500 new international students in the fall of 2020, in part to help us bridge that revenue gap that’s been created, and I’m counting on the entrepreneurial spirit of the people who work here, as well as can-do attitude of the entire region to pull together and really make the university dream come true regardless of budget challenges.”

The recent provincial budget revealed that colleges and universities will be permitted as of Jan. 1, 2020 to raise tuition by up to seven per cent, an opportunity being capitalized on by at least one school in Athabasca University. Nunoda says RDC (soon to be RDU) will likely fall in line with what other institutions are doing. He adds they continue to work with the students’ association, and in creating awareness of the school’s foundation which provides access for students who come from lower-income backgrounds.

“Were very positive in our outlook going forward, not just for next year, but for the next three years.”

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