A university, by its very nature, cannot exist in a silo. Our ability to provide a quality education that has real-life application depends on being truly connected with our community and industry partners.

That’s why it’s so important that we build bridges to connect with a variety of partners. It may not always be obvious what we have in common, but by talking and working together we can identify shared interests and common goals. This not only ensures our partnerships reflect the needs of our community, but that they are meaningful for everyone – including our students. Strong community partnerships ensure we’re able to provide a diverse range of real-life learning opportunities for our students.

I am very proud of MacEwan’s strong history of working with a wide range of organizations and industries, and I’m excited that we recently announced two different and exciting partnerships that will help increase collaboration and grow opportunities for our students.

A major challenge for employers today is finding and hiring quality, job-ready talent. In fact, Alberta’s labour market is predicted to face labour shortages in several sectors including nursing, psychiatric nursing, computing science and business. A number of these areas align with the degrees and programs MacEwan offers; nurturing our connections outside the academy ensures we have our fingers on the pulse of employer needs and the challenges our communities are facing.

MacEwan’s relevance and ability to respond to these needs also help us attract support for our growth. Over a year ago we launched the MacEwan Means Business (MMB) campaign, with the goal of raising $25 million. Just a few months ago we broke ground and the site is busy with cranes and concrete trucks building the foundation. It’s a little thrilling to see the progress when walking the pedway between SAMU and Building 10! Such an exciting time for MacEwan, and for Edmonton’s downtown.

This helps make the recent $1.5 million contribution from Weidner Apartment Homes so significant. Not only is it the largest contribution to the MMB campaign to date, it’s also an investment and vote of confidence in what we’re doing at MacEwan in terms of programs. When the Weidner team joined us on campus to announce the gift, they reiterated how relevant and important our academic programming is to their business.

Across our campus, I see exciting new curricula and programs being developed that will prepare our students for the opportunities of today and in the exciting future coming tomorrow. Industry leaders regularly tell me how much they appreciate our responsiveness and agility, and how well prepared our graduates are to hit the ground running.

It all ties back to Teaching Greatness, and our commitment to delivering an exceptional undergraduate education. Students arrive, they learn, they have new and valuable experiences, and they leave to make their mark in the world. We want to make sure they’re ready, armed with the knowledge and skills necessary to make a difference wherever they go, whatever they do.

Ensuring our students have a meaningful experience – both inside and outside the classroom – is at the heart of the MacEwan experience.

Recently, we collaborated with the Edmonton International Airport and the Edmonton Elks, and just last month, we signed an agreement with the Oilers Entertainment Group.

It was an exciting event – Griff and Hunter brought some mischievous fun – and we connected on our enthusiasm for the upcoming season. What we really connected on was our common goal of creating energy and vibrancy in our downtown.

Edmonton needs innovation as it continues to grow and evolve, and the work we do at MacEwan is critical to the region’s future. The Oilers are our neighbours, we share the former rail lands. We also both play different yet critical roles in downtown vibrance and have a shared interest in city building.

There’s power in alignment. With the Oilers, we’ll be exploring work-integrated learning opportunities in sales and marketing, communications, entertainment management and business services.

I am proud that our partners across many different sectors all say the same thing – MacEwan graduates are making an impact. Recently Gail Powley, CEO of Technology Alberta, told me tech companies love our business graduates. They arrive hungry, job-ready and keen to collaborate and learn.

Thank you to all of our partners who have pledged their support to our students and to the MacEwan Means Business campaign. It’s gratifying to see support from those who’ve worked with us for years and from our new partners. You’re part of a growing community who are making great things happen.

Dr. Annette Trimbee
President and Vice-Chancellor