President’s Message
As President, I am often asked, “What makes RCC Institute of Technology so special?” And I am always proud to answer.
First, our brand of education emphasizes the application of knowledge while leading students to independent learning and career-readiness. In the first terms of RCC programs, students acquire deep learning of the fundamentals. These courses introduce theory in context. Students apply what they learn in lab, studio and clinic assignments and master applications before they proceed to the next assignment. And we see the benefits of this investment in upper term courses when students are able to demonstrate increasingly complex skills and processes. More importantly, they graduate knowing how to research, how to learn and how to apply their learning.
Because the Institute is so focussed-we have a relatively small number of programs-our efforts support our students’ experiences in specific career fields. Our campus facilities are customized for our programs, and our faculty members’ professional activities are directed at current applications and ways to engage and encourage students’ learning. Our Advisory Committees, Curriculum Committees and Academic Council ensure that our curriculum and policies improve student and graduate success.
Leadership is a core value at RCC. Our history attests to over 80 years of contribution to and leadership in Canada’s high technology sectors. The addition of the Academy of Design in 2008 buttresses this leadership with over 25 years of contributions to design, fashion and marketing education. What’s more, Institute staff and faculty expect leadership and strive to nurture every student’s innate leadership skills. We see evidence of this leadership every day, whether participating in student governance, working as a tutor or faculty assistant, or interacting with fellow students in group assignments
And because our campus atmosphere is intimate, we know our students and interact with them on a personal basis. In fact, at RCC, it’s all personal. It starts with our application process when an Admissions Counsellor conducts an interview to qualify those who will best benefit from studying at this special institution. It continues with small class sizes, individual tutoring, attendance and grade monitoring, personal support for students who need individualized counselling and professors who know their students’ names.
All of us at RCC Institute of Technology and the Academy of Design gain from this intimacy. Students appreciate and respond to the expectations, opportunities and responsibilities of learning and preparing for a career at the Institute. Faculty and staff, in turn, feel privileged to teach, interact and support committed students.
As a result, there’s an excitement and enthusiasm about teaching and learning at RCC. We hope you’ll sense some of that as you explore this website, for its exactly what makes RCC Institute of Technology so special!
Dr. Rick Davey
President
