Jim Madder says it’s a great time for education in Northwestern Ontario.
Madder, named on Wednesday to take over from outgoing Confederation College president Pat Lang, said the rise of the mining sector, combined with the rebirth of the forestry sector means plenty of new opportunities for students seeking to make their way in the world.
The former Red Deer College vice-president academic said he’s looking forward to the challenge of tailoring programs to meet the needs in a catchment area larger that supersedes the size of France. But he knows he’ll need help.
“Colleges like Red Deer or Thunder Bay can’t do it by themselves. To be honest with you, I’d be looking at partnering with other institutions with other programming that exists on an online and a blended basis and having that support and delivery throughout all of Northwestern Ontario,” said Madder, who took part in a morning conference call with local media.
Madder, who also spent several years in various capacities at Lindsay, Ont.’s Sir Sandford Fleming College, said partnerships with other educational institutions will be the key to student success in the coming decade.
A changing educational landscape, combined with shifts in employer needs, has dictated it so, he said.
“A lot of university graduates are realizing they need the hands-on skills that come from an education at the college,” he said.
“We need more blended learning, or flexible learning, so that people can work and go to school at the same time. I think those are some pretty significant trends. Growth in the applied research end, and I’ll call it experiential learning, where students are directly involved with doing research and work in the communities as they learn. All of those things are major trends I think will play out over the next number of years.”
Marilyn Gouthro, chairwoman of the college’s board of directors, said an extensive nationwide search for Lang’s replacement ultimately led the board to shortlist six candidates for consideration. Ultimately Madder stood out in the crowd, a perfect fit to guide the school into the next decade.
“We knew we wanted somebody who understood what it was like to live and to work in a community and a region like this,” Gouthro said. “We wanted someone who was very collaborative in nature and knew how to work with people to build the dream.
“We wanted someone who was a good decision-maker, somebody who had experience working in an environment where they had all kinds of different working groups and union and non-union groups. And we wanted someone whose values really resonated with the things that are really important here at Confederation College.”
Madder, a Winnipeg native who spent his early years summering between Kenora and Dryden, holds a bachelor of science degree from the University of Winnipeg, a master’s of science from the University of Manitoba and a PhD from the University of Guelph.
He begins his tenure in July and plans to pay a visit to Thunder Bay in mid-June.
Madder, named on Wednesday to take over from outgoing Confederation College president Pat Lang, said the rise of the mining sector, combined with the rebirth of the forestry sector means plenty of new opportunities for students seeking to make their way in the world.
The former Red Deer College vice-president academic said he’s looking forward to the challenge of tailoring programs to meet the needs in a catchment area larger that supersedes the size of France. But he knows he’ll need help.
“Colleges like Red Deer or Thunder Bay can’t do it by themselves. To be honest with you, I’d be looking at partnering with other institutions with other programming that exists on an online and a blended basis and having that support and delivery throughout all of Northwestern Ontario,” said Madder, who took part in a morning conference call with local media.
Madder, who also spent several years in various capacities at Lindsay, Ont.’s Sir Sandford Fleming College, said partnerships with other educational institutions will be the key to student success in the coming decade.
A changing educational landscape, combined with shifts in employer needs, has dictated it so, he said.
“A lot of university graduates are realizing they need the hands-on skills that come from an education at the college,” he said.
“We need more blended learning, or flexible learning, so that people can work and go to school at the same time. I think those are some pretty significant trends. Growth in the applied research end, and I’ll call it experiential learning, where students are directly involved with doing research and work in the communities as they learn. All of those things are major trends I think will play out over the next number of years.”
Marilyn Gouthro, chairwoman of the college’s board of directors, said an extensive nationwide search for Lang’s replacement ultimately led the board to shortlist six candidates for consideration. Ultimately Madder stood out in the crowd, a perfect fit to guide the school into the next decade.
“We knew we wanted somebody who understood what it was like to live and to work in a community and a region like this,” Gouthro said. “We wanted someone who was very collaborative in nature and knew how to work with people to build the dream.
“We wanted someone who was a good decision-maker, somebody who had experience working in an environment where they had all kinds of different working groups and union and non-union groups. And we wanted someone whose values really resonated with the things that are really important here at Confederation College.”
Madder, a Winnipeg native who spent his early years summering between Kenora and Dryden, holds a bachelor of science degree from the University of Winnipeg, a master’s of science from the University of Manitoba and a PhD from the University of Guelph.
He begins his tenure in July and plans to pay a visit to Thunder Bay in mid-June.
