Partnership strengthens bond with Great Plains College and City of Swift Current

Posted: February 9, 2016 3:00 p.m.

The signing of the Memorandum of Agreement (l-r) Dr. Brian Gobbett, Great Plains College; Jerrod Schafer, Swift Current Mayor and President Dr. Vianne Timmons. Photo - External Relations.

The University of Regina, Great Plains College and the City of Swift Current have committed to ongoing partnerships to collaborate in the areas of post-secondary education, research and employment.

At a ceremony in Swift Current February 8, University of Regina President and Vice-Chancellor Dr. Vianne Timmons signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Swift Current Mayor Jerrod Schafer, and Senior Academic Officer and Director of Programs of Great Plains College, Dr. Brian Gobbett.

“This agreement extends and provides a basis to build on our ongoing commitment to foster education, research and employment opportunities in Swift Current and the surrounding region,” said President Timmons. “I’m confident that our growing partnerships will meet the needs of students, researchers, employers and community members in the City of Swift Current and at Great Plains College for years to come.”

The University of Regina has had a longstanding partnership with Great Plains College, who currently delivers a variety of undergraduate classes in arts, science, education, police studies and justice studies. In collaboration with the University and Saskatchewan Polytechnic, Great Plains College also offers the Saskatchewan Collaborative Bachelor of Science in Nursing and a Bachelor of Social Work degree for students based in Swift Current.  

The MOU signed today allows for the continuation of these partnerships, and will build an even stronger relationship between the University, the College and the City in the future.

“We engage in these sorts of agreements for the people of this city and region and for the students who enter our learning community. We trust that whatever learning experience they have on our campus and beyond will prepare them to be citizens in the best possible sense – that is, as individuals who will invest in the communities in which they live and as individuals who contribute toward a more productive future,” said Dr. Gobbett.

With Swift Current’s community exceeding 17,500 residents and growing annually, the MOU also provides opportunities for additional co-operative education placements in the region. The MOU also paves the way for partnerships in applied research that can benefit students, faculty and businesses in the City and surrounding areas.

“One of our commitments to our community and to the residents we serve is to do all that we can to support the development of post-secondary education in Swift Current and our region. We are honoured to work together with Great Plains College and the University of Regina — two leading-edge educational institutions in our province — towards a common vision of a prosperous future for the communities and individuals we collectively serve,” adds Mayor Schafer.