November 21, 2005 for immediate release

Educators and administrators in the Grande Prairie area may soon havethe opportunity to complete a Master of Education degree through theexpansion of a partnership between Grande Prairie Regional College(GPRC) and the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC).Representatives of the two institutions today signed an agreement tohelp meet the ongoing educational needs of teachers and/oradministrators in northwestern Alberta.

The UNBC group consisted of President Charles Jago, Vice-PresidentAcademic Howard Brunt, and Dennis Macknak, the University’s Director ofRegional Operations. They participated in the signing of thepartnership agreement with GPRC President Jim Henderson, and GPRC VicePresident Academic Doug Hart.

Pending Government of Alberta approval of the program, the MEd will beoffered at GPRC beginning in September 2006. The focus will be onEducational Leadership but studies will include core courses onresearch plus some elective courses. The program, delivered onalternate weekends to accommodate working professionals, will takeapproximately 3 years to complete.
 
Dr. Darwin Eckstrom, Superintendent of Peace Wapiti SchoolDistrict, has been an enthusiastic proponent of this agreement. “Offering the Master of Education program here  ties in nicelywith succession planning for our district,” Eckstrom says.  “Thenext wave of educators and administrators will greatly benefit fromthis opportunity to be involved in this close-to-home program.  Wewill be able to have input from the start of the project and design amaster degree in leadership that will meet the unique needs of oureducators and students in a northern rural environment.”

This unique arrangement builds on the 2004 commitment by Alberta andB.C. governments and post-secondary institutions to work together toprovide more choices and opportunities for students living in theprovinces' northern communities.

“The issues facing northern communities are often similar, regardlessof the province, and the Master of Education is relevant to theeducational leadership issues facing all of our communities,” says UNBCPresident Charles Jago.

It’s expected that courses in the program will be taught by UNBCfaculty, GPRC faculty, and community members, with curriculumconsistent with that of UNBC.

“It is extremely gratifying that cooperation between our twoinstitutions has led to this program,” says Jim Henderson, GPRCPresident.  “This clearly demonstrates that collaborative pathwayswork, and that our new approach to increase cross-border co-operationis bringing added opportunity for the people of our region.”

 
For more information about the Master of Education, see www.unbc.ca/education.

Contact:
Rob van Adrichem, Director of Media and Public Relations, UNBC - 250.960.5622