The College’s Board of Governors appointed Dr. Nicholas Rubidge on November 4th.
The former President and CEO of the College of the Rockies, Dr. Rubidge has more than 30 years of experience in post-secondary education and is looking forward to a fresh challenge.
“I’ve worked on both sides of the fence, so to speak,” he said, noting the longevity of a career spent with the Ministry of Advanced Education and as a post-secondary administrator, “and I thoroughly enjoy the work I do with institutions in the name of serving students, which is our ultimate goal.”
Prior to joining the College of the Rockies Dr. Rubidge served as Director of the Colleges and Institutional Planning Branch in Victoria and as Vice-President of Royal Roads University.
Among his considerable achievements, Dr. Rubidge was a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal award recipient in 2013 for his exceptional contributions to adult and post-secondary education.
Familiar with the unique set of challenges that rural community colleges face, Dr. Rubidge said he hopes to increase the profile of NLC within its campus regions and believes that the NLC brand is poised to grow both provincially and nationally.
“NLC offers a wonderfully diverse range of programming and the faculty that I’ve met is a passionate bunch – we need to showcase that energy and commitment out in the communities,” he said.
In order to meet firsthand with faculty and staff Dr. Rubidge hosted a series of open house luncheons at campuses in Chetwynd, Dawson Creek, and Fort St. John and encouraged an open mic style of question and answers.
“I believe in the importance of starting a dialogue where ideas and communication can go back and forth openly. The enthusiasm from the folks I’ve met so far shows me that guiding this institution over the next few months is going to be a fun adventure and one to which I look forward,” smiled Dr. Rubidge.
“The Board of Governors is very pleased to have Nick join our team. He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience. Nick will continue to move our College in a forward direction until a permanent president is hired,” said Karen Simpson, Chair of the Northern Lights College Board of Governors.