College History

Origins as a Community College

Southeast Regional College was originally established in 1975 as the South East Region Community College; part of a new college system in Saskatchewan.

"The college is the people of the community" - this was the fundamental principle Honourable Gordon MacMurchy stressed when addressing the initial charter Board members of South East Region Community College. Each and every Board member addressed that challenge with a dedicated purpose, a sense of creative planning and a co-operative approach.

It was in this spirit of co-operation and community development that the College was built. Decisions about the programs/courses to be run were made by people in the community, using existing facilities. The College became the community co-operating and working together to bring programs to the community. It provided the opportunity for a lot of people to develop their self-esteem and hidden potential.

A very dedicated College staff worked closely with communities, establishing the backbone of the college system, the volunteer contact committees. A tremendous amount of credit goes to the staff and volunteers. By 1978, this volunteer network existed in many south east communities.

Going Regional

Following the proclamation of the Regional Colleges Act in 1987, South East Region Community College was renamed Southeast Regional College, becoming one of nine Saskatchewan colleges. Saskatchewan Regional Colleges receive their primary funding through a base operating grant and specific program support funding distributed by the provincial government department of Post-Secondary Education and Skills Training. In addition, Southeast Regional College generates funds from contract revenue and tuition fees.

In 1990, the College established the Energy Training Institute to meet the growing training needs of southeast Saskatchewan's energy industry.  Building on the success of working closely with community, the Energy Training Institute developed its safety training programs in consultation with an Advisory Board made up of local business and industry contacts.  After 20 years, the Saskatchewan Energy Training Institute is positioned very well to service the booming needs of the energy industry, with an Advisory Board still meets annually to guide the Institute's program offerings.

A Future Built on a Strong History

While initial start-up was slow, a firm foundation was laid through the co-operative efforts and support of the Board, College staff, contact committees, communities, school boards, the business community, the Ministry of Advanced Education, Employment, and Immigration, the Ministry of Agriculture, University of Regina Extension Division, the technical institutes and other groups in the community.

Our College has a proud history of adaptation and responsiveness to the people and communities of south east Saskatchewan. During the first 30 years, the commitment to the founding principles of "community-based" technological, trading and global trends have revolutionized the way we live, work, play, and learn. These trends are leading to the global village (community)...continuous education and training throughout our lives...the expectation of several careers...the learning organization and the learning community...the global information network and resource centre...the electronic world-wide classroom...rural re-organization...new, larger rural communities...

What is the role of the College in building the communities of tomorrow? This is the challenge for all members of the Southeast Regional College community. In true pioneer spirit, the founders created the South East Community College from a vision based on a belief in people and communities. The College is confident that this spirit is still alive and thriving in rural Saskatchewan. It will ensure that the College continues to meet the emerging needs of the people and communities in south east Saskatchewan in the 21st Century.