â–ş Listen Live
â–ş Listen Live

Selkirk College ranked 39th on list of Canada’s top research colleges

A list of the top 50 research colleges in Canada in 2020 has pegged Selkirk College at No. 39, second highest in the province behind the BC Institute of Technology.

“It’s exciting to be around the talent that we have at Selkirk College amongst both students and faculty,” Dr. Terri MacDonald, the director of applied research and innovation, said in a news release.

“When you compare across the sector and the country, there are not too many teams in rural settings like ours that have been able to build capacity and collaboration to the level we have achieved.”

The research department, known as Selkirk Innovates, has grown substantially over the last four years.

The annual operating budget has increased from $1 million in 2016 to $3.9 million today. More than 100 faculty and students have worked on 97 different research and innovation projects in the last year. MacDonald says those sorts of things are what the compilers of the list looked at when creating the rankings.

Selkirk moved up from No. 49 on the 2019 list. MacDonald says they expected to be even higher on next year’s rankings.

In 2006, Selkirk became home to the provincially-funded BC regional innovation chair in rural economic development. MacDonald has held the position since 2011. 

Now under the umbrella of Selkirk Innovates, the work includes projects being undertaken by the Columbia Basin Rural Development Institute, Selkirk Geospatial Research Centre, the Applied Research and Innovation Centre, the BC Regional Innovation Chair, and the Selkirk Technology Access Centre.

“We are critical to the competitiveness of the companies in the region, and the resiliency of local government and economic development agencies that are trying to ensure that we as a region not only survive but thrive,” MacDonald said.
Greg Nesteroff
Greg Nesteroff
Greg has been working in West Kootenay news media off and on since 1998. When he's not on the air, he's busy writing about local history. He'll soon publish a book about the man who founded the ghost town of Sandon.

Continue Reading

chnv Now playing play

ckkc Now playing play

- Advertisement -

Related Articles

- Advertisement -

Latest News

Friends of Kootenay Lake Stewards host fall events at Harrop Wetland and annual Kootenay Lake Summit

Friends of Kootenay Lake Stewardship Society is inviting community members to participate in a series of hands-on events this fall at the Harrop Wetland and to join the upcoming Kootenay Lake Summit.

Former Nelson public works director, councillor Bob Adams dies at 82

After 26 years looking after the city's infrastructure, Adams served four terms on city council.

Infrastructure, housing, UNDRIP will top agenda as local governments meet in Victoria next week

Members of local governments and First Nations are gathering in Victoria next week for the annual Union of B.C. Municipalities (UBCM) convention.

B.C. Conservatives support federal bill to classify intimate partner killings as first-degree murder

B.C. politicians are voicing support for a federal Conservative bill that would classify the killing of an intimate partner as first-degree murder. 

Whitewater eyes funding to pave access road

Whitewater Ski Resort is asking the Regional District of Central Kootenay (RDCK) to back its bid to pave a six-kilometre stretch of the Whitewater Access Road.
- Advertisement -