UCN goes deep with training and development

Selvin Peter loves teaching at the University College of the North (UCN). He's been there 28 years, since UCN was a community college. It became UCN in 2004 and Peter is an associate professor in the faculty of arts, business and science.

“Teaching is exactly my passion. I get excited about teaching,” Peter says. “It’s also nice to hear back from my students. They say, ‘Your class relaxes us.’ I teach math – I don’t know how much it relaxes them!”

UCN, based in The Pas and Thompson, promotes further education and advancement not only for students but for its instructors and professors. Peter had his PhD in chemical engineering when he joined the college, and he advanced through business and technology and served as dean of trades and technology. But his heart was in the classroom.

“Then there was an opportunity on the university side to teach and I just love teaching,” says Peter.

“Our institutional philosophy is that good, competent, capable staff working in a collegial atmosphere will produce good results,” says president and vice-chancellor Doug Lauvstad.

“We’re northern and serve a small population, widely dispersed, and we don’t have access to the talent pool that you would find in Winnipeg,” he says. “Our philosophy is around ‘Grow Your Own.’ We find good, capable people and give them all the opportunities for advancement, development and further training.

“We put a lot of money into our professional development budget so that anyone who wants training or development to further their career has that opportunity.”

Peter says this approach is good for everyone on campus. “The institution provides the environment for growth and advancement and it benefits the students. The faculty and student interaction is the culture we have, and that creates an environment for students to excel. They appreciate the learning and being in class.”

Along with its two campuses in The Pas and Thompson, UCN has Education and Training Centres in communities across the north. It offers trades and skills certificates, community college diploma programs and various bachelor degrees. There are 2,500 students and 320 full-time staff.

Two highlighted programs are the honours science degree in nursing offered in affiliation with the University of Manitoba, and the three-year pre-law bachelor’s degree, also in conjunction with UM.

“When I saw the pre-law getting popular, I thought, ‘that’s wonderful,’” says Lauvstad. “We know students aren’t just here to get a bachelor of arts. They’re taking courses in the arts faculty so they can go into a professional program.

“We’ve got sort of a pathway. We can work in partnerships with other institutions to give the students the foundational courses they need to move forward into a career. We have a tagline for students: ‘Here you can’. It says to students they can start here and go on to other opportunities.”

Students who would normally have to travel south with all the accompanying expenses can get their start at UCN. Both campuses have residences.

Lauvstad says UCN has a diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) working group in progress.

“We’re creating a position that will do a lot of that coordination,” he says. “We provide training and resources to all our employees from the Rainbow Resource Centre and the Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion.”

UCN has a number of formal and informal affinity groups for staff and for students, with space to put on workshops.

“A number of our students come from a background where they’ve had struggles, and to see them succeed is hugely fulfilling,” says Lauvstad.

This article appeared in the magazine announcing the winners of this year's Manitoba's Top Employers competition, published March 11, 2025 in the Winnipeg Free Press. This article was prepared with the financial support of the employer, who did not write or review the content.