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32 SUMMER 2023 BY KRISTIN MARAND As Providence approaches its 100th year, the Christian university is taking the pulse of what students crave and delivering what employers need. The university offers accredited as- sociate, bachelor's and master's degrees, diploma programs and certificates. Provi- dence prepares students to use their talents and skills in meaningful work that affects positive change in the world. Providence offers courses in many in-demand fields, including aviation, busi- ness, communication, science, psychology and counselling. Its graduates find work in various industries including health, media, social services, government and church ministry. Small class sizes and mentor- minded professors help students grow academically, personally and spiritually. The university has operated in Otter- burne since 1970 but originated as the Winnipeg Bible Training School in 1925. While most courses will still be taught in a rural setting, the university aims to develop a significant presence in the city in the coming year. "We love this idea of an urban-rural presence to serve as wide an array of needs as we can within the Manitoban community," explains Kent Anderson, president of Providence. "We have re-established ourselves in the city, in a small way to begin with. We've got a couple hundred international students in downtown Winnipeg. We're looking to expand and strengthen our footprint to be useful to the city and busi- ness and serve people in important ways." Providence tailors its training to current needs in all sectors. A perfect example is the expansion of its aviation program to help meet the critical pilot shortage in Manitoba and across Canada. Students can now attain the integrated airline training pilot's licence to work for airlines big and small. A new offering that also seeks to address the needs of employers is the Centre for On-Demand Education (CODE), which offers an opportunity to develop employees with on-the-job training. The program will allow employers to invest in their employees, create the leadership that will carry them forward in the years to come and address generational knowledge loss through mentorship. CODE's goals are to make education accessible, applicable and affordable. The CODE Transforming Leadership degree is holistic and contextual. The workplace becomes the classroom, all assignments are tailored to their specific field, and stu- dents advance through mentored assess- ment. As soon as students demonstrate competency in the customized curriculum, they can move forward. The model is subscription-based, and a student pays a monthly fee that is roughly half the regu- lar tuition cost. There is no set start date, and it is self-paced. "CODE takes it further than an ap- prenticeship program or an internship because the full degree is done within the workplace, and it takes into account all your prior learning," explains Karen Ander- son, director of the Centre for On-Demand Education. "A student works through the curricu- lum within their context. They're sup- ported by and assessed through a mentor team: a contextual mentor, someone in the workplace that can supervise, give di- rection and assess what they're doing, and then a faculty mentor from Providence. All of their work is put up in an online plat- form, so both mentors engage in dialogue with students throughout their time." Providence's Buller School of Business is one of its most popular streams. In the last two academic years, business student numbers have grown by almost 400 per cent, says dean David Iremadze. The Buller School offers three undergraduate programs: a two-year associate of arts in business, a three-year bachelor of arts in business administration and a four-year bachelor of business administration. It will also be introducing graduate-level business degree and diploma programs in 2024. "The Buller School of Business is inte- gral to the vision of empowering future business leaders to flourish and serve with integrity," Iremadze says. "We are a different kind of business school where, in keeping with Providence's mission, we focus on the holistic development of our students. At the Buller School of Business, we believe that value and virtue make business life rewarding and meaningful and that doing well and doing good must be fused." They want to be part of the solution for a changing world and complex situations, Kent adds. "We want to be there with our sleeves rolled up, working with people to address real needs in the world," he says, "whether it be big theoretical questions or hands- on challenges on the ground." ■ Applications for new programs starting in fall 2023 are open now. Learn more at prov.ca. PROVIDENCE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE PROVIDENCE PREPARES FOR BRIGHT FUTURE From left: Dr. Kenton Anderson, president; Karen Anderson, director of the Centre for On-Demand Education; Dr. David Iremadze, dean of the Buller School of Business; Anna Mondor, vice-president of external relations; and Dr. Nicholas Greco, provost. PHOTO BY DARCY FINLEY

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