Mark Hoddenbagh visted 105 CJVR and Saskatchewan's New Beach Radio this week. (Mat Barrett/northeastNOW Staff)

By Mat Barrett

New Coalition President

Cumberland, Parkland College President and CEO getting comfortable in new position

Jul 29, 2019 | 10:16 AM

The new President and Chief Executive Officer of Cumberland and Parkland Colleges coalition is settling into his new position.

Dr. Mark Hoddenbagh started July 2 and has been out and about in the communities where the colleges are represented, getting to know students, and the communities as a whole.

“There’s a lot of good people here that I’m meeting, and there’s lots of good opportunities in these areas,” Hoddenbagh told northeastNOW. “And you see what the needs of students are and how we can help meet those needs, so it’s a lot of fun, and a lot of opportunities.”

As for the Melfort, Tisdale, and Nipawin areas in particular, Hoddenbagh said the Cumberland region has a lot of economic opportunities, especially in agriculture and also in the mining sectors. Hoddenbagh said he wants to use those opportunities to build relationships with the communities and their businesses.

“I think there’s lots and lots of economic opportunities,” he said. “And those economic opportunities always come with how are you going to have the people to do the jobs that these places require. So part of the fun that we are having here is, what are the occupations that we have here, and what is the training that we need and how can we provide that training.

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“It also gives a better opportunity for employers to try out our students so to speak, and to help us to build the skills they want to see in our students.”

He said when his time with the Cumberland and Parkland College coalition is done, he wants the partnerships they built in the communities to stick.

Hoddenbagh has a PhD in Chemistry from Queens University in Ontario, then worked in Ottawa before going to Meadow Lake, Alberta, then back in Ottawa, before a stop in Winnipeg.

The Ontario native is the first president and CEO of the Parkland and Cumberland College coalition. The colleges continue to operate separately, but they share a board of directors and governance structure.

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mat.barrett@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @matbarrett6