Welcome to ARDN

Welcome to the Alberta Rural Development Network. ARDN is a network of committed universities, technical institutes and colleges from across Alberta, working together in rural Alberta to support and enhance the well-being of individuals and the vibrancy of communities through learning. The goal of this website is to provide an interactive forum for information sharing as well as an extensive database of information on beneficial practices for rural development. Alberta’s 21 public post-secondary institutions are the primary source of this information, but contributions may come from any credible source. The website will be constantly changing as we populate the site with new and existing research, information and articles.

About Our Website

We have a constantly expanding Calendar where we post events related to rural development. You can stay up to date with all types of ARDN and rural news through the News Feed and Newsletter. Research projects and the Research Blog can be found under Research, Info and Forums – we encourage your feed back within the forum on these postings.  Under ARDN Initiatives you can learn about projects and events that we have hosted and funded. For more general information about ARDN look under About Us.

ARDN Job Opportunity

ARDN is seeking a full-time Director of Community and Member Engagement to join our small team. Applications are now being accepted but only until a suitable candidate is found. For the full job description, click here or visit our Job Postings page.

 ARDN Community

Membership in our community is free and open to everyone. As a non-member you can view posts and find research information. Membership allows you to post comments and engage in discussion about rural development projects and research and blog posts. ARDN welcomes research and projects from all credible sources, and will engage members in conversation through the forum.

ARDN Event Highlights

ARDN encourages networking and collaboration by hosting and funding events . We recently held the Creating Rural Connections 2010 conference which was a huge success. Check back in early September for information about our 2011 Conference. 

Aboriginal Leadership and Governance Training - September 29-30, 2010

Are you the host or partner on an event with a rural focus? We can add it to our calendar! Just email us with the relevant information. For information on other upcoming events, visit our calendar.

ARDN Project Highlights

ARDN works endlessly to provide rural Alberta with a supply of important projects and research related to rural development. Please feel free to comment and begin discussions on any project. We have also funded research projects through our Post-Secondary members.

Community Connections in the New Age of the Comprehensive Community Institution - For over thirty years, Northern Lakes College has provided a broad spectrum of community based post-secondary services and programs to northern Alberta communities. It has done this through a system of college-developed community education committees and collaborations with already existing organizations such as Community Adult Learning Councils (CALCs). Click here to learn more. 

Are you engaged in credible rural research or a rural project that you would like published on our website? Contact Research Director Paul Watson for more information.