As the program head and ‘lead curator’ of the program, Rick wanted the students to feel connected to both the program as well as to each other and so, after a few years, he created the MEEC News. Another impetus for the generation of the newsletter was the regular email he received from students and alumni letting him know what was going on in their life, in their work and education, and sometimes, in their thoughts and feelings. All of the faculty involved in the creation of the program felt that an important part of the learning our students would gain in the program would come from their classmates; the newsletter was a way to expand the range of ‘classmates’ to include others that had been in the program previously.
The MAEEC program, as most of the masters programs at Royal Roads University, brought together interesting and sharp people, most in mid-career but some at either end of the adult age range, for three intense face-to-face three-week mid-summer residencies. As a result, wonderful relationships were formed both with a cohort, and between cohorts given that there were three cohorts on campus at the same time for their residencies.