Northwestern Polytechnic

Last updated
Northwestern Polytechnic
GPRC Crest.svg
Former name
Grande Prairie Junior College, Grande Prairie Regional College
TypePolytechnic
Established1966
President Dr. Vanessa Sheane
Students2,892 (2022-23)
Location
Grande Prairie
,
Alberta
,
Canada

55°10′31.77″N118°49′6.25″W / 55.1754917°N 118.8184028°W / 55.1754917; -118.8184028
CampusUrban
Colours Dark blue, light blue, pink and yellow [1]
    
Nickname Wolves
Affiliations Universities Canada,
Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association,
U Sports,
University of the Arctic,
Association of Commonwealth Universities,
Alberta Colleges Athletics Conference,
Alberta Association of Colleges & Technical Institutes,
Website www.nwpolytech.ca
Northwestern Polytechnic logo.svg

Northwestern Polytechnic (NWP), previously known as Grande Prairie Regional College (GPRC) [2] is a publicly funded educational institution located in northwestern Alberta, Canada. [3]

Contents

Founded in 1966 as Grande Prairie Junior College with Dr. Henry Anderson as Dean, the institution officially honoured the first student body of 101 charter students on April 21, 1967. [4]

NWP currently operates campuses in Grande Prairie and nearby Fairview, Alberta, both located on Treaty 8 territory. In addition to the main facility locations, the institution also leads laboratory and research activities at the National Bee Diagnostic Centre (NBDC) in Beaverlodge, Alberta.

With four schools dedicated to Applied Science and Technology, Business, Health, and Skilled Trades, NWP is Alberta's newest polytechnic and has over 2,800 attending students. [5]

History

Northwestern Polytechnic was opened as the Grande Prairie Junior College in 1966, and in 1970, the institution was renamed Grande Prairie Regional College. In 1974, classes were first started in a new facility designed by Canadian architect Douglas Cardinal. [6] In 1991, phase two of the college, designed by architects Field, Field, and Field, was officially opened.

In 2015, GPRC announced a cut in budget of over $5 million with presidents and vice presidents donating 5% of their salaries. The college eliminated 22 positions. [7] In 2018, the government of Alberta announced plans to make GPRC a university. GPRC responded that this was "the right decision" and that it "has been striving for since it opened 50 years ago". [8]

In January 2020, the province of Alberta announced a new performance-based funding model for colleges and universities. [9] In March, GPRC announced significant budget reductions. [10] A few months later in May, GPRC eliminated 85 staff positions and 2 programs. [11] Later that month, the government of Alberta announced that GPRC would not become a university, and move toward polytechnic status instead. In August 2021, GPRC appointed another new president, Justin Kohlman, the third in under five months. [12] [13] [14] Kohlman's term, which ended abruptly after less than two years, was noted for a lack of transparency. [15] [16] [17] On December 9, 2021, the government of Alberta approved the name change for the institution, officially becoming Northwestern Polytechnic. [18]

Academic programs

Grande Prairie campus main entry Grande Prairie Regional College 02.jpg
Grande Prairie campus main entry

Collaborative programs with other institutions such as the University of Alberta allow students to complete some bachelor's degrees at NWP, including the Bachelor of Science – Agriculture. Other degree programs require transferring to another institution to complete their degree after studying at the college. Some arrangements also allow for a student to start studies at another facility and complete their degree program at the college. In total, over 20 different routes for university studies are offered, and some degrees can be completed at the College. [19]

The college offers over 15 certificate and diploma programs. Certificate programs usually require students to complete two semesters of courses, while diploma programs usually require four.

Academic upgrading is also offered, which allows individuals to pursue other learning opportunities such as Grade 12 equivalency and general studies.

Northwestern Polytechnic has an International Education Centre which offers students courses in English as a second language (ESL). Foreign students can also take credit-based college and university courses offered to Canadian residents.

Northwestern Polytechnic’s Continuing Education (Workforce Development) offers courses to the general public in a number of areas. Courses primarily focus on personal and professional development, and range from one-day courses to full-credit programs.

Northwestern Polytechnic’s Fairview Campus offers the only authorized training center in Canada for Harley-Davidson motorcycles. In July 2023 it was announced several buildings were being demolished. [20] In August the new acting president indicated no final decision regarding the demolition had been made. [21]

Athletics program

Northwestern Polytechnic’s athletic program holds membership in both the Alberta Colleges Athletics Conference and Canadian Collegiate Athletics Association. Student-athletes compete as the NWP Wolves, and as of the 2021-22 season, consisted of over 100 athletes competing in eight teams over five sports, including cross country running, basketball, indoor track, soccer and volleyball.

The Cross Country Running program is NWP's most successful athletic program winning 3 CCAA individual gold medals and 2 individual silver medals. The women's cross country team captured the CCAA national team title in 2014 with the best team score in CCAA history - 19 points.

The Wolves Men's Volleyball team carries a strong tradition of winning in the ACAC and has received 2 silver and one bronze medal at CCAA Nationals.

Scholarships and bursaries

The Government of Canada sponsors an Aboriginal Bursaries Search Tool that lists over 680 scholarships, bursaries, and other incentives offered by governments, universities, and industry to support Aboriginal post-secondary participation. NWP scholarships for Indigenous, First Nations and Métis students include: TransCanada Award for Aboriginal Student; BP Canada Energy Company Scholarship For An Aboriginal Student; ATCO Electric Bursary for an Aboriginal Student; Grande Prairie Regional College Financial Aid; TransAlta Aboriginal Educational Awards [22] The Jordan B. Peterson Scholarship is offered to students, named for the former GPRC alumnus.

Campus facilities

View of the Grande Prairie campus from across Muskoseepi Park Grande Prairie Regional College 01.jpg
View of the Grande Prairie campus from across Muskoseepi Park

Northwestern Polytechnic’s Grande Prairie campus includes the 500-seat Douglas J. Cardinal Theatre and a double gymnasium. Both are often used to host community events in Grande Prairie, including alumnus Jordan Peterson's book tour on February 10, 2018. [23] The campus' student lounge, Howlers, also hosts weekend and evening entertainment often arranged by the college’s Students' Association.

The campus also includes a bookstore, climbing gym, a local restaurant, and library with over 60,000 holdings.

Northwestern Polytechnic’s grounds have a view of the reservoir, and open onto Muskoseepi Park walking trails.

Northwestern Polytechnic’s Fairview Campus includes a theatre and gymnasium, both of which are frequent hosts to events organised by the college as well as community. There is a pool on campus that is jointly operated by the town and the college and is open to the public.

Residence

Northwestern Polytechnic has on-campus student residences in Fairview and Grande Prairie. Student Village in Grande Prairie currently has space for over 500 students, while Fairview's residence houses approximately 300.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cape Breton University</span> Public university in Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada

Cape Breton University (CBU) is a public university located in Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada. It is the only post-secondary degree-granting institution within the Cape Breton Regional Municipality and on Cape Breton Island. The university is enabled by the Cape Breton University Act passed by the Nova Scotia House of Assembly. Prior to this, CBU was enabled by the University College of Cape Breton Act (amended). The University College of Cape Breton's Coat of Arms were registered with the Canadian Heraldic Authority on May 27, 1995.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grande Prairie</span> City in Alberta, Canada

Grande Prairie is a city in northwest Alberta, Canada within the southern portion of an area known as Peace River Country. It is located at the intersection of Highway 43 and Highway 40, approximately 456 km (283 mi) northwest of Edmonton. The city is surrounded by the County of Grande Prairie No. 1.

The Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) is a polytechnic and applied sciences institute in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Athabasca University</span> Distance education university in Alberta, Canada

Athabasca University (AU) is a Canadian public university that primarily operates through online distance education. Founded in 1970, it is one of four comprehensive academic and research universities in Alberta, and was the first Canadian university to specialize in distance education.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red Deer Polytechnic</span> Polytechnic institute in Red Deer, Alberta

Red Deer Polytechnic (RDP), formerly Red Deer College, is a public comprehensive polytechnic institute of approximately 7,500 students in credit programs and 10,000 in non-credit programming located in Red Deer, Alberta, Canada. In 2021, Red Deer College was converted into a regional polytechnic institute called Red Deer Polytechnic, with the added ability to grant bachelor's degrees.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brandon University</span> University in Brandon, Canada

Brandon University is a university located in the city of Brandon, Manitoba, Canada, with an enrolment of approximately 3,375 (2020) full-time and part-time undergraduate and graduate students. The current location was founded on July 13, 1899, as Brandon College as a Baptist institution. It was chartered as a university by then President John E. Robbins on June 5, 1967. The enabling legislation is the Brandon University Act. Brandon University is one of several predominantly undergraduate liberal arts and sciences institutions in Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University College of the North</span>

University College of the North (UCN)—formerly Keewatin Community College—is a post-secondary institution located in Northern Manitoba, Canada, with two main campuses in The Pas and Thompson, respectively. UCN has a student body of approximately 2,400 annually and a staff of approximately 400.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fairview, Alberta</span> Town in Alberta, Canada

Fairview is a town in Peace Country, Alberta, Canada. It is located 82 km (51 mi) southwest of Peace River and 115 km (71 mi) north of Grande Prairie at the intersection of Highway 2 and Highway 64A.

Olds College of Agriculture & Technology is an Alberta public post-secondary institution located in Olds, Alberta, established in 1913 as Olds Agricultural College.

Northern Lights College (NLC) is an institution that provides post-secondary education to residents of Northern British Columbia. It currently has campuses and access centers in eight communities across the northern third of British Columbia, with Regional Administration located on the Dawson Creek campus. As of 2021 international students comprised 25% of NLC's total student headcount, and Indigenous students 20%. NLC has a working agreement with the University of Northern British Columbia. The college president is Todd Bondaroff.

The Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) is the national governing body for organized sports at the collegiate level in Canada. Its name in French is l'Association canadienne du sport collégial (ACSC).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bow Valley College</span> Canadian college

Bow Valley College is a Canadian public, board-governed college located in Calgary, Alberta, operating as a comprehensive community institution under the Post-Secondary Learning Act of Alberta. The branch campuses are: Airdrie, Banff, Cochrane, Okotoks, and Strathmore. Bow Valley College is a member of the Alberta Rural Development Network and Colleges and Institutes Canada.

Coast Mountain College (CMTN) is an accredited, publicly funded post-secondary educational institution that serves the communities of British Columbia's northwest region. CMTN offers field schools, college access, trades, university credit, health and human services programs. The college is a member of the University of the Arctic network, and Colleges and Institutes Canada (CiCan).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lakeland College (Alberta)</span> College in Alberta, Canada

Lakeland College is a post-secondary college in Alberta, Canada. It is publicly funded, and maintains two campuses in Vermilion and Lloydminster. Lakeland serves over 7,000 students through the academic year with 2,223 studying full- and part-time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">College of the Rockies</span> Public community college in Cranbrook, British Columbia, Canada

The College of the Rockies is a Canadian public community college, located in the southeast corner of British Columbia, Canada. The main campus is in Cranbrook, with regional campuses in Creston, Fernie, Golden, Invermere, and Kimberley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Higher education in British Columbia</span>

Higher education in British Columbia is delivered by 25 publicly funded institutions that are composed of eleven universities, eleven colleges, and three institutes. This is in addition to three private universities, five private colleges, and six theological colleges. There are also an extensive number of private career institutes and colleges. Over 297,000 students were enrolled in post-secondary institutions in British Columbia in the 2019-2020 academic year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old Sun Community College</span>

Old Sun Community College is a community college owned and operated by First Nations that provides post-secondary education and training in Siksika 146, Alberta, Canada, to members of the Siksika Nation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maskwacis Cultural College</span> First Nation-operated college in Alberta

Maskwacis Cultural College (MCC) is a private post-secondary institution within the Four Nations of Maskwacis, Alberta, Canada. MCC offers programs from basic adult literacy, two-year college diplomas, to university transfer programs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marg McCuaig-Boyd</span> Canadian politician

Margaret Ellen McCuaig-Boyd is a Canadian politician who was elected in the Alberta General Election, 2015 to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta representing the electoral district of Dunvegan-Central Peace-Notley. She was Minister of Energy in the Alberta Cabinet.

Demetrios Nicolaides is a Canadian politician who was elected in the 2019 Alberta general election to represent the electoral district of Calgary-Bow in the 30th Alberta Legislature. He is a member of the United Conservative Party. On April 30, 2019, he was appointed to be the Minister of Advanced Education in the Executive Council of Alberta.

References

  1. ↑ "Brand Story | Northwestern Polytechnic". www.nwpolytech.ca. Retrieved 2023-01-17.
  2. ↑ Vincent, Mac (2021-12-08). "Grande Prairie Regional College to officially become Northwestern Polytechnic in 2022". My Grande Prairie Now. Retrieved 2022-12-01.
  3. ↑ Government of Alberta. "Types of publicly-funded institutions". Alberta.ca. Retrieved March 28, 2019.
  4. ↑ "Grande Prairie Junior College Yearbook 1966-1967". Northwestern Polytechnic.
  5. ↑ "Headcount enrolment within the Alberta post-secondary education system". Alberta Government.
  6. ↑ "Grande Prairie Regional College". DOUGLAS CARDINAL ARCHITECT.
  7. ↑ "GPRC Submits Balanced Budget". Northwestern Polytechnic. 5 June 2015.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  8. ↑ Slever, Kim (20 May 2021). "UCP cancels plans for 2 new universities".
  9. ↑ Penner, Shaun (20 January 2020). "Province unveils new performance-based funding model for colleges, universities". Everything GP.
  10. ↑ Lumsden, Michael (12 March 2020). ""Everything on the table" as GPRC stares down grant cut". My Grand Prairie Now.
  11. ↑ Keller, Emily (13 May 2020). "GPRC to cut 85 positions, suspend two programs in 2020-21 budget". Everything GP.
  12. ↑ Lumsden, Michael (21 August 2021). "New GPRC President & CEO". My Grand Prairie Now.
  13. ↑ Penner, Shaun (17 March 2021). "Dr. Murray steps down as President and CEO of Grande Prairie Regional College". Everything GP.
  14. ↑ Vanderveen, Randy (30 March 2021). "A STEADY HAND ON THE HELM --- GPRC president brings enthusiasm and experience to the position". Grand Prairie Daily Herald Tribune.
  15. ↑ "GPRC to become Northwestern Polytechnic". December 16, 2021.
  16. ↑ Fisher, Erica (26 July 2023). "Kohlman out as NWP president". MyGrand PrairieNow.com. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
  17. ↑ Driedger, Breanna (12 July 2023). "Fairview council highlights: NWP plans to take down campus buildings in Fairview". Fairview Post. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
  18. ↑ "New Designation and Name Approved by Province". www.gprc.ab.ca. Retrieved 2021-12-09.
  19. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2008-05-26. Retrieved 2008-06-05.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  20. ↑ Driedger, Breanna (Jul 12, 2023). "Fairview council highlights: NWP plans to take down campus buildings in Fairview". Fairview Post. SunMedia. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
  21. ↑ Ettinger, Luke (Aug 10, 2023). "Northwestern Polytechnic considering demolition of 10 buildings in Fairview". CBC. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
  22. ↑ Aboriginal Bursaries Search Tool
  23. ↑ Przekop, Glory (17 Jan 2018). "Controversial U of T professor's event cancelled in Edmonton, still scheduled for Grand Prairie". EverythingGP. Retrieved 16 Sep 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.