, mottoeng = To Greater Things Through Learning , established = 1964 , type =

Public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichkei ...

polytechnic institute , president = Stuart Cullum , city =

Red Deer The red deer (''Cervus elaphus'') is one of the largest deer species. A male red deer is called a stag or hart, and a female is called a hind. The red deer inhabits most of Europe, the Caucasus Mountains region, Anatolia, Iran, and parts of wes ...

, state =

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

, country =

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, students = 7,500 , undergrad = , campus =

Urban Urban means "related to a city". In that sense, the term may refer to: * Urban area, geographical area distinct from rural areas * Urban culture, the culture of towns and cities Urban may also refer to: General * Urban (name), a list of people ...

, mascot = Rufus the Lion , colours = Lime green, black, silver , affiliations = ACCC, CCAA, AACTI, CBIE, ACAC , website = Red Deer Polytechnic (RDP), formerly Red Deer College, is a public comprehensive

polytechnic institute An institute of technology (also referred to as: technological university, technical university, university of technology, technological educational institute, technical college, polytechnic university or just polytechnic) is an institution of te ...

of approximately 7,500 students in credit programs and 10,000 in non-credit programming located in

, 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 A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ye ...

History

Established in 1964 as Red Deer College, (RDC), the institution was built for a smaller semi-rural community but, in the years since its founding, the city has grown into the fourth largest in the province. Red Deer College's arms, supporters and flag (all designed by Darren George) were registered with the

Canadian Heraldic Authority The Canadian Heraldic Authority (CHA; french: Autorité héraldique du Canada) is part of the Canadian honours system under the Canadian monarch, whose authority is exercised by the Governor General of Canada. The authority is responsible for th ...

on February 20, 2004. The college is a member of the

Alberta Rural Development Network ARDN originated in Alberta, created as a partnership of Alberta’s 21 public post secondary institutions. History ARDN began operations in 2009 with a grant from the Rural Alberta Development Fund (RADF) and in-kind commitments from its pos ...

. In 2018, Red Deer College applied to begin transitioning to a

university A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

. The goal was to become a central hub of research and education for Central Alberta, offering education in the trades, the sciences, and the arts and fine arts. On March 5, 2019, the college announced a three-year transition process, and that it would adopt the name Red Deer University. However on May 5, 2021, the Government of Alberta announced that Red Deer College would become a polytechnic institution instead of a university. The transition and name change was complete by June 2021.

Programs

Red Deer Polytechnic offers certificates, diplomas, advanced certificates, applied degrees, bachelor's degrees, academic upgrading and apprenticeship in over 75 different career and academic programs, including the creative and liberal arts, engineering, and trades.

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. RDP's scholarships for Aboriginal,

First Nations First Nations or first peoples may refer to: * Indigenous peoples, for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area. Indigenous groups *First Nations is commonly used to describe some Indigenous groups including: **First Natio ...

and

Métis The Métis ( ; Canadian ) are Indigenous peoples who inhabit Canada's three Prairie Provinces, as well as parts of British Columbia, the Northwest Territories, and the Northern United States. They have a shared history and culture which derives ...

students include: Atoskewan Aboriginal Career Centre Scholarship The polytechnic awards approximately $390,000(CAD) annually in scholarships and bursaries.

Undergraduate student conference

The Agora Student Conference is held annually at RDP in support of undergraduates in the Social Sciences and Humanities. Having started in 2004, the conference has continued to grow and gain recognition from neighbouring institutions such as the

University of Calgary The University of Calgary (U of C or UCalgary) is a public research university located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The University of Calgary started in 1944 as the Calgary branch of the University of Alberta, founded in 1908, prior to being ins ...

. Those who present their original papers, presentations, or creative works at the conference also have the opportunity to have their work published in the Agora Journal, distributed by RDP.

Campuses

Red Deer Polytechnic's Main Campus is situated in the city of Red Deer, midway between the larger cities of

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...

and

Calgary Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...

. The campus is located near the

Queen Elizabeth II Highway Alberta Provincial Highway No. 2, commonly referred to as Highway 2 or the Queen Elizabeth II Highway, is a major highway in Alberta that stretches from the Canada–United States border through Calgary and Edmonton to Grande Pra ...

, an hour and a half drive from either of the above cities. The main campus features a

library A library is a collection of materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a physical location or a vir ...

, a

bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar * Chocolate bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud * Bar (u ...

, a

restaurant A restaurant is a business that prepares and serves food and drinks to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on the premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services. Restaurants vary greatly in appearan ...

, a

Tim Hortons Tim Hortons Inc., commonly nicknamed Tim's, or Timmie's is a Canadian multinational coffeehouse and restaurant chain. Based in Toronto, Tim Hortons serves coffee, doughnuts, and other fast-food items. It is Canada's largest quick-service rest ...

, a

Starbucks Starbucks Corporation is an American multinational chain of coffeehouses and roastery reserves headquartered in Seattle, Washington. It is the world's largest coffeehouse chain. As of November 2021, the company had 33,833 stores in 80 c ...

, and other food-related businesses.

Donald School of Business/Downtown Campus

The Donald School of Business (DSB) was situated in downtown Red Deer in the Millennium Centre building. It occupied floors 3, 4, and 5. In 2021, the Donald School of Business returned to the main Red Deer Polytechnic Campus.

Welikoklad Event Centre

Red Deer College has a third campus/building directly across from the DSB. It features a stage, a movie theatre, and an art gallery space. It is used for some shows, and for when RDP hosts the Backpacks to Briefcases for students.

Gary W. Harris Canada Games Centre

Completed in 2018 for the

2019 Canada Winter Games The 2019 Canada Winter Games, officially known as the XXVII Canada Games, is a Canadian multi-sport event that was held in Red Deer, Alberta, from February 15, 2019, to March 3, 2019. These were the third Canada Winter Games held in the province o ...

, the Gary W. Harris Canada Games Centre (popularly known as the GWH) features an ice arena (capable of Olympic sized ice), a performance gymnasium, a fitness centre, running/sprinting tracks, squash courts, and a massive court surface capable of holding four volleyball or two basketball games simultaneously.

Athletics

Team and mixed sports Red Deer College participate in include:

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...

hockey Hockey is a term used to denote a family of various types of both summer and winter team sports which originated on either an outdoor field, sheet of ice, or dry floor such as in a gymnasium. While these sports vary in specific rules, numbers o ...

badminton Badminton is a racquet sport played using racquets to hit a shuttlecock across a net. Although it may be played with larger teams, the most common forms of the game are "singles" (with one player per side) and "doubles" (with two players pe ...

cross country running Cross country running is a sport in which teams and individuals run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain such as dirt or grass. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open coun ...

curling Curling is a sport in which players slide stones on a sheet of ice toward a target area which is segmented into four concentric circles. It is related to bowls, boules, and shuffleboard. Two teams, each with four players, take turns sliding ...

, and (formerly)

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping wi ...

. They are particularly known for volleyball.

Notable alumni

KD Lang Kathryn Dawn Lang (born November 2, 1961), known by her stage name k.d. lang, is a Canadian pop and country singer-songwriter and occasional actress. Lang has won Juno Awards and Grammy Awards for her musical performances. Hits include the son ...

Kari Matchett Kari Matchett is a Canadian actress. She is known for her roles as Colleen Blessed on ''Power Play (1998 TV series), Power Play'', as Joan Campbell on ''Covert Affairs'' and as Kate Filmore in the science fiction movie ''Cube 2: Hypercube''. Sh ...

Tim Tamashiro Tim Tamashiro is a Canadian jazz singer, radio broadcaster and speaker. Tim was the host of '' Tonic'', a nightly jazz program on CBC Radio 2 from March 2007 until late June 2017. He became the full-time host of ''Tonic'' on April 2, 2012, after ...

References

{{authority control Educational institutions established in 1964 Colleges in Alberta Vocational education in Canada Buildings and structures in Red Deer, Alberta 1964 establishments in Alberta