Red Deer Polytechnic president Stuart Cullum. (Supplied photo/ Red Deer Polytechnic)

By Ian Gustafson

Year of growth

Year in Review: Red Deer Polytechnic looks back on exciting year

Dec 27, 2024 | 11:06 AM

It’s been an important and exciting year for Red Deer Polytechnic.

That’s how RDP president Stuart Cullum described 2024, a year that had plenty of unprecedented funding announcements, an increase in enrolment, and a 60th anniversary celebration.

They also had new program launches focused around artificial intelligence, diagnostic medical sonography, and network administration, among others.

“It’s been a fantastic year,” Cullum said.

It all started with the launch of their new strategic plan of productivity and social impact, which articulates their vision through four areas of focus and seven strategic drivers that are going to dictate the institutions success through 2030.

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Cullum explained in 2024 they saw an increase in enrolment across domestic, international, and Indigenous communities. They also had growth in students enrolling in trade related programs.

“Those are all important components that make up the enrolment picture at RDP and so to see growth in all four of those areas has been gratifying for our community,” he said.

“It shows that our programs are hitting the mark with our students and we’re also hitting the mark with our industry because ultimately, we’re here to support the industries and communities of Alberta, and the region.”

The institution saw multiple investments made into the school including the largest donation they’ve ever received from the Donald family. The long-time supporter donated $20 million to create the Donald Family Institute for Healthtech Innovation.

The gift, Cullum said, put them in a strong position to support healthcare and healthcare training in the province.

The institution also received a $13 million investment from the provincial government to expand RDP’s Centre for Innovation in Manufacturing-Technology Access Centre.

The donation provided more than 2,400 students more learning opportunities by 2030, significantly boosting applied learning and research opportunities.

RDP earned a feather in its cap when they were ranked 43rd overall after the school attracted nearly $2.4 million in applied research investment, which was up 14.8 per cent from 2023.

With the 60th anniversary celebration, RDP was able to host some great events for the community including the perspectives event with retired Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield. Overall, they held over 600 events on campus and welcomed 44,000 outside visitors, which he claimed was a 29 per cent increase.

“That was the largest ticketed event in RDP’s history welcoming Hadfield to our speaker series and it was exciting,” he said, adding they had another speaker series event with Jody Wilson-Raybould this past fall.

“I’m really proud of the work our RDP faculty and staff do to support our learners, industry, and community. I think we’re starting to see the results of that work and we’re really building on a history of solid programming and community engagement that’s been here for many years.”

Looking ahead to 2025, Cullum hopes to continue to build around the strategic plan which includes advance manufacturing, energy innovation, healthcare and health technology, and social innovation.

They’re focused on building the strength of the institution but also on what the region needs in order to be a social and economic driver for Alberta.

“I think it’s going to be another good year,” he added. “There will be challenges we’ll need to manage through but I think RDP is on a strong footing with a really strong focus on students and serving the community. We’ll continue to do that as we move forward.”