Grande Prairie Regional College’s path to becoming a university will soon be clear. Alberta’s Minister of Advanced Education Marlin Schmidt will be at the college to make the announcement Thursday morning.
The college, its students’ association, regional municipalities, school districts, Grande Prairie & District Chamber of Commerce and local MLAs have been pushing for the province to approve its request to become a Polytechnic University for years. The move would mean GPRC wouldn’t have to rely on other institutions to grant degrees.
A poll in 2016 found 70 per cent of students would stay in Grande Prairie if they could get their degree in the city.