College seeks polytechnic designation

By Al Beeber - Lethbridge Herald on December 1, 2021.

LETHBRIDGE HERALDabeeber@lethbridgeherald.com

Lethbridge College has applied to the Ministry of Advanced Education to be recertified as a polytechnic institute.
If approval is granted, it would be the first such institution given that designation south of Calgary.
Mike Marcotte, chair of the college Board of Governors, said Monday that discussions have been going on for months with Advanced Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides.
“It’s going well. I think it’s being considered which is important to us,” Marcotte said adding geographically the change makes sense.
“There were changes to both Grande Prairie College and Red Deer College that were designated as polytechs and so we feel strongly that southern Alberta should be represented as well,” he said.
Marcotte said the college is essentially operating as a polytechnic institute right now.
“With us having a university here in Lethbridge and there being a college in Medicine Hat, we felt it made sense” to ask for the redesignation, he said.
It will provide “more opportunity to pursue more degree programs which is a good thing. I think where we are geographically people can stay in or near their hometown to pursue degrees,” Marcotte added.
Marcotte said he doesn’t know how long the process will take. But “we’re hoping to hear some news in December. Then it would have to go through the legislature and so hopefully sometime in 2022, we would get approval,” Marcotte said.
In the meantime, “we just continue to try to advance the dialogue,” he said.

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