RDC Board Chair Morris Flewwelling said Thursday’s milestone is as big as when the college first opened 54 years ago.

“Allowing Red Deer College to grant degrees autonomously and to move towards university status is the right decision, and one that we have been looking forward to for many years,” Flewwelling said to a packed house at the RDC Arts Centre. “Learners are the reason our institution was founded and they continue to be at the heart of the decisions we make today. Learning is foundational to the growth and prosperity of this province.”

RDC President and CEO Joel Ward said the transition from college to university could take between three and five years to complete. The college will continue to work with the Campus Alberta Quality Council during that time to ensure all new degree programs meet provincial and national standards.

“Transitioning Red Deer College towards degree completion plays an important role in our city and the region’s future growth,” said Ward, who noted this is the third time RDC had asked the province for degree-granting status over the last 25 years.

“As an economic hub, Red Deer’s economy continues to diversify and modernize, and securing possibilities for highly-trained degree graduates is necessary to support future economic growth.”

RDC Students’ Association President Kass Scholze emphasized the enormous impact this decision will have for learners.

“This change means students will no longer be forced to up-root their lives to complete their education. It will allow access to degrees right here at home within the next few years,” said Scholze, who herself is in the first year of her Bachelor of Education and will have to transfer in order to finish.

“Students will be able to complete their degree on a campus and in a community invested in their success and future graduates will be a vital part of Central Alberta.”

Red Deer Mayor Tara Veer congratulated the college for its monumental achievement.

“RDC’s leadership and staff are to be commended for their unyielding efforts over many years to meet the goal of offering degrees as part of their commitment to comprehensive, local access to post-secondary programming,” she said.

Thursday’s announcement does not mean RDC will stop offering the unique apprenticeship and trade programs it does today.

As for the school’s future moniker, President Ward said that’s a decision that will have to wait for another day.