Stuart Cullum was officially installed as Red Deer Polytechnic’s 12th president Thursday.
In a ceremony at the RDP Arts Centre, Cullum said he was energized by the institution’s future.
“I am thrilled to join Red Deer Polytechnic during an important time in the institution’s history,” he said. “The Polytechnic’s unique breadth of programming is a strength of our institution, as is our focus on industrial and socially relevant applied research.”
Cullum added he was honoured to earn the role and hopes he can live up to the expectations of the community and RDP alumni, as well as current staff and facility.
“Red Deer Polytechnic is positioned to be a venue and catalyst for innovation and development around the economic and social priorities of the region and province,” added Cullum.
“This defines our institution as a polytechnic and provides enhanced experiential learning opportunities for our students, applied research opportunities for our faculty and partnering opportunities for industry and community organizations.”
Cullum comes to RDP from Olds College, where he was president from 2017 to 2022. Cullum started in his current role on August 2.
“As a Board, we are very grateful to have Stuart as the President of Red Deer Polytechnic to lead the institution into the future,” said Guy Pelletier, Chair of Red Deer Polytechnic’s Board of Governors. “His experience, skillset, and vision for polytechnic education will serve learners, communities and the province extremely well for many years to come.”
At Olds College, Cullum helped with a significant increase in both domestic and international enrolment, more than $23 Million in applied research funding, and the development of key action plans including the College’s first Indigenous Relationship Building Strategy and Action Plan.
He also played a key role in establishing the Olds College Smart Farm, a leading innovation hub for innovation, training and applied research that has attracted over 100 partners globally and over $40 Million in investment. Prior to Olds College, he served in executive positions at Lethbridge College, Northlands, NAIT, AVAC, and Westlink Innovation Network. Early in his career, Cullum taught in the secondary system in central Alberta.
Dignitaries in attendance Thursday included The Honourable Salma Lakhani, Lieutenant Governor of Alberta, Minister of Education and MLA for Red Deer-North Adriana LaGrange, Jason Stephan, Red Deer-South MLA, Red Deer Mayor Ken Johnston, Red Deer County Mayor Jim Wood, Chief Leonard Standingontheroad of Montana First Nation, Terry Oakley, Chair of Local 71, Chapter 14 Alberta Union of Provincial Employees and Savannah Snow, Students’ Association President of Red Deer Polytechnic.