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The mission of Redeemer University College is:
- to offer a university-level
liberal arts and science education which is Scripturally-directed and explores
the relation of faith, learning, and living from a Reformed Christian
perspective
- to support research and creative endeavor in this
context.
Central to this mission are the following objectives:
-
to equip students for lives of leadership and service under the Lordship of
Jesus Christ;
- to advance knowledge through excellence in teaching and in
scholarship;
- to be an academic community in which faculty, staff, and
students can develop intellectually, socially and spiritually;
- to reach out
through academic service to society;
and in all these things to glorify
God.
History of Redeemer University College
As early as the
mid-1950s an attempt was made to begin a university institution with a Reformed
perspective in Ontario. However, it was not until early 1975 that a detailed
investigation was undertaken by a feasibility study committee. The result of
that investigation was the establishment of the Ontario Christian College
Association which came into existence on November 13, 1976.
The Board of
Governors that was elected worked toward opening such an institution in Ontario
as soon as possible and in the process consulted with a committee of Classis
Hamilton of the Christian Reformed Church which had a similar aim. On December
12, 1980, the Ontario Legislature passed private member's Bill 48, "An Act to
Incorporate Redeemer Reformed Christian College." With the granting of this
charter, Redeemer College could become a reality.
In September 1982,
Redeemer College opened its doors for the first time, with 97 full-time and 63
part-time students. This number grew to about 250 for the 1985-86 academic year,
the final year classes met in facilities rented from the Board of Education of
the City of Hamilton. In 1985 the college purchased 78 acres of land in Ancaster
for the construction of a new campus. The college occupied the new facilities in
August 1986, and welcomed 279 full-time students in September. In November,
1986, the college held its first graduation, with 40 students
graduating.
On June 25, 1998, the Ontario Government passed Bill Pr17,
which granted Redeemer College the authority to offer Bachelor of Arts and
Bachelor of Science degrees. Prior to that time, the College conferred a
Bachelor of Christian Studies degree which was recognized by the AUCC
(Association of Universities & Colleges of Canada) as comparable to the Bachelor
of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree.
As a university degree granting
institution, Redeemer undergoes regular audits of its undergraduate program
reviews, carried out under the auspices of the Council of Ontario Universities
(COU). In view of its status as an undergraduate university, the Ontario
Legislature approved a change in institutional name to Redeemer University
College on June 22, 2000 (Bill Pr19)
On June 26, 2003 the Ontario
Government passed Bill Pr14, granting Redeemer the authority to offer a Bachelor
of Education degree to replace its B.C.Ed. degree. On December 10, 2003 this new
teacher education (B.Ed.) program was granted initial accreditation by the
Ontario College of Teachers, giving Redeemer the only provincially recognized
Christian teacher education program (K-10) in Ontario. |
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