The History of KPU
A timeline documenting the good, the bad, and the ugly
It wasn’t long ago that Kwantlen Polytechnic University wasn’t a university at all. Our humble institution has come a long way since it cleaved itself from Douglas College in 1981, and since then the history of KPU has been somewhat of a mixed bag. Through the years there have been serious achievements broken up by the occasional bout of intense drama, with the latter getting some serious media coverage. Now, by studying the chronicles of KPU, you can learn a thing or two about this institution you’ve chosen, and realize that, much like you, this school’s been through a lot.
1981: Kwantlen Polytechnic University—then called Kwantlen College—splits from Douglas College and claims all of its campuses south of the Fraser River. KPU gets its first president, Tony Wilkinson, who fills the position for five years. 149 students graduate that year—the first from KPU—with 14 associate degrees, 97 certificates and 28 citations.
1983: KPU begins to offer scholarships.
1984: Enrolment hops up to 1288 full-time students.
1990: The Surrey campus opens in place of portable trailers that used to act as the university. The construction cost $20 million and is able to accommodate 4,000 students. Co-op education and an honour roll are established.
1992: The Richmond campus opens.
1993: The Langley campus opens.
1994: Summer courses are first offered on-campus.
1995: The institution’s name officially becomes Kwantlen University College, allowing it to grant degrees. The first honorary degree recipient is Barry Leach for environmental education.
1999: The conference centre, gym, fitness centre, new classrooms and offices open on the Surrey campus, along with the launching of the athletics program and two new degrees in information technology and entrepreneurial leadership. The Kwantlen Eagles are born!
2007: Cloverdale campus is officially opened.
2008: KPU becomes a member in the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada. Premier Gordon Campbell announces that the institution will adopt the name of Kwantlen Polytechnic University.
In more dramatic news, the Kwantlen Student Association files a lawsuit against five former KSA directors (The “Reduce All Fees” or “RAF” party)—who had been in office since 2005—for misusing over $2 million of student money.
2011: The controversy that gets KPU in world-read headlines hits a high point due to further corruption within the Kwantlen Student Association. Twelve KSA directors were impeached by members of the association amidst fire alarms and pepper spray meant to intimidate the student body. The directors were blamed for dropping their lawsuit against the former RAF party members and, in a shocking twist uncovered by The Runner, some of the impeached directors were found to have familial ties to the defendants.
2014: KPU gets busted for overpaying their staff.
2015: Another scandal breaks loose at KPU when the institution agrees to sign a benefits agreement with Kinder Morgan—the company behind the Trans Mountain pipeline—for $300,000. The money would have largely gone towards scholarships and bursaries for trades students and, ironically, KPU’s Environmental Protection Technology Lab.
The contract was not signed after students and alumni voiced their disapproval and refusal to accept financial aid from Kinder Morgan. Because the agreement depended on the pipeline being approved, it functioned as an endorsement for the oil industry, and it was decided that KPU would withdraw from the memorandum of understanding.
2015: KPU gets mass media buzz for offering an online course that educates students on the legal and medical management of marijuana.
