Mission & Mandate
KPU offers all learners opportunities to achieve success in a diverse range of programs that blend theory and practice, critical understanding, and social and ethical awareness necessary for good citizenship and rewarding careers.
Who We Are
As British Columbia's Polytechnic University, KPU is a leader in innovative and interdisciplinary education. Our programs provide applied learning and a broad-based university education through relevant, engaging, and inclusive environments which facilitate personal and professional development.
Our faculty demonstrates an authentic spirit of inquiry as a model for learners. In turn, learners engage with a teaching environment that is collaborative, innovative, creative, and respectful. Our University culture is based on critical inquiry, collegial debate, knowledge generation, freedom of expression, diversity, and environmental stewardship and sustainability. Yet, we go further by recognizing the necessary integration of these principles as our foundation and our purpose. We support multiple approaches to research and innovation, and work collaboratively to address community, industry, and market needs.
What We Do
We support a dynamic educational community. At KPU, we create a culture that is learner-focused, academically rigorous, innovative, interdisciplinary, and socially responsible. We support our students throughout their entire academic journey, and respect the academic freedom of learners, faculty, and staff.
Access
KPU's history and purpose as a polytechnic institution integrates traditional academics and applied hands-on learning, into the university experience. We respond to community, regional, industry, and market needs through a distinctive variety of programs, research initiatives, and community partnerships. Transition programs, multiple entry points, international education, and bridging opportunities demonstrate our commitment to accessible lifelong learning across a broad range of educational options.
Scholarship
We encourage faculty and learners to participate in many forms of knowledge generation and research, including those focused on discovery, creativity, application, and teaching. We honour and reward scholarship, including research design, development, and dissemination, that involves learners and the broader community.
Community
We recognize and respond to challenges and opportunities within the dynamic communities of the Fraser region of British Columbia. We promote leadership by developing and supporting community-based initiatives that address economic, social, and cultural issues within an increasingly global context.
Mentorship
We provide and promote a learning environment in which learners examine and develop their values, goals, and character through the integration of personal, academic, and professional inquiry. We expose learners to workplace experiences, offer programs in continuing education, and provide educational opportunities for those seeking career change or development. We encourage lifelong learning and an ongoing relationship with the University.