Great Plains College is a regional college based in Swift Current, Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....

 that provides post-secondary education in the southwest region of the province. GPC was formed via a 2008 merger between Cypress Hills Regional College and Prairie West Regional College. The new name reflects both the geography and the aspirations of the region given the booming economy of the area. The slogan of the new college is "Education with Energy" to reflect not only the spirit of the new institution but also a renewed focus on the opportunities in the energy sector.

Programs

GPC provides certificate and diploma programs in a variety of fields and trades. A limited number of university courses are offered at the College in partnership with the University of Saskatchewan

University of Saskatchewan

The University of Saskatchewan is a Canadian public research university, founded in 1907, and located on the east side of the South Saskatchewan River in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. An "Act to establish and incorporate a University for the Province of Saskatchewan" was passed by the...

 and University of Regina

University of Regina

The University of Regina is a public research university located in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. Founded in 1911 as a private denominational high school of the Methodist Church of Canada, it began an association with the University of Saskatchewan as a junior college in 1925, and was disaffiliated...

.

Campuses

Great Plains College has campuses in Swift Current, Warman

Warman, Saskatchewan

-History:The town of Warman was born when the Canadian National Railway running from Humboldt to North Battleford intersected with the Canadian Pacific Railway running from Regina to Prince Albert. This took place in the fall of 1904....

, and Kindersley

Kindersley, Saskatchewan

Kindersley is a town in west central Saskatchewan, Canada, located at Section 10, Township 29, Range 23, West of the 3rd Meridian, along highway 7, a primary highway linking Calgary, Alberta and Saskatoon, Saskatchewan...

, along with program centres in Gravelbourg

Gravelbourg, Saskatchewan

-Education:The town has for the past four decades been noteworthy for College Mathieu, a francophone boarding school for boys and girls who wish to acquire or retain fluency in French...

, Maple Creek

Maple Creek, Saskatchewan

-History:After the North-West Mounted Police had been established at Fort Walsh, settlers began to explore the Cypress Hills area, living along the creeks and doing small-scale ranching. The Department of the Interior was operating a First Nations farm on the Maple Creek, a few miles south from...

, Biggar

Biggar, Saskatchewan

Biggar is a town in central Saskatchewan, Canada. It is located on Highway #14, west of Saskatoon, the province’s most populous city. Biggar has become well known for its unusual town slogan, an Olympic athlete, and a world-record deer...

; Outlook

Outlook, Saskatchewan

-History:Settlement of the area began in the early 1900s with farmers, immigrants moving into the area looking for farmland. Outlook officially started as a settlement on August 26, 1908 when the Canadian Pacific Railway commenced the auction of lots...

; Rosetown

Rosetown, Saskatchewan

-History:On September 14, 1905, James and Anne Rose migrated from Lancashire, England to an area of Saskatchewan, Canada. They were the first settlers in the area now known as Rosetown. Later, in 1907, a group of people from the area, wanting a post office, made an application for one...

 and Nekaneet First Nation.

History

Cypress Hills College and Prairie West College announced March 4, 2008 their intention to merge the two institutions into a new college to be called Great Plains College. The goal of the merger is to enhance and expand the programs and services for students who attend campuses in communities across western Saskatchewan from Warman to Maple Creek.

Mission

"Regional colleges provide education and skills training that meets the needs of the communities and employers it serves. We were both looking for ways to expand to take advantage of the booming economy. We realized we could do more together," said Mark Frison, the former Great Plains College president who announced in June 2010 he would be moving to Brandon, Manitoba to take up a similar post with Assiniboine Community College.

See also

• List of agricultural universities and colleges
• Higher education in Saskatchewan
  Higher education in Saskatchewan
  Historically, Saskatchewan's higher education system has been "significantly shaped" by demographics In 1901, six years prior to the 1907 founding of a university in Saskatchewan, the urban population in Saskatchewan was 14,266 while the rural population was 77,013...
  
  
• List of colleges and universities in Saskatchewan