Success Degrees

It’s been a historic year at Alberta’s newest polytechnic. Along with a new name, bold new look, and inspired vision, the institution introduced two new degrees that will commence in Fall 2023.

Prospective students can now apply for the Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) or Bachelor of Computing Science degrees – two in-demand offerings that enable learners to start and finish their degree without leaving Grande Prairie.

“Our learning community has continued to advocate for the region and gain traction in the degree granting space,” says Dr. Vanessa Sheane, Acting President and CEO.

“This has been a big year and we are delighted to be welcoming our first cohort of NWP undergraduate degree students this fall.”

Over time, NWP has continued to grow and evolve at a remarkable pace. In 1997, NWP significantly expanded offerings by partnering with other post-secondaries to provide collaborative degree pathways for students. Along with collaborative degrees across disciplines, the addition of more than a dozen University Transfer programs has enabled students to start their academic journey close to home and realize their goals. Last winter, the biggest change occurred when the institution announced it would become Alberta’s newest polytechnic and fulfill its longstanding aspiration of becoming a degree-granting institution.

The new designation opened the door for even more career opportunities with the addition of impactful local degrees.

“Becoming a polytechnic enables us to better align with the needs of our industry and our students,” says Dr. Sheane. “Our program portfolio is greatly enhanced by getting these degree programs up and running. I see them as inspiring examples of how we are tapping into the entrepreneurial skills and talents in this region and continually evolving our offerings to meet the diverse needs of all current and prospective students.”

The BBA program is designed to prepare students for a career in business, focusing on entrepreneurial skills and priorities. The BBA explores the daily ethical, financial, and managerial issues that Canadian businesses and managers face. It also allows skilled tradespeople to apply trades qualifications toward a bachelor’s degree.

The Bachelor of Computing Science program provides a solid foundation of the technical, interpersonal, and hands-on skills needed to excel as a computing science professional. Students will have the opportunity to explore areas including mobile applications, computer games, networking and communications, big data, cloud computing, database development, artificial intelligence, machine learning, robotics, and computer graphics.

NWP’s Bachelor of Computing Science is breaking new ground in Alberta, as it is the province’s first four-year degree of this type.

“This historic achievement is just one way we are delivering enhanced local academic offerings to meet student demand and industry needs,” said Dr. Sheane. “We expect these new degrees will attract students from across the region, country, and world who will be in high demand amongst employers.”

Akash Parmar is an NWP student who landed in Grande Prairie from India in August 2021. In India, high school students have three options for which career stream they would like to pursue. One of these streams is commerce and includes studies in accounting and economics. These subjects always piqued Akash’s interest and so he set himself on this businessoriented path.

Akash explains that he initially explored post-secondary institutions in larger cities such as Vancouver and Toronto, but the cost-of-living expenses did not appeal to him. In the end, choosing NWP to continue his post-secondary studies was easy as Akash has many relatives in the Grande Prairie region. His brother has been living in the city since 2006, so moving in with him seemed ideal.

Upending his life and moving so far away from home proved difficult at first. Akash had never travelled internationally, and a new variant of the COVID-19 virus was complicating matters even further.

Due to the on-going pandemic, direct flights from India to Canada were not available. It took six flights for Akash to make it here. Starting his journey in India, he travelled to Albania, the Czech Republic, Toronto, and Calgary. Finally, after six days of travel and what felt like countless airports, Akash found himself in Grande Prairie.

Twenty-year-old Parmar has recently completed NWP’s Business Administration certificate program and is now continuing his studies in NWP’s Business Administration diploma. To learn more about opportunities for international students visit NWP.me/InternationalStudents.

His arrival right at the end of August 2021 was just in time for the start of the fall semester. While he was committed to experiencing everything that orientation week had to offer, it wasn’t the smoothest transition into a new school year.

“I vividly remember the end of my first class. I was feeling so dizzy, I couldn’t even stand because of the jetlag and travel,” says Akash. “I hadn’t had proper rest and I didn’t know anything about Canadian education. Everything was so new to me.”

The first week of school at NWP was a whirlwind for Akash as he learned about all the resources available to him, met his instructors, located his classes, and started to figure out student life. Although he was nervous, he found himself becoming more and more comfortable with his new surroundings and home.

Akash’s first impression of the NWP campus was one of astonishment. He couldn’t believe the size of the campus! At first, he felt quite nervous asking for directions and was concerned he would get lost in between classes. He quickly found that people at NWP were more than happy to help out and show him the way.

Once Akash became more accustomed to Canada and our post-secondary culture, he was able to relax a bit and began to make friends. It helped that his first friend at NWP was also an international student from India. Akash was very pleased to connect with someone who shared similar cultural and community experiences, and this friendship helped him to settle in even further. “We studied together, and we got past things together,” Akash explains.

Akash’s favourite experience as a NWP student has been cheering on the Wolves. Akash played and enjoyed watching sports back in India, so he appreciates getting to be a part of the crowd at games and events.

Once he completes his business studies, Akash hopes to find a job or gain an internship in his field to learn from a professional. “That’s the best way you can learn,” says Akash. “Someone good in their field will let you know everything they know.”

Akash believes that NWP is a great starting point for international students. The reasonable living expenses and tuition, and the size of both NWP and the size of Grande Prairie itself, all contribute to it being a positive choice and experience.

“You can come here and start something fresh. Grande Prairie is a good place to come if you want to start a new life,” Akash says. “And NWP is a great post-secondary to help you progress in your career.”

When asked if he has any advice for new international students, Akash explains that they should connect with other international students who are a few semesters ahead of them.

“Ask them all the questions you have. Just clear up all your doubts. Don’t be nervous about approaching,” says Akash. “Ask for help. Everybody is helpful. They will never refuse to help you.”

Given that in less than two short years, Akash has become a seasoned traveller, a successful international student, and a friend to many here at NWP, we are pretty sure that he has followed his own sound advice.

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NWP alumni have access to premium rates on a variety of local programs and services, both on and off campus.

One of NWP’s talented instructors has recently been published in two prestigious mathematics journals.

After filling a sessional appointment at NWP in 2019, Dr. Selcuk Aygin is back and has accepted a tenure track role within NWP’s Department of Science. “I enjoyed my time here in 2019,” he says, and adds that he “feels fortunate to be back.” We feel fortunate to have him back and to celebrate and acknowledge his recent academic successes.

Dr. Aygin’s paper, “Sums of triangular numbers and sums of squares”, appears in the 2023 issue of the Journal of Mathematical Analysis and Applications. Coauthored with Dr. Amir Akbary, this paper explores relations between sums of triangular numbers and sums of squares.

Another of his works, titled “RogersRamanujan type generalized reciprocal identities and Eisenstein series”, appears in the 2023 issue of Research in Number Theory. Here, Dr. Aygin explores q-analogues of reciprocal identities, whose limiting cases yield to interesting things like continued fractions and “the golden ratio.”

At NWP, we understand that everyone has a story. Hearing from others can be a powerful catalyst for discovering and pursuing new opportunities. As we learn about the inspiring people in our midst, we are reminded that it is never too late to explore a new interest or rewarding career path.

Dr. Aygin has been involved in both abstract and applied mathematical research throughout his academic career. He received his PhD from Carleton University in 2016 and since then has held a range of teaching roles and postdoctoral fellowships everywhere from University of Calgary to Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.

The author of dozens of papers, Dr. Aygin is always looking for his next research challenge. “I do research because I enjoy it,” he said. “It’s like art. You do it because it’s beautiful.”

Congratulations and welcome back, Dr. Aygin!