LANGLEY—The Catholic college affiliated with Trinity Western University has rebranded itself.
Redeemer Pacific College, which teaches TWU-accredited courses from a Catholic perspective, has changed its name to Catholic Pacific College.
“Nothing of what we have done here historically in serving TWU will be lost,” said Christine Jones, president of the college, as she launched the rebranding ceremony Feb. 4.
She said the aim is to make the college, which was founded in a farmhouse on Glover Road in 1999, stand out and be more recognizable as it grows.
“With a view to our U.S. and potential global market, the name says who we are, is really Google-friendly, and won’t be confused” with other schools, such as Ontario’s Redeemer University, she said.
Catholic Pacific College plans to extend its reach internationally, open a satellite campus in Vancouver, and offer more programs, pending regulatory approval.
Philip Hannis, vice president of marketing, suggested some of those efforts might materialize by September 2016.
TWU president Bob Kuhn wished the college “the absolute best” as it looks to expand. At the launch, he reflected on TWU’s own humble origins.
“In 1962 there was a group of founders that had the temerity to think that a dairy farm could become a university,” Kuhn said.
“I think that temerity is represented in this room. Someone had the temerity to think that this little house could become a college that would someday, I’m sure, aspire to and become a university.”
Archbishop J. Michael Miller, CSB, celebrated Mass before the ceremony to launch the new name. The college had to seek his permission to use the word Catholic.
“Redeemer Pacific was, is, a Catholic institution. But having something in the name brings it right to the forefront,” he said to a room of about 45 students, professors, and others connected with the college.
“This is a wonderful place that has been made available to you by the sacrifices, the generosity, and the vision of other people that thought such an enterprise was truly possible.”
Though it may take a while for students to get used to the new name, many were excited about the rebrand.
“The word Catholic is incorporated into it. That’s the core of what this college is about, so it’s really important to let people know,” said Heidi Bouwman, a first-year student in TWU’s undergraduate nursing program. “It’s incredible that we have access to Mass every day.”
“I think it’s a better name,” added fellow first-year student Chloe Heuchert.
She praised the institution’s tight-knit community. “When I first came here, I felt so accepted by everybody. The class size is so small, it’s kind of like you have family in your classroom.”
Catholic Pacific College currently offers courses in theology, English, philosophy, history, Latin, education, and sacred art.
More information is available at catholicpacific.ca.
