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Educational Guidelines
• In all courses students should receive instruction which meets high
academic standards, both in the level of understanding which is
demanded and in the range of material covered.
• Students must attain a good understanding of the basic themes of
biblical revelation, especially the all-embracing scope of creation,
fall, and redemption.
• Students should learn the rudiments of a philosophical framework
which is shaped by a biblical worldview and gives some perspective
on the interrelatedness of academic disciplines.
• Students should gain a basic understanding of the main historical
movements of the West, with particular sensitivity to the variety of
competing religious worldviews which have gone into the making of
contemporary North American and, specifically, Canadian society.
• Especially in their areas of concentration, students should develop
a sensitivity to the foundational questions in their disciplines, and
be able to relate them positively to a Christian philosophy and
worldview.
• Especially in their areas of concentration, students should acquire
some critical familiarity with the main competing schools and trends
in their disciplines, both past and present.
• Students should develop a well-informed and critical awareness of
the main features of contemporary Canadian society, and be able to
relate their academic studies to a future vocation of Christian service
in our society.
Institutional History
As early as the mid-1950s an attempt was made to establish an
undergraduate university in Ontario with a Reformed Christian
basis. However, it was not until 1975 that a detailed investigation
was undertaken by a feasibility study committee. The result of that
investigation was the establishment of the Ontario Christian College
Association which came into existence on November 13, 1976.
The Board of Governors that was elected worked toward opening
such an institution in Ontario as soon as possible and in the process
consulted with a committee of Classis Hamilton of the Christian
Reformed Church which had a similar aim. On December 12, 1980,
the Ontario Legislature passed private member’s Bill 48, “An Act to
Incorporate Redeemer Reformed Christian College.” With the granting
of this charter, Redeemer College could become a reality.
In September 1982, Redeemer College opened its doors for the first time,
with 97 full-time and 63 part-time students. This number grew to about
250 for the 1985-86 academic year, the final year classes met in facilities
rented from the Board of Education of the City of Hamilton. In 1985, the
college purchased 78 acres of land in Ancaster for the construction of a
new campus. The college occupied the new facilities in August 1986 and
welcomed 279 full-time students in September. In November 1986, the
college held its first graduation, with 40 students graduating.
On June 25, 1998, the Ontario Government passed Bill Pr17, which
granted Redeemer College the authority to offer Bachelor of Arts and
Bachelor of Science degrees. Prior to that time, the college conferred
a Bachelor of Christian Studies degree which was recognized by
the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC) as
comparable to the Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree.
As a university degree granting institution, Redeemer undergoes
regular audits of its undergraduate programs, carried out under the
auspices of the Council of Ontario Universities (COU). In view of its
status as an undergraduate university, the Ontario Legislature approved
a change in institutional name to Redeemer University College on June
22, 2000 (Bill Pr19).
On June 26, 2003, the Ontario Government passed Bill Pr14, granting
Redeemer the authority to offer a Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.)
degree to replace its Bachelor of Christian Education (B.C.Ed.) degree.
On December 10, 2003, this new teacher education (B.Ed.) program
was granted initial accreditation by the Ontario College of Teachers,
giving Redeemer the only provincially recognized Christian teacher
education program (K-10) in Ontario.
Memberships
At its annual meeting in October 1987, the Association of Universities
and Colleges of Canada (AUCC) unanimously granted Redeemer
University College ordinary membership in the AUCC after it had
provisional membership for two and a half years.
In June 1986, Redeemer University College became the first Canadian
institution to be received into membership in the Council for Christian
Colleges and Universities, a North American association of over 100
Christian liberal arts undergraduate university institutions.
Governance
Redeemer University College is an independent, not-for-profit,
membership based corporation. The membership elects a thirtymember
Board which governs and controls the university and its
property, revenues, expenditures, business, and all other affairs.
Matters involving academic standards, admissions, and other
academic regulations are assigned to the Senate. The President, senior
administration, faculty and staff are responsible for the implementation
of policy and the direction of the university’s affairs.
Research Centres
The Pascal Centre for Advanced Studies in Faith and Science was
established in 1988. It specializes in studies of the interaction between
religion and science from a Reformed biblical perspective. Currently,
the Pascal Centre houses a bibliographic database of over 28,000 items
including a research library of over 25 current periodicals, 3,500 books,
and about 2,000 reprints as they relate to issues in religion and science.
It has also hosted three international conferences. The most recent
conference, on principles of interpreting both Scripture and nature, was
held in July 2005.
The Dooyeweerd Centre for Christian Philosophy was established in
1994. The Centre’s task is to make the works and insights of the noted
Dutch Christian philosopher Herman Dooyeweerd (1894–1977) more
accessible in North America and elsewhere.
Redeemer also partners with the Paideia Centre for Public Theology,
a legally separate research centre located on its campus. The Paideia
Centre is an academic Christian study centre committed to relating the
Gospel to all areas of life. Its focus is academic work from an overtly
Christian perspective.
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