29th April 2003 marked Republic Polytechnic's first ever Matriculation Exercise which was held in the Library. A mini bazaar organised by staff members from the various schools and departments added a dash of fun to the Matriculation exercise

In preparation for the impending opening of school in July, RP staff moved from our existing workspace at Strathmore to the Tower block, where all the offices and facilitation spaces were contained.

RP’s first Freshmen Orientation Programme was kickstarted. Over 800 students got their first taste of poly life over the four days of orientation.

A groundbreaking ceremony was held at our permanent home in Woodlands on 5 July 2003. With the former Minister for Education and Second Minister for Defence, RAdm (NS) Teo Chee Hean gracing the occasion, the day was commemorated with the first rig being driven into the ground by our guest-of-honour.

7 July marked the first day that Republic Polytechnic officially opened its doors as an institution to students pursuing their diploma education.

A significant milestone in our short history. At a simple celebration, our Principal encouraged all staff to keep on striving to achieve RP’s mission and vision.

Republic Polytechnic is committed to being a community-conscious organisation. Kicking off our first flag day, staff and students rallied together for Touch Community Services, which serves various levels of society, including less fortunate families and the elderly.

The RP Healthy Lifestyle Week was held from 22nd to 26th September. Events lined up included health talks, health screening, video screening and exhibitions. Highlights included daily stretch exercises and sports activities such as kickboxing & aerobics as well as a Fun Run for both staff and students.

In conjunction with TOUCH Silent Club, a charitable organisation, RP held its first charity carnival and soccer league in RP’s premises on 19th October 2003. The event comprised a series of competitive street soccer and futsal matches played by various invited teams and a flea market-style bazaar carnival hosting a chain of brightly colored pushcarts. This event was held specially to raise funds for the hearing-impaired community supported by TOUCH Silent Club.

RP started work towards the ISO certification as early as December 2002, and within a short span of less than a year, RP was awarded certification in the following categories: ISO 9001 (Quality), ISO 14001 (Environment), and OHSAS 18001 (Occupational, Safety/Health) after undergoing the ISO9000, ISO14001 and OHSAS 18001 Certification Audit.

On 6 November 2003, Republic Polytechnic announced the award of its Woodlands campus main building contract to M/s China Construction (South Pacific) Development Co Pte Ltd JV Taisei Corporation.

Held at Raffles Marina, the entire management team was involved in charting out RP’s future direction in the day-long affair.

In recognition of our commitment to staff development and our pervasive use of technology to streamline workflow and simplify processes, we achieved the People Developer Standard in October, no mean feat considering that we were barely a year old.

Held at Sijori Resort, Sentosa, over 116 staff bonded over fun, games and other team-building activities. Capping the day was the giving out of staff awards to those who had contributed to the polytechnic in its first year of existence.  

2004

The official launch of @Loud, the first-ever Republic Polytechnic publication by the students, for the students. @loud serves as a platform to nurture our young creative talents.

RP was audited for the Family Friendly Award by MCDS, NTUC & SNEF on 19 January 2004. 

Republic Polytechnic was highlighted as an agency for others to benchmark against, for People Management, by the Civil Service College. 

RP’s first ever Open House was held at Tanglin campus. Potential students, parents, teachers and members of the public experienced demonstrations of our Problem-Based Learning approach, musical and cultural performances by our students, and visited the laboratories and facilities. 

RP's first Family Day was held on 27 March at East Coast Park. The event was an opportunity for staff members to further strengthen the camaraderie and RP spirit.