By NICK STEWART
North Bay’s post-secondary institutions are gearing up for the future with a number of big-ticket capital projects and new programs that each one hopes will boost the quality of their offerings.
In the coming 2007-2008 academic year, Nipissing University will replace its occasional political science courses with a full four-year Political Science degree.
“It’s something we’re definitely proud of,” says university president Dennis Mock.
“We’ve offered it here and there for a while, so being able to offer it as a full-blown degree is great.”
A new four-year Bachelor of Physical and Health Education is also being introduced, which Mock says will work in conjunction with the nursing program. The intent is to develop a knowledge base for the 2010 opening of the North Bay Regional Health Centre.
While Mock says that “a history degree is a history degree” it is often difficult for a university to tailor its programs to the specific needs of the local economy. Right now, Nipissing is seeking a Canada Research chair for a local environmental research initiative. An answer will be provided by the end of March.
“If we get it, and we hope we will, that will sort of anchor our group of current faculty from biology, geography and from environmental studies that are doing a variety of different types of research in these areas. We’ve got a major greenhouse where we’re looking to design hybrids that will grow in this season more effectively, through to the impact of toxins on fish reproduction, to different types of water quality issues and stream management issues. All of those projects are associated with this centre, which will be associated with the core theme of the environment.”
The university is currently seeking to build a research and academic facility, though details are sparse as the Board of Directors has yet to agree to its construction. The 15,000-square-foot building would help the school to provide additional learning space, which Mock says is sorely lacking.
Also being pursued is a $20-million joint partnership with Canadore College to share a sort of educational kinship, Mock says. This includes a new 60,000-square-foot library and learning centre, to be located between the front entrance of the two institutions.
This isn’t the only capital project Canadore is pursuing, as the college is also hoping to build an all-media facility within the next five years.
The proposed 35,000-square-foot building is still in the early stages, though a conceptual plan has been developed. Once a price tag is established, fundraising efforts will begin.
President Barbara Taylor says this investment is crucial to the college’s future in communications arts. She says this is an area where the school can double its current enrolment of 325 over the next five years through the construction of the new facility, the purchase of additional equipment, and the enhancement of existing programs.
“It’s easy for people to grasp that we need more carpenters, more electricians and plumbers, and Canadore is doing its part to produce those skilled grads, but we also need people in the radio markets and newspapers and TV production,” Taylor says. “People think that just happens in Toronto, but no it doesn’t, and in fact, a college like ours produces an extremely well-rounded grad because of placement, and because of curriculum. Graduates have a realistic grounding of what kind of employment environment they’re likely to be in.”
The school is looking beyond its potential as a Northern node for the arts, however. In 2006, the college introduced programs for electrical technicians and web development programming. In the fall 2007, it will introduce programs for recreational therapy, sports conditioning, as well as crafts and design.
“I think we’ve demonstrated, not just at Canadore, but across the college system, that we can do an awful lot with relatively little, but I know from our facilities people that we’re still looking at $14 million of deferred maintenance.
We’re working away at it, and we’re making progress, so we encourage the provincial government to keep investing in colleges.”
