BY DIANE GILHULA
Cambrian College is expanding to accommodate the increased enrolment due to the double cohort of students graduating from high school in 2003.
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Some 121,000 square feet of space has been added to the main campus making room for 17 new classrooms, and new labs. The $25-million price tag for the increased space was funded through the Super Build program.
Two new residences accommodating 200 more students will be ready for occupancy next fall.
One residence has already been built, and another is under construction. This now brings to 500 the number of students that can be accommodated in residence at Cambrian next fall.
The new labs include those for nursing, the trades and computer labs. The new nursing lab is a replica of those at the Sudbury Regional Hospital.
As many as 500 more students will be part of the first-year class next fall at Cambrian, College but a college official isnÂ?t concerned.
Â?The college has an amazing ability to be flexible and responsive. In this instance, we are being proactive,Â? says Linda Wilson, director of marketing and institutional relations.
Wilson says 2003-04 will possibly see total enrolment at the college rise to 4,800 students, which would be a 10 per cent increase from the fall of 2002.
The 2003-04 term will be the second year of growth in enrolment at Cambrian. The number of students rose this year to a total of 4,300 which was an increase of 200 from 2001-02.
The 4.8 per cent increase in enrolment this year was caused by some OAC students who fast-tracked. They did the five-year program in four years to avoid the expected bottleneck caused by the double cohort next fall.
The increase in students is due to the elimination of OAC (formerly Grade 13). Both OAC and Grade 12 graduates will be competing in 2003 for entrance to college and university.
Wilson says the college is hoping to attract more students next fall from southern Ontario.
Â?Our challenge as a northern community is to make educational opportunities, and the communities attractive to folks outside.Â?
She says northern colleges need to attract students from the south because the north has a declining population.
Wilson says when students from outside Greater Sudbury come to college here it is a boon for the local economy.
Â?The economic impact of an institution like Cambrian is immense,Â? says Wilson.
It has been calculated the impact on the economy of a community is triple the budget of a college, or university. CambrianÂ?s budget for this year rose to $45 million making its economic effect in the vicinity of $135 million.
Â?We want to bring more students in, and the longer they stay the more likely it is that they will reside in our community, enhance business and make a contribution to Greater Sudbury,Â? she says.
The college has the capacity to absorb a 10 per cent increase in first-year students in general arts, general sciences, business and the trades programs.
Â?There is a lot of flexibility to going into one of these programs at the college if you are not sure what you want to do. The student gets a variety of courses.Â?
Wilson says there will likely be new faculty hired next fall, but it not known how many additional instructors will be needed.
Â?We donÂ?t see a problem. WeÂ?ll be monitoring it as we go along.Â?
A higher average will not be required for admission to Cambrian next fall because of the double cohort of students says the manager of liaison services at Cambrian.
A minimum of 60 per cent will be required to obtain admission to most programs, says Brenda Bouchard.
There is no preference for local students, she says.
Â?All are given equal consideration if they apply before Feb. 1. We are looking at grades in required subject areas.Â?
It is, however, going to be quite competitive in gaining admission to the many limited enrolment programs. Â?Health sciences, police foundations and child and youth worker courses are very popular with OAC (formally Grade 13) students. We are bound by provincial limits, and also the number of clinical placements and equipment available.
She explains for instance that only 25 students are let into the first year dental hygiene program. It is expected that next year will see 450 students apply for admission
The college participates in many agreements with Laurentian University. This increases the options of students, she says.
Bouchard explains, for example, if a student completes a three-year diploma in public relations at the college, these credits can be carried over to obtaining a degree in communication arts at the university.
Next fall there will also be an increase in entrance scholarships. It is hoped that 75 entrance scholarships will be available to first-year students.
Cambrian now has a total of 60 entrance scholarships worth $1,000 each for first year students. The criteria for these are a combination of marks, extracurricular activities and leadership skills, says Bouchard.
There are between 300 and 350 scholarships available valued at between $100 - $2,000 for students who have completed first year.
For more information visit www.cambrianc.on.ca.
