By Keith Lacey
After a couple of months on the job, Laurentian University?s new president said the school and city have plenty of hard work ahead to overcome Sudbury?s poor reputation as a place to go to school or start a new business.
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Judith Woodsworth |
However, the good news is the City of Greater Sudbury and Laurentian have an abundance of good things going for them, and Sudburians are loyal and proud of their community, says Dr. Judith Woodsworth.
Woodsworth made a presentation called ?Working Together to Celebrate Success? at a Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce luncheon Thursday at the Howard Johnson Hotel.
It?s unfortunate, but in reality Sudbury has long suffered, and continues to suffer, from a terrible reputation outside of northern Ontario, said Woodsworth.
?When it comes to this city?s image?we are just not on the radar screen?across Ontario and much of Canada,? she said. ?Unfortunately, we?re still associated with the moonscape and the place where astronauts came to train. We?re associated with Stompin? Tom Connors?and with being located way up north. We have to work very hard to overcome these images.?
The good news is most Sudburians ?are passionate and have a very deep sense of loyalty about their community. They are proud, but not confident and outspoken enough in letting others know? just what a great community this is.
Woodsworth told a gathering of about 60 businesspeople she?s learned quickly ?that Sudbury is a wonderfully diverse and cohesive community,? but one facing many challenges.
Demographics clearly indicate our population base has deteriorated rapidly over the past 10 to 20 years, especially among young people and this affects economic vitality and Laurentian?s ability to attract students, she said.
Laurentian?s enrolment has declined by 25 per cent over the past five years and the out-migration of young people and struggling economy have contributed to this worrisome problem, she said.
Unlike years gone by, universities and colleges ?can no longer wait for students to walk through the door,? and Woodsworth promised Laurentian will begin an aggressive new marketing and promotional campaign in the next few months.
Post-secondary institutions have become extremely aggressive in pursuing top students and promoting their schools and it?s time for Laurentian to adopt the same kind of thinking, she said.
Enrolment has dropped significantly for several years, but preliminary figures for 2002-03 year are very encouraging with 200 extra full-time students signed up when classes started three weeks ago, she said.
The double cohort with OAC students and Grade 12 students graduating next summer should boost enrolment significantly next year as well, she said.
Sudbury has a much higher percentage of young people who have less than a Grade 9 education and lower percentage of young adults with university degrees than the provincial average and ?these quite alarming figures? must be addressed, she said.
?One of our priorities must be to promote the importance of education for the good of the community,? she said. ?We must become responsible to promoting lifelong learning.?
Laurentian must also be willing to promote ?alternative learning? by allowing people to study at times that best suit them and allowing home studies through the Internet, she said.
Laurentian is also aggressively pursuing an increase in foreign students and has dozens enrolled this year, she said.
Studies show one foreign student spends an average of $24,000 annually within the local economy, she said.
Woodsworth encouraged business owners to reach out to these foreign students by inviting them into their homes and businesses.
?They will enrich your lives,? she said.
If these foreign students enjoy their time in Sudbury and Laurentian, they might stay here to work after graduation.
If they do return home, they will export goodwill and improve Sudbury and Laurentian?s reputation abroad.
In her short time here, Woodsworth says she?s truly impressed by how many ?world class? researchers and leaders are employed at the institution.
Laurentian professors have received an outstanding 10 Canada Research Council grants of between $100,000 and $200,000, a total no other university in Canada this size can match, she said.
Laurentian and Sudbury are both bilingual in nature and both must promote this benefit to attract jobs and economic development, she said.
While there are many challenges, Laurentian management and staff are progressive, talented and willing to work with business leaders to make Sudbury a better and economically vibrant community, said Woodsworth.
?We need to continue to build bridges between Laurentian and the community?just call on our staff and we will be there to help you,? she said.
