Students, faculty union say Fanshawe College cuts will hit hard

For Fanshawe College student Maat Patel, the cuts announced Wednesday at the school will for now, force him off his chosen academic and career path. 

Patel, who is from India, is studying supply chain logistic management but wants to focus his studies on mechanical engineering. It's a stream more suited to his skills and one with better job prospects after he graduates. 

The problem is, the mechanical engineering technician program he planned to start in the fall is one of 40 programs the school suspended Wednesday due to budget pressures. 

"It affects me a lot," said Patel of the changes. "Right now, we don't have that many jobs for supply chain management. So I'm literally worried about my future." 

The programs that will be suspended are part of a cost-cutting strategy forced on Fanshawe, and other Ontario colleges, in part because the federal government put a cap on the number of student visas. Foreign students like Patel pay much higher tuition rates than do domestic students, and for years colleges could use them as a reliable source of revenue. 

Fanshawe's international student population accounted for about 11,700 permits for the college in 2023. That number has since been cut by more than half, forcing colleges to make tough choices. 

Students already enrolled in the affected programs — which are as varied as automotive sales to palliative care — will be allowed to continue until graduation. 

Fanshawe President Peter Devlin said the decisions are part of a difficult but necessary course correction for the college.

"It is indeed a tough day at Fanshawe College," said Devlin. "We've made the difficult decision after a thorough data-driven review." 

Devlin said when choosing which programs would be suspended, a number of factors were considered, from enrollment trends to the labour market.

He expects foreign student enrollment to fall by about 36 per cent by fall. Without the cuts, he said the college was headed for a deficit north of $90 million over the next two years.

"The actions we're taking now are to mitigate that deficit," said Devlin.

The college hasn't said how many staff positions will be affected. Devlin said the college has completed a staffing review and delivered it to the province. The college has also offered buyouts to some senior staff. 

"Part of the next step is for us to look our organization and our facilities to find the necessary efficiencies," he said. 

Union disappointed

Mark Feltham is with Ontario Public Service Employees Union, which represents Fanshawe faculty. 

"We are extremely disappointed that Fanshawe has deemed it necessary to cut these programs," Feltham said in a statement to CBC News. "That said, the union is committed to working with the employer to try to avoid job losses."

"Our collective agreement has very specific processes for dealing with such situations, and we will be following these processes to the letter," he said. 

Feltham said part of the blame rests with the province, which he said has left Ontario colleges underfunded. 

"Lost college jobs and lost opportunities for students can be avoided, but the provincial government needs to do a much better job here," he said. 

Regional campuses will stay open

Fanshawe has three regional campuses, including Woodstock, St. Thomas and Simcoe.

The school also has a significant footprint in downtown London with two modern buildings on Dundas Place. One is home to the hospitality and culinary arts school and a cafe and restaurant staffed by students. Across the street is Fanshawe's school of media and digital arts. 

Devlin said although the programs suspensions have affected some of the programs in the digital arts building, there are no immediate plans to reduce Fanshawe's presence downtown. Five programs that were delivered at the regional campuses will now shift to the main campus on Dundas Street East. 

"We will look at all our facilities but I'm confident we will maintain our downtown London presence," he said. "Our three regional campuses. 

Despite the changes, Devlin said Fanshawe's future is bright. 

"We've made some difficult decisions today, there are more difficult decisions to follow but they're all with a focus on a transformed college all closely aligned with labour market need."