Cambrian College suspends 10 programs due to declining enrolment following federal policy change

Cambrian College in Sudbury is suspending 10 programs for lack of enrolment, several of which were previously popular with international students.

President Kristine Morrissey explained that due to federal government policy changes, international graduates in several of the programs will no longer be eligible for work permits.

The subsequent drop in enrolment means those programs are no longer worth offering as not enough Canadian students are interested.

She projected 800 fewer international students at Cambrian next year, meaning a drop of $16 million dollars in tuition revenue.

Programs such as global business management, human resources management, hospitality, project management, public relations, and protection, security and investigation had been popular with international students, who pay much higher tuition.

Morrissey explained that the programs, some of which were first launched just three years ago, could be brought back if the federal government changes its policy to make the programs attractive to international students again.

Another program that was suspended, the two-year tourism diploma, had only been launched earlier this year, but few Canadian students signed up.

Also suspended are mobile application development, early childhood education administration, and general arts and science with Indigenous specialization.

College caters to international students with new programs

The college is introducing a new program, nutrition and food service management that it hopes will appeal to international students because graduates will be eligible for work permits.

The two-year diploma will train people to be dietary and nutrition consultants in hospitals, long-term care homes and daycare centres. It's expected to attract 20 students in each of the fall and winter intakes.

Vice-president of academics Janice Clarke said she expected the program to do well because it's unique in the north and employment rates are on par with the provincial average

As well, Clarke said Cambrian is changing the data analytics program so students will qualify for graduate work permits.

These program suspensions come with the cutting of seven full-time faculty positions, but Morrissey said they're taking a "people-centred" approach that she hopes will avoid layoffs, through re-assignments and retirements.

The drop in tuition revenue is rolled into an overall $40 million dollar decrease in operating revenue that Cambrian is managing this year, compared to a surplus of about the same amount last year.

Morrissey says it's an historic drop in revenue, $20 million of which is due to the phasing out of its private partner, Hanson College.

The federal government has taken action to end public-private partnerships due to concerns over the quality of education offered to an almost exclusively international student population.

Cambrian's board has passed a budget with a $1.4 million deficit, that will be paid for out of reserve funds.

However, Morrissey is optimistic that the college will weather the financial challenges, primarily thanks to those reserves.

"For the last 10 years, the surpluses that we've been generating, we've been putting away and saving for a rainy day," she told board members.

"We've been able to use some of them to invest back in capital and our infrastructure and our deferred maintenance. We've also been setting aside money for stabilization and for the rainy day and it's starting to rain across the sector."

Morrissey said in total, 22 full-time positions have been cut with the drop in revenue this year, but says no employees will be laid off.

She said some capital projects are still going ahead, including expansion of their dental suite and some classroom upgrades.

The president of OPSEU local 655 representing faculty at the college said there was a lot of effort put into making sure there were no layoffs, but he said next year could be a different story.

Neil Shyminsky said colleges are lobbying hard to find ways to stave off further declines in revenue as international enrolment continues to drop and domestic tuition remains frozen.

"It's a problem that's coming for all of us," he said. "I don't think any college or university is going to escape if if there isn't a major change on the horizon."

Shyminsky said Cambrian is actually in a better financial situation than other colleges, thanks to past surpluses, and only sustaining a small deficit this year, and said the college has done well to avoid layoffs.

He noted that different positions were affected, not just faculty members.

"Cambrian is much better positioned to ride out this storm, at least in the near future than a lot of, if not most, other colleges in the province," he said.