GBC’s board of governors met for the first time this school year

GBC President Anne Sado

On Oct. 8 the George Brown College’s (GBC) board of governors met for the first time of the academic year.
Anne Sado, president of GBC, mentioned that the college would be looking at the registered practical nursing program, which she said students find tough, but gives them the knowledge they need when entering placement.

“Our graduates are highly sought after,” said Sado.

Laura Jo Gunter, vice-president of academic, presented the results on GBC’s program areas of strength in her presentation of the Strategic Mandate Agreement (SMA).

In regards to specific areas of focus for the next three years, certain programs such as nursing “didn’t need to be protected,” according to Gunter, who emphasised that its program placements are already “filled to capacity.”

Gunter said GBC had the “highest domestic enrolment growth in the GTA (Greater Toronto Area),”

“In the province,” interjected Sue Herbert, who is new on the board this year, and was recently a special advisor for the Ministry of Training Colleges and Universities for the SMAs at Ontario colleges.

An overview of GTA’s main colleges: Sheridan, Centennial, Humber and Seneca, allowed for an overall comparison of the results.

The presentation by Gunter included retention rates, which is a priority for the college in the next three years. GBC has one of the lowest retention rates in the GTA for students transitioning from their first to second year of college.

Currently there is no way to track students who transfer between post-secondary institutions.

“There are some issues that don’t allow allow us to track students,” said Sado.

Students are tracked from elementary to the end of high school, but once they enter college there’s no way for institutions to know where students go once they leave the college.

“All we can do right now is compare on a relative basis,” said Sado.