College council discussed college growth, campus capacity and underfunding while striving to meet excellent academic delivery
College growth, learning disabilities, and maintaining quality course delivery were just a few topics discussed at the latest college council meeting this past Thursday morning at the St. James campus.
The main topic of the day surrounded around college growth – the pros, cons, what it means, and what the priorities are.
Now moving on to the main item on the agenda today: college growth. Mark Nesbitt, VP of Corporate presenting. #collegecouncil
— The Dialog (@DialogGBC) March 19, 2015
Nesbitt says his priorities come from the academic side and align resources from the college. GBC has seen a rapid growth of 43 per cent over the last six years, and is only expecting numbers to increase.
The next three years are projected to see another 11.4% growth in the next three years. bringing it to 25,431 students. #collegecouncil
— The Dialog (@DialogGBC) March 19, 2015
Nesbitt asked the table what the pros and cons of college growth are, and much positive feedback was provided.
Member of registrars office says growth symbolizes success. #collegecouncil
— The Dialog (@DialogGBC) March 19, 2015
Georgia Quartaro says growth is an opportunity to do new things. #collegecouncil
— The Dialog (@DialogGBC) March 19, 2015
“Growth provides wonderful opportunities for employees to work in a vibrant environment,” says Nancy Hood #collegecouncil
— The Dialog (@DialogGBC) March 19, 2015
Although majority of comments made when going around the table were positive, it was pointed out that rapid growth could affect the quality of course material delivery if the proper resources and space are not in place.
Alan Thompson raises space planning and larger classes and classrooms. #collegecouncil
— The Dialog (@DialogGBC) March 19, 2015
If growth is too fast, #GBC reputation and program delivery may be compromised. #collegecouncil
— The Dialog (@DialogGBC) March 19, 2015
Over time, such a thing could lead to a potential compromise of George Brown College (GBC) graduates current positive reputation in the workforce.
A speaker from Health Sciences says a recent audit said they lacked resources and are having trouble finding placements. #collegecouncil
— The Dialog (@DialogGBC) March 19, 2015
A lot of talk and concern about maintaining academic quality assurance and GBC graduate reputation in the workforce. #collegecouncil
— The Dialog (@DialogGBC) March 19, 2015
After the councillors got a chance to speak, Nesbitt closed the topic of college growth with a simple yet important question.
Nesbitt asks who feels @GBCollege is at the limit of growth? About half the room raise their hands. #collegecouncil — The Dialog (@DialogGBC) March 19, 2015
When it came to GBC’s low retention rate, Nancy Hood, vice president of human resources, says she is not sure if there is a connection between college growth and retention rates. However, it was pointed out that the lack of job security of part-time faculty could have a relation to student retention.
“You can’t keep students if you’re having trouble keeping faculty” says a member noting a lot of faculty are part-time. #collegecouncil
— The Dialog (@DialogGBC) March 19, 2015
It is said that the first 6 weeks of a student’s experience is key to retention. #collegecouncil
— The Dialog (@DialogGBC) March 19, 2015
Changes to classes to accommodate growth may affect student experience and retention. #collegecouncil
— The Dialog (@DialogGBC) March 19, 2015
Low retention rates aside, that does not alter the reality that GBC campus’ tend to feel crowded. In fact, there is only one other college in Ontario that feels more crowded than any GBC campus.
Nesbitt says @GBCollege has the second lowest square foot per student, only Humber is more crowded. #collegecouncil
— The Dialog (@DialogGBC) March 19, 2015
Moving on to talk about the low per-student funding by the Ontario government, one of the lowest in Canada, Nesbitt mentions the college system is “underfunded” and trying to fulfill its mission with the resources available. Without the proper funding in place, it can be difficult to deliver the resources that students want to see.
Nesbitt says the expectations of the technology that students expect such as computers and WiFi take a lot of resources. #collegecouncil
— The Dialog (@DialogGBC) March 19, 2015
Looking closer at the heart of GBC, our students, there are currently 2,600 attending with a learning disability, and that only includes those enrolled in daytime courses. Jan Carter, manager of Immigrant Education and Prior Learning Assessment & Recognition (PLAR), raised the point that there needs to be open discussion about reducing the stigma of mental health, Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) complaints need to be heard, and students living with disability have much to gain beyond an attendance record.
Carter says failure isn’t the worst thing possible, it depends on the learning outcomes not the ability to attend class. #collegecouncil — The Dialog (@DialogGBC) March 19, 2015
The discussion finished on a positive note surrounding talk of using innovation as a tool, and that perhaps college growth doesn’t necessarily mean numbers, but instead revolves around enriching the college experience.
“We need to use our students. They think about the world in a different way,” says Jan Carter. #collegecouncil
— The Dialog (@DialogGBC) March 19, 2015
