Domestic student enrolment numbers have increased at Algoma University’s Sault Ste. Marie, Brampton and Timmins campuses for the 2020-21 academic year, though numbers won’t be finalized until the end of the institution’s current registration period.
The Algoma University board of governors discussed enrolment during the COVID-19 pandemic and spoke of future expansion at its first meeting of 2021, held virtually Thursday evening.
In terms of international student applications, it’s a wait and see situation for Algoma.
The university received over 1,100 deposits for the Winter 2021 term, a record number for the school.
However, in light of current travel constraints and the uncertainty of a return date for face-to-face, in-class instruction, many international students have chosen to defer registration to a future term, the board was told.
Because of that, Algoma University is keeping an eye on its spending.
It’s anticipated final enrolment figures will fall below pre-pandemic forecasts.
While Algoma is promoted as a northern Ontario alternative for university applicants, much of the school’s efforts of late have been directed toward its Brampton campus in the hustle and bustle GTA.
Expansion carries on at Algoma’s Brampton campus, thanks to over $7 million in multi-year funding from the City of Brampton. Expansion in Brampton is supporting the School of Computer Science and Technology, School of Business and Economics and development of the Centre for Social, Cultural and Economic Innovation.
Asima Vezina, Algoma University president and vice-chancellor, told the board that preliminary reports show a 60 per cent growth in domestic student applications for Algoma’s Brampton campus.
“This is good news for Algoma. We want to acknowledge the investment in partnerships with PowerEd by Athabasca and Contact North as well as Ross Romano, Minister of Colleges and Universities and NOHFC for their critical support this past year, especially during a period where we had to rapidly transition to high-quality remote learning for all students,” Vezina said.
Meanwhile, a variety of construction projects, made possible through external funding, have started in Sault Ste. Marie and Brampton. The Algoma University Students’ Union (AUSU) has undertaken a $1.7 million renovation to the SpeakEasy student space and cafeteria space, part of Algoma’s 2020 Campus Master Plan for the Sault campus. It is hoped that project will be finished by the time all students are able to return to on-campus studies.
Thursday’s board meeting came after a $1.98 million FedNor funding announcement for Algoma University, made earlier this week.
As reported earlier by SooToday, that funding will support the expansion of Algoma’s School of Computer Science and Technology at the Sault Ste. Marie campus.
It is hoped that expansion will help Algoma reach its goal of having 3,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) students by 2023.