Aurora College cuts two programs, raises tuition
Students told to look elsewhere for social work or education studies
Jessica Davey-Quantick
Northern News Services
Saturday, February 4, 2017
NORTHWEST TERRITORIES
Two programs have been cut from Aurora College and tuition is going to increase across the board after the GNWT cut funding, said a college official.
Aurora College president Jane Arychuk. - NNSL file photo
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The social work diploma and bachelor of education degree programs are both on the chopping block, effective immediately.
"The new intakes for the bachelor of education and social work programs are going to cease immediately. So next year we will not take any students into those programs," said president Jane Arychuk.
Current students will be able to complete their studies, she said.
Budget cuts from the GNWT are the reason for the cancellations, she said.
Tuition will also rise, to make up for "other reductions that were brought forward," said Arychuk.
It will increase $300 for the next two years, bringing the total for 2017 to $1,500, and 2018 to $1,800.
"This still keeps it under the maximum of $2,400 that student financial assistance will provide to our students," said Arychuk, who said she doesn't anticipate a decline in enrollment in response to the increased cost, as many students are funded.
"We're committed to working with all our students," said Arychuk.
The bachelor of education program will continue for three years, ending in June 2020, with the social work program continuing for another two academic years, to allow students to complete their degrees.
"That was something was very important to us, to make sure that students who are presently in the program are not effected," said Arychuk, adding that the school will also be reaching out to students who have partially completed one of the programs before dropping out, to give them the opportunity to complete their studies as well.
"The students who would be impacted are students who might have been looking to get into those two programs in the future, but there is time for them to plan and look at other post secondary institutions."
"We don't have that many students entering the program, our enrollments are down and completion rates from the program are down," said Arychuk.
This year, 14 students began the bachelor of education degree, while 17 entered the social work program.
Arychuk said while those numbers are higher than previous years, Aurora College still doesn't see enough students completing the programs to justify keeping them running.
There are just seven students enrolled in the second year of the education program.
