Algoma University is planning to offer more educational opportunities in the Timmins area
Going away to university in a new city is a rite of passage for many students. But some university officials say times are changing and they must do the same.
Sault Ste. Marie's Algoma University is developing a plan to reach more students in the Timmins area.
“We’ve learned a lot through COVID. I think that’s what’s really resonating with me that there are things we can do that we probably didn’t think we could do a year ago," said Asima Vezina, president of Algoma University.
"I think if we’re innovative and if we’re meeting the needs of community then I think the sky’s the limit.”
Algoma teamed up with Northern College more than ten years ago to run some programs out of its Timmins campus and also allow qualifying college students to take some university courses.
Now, Algoma is ready to expand and meetings with potential partners throughout the northeast have already begun.
“This is not going to be 'hey let’s put a building here and run a university', said Paul Toffanello, the principal of Toffanello Consultant Services, working with Algoma University.
"This is gonna be ‘let’s partner with Northern College, let’s partner with business and industry, let’s partner with the Timmins Chamber of Commerce, with the EDC; let’s look at ways that the whole community invests in this and the opportunities that they can create.’”
Both Toffanello and Vezina have lived and worked in Timmins an its surrounding area in past years and feel it's not only a good time, it's a crucial time to offer more educational opportunities to the region.
“Every industry and organization within the Timmins area and their outside communities have people that are looking to gain further qualification," said Toffanello.
"Well, rather than sending them somewhere or going through a university well outside their reach, you know what, it’ll be offered right here.”
“Our goal is to really service this area of the province and we know that in the northeast region our university graduate statistics are way below the rest of the province," added Vezina.
She and Toffanello say so far feedback has been good and they're working with stakeholders to develop a strategic plan that will carry Algoma through to the next five years. They say it will be presented to interested communities within the next few months.
Beyond the social work, computer science, and community development programs, it's already offering through Northern College; it's now also adding business programming such as: accounting and human resources. Algoma is also considering offering master's level programs and sees a need for leadership development, addictions, and mental health courses.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Outdated cancer screening guidelines jeopardizing early detection, doctors say
A group of doctors say Canadian cancer screening guidelines set by a national task force are out-of-date and putting people at risk because their cancers aren't detected early enough.
Lululemon unveils first summer kit for Canada's Olympic and Paralympic teams
Lululemon says it is combining function and fashion in its first-ever summer kit for Canada's Olympians and Paralympians.
'I just started crying': Blue Jays player signs jersey for man in hospital
An Ontario woman says she never expected to be gifted a Blue Jays jersey for her ailing husband when she sat alone at the team’s home opener next to a couple of kind strangers.
Mussolini's wartime bunker opens to the public in Rome
After its last closure in 2021, it has now reopened for guided tours of the air raid shelter and the bunker. The complex now includes a multimedia exhibition about Rome during World War II, air raid systems for civilians, and the series of 51 Allied bombings that pummeled the city between July 1943 and May 1944.
LIVE @ 4 EDT Freeland to present 2024 federal budget, promising billions in new spending
Canadians will learn Tuesday the entirety of the federal Liberal government's new spending plans, and how they intend to pay for them, when Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland tables the 2024 federal budget.
B.C. woman facing steep medical bills, uncertain future after Thailand crash
The family of a Victoria, B.C., woman who was seriously injured in an accident in Thailand is pleading for help as medical bills pile up.
Step inside 'The Brain': Northern education tool aims to promote drug safety
An immersive experience inside a massive dome coined 'The Brain' is helping youth learn about brain function and addiction
WATCH Half of Canadians living paycheque-to-paycheque: Equifax
As Canadians deal with a crushing housing shortage, high rental prices and inflationary price pressures, now Equifax Canada is warning that Canadian consumers are increasingly under stress"from the surging cost of living.
Ontario woman charged almost $7,000 for 20-minute taxi ride abroad
An Ontario woman was shocked to find she’d been charged nearly $7,000 after unknowingly using an unauthorized taxi company while on vacation in January.