Algoma U enrolment down 27 per cent due to international student shortfall

It came as no surprise, but members of the Algoma University board of governors, in their first meeting of the 2020-2021 academic year held Thursday evening, were officially informed that student enrolment numbers are down due to COVID-19.

All of the university's students are studying remotely, Algoma not offering any on-campus instruction at any of its three campuses at this time.

“Total enrolment for the 2020-2021 academic year is anticipated to be approximately 27 per cent lower than the pre-pandemic projection. The majority of the loss can be attributed to a shortfall in international enrolment and is a result of the uncertainty surrounding international travel and border restrictions. The loss in annual revenue (for Algoma University) due to the COVID-19 pandemic is anticipated to be $8.5 million. The uncertainty is anticipated to remain in the Winter 2021 term and beyond,” an Algoma University news release states.

Algoma was able to meet and slightly exceed its overall adjusted enrolment target of 687 full time students for the fall term. 

That figure is lower than last year’s fall enrolment of 848 full time students and well below the pre-COVID projection of 924 full time students for this fall.

Brent Krmpotich, director of enrolment management and international operations, told the board Algoma’s Strategic Enrolment Management (SEM) Committee is working on recruitment and retention strategies to make sure the school’s overall 2020-2021 enrolment projection of 1,739 full time students is met.

Algoma officials worked to make a major investment in online and remote learning technologies, introduce a bursary program for new and returning international students, developed new programming and created a more flexible refund policy.

Undaunted, and looking forward to a post-COVID world, the board approved the Algoma University Campus Master Plan, a blueprint for new buildings, “with the understanding that the plan is a dynamic and flexible document developed to guide direction and decisions in the future.”

It is not yet known, however, when development will begin.

The campus modernization plan has been worked on for the past 16 months by Sault architect David Ellis of David Ellis Architect Inc. and architects Jorge Garcia and Neil Munro of Toronto-based IBI Group.

Garcia, speaking to the board, said the plan “has generated a lot of interest” within Algoma University and the community as a whole.

“More than a plan, this should be (considered as) a living document, something that should be continuously updated, should be revisited, should be flexible enough to be updated if a new opportunity arises, flexible enough to accommodate unforeseeable changes, with no better time than the times we’re living in now to speak to that,” Garcia said.

The plan consists of:

• Phase 1, which will include a new academic building addition, a new science building addition and the Mukqua Waakaa’igan, a cross-cultural research and educational centre on the site of the university’s current E Wing
• Phase 2, including a new Student Services building, and
• Phase 3, a new academic building and parking structure

“This has been an incredible project for our community to participate in. There’ve been hundreds of people sharing their vision, their ideas, their thoughts, helping with the planning,” said Asima Vezina, Algoma University president and vice-chancellor.

“The plan is going to situate the university to get into masters level programming, to become leaders in technology and innovation, to move sciences forward in new and different ways...to celebrate the unique environment, the Great Lakes, the St. Marys River, the boreal forest.”

“I think once we’re done this campus plan there’ll be nothing quite like it in the world,” Vezina said.