Sault College, Laurentian University agree... two plus two is four

A new option has been announced for Sault College business students.

A new agreement, signed by Sault College and Sudbury’s Laurentian University officials Wednesday morning, will allow Sault College business students, upon earning a two-year business diploma from the college, to go on to Laurentian and complete two additional years of study and add a university business degree to their credentials.

Their two years of business studies at Sault College will count as two years of credit toward the Laurentian business degree, those students being allowed to go straight into the third year of Laurentian’s four-year Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) degree program.

“Twenty-four hours ago I was looking at a post grad program to take after I graduate this year, and today I found out I have an opportunity to get a university degree in two years,” said an enthusiastic Adelchi Fenos, a Sault native and second year Sault College business student, speaking to SooToday.

“It’s almost surreal. I would regret passing up an opportunity like this,” said Fenos, who said he’s going for it and wants to concentrate on marketing at Laurentian.

“Being a Sault native, going to Sudbury is really not that out of the way. I visited the university last year and I was very impressed,” Fenos said.

The Sault College/Laurentian University agreement, billed as the '2 plus 2 agreement', is in effect immediately for any Sault College student currently in the college’s business studies stream, as well as for those who have already graduated from Sault College’s business studies, said Colin Kirkwood, Sault College vice president, academics and research.

Students interested in applying for the Laurentian University program must successfully complete two years of Sault College business studies with a minimum grade point average of ‘C plus.’   

Kirkwood signed the agreement with Stephen Havlovic, Laurentian’s Dean of Faculty Management.

Havlovic was on hand with Chris Mercer, Laurentian associate vice president of enrolment management, student life and international affairs, who urged students to enrol in the program as soon as possible to encourage a seamless transition from Sault College to Laurentian University.

“Today is part of the continuing effort to grow the school of business at Sault College,” Kirkwood told a group of the college’s business students gathered in a classroom in the school’s Essar Hall.

Those efforts began in earnest in 2013, Kirkwood said.

Havlovic told students they will also have the opportunity to study some (but not all) third and fourth year Laurentian business studies online if they prefer, the BBA also available in French language instruction (on campus only, not online).

On Laurentian’s campus, specialized business streams such as accounting, finance, operations management, marketing, human resources management, international business and entrepreneurship are available, the marketing option available on both campus and online, Havlovic said. 

Study abroad options and internships (which can be done in the Sault) are also available for the program’s students, Havlovic added.

Meetings are coming up with the Sault’s own Algoma University about “pathways into a whole variety of programs, business being one of them…this (agreement with Laurentian) happened a little faster. We’re perfectly willing and happy to work with Algoma,” said Kirkwood, speaking to SooToday.

“We would be very welcoming as well to reach this type of agreement with Algoma University,” said David Orazietti, Sault College Dean of Aviation, Trades and Technology, Natural Environment and Business.

“The faculty and management at Laurentian are very pleased with this opportunity… for (Sault College) students to have the opportunity to expand their careers, and for us to be a part of it, we’re glad about,” Havlovic told SooToday.