Students from rural Alberta wanting to attend university may have a more attractive option in further education than being part of a large city campus.
The University of Alberta has signed a letter of intent to have Augustana University College in Camrose become one of its faculties.
Rod Fraser, president of the U of A, said joining the two institutions would help the Edmonton-based university serve students from rural Alberta.
“One size doesn’t fit all,” said Fraser during the signing ceremony in Camrose. The U of A has 35,000 students and 8,000 staff compared to Augustana’s 1,000 students and 350 staff.
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For students coming from farms and small towns, the thought of attending classes that have more students than the population of their home town can be frightening.
“Some students prefer to take part of their degree in a smaller learning institution,” said Fraser, who thinks it’s possible for Augustana to grow to 2,000 students.
Lyle Oberg, Alberta’s minister of learning, said the proposed merger means a world-class university is going to be in the city of Camrose.
His department saw the merger as an opportunity to offer U of A courses in rural areas, not as a “charity case,” said Oberg.
Augustana has $8.3 million in assets and $5.3 million in bank debt, plus more than $3 million in deferred maintenance.
Representatives of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada, which owns Augustana, voted in June to merge with the U of A because the future of the cash-strapped college was in doubt.
Augustana was established in 1910 by Norwegian pioneers who wanted to carry on the Lutheran faith in a university setting.
Ted Langford, president of Augustana, said he sees the rural college as a first step for students who want to go to the U of A, but also want the benefits of a small campus and small class size.
“It’s an alternative institution for those students who do not adapt well, initially at least, to a big city.”
The next step is finalizing the details of the merger.
The two organizations have to decide how the faculty and staff collective agreements will merge and if Augustana’s proposed budget will be accepted.
Langford is optimistic the transfer will take place by April 1, 2004.
