St. Lawrence College unveils plans for Brockville, Cornwall ‘learning centres’ amid ongoing challenges

This story has been updated on Wednesday, March 5 to include a statement from SCL on the difference between “learning centres” and campuses.

St. Lawrence College (SLC) has released more information regarding the future of its campuses in Brockville and Cornwall.

As previously reported by Brockvilleist, the two sites will now be referred to as “learning centres.” On Monday, March 3, the college’s president and CEO, Glenn Vollebregt, offered a more detailed look at what, exactly this means.

The college has undergone significant changes in recent months as a result of federal immigration policy changes reducing international students’ access to study in Ontario. Program offerings have been reduced, and teams have been restructured.

Vollebregt said in a media release that the situation has been “exacerbated by a provincial funding and tuition model for post-secondary education that has left us underfunded for close to a decade.”

SLC is now facing a $25 million deficit for the upcoming year caused by a sharp drop in enrolment. One year ago, SLC ‘s student body hosted just over 50 per cent international students. Projected fall enrolment for this year is just over 20 per cent.

“For fall 2024, just over 2,500 international students were enroled at SLC’s main campuses in Kingston, Brockville, and Cornwall, a reduction of approximately 1,000 students compared to the prior year,” Vollebregt told Brockvilleist last month. “When you consider that SLC’s affiliate partner Alpha College is winding down as a result of mandated government policy, SLC has experienced a further reduction of another 1,000 international students overall.”

In Monday’s release, the president and CEO said: “Repositioning our Brockville and Cornwall locations as learning centres is part of how SLC is adapting to this new reality.” He added, however, that many things about these locations will remain the same.

“Most notably, the fact we are not going anywhere – we are not leaving the communities that we serve. My commitment through these changes is to preserve our presence throughout Eastern Ontario. That means providing learning, living, study, and social spaces for our students in Brockville and Cornwall.” 

What’s the difference between a “learning centre” and a campus? Brockvilleist reached out to SLC and was told by Vollebregt that “the learning centre concept is not fully realized at this stage.” He said that these sites “will be vibrant spaces where students go to classes, labs, and engage in student life and social activities, and that the college will be “working with our communities, internal and external, to define how SLC in Brockville and Cornwall will operate differently than in the past.”  

In the March 3 media release, Vollebregt also provided the following outline of “some of what is staying” the same at SLC’s learning centres:  

• Each SLC location will continue to have an on-site campus health centre.  
• We will continue to have on-campus residences. 
• Each SLC location will feature food services and gathering spaces – including catering, dining areas, vending machines, cafés, and/or pop-up food vendors. 
• In-person program delivery will continue in the learning spaces and labs on each campus. As work progresses on other initiatives (i.e., digital transformation), we hope to update those spaces accordingly in time.   
• Tech-enabled, accessible individual and shared study areas, and dedicated quiet study zones and spaces will be preserved and increased in time as we know this is a priority for our students.   
• SLC locations will continue to include office space for staff and faculty, and flexible workspaces employees can book as needed. Additionally, college facilities remain available for external groups to book. 
• Our commitment to providing an environment where everyone can learn, work, and enjoy themselves safely remains – security and SLC’s health and safety committees and team will continue their good work.  

The following services will shift in terms of delivery method or process: 

• Some functions and resources like accessing certain library materials, student career and accessibility services, bookstore products, information from the Registrar’s Office, and academic support services will be modernized to provide service via multiple channels which could be in-person and/or virtually.  
• Library spaces will be reimagined to optimize and increase the quiet spaces students need, and more materials will be accessed digitally in keeping with the convenience and flexibility it grants students. 

Vollebregt clarified some details for Brockvilleist on some of these measures, including when, exactly, these changes will take place. He explained that the changes will be gradual. “Students beginning programs with us in the fall of this year will be the first to experience the new model of resource and service delivery as they embark on their academic journey with us,” the president and CEO said.

When asked if these changes mean the learning centres will no longer have libraries, Vollebregt said:

“The existing library spaces will be changing as unused resources are removed, and students will access the same high quality library materials and resources in new ways. Aspects of the libraries that we know are high value for our students, like quiet study space, digital resources and materials, technology (printing, computer terminals) stations, and more will remain the same.”

He also confirmed that the sites will continue to offer full degree programs.  

“Both Brockville and Cornwall will still offer the four-year Bachelor of Science Nursing program in addition to other programs that graduate students who help fill labour market needs in Eastern Ontario…Our goal is to increase our program offerings, mapping new programs to labour market needs.”  

Vollebregt said he encourages community members to embrace that SLC is evolving.

“We are re-writing how post-secondary education looks across our three locations and we will be leveraging innovative tools, modern platforms, and new opportunities to support our students where, how, and when they need to be supported.”

The president and CEO says he remains hopeful that the Ontario government will see these efforts as a demonstration of SLC’s adaptability and commitment to supporting regional economic growth.

“I am optimistic that they will join us in evolving our funding and tuition model so that we can continue to meet the needs of Ontario’s labour market and drive economic growth.” 

He noted that the communities will be invited to contribute to how this evolution takes shape. Information on engagement opportunities will be shared “shortly,” Vollebregt said. 

“SLC has attracted students to learn, live, and work in Eastern Ontario while serving the needs of industry and our shared communities for 60 years. We intend to do what is necessary – with the help of our communities – to continue doing so for another 60 years.”