Aiming for autonomy

By: Lee Larrett — The Brunswickan

FREDERICTON (CUP) — Community colleges in New Brunswick are on the verge of moving away from government control and into the hands of autonomous boards that will give students a voice in the way they’re run.

The provincial government introduced legislation on Feb. 9 that would create two separate boards of governors to run its English and French community college systems. Like the province’s universities, each board will have to work with five-year strategic plans that must get government approval.

New Brunswick’s are the only remaining government-run community colleges in the country.

Donald Arseneault, the province’s post-secondary education minister, said the legislation was a long time coming.

“This new structure has been talked about for over 20 years . . . It’s about time the community college system in New Brunswick enters the 21st century,” he said.

He called the move to a government-independent system important.

“By having the community college system managed by a board of governors from throughout the regions of the province, you have individuals on those boards that represent the community, and that speaks volumes compared to what it is now when it’s just an arm’s length division of government.”

The revamped boards of governors will see a student representative on each board because, Arseneault said, “from day one . . . my priority is the student.”

Arseneault was appointed to handle the post-secondary education portfolio in November 2008.

This new structure will bring more opportunities to colleges that may not have existed under the previous system by allowing them to “develop new partnerships with other levels of government or try to look at more private sector investment, more opportunities in research and development.”

The first boards will be filled through government appointments, but the minister said that would only be temporary. When they hit full swing, the government and board will each appoint three to six members who will be joined by a voted-in academic staff member, a non-academic staff member and a student representative. Both of the nine-to-15 member boards will be responsible to hire a CEO for the organizations.

Arseneault said that while this system is new to New Brunswick colleges, it aligns them with the province’s universities, making it easier for them to build partnerships — an important step for post-secondary education in the province.

“We’ve come a long way in a year. We see that there’s more that unites the university and colleges than divides us, and we’re working on common themes such as foreign recruitment and course transfers and other initiatives that we feel will be to the benefit of students in New Brunswick,” he said.

The community colleges act was introduced to the New Brunswick legislature on Feb. 9. It will need to pass before the new system can launch, but the Opposition Progressive Conservatives have noted their support for the bill in its efforts to make the college system more efficient. If passed, the new boards could be in place as soon as April.