Efforts to save the agricultural college so far unsuccessful
Since the University of Guelph announced it would be closing its Kemptville regional campus, the agricultural community in Eastern Ontario has been looking for a way to save the historic college.
While campus d’Alfred, which was also subject to closure, appears to have been rescued by two neighbouring French-language schools, Kemptville’s fate is far less assured.
If the 97-year-old campus is to remain open, some extraordinary challenges must be overcome. The University of Guelph has argued that “stagnant” enrolment, $15 million in renovation costs, declining research output, and costs per full-time student that are “substantially higher” than those at other campuses combined, make Kemptville’s continued operation unsustainable and a poor use of taxpayer money.
In an interview on CBC Radio One, University of Guelph President Alastair Summerlee implied that a successful intervention to save the campus was rather unlikely.
“There may be things that people could do,” said Summerlee, after being pressed on the question, “but it would be a great expenditure of money when we have been spending time since 1997 trying to make these programs sustainable.”
The University of Guelph took over the operation of the Kemptville and d’Alfred campuses in 1997 – the only two agricultural schools in Eastern Ontario – in an agreement with the provincial government. The U of G says that it has tried to introduce several new revenue-generating programs and attract more students, but to little avail.
Local farmers and alumni, for their part, say they felt the U of G never really wanted the small campus, and have expressed shock and disappointment over the suddenness of the closure.
“I consider this a slap in the face not only for the agricultural community but also rural and small-town Eastern Ontario,” said David Gordon, mayor of North Grenville, the municipality that includes Kemptville.
Residents have formed a committee to explore options to keep the campus open, but one of their more promising strategies has already been thwarted.
Steve Clark, Conservative MPP for Leeds-Grenville, Kemptville’s riding, attempted to petition Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne to impose a two-year moratorium on closing the campus. They hoped this would give the community time enough to find a way to keep the campus open. Though the petition collected more than 6,000 signatures, Wynne has reportedly denied the request.
The premier, who is also the Minister of Agriculture and Food, stressed that the Kemptville courses are not being cancelled, but rather relocated, and added that the University of Guelph is free to prioritize its offerings as an autonomous institution.
Farmers, for their part, are rejecting the notion that agricultural students in Eastern Ontario can simply continue their education at the University of Guelph, and are calling on the minister to “stand up for farmers.”
Locals also argue the campus was a “cornerstone” of their community, and that the future of agriculture in the region is dependant on the skills being taught at that campus.
Nonetheless, the future of the campus now appears dependant on the intervention of a third party.
The government has issued a statement saying it is “reaching out to community leaders, businesses and institutions” about maintaining agricultural programs on the Kemptville campus, but that “no immediate partners have emerged.”
Incidentally, the Program Prioritization Process suggested that Kemptville and Alfred might have to merge but did not suggest a complete closure of both campuses.