Faculty association president Brian Brown said Study Group’s program was academically unsound.
The University of Windsor has withdrawn plans, for now, to explore a bid by private education corporation Study Group aimed at establishing a for-profit college on campus.
Faculty and students packed the university’s senate chambers last month to voice their opinions on the so-called “pathways program” for international students, but didn’t get a chance to speak.
Three motions involving the university’s faculties of science and arts and social sciences were pulled from the table by the university, without explanation, and before debate could begin.
Another motion involving the school of business had already been voted down by senate after exhaustive debate at an earlier meeting in February.
“I’m satisfied with the outcome,” said Brian Brown, president of the university’s faculty association. “I think the administration now understands the need for a better consultation process with the affected departments.”
He characterized the proposed program for incoming first-year students as “academically unsound,” and said faculty opposed Study Group’s intended outsourcing of teaching jobs.
Windsor’s associate vice-president of academic affairs Bruce Tucker admitted administrators “learned a lot” from reaction to the proposal. He promised more thorough consultation with stakeholders before tabling the item a second time, but declined to comment on when that would happen.
“It’s not something you can force on a campus,” he said.
The outcome is a defeat for SG in its attempt to establish a foothold in Canada alongside competitor Navitas, which runs private colleges at two other Canadian universities.