Study Group has had its plans for a new “pathways” joint venture scuppered by the University of Windsor’s Faculty Association after a lengthy campaign that convinced university president Alan Wildeman to refuse to sanction the deal.

Private education corporation Study Group had been working on a proposal for the university to outsource an international student program on the Windor campus.

Incoming first-year students would effectively have studied at an “international study centre” managed by Study Group and offering a portfolio of specialized language and academic preparation programs to accelerate admission to second year.

Over the last year, a motion regarding a Study Group contract for the school of business was voted down by Windsor’s senate and other motions covering the faculties of science and arts and social sciences were pulled from the table after the business motion failed. These actions were the result of successful lobbying by faculty association members.

Study Group again was an item on last month’s senate meeting, but two days before the meeting faculty association president Brian E. Brown says he was informed by the university provost and the president that the Study Group motion would be removed from the agenda.

The senate conceded to having the motion removed at the Feb. 11 meeting after Wildeman spent the opening minutes saying he wanted to amend the agenda to remove the reference to Study Group due to the uncertainty around a “range of issues” such as whether it was good for students, how it would affect campus unity and whether it was a good business deal.

“Even if the senate passed this motion, I won’t sign a deal with Study Group, now or ever,” he said.

Administrators started to look into the foreign-student plan two years ago citing a need to boost revenues, Brown says.

“The initiative was academically unsound,” he said. “Study Group’s centre would be based on our campus, but as a means of reducing overhead, unknown staff would be employed by Study Group. Having a relationship with Study Group means the University of Windsor is not providing education, but rather purchasing it at market prices, via hollow education policies.”

Brown also emphasized the efforts of the faculty association executive in defending academic integrity as the Study Group debate heated up. “The plan was fraught with problems and never should have been brought before the senate, he said. “It’s a relief it’s now gone.”

Senators at February’s meeting were called upon to come up with better internal university methods for improving education for international students — methods led by faculty, students and administrators, rather than by private international corporations.