Brescia, Canada’s only women’s university college, will wind down its operations as an affiliated university college beginning May 2024. Both post-secondary institutions “agreed to a strategic integration” through a memorandum of understanding (MOU) by the governing boards.
“Today’s agreement is about meeting the present needs of students, with an eye to the future,” said Lauretta Frederking, president of Brescia. “This agreement will better position us to enhance educational outcomes for students with the greatest needs.”
The “all-girls” university college was founded in 1919 by the Ursuline Sisters, who were “instrumental” in expanding education and Catholic institutions in early 20th-century southwestern Ontario.
With 1,200 registered students, the campus offers a variety of subjects in the Schools of Behavioural and Social Sciences, Food and Nutritional Sciences, and Humanities.
“I am proud of the vibrant and welcoming culture that many students have come to know at Brescia, and believe this proposal will allow our students, faculty and staff to build on that legacy in a manner that is responsive to the changing times,” said Sr. Theresa Mahoney, community leader of the Ursuline Sisters of Chatham.
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“We are now at a point where women make up the majority of post-secondary learners in Canada and there is an equally important need to adapt to new realities, including the underrepresentation of equity-deserving groups in our postsecondary institutions,” Frederking added.
“This agreement will better position us to enhance educational outcomes for students with the greatest needs.”
The president of Western University, Alan Shephard, stressed the “deep historical connection” between both institutions, calling the integration “an opportunity to chart a new path that stays true to those roots.”
“What we are contemplating together aligns beautifully with Western’s strategic plan, including bold innovations in education.”
The integration will involve “several commitments,” including the Brescia Students to complete the remaining duration of their degree.
“Western will assume Brescia’s assets and liabilities and will provide Brescia’s full-time faculty, current contract faculty with sessional appointments, full-time staff and permanent part-time staff with employment offers,” the statement read.
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