BU, ACC pull plug on joint business school plan

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This article was published 07/02/2018 (2781 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Brandon University and Assiniboine Community College have abandoned plans for a joint business school more than two years after the idea was first announced.

Representatives from the university and college confirmed that they would not be pursuing a joint school, while letters exchanged between senior administration officials, that were provided to The Sun, show a decision was made as early as November.

A BU spokesperson said both institutions throughly explored the idea of a joint business school, but, “Ultimately, it was determined that such a project didn’t make sense at this time.”

The spokesperson pointed to the 2014 memorandum of understanding between BU and ACC as a “tremendous success,” as well as projects such as the joint Student Welcome Week and the new joint program in public history as examples of collaboration between the two schools.

BU and ACC also signed an MoU with the City of Brandon nearly two weeks ago.

An ACC spokesperson said it was determined that the timing was not right for a joint school of business.

“In keeping with the needs of the region and the province, Assiniboine is continuing to move forward with initiatives to strengthen business education in Manitoba,” the spokesperson said, adding that the college is a candidate for accreditation with the Accredited Council for Business School & Programs and is seeking a partner to deliver an MBA program in Brandon.

The idea of a joint school of business was announced in November 2015, but encountered opposition from some, namely BU economics department chair Joe Dolecki.

Dolecki said he was pleased that the school would not go forward.

“It was an idea that was not very well thought out and it had, I think, negative implications for both the university and the students of the university,” he said.

Dolecki said both the university and college have value, but serve different purposes for different needs, adding he was concerned about making 2+2 a requirement.

Known as 2+2, students would be required to spend their first two years at ACC and their final two at BU.

While hints at a 2+2 component were circulated in an internal report at BU, leadership from the university and college have denied that this would be part of the plan.

A series of letters provided by ACC show senior administration at the college and university had made their decisions known to each other by the end of November.

In a letter sent to then-BU vice-president academic and provost Steven Robinson, vice-president academic for ACC Deanna Rexe suggested a deadline of Nov. 20 for a decision to be made on a joint business school.

“We believe that two years of public debate is more than reasonable time to come to a decision,” Rexe wrote. “If no progress can be made, it is important to be forthcoming with our various stakeholders about why the idea was not desirable at this time.”

On Nov. 27, Robinson wrote back, saying that for a variety of reasons, it was not in the best interests of the university to pursue a joint school of business, nor would BU be pursuing a joint school venture in the foreseeable future.

In response, Rexe wrote back on Nov. 29, thanking Robinson for his professionalism during the process.

“As we have now exceeded the two-year mark since both institutions announced publicly the desire to explore the issue, and more than 18 months have passed since the pause was requested, I think it is reasonable to conclude that the timing for such an initiative for Brandon University is not right.”

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