BY SCOTT HUNTER HADDOW
A massive surge in applications to Nipissing University's school of business and economics has the institution beaming about its program.
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Admission applications jumped 430 per cent, eclipsing last year's increase of 144 per cent.
"I don't think the double cohort is the total reason for this surge of interest," says Michael Gauthier, community relations manager for Nipissing's school of business and economics. "Because if it were, we would not be leading the university in applicants at a time when the university is leading the province; some other department would be in the lead."
The average increase to business schools in Ontario this year is 82 per cent, says Gauthier, noting the interest is due to many factors.
"I was hired a year and a half ago to increase the number of students in the program," Gauthier says.
The school has built up its community profile by running a stock market program in local high schools and by having faculty members talk in high schools and write articles in newspapers. The school has a reputation for having a solid scholarship entrance program that guarantees students scholarships based on their averages.
"It is beginning to pay off," says Gauthier.
Being a small university also has its advantages.
"I think we appeal to a lot of students because they come from small towns and they look at Nipissing because we offer smaller classes," says Gauthier. "We are in a small community, and for the students it is just like living at home."
The increase means the school can have more faculty and offer more courses.
"A larger number of faculty will allows us to offer a whole gamut of courses at the same time."
The faculty has been working to ensure there is still the small-class approach in the program.
"We sat down and looked at the maximum number of students that we would like in any class and if we get anywhere near that we would split the classes into two groups," says Gauthier. "We are going to try and keep the smaller classes."
The school's flagship program has a revamped look for 2003-04. The bachelor of business administration program has been enhanced with the addition of a marketing stream and a technology management stream to the school's core accounting, economics and human resource streams.
"Marketing has value, and there was a lot of demand for it," says Gauthier. "It involves all kinds of areas in business, and you can only get that knowledge from a true marketing course because it ties a lot of areas together."
The technology management stream was originally a program with Canadore College, but the match never worked out, according to Gauthier.
"We decided we could teach technology management for our students because teaching management is our strength."
Gauthier is convinced Nipissing's business school is top notch.
"I have no hesitation at all saying that it is as good as any other program in Ontario or Canada."
Nipissing has a record of 87 per cent of its graduates who successfully complete their qualifying exams for their professional desigination.
"The norm for these exams is around 60 per cent," says Gauthier. "We have a 98 per cent placement rate in the student's field within six months, and this is excellent for the university."
