Bow Valley College picks up Disability Studies
One school’s suspended program is another’s new study
Kari Pedersen
Contributor
Students interested in pursuing the disabilities studies program recently cut by Mount Royal University may not be out of luck.
The program – one of many recently suspended by Mount Royal in the spring – is being reinstated at Bow Valley College.
Bow Valley College previously suspended a similar program titled Disability and Community support due to low enrollment.
The program, although not identical to the Disabilities studies program suspended at Mount Royal, will give those students interested in pursuing the diploma an option to do so.
Sharon Carry, president of Bow Valley College, who was unavailable to comment, released a video online stating that “This (program) is something Calgary desperately needs and, as you’re probably aware, has been discontinued at the only other institution that offered it.”
Bow Valley College was left relatively unscathed by the budget cuts. The college suspended no programs and their enrollment will stay the same. Mount Royal University is considered to be one of the schools hit the hardest by new budgets, released in March.
The Disability and Community support diploma is in the early stages of planning and the college is currently recruiting for the program. It has yet to be determined the number of students to be enrolled.
The budget cuts finalized over the course of the last several months saw Mount Royal suspending eight programs, and reduced enrollment in three. So far students looking at a diploma in disabilities studies are the only ones in luck. It is the only one of the eight cut programs to be reinstated elsewhere thus far.
The other programs cut by Mount Royal include Bachelor of Engineering – university transfer, Theatre Arts diploma – performance and technical streams, Diploma in Music Performance – classical and jazz streams, Certificate in Forensics, Certificate in Journalism, Advanced studies in Perinatal and Neonatal Nursing certificate.
Bow Valley College plans to reinstate the program come January 2014. Prospective students looking for more information can visit the Bow Valley College website.
