Update: The University of Guelph points out it does not have any legal "partnership agreement" with Lovely Professional University but have established an "admissions pathway for a small number of qualified LPU students to complete their degree at U of G." The U of G is not receiving any funds from Lovely Professional University. They do have a memorandum of understanding.
*************************
FULL STORY
The University of Guelph has paused talks with private recruitment company Navitas, while at the same time entering into a deal with a private university in India.
The announcement was made at the U of G Senate meeting on Monday, coming as a surprise to some members.
Last year the university began considering a partnership with the private, for-profit company Navitas as a way to bring more international students to the university. It provides three semester pre-university education and pathway programs to universities around the world.
Once a partnership is formed, Navitas essentially sets up a private college associated with the university, with first-year pathway programs to university degrees. They hire their own instructors and develop course outlines based on the learning outcomes of the courses offered at the partner university.
The potential deal sparked controversy, with the presidents of all seven employee groups signing a letter addressed to the Board of Governors in “full opposition to any plan to privatize any portion of the teaching at the University of Guelph through a contract with Navitas or any other for-profit corporation.”
Late last month, the Central Student Association publicly stated its “steadfast opposition to the proposed partnership.”
“Our university is a beacon of academic excellence and social responsibility, and we believe that any partnership with a for-profit entity like Navitas would severely undermine these values,” the statement reads.
Faculty further expressed their concerns at a recent town hall.
International students currently make up about six per cent of the student population at the university. According to associate vice-president (academic) Byron Sheldrick, the hope was that the program would bring an additional 200 students over the next five years, with 30 or 40 in the first cohort, possibly as early as fall 2024.
But the federal government recently announced a temporary cap on international student admissions, resulting in a 35 per cent reduction in new study visas this year across Canada.
“The recent imposed cap on international students has led to many unknowns and we are waiting on further details to assess impact,” Deirdre Healey, the interim associate vice-president of communications and marketing with the University of Guelph.
“In light of this, we have decided to pause further discussion on a potential partnership with Navitas until we have a more accurate picture of what international student recruitment will look like in Ontario,” she said.
U of G Faculty Association president Herb Kunze and vice-president Lezlie Cunningham sent a note to members this morning addressing the pause.
“Although this announcement may be largely in response to the uncertainty generated by government announcements on the international student cap, we hope that the strong opposition from the leadership and membership of the UGFA and other employee groups, as well as from students and student groups, played a prominent role,” the statement reads.
At the same time, the university is entering into a partnership with Lovely Professional University, a private, for-profit university in India launched in 2005 by the Lovely Group, which owns and operates a series of companies including car dealerships and bakeries.
“The University of Guelph is a world-leading institution in agriculture and often works with international institutions to further agricultural research and education,” said Jessamine Luck, stakeholder communications manager with the university.
“In this spirit, the University of Guelph is establishing a new admission pathway where students who have completed two years of a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture at Lovely Professional University (LPU) in Punjab, India, can complete their degree at the University of Guelph provided they meet certain academic qualifications,” she said.
Those qualifications include a minimum cumulative average of 65 per cent, at which point students are eligible to transfer into the Bachelor of Science in Agriculture program at the U of G, receiving 7.50 transfer credits, according to a report in the Feb. 5 meeting agenda.
Luck said the pathway program will start in fall 2025 with an anticipated five to 10 students in the initial cohort.
"This number will slowly grow over time according to program capacity," she said.
“This pathway will benefit University of Guelph students and faculty by bringing new perspectives and insights to agricultural management and represents another way the University of Guelph is serving to advance agriculture education, both in Canada and around the world," Luck said.
The motion was passed by the Senate during the meeting, though it came as a surprise to some members.
“While there are concerns about an arrangement with this private university, unlike Navitas, LPU is at least a degree-granting university that is considered by university ranking systems (e.g. QS, THE),” the notice from Kunze and Cunningham states.
“It is shocking that, while facing strong opposition to their Navitas initiative, the Administration did not think to mention to the UGFA or the University community that there were separate discussions with LPU.”
