**NORTHERN COLLEGE MEDIA RELEASE**

Northern College’s Board of Governors recently approved its 2018-2019 Business Plan with a forecast surplus budget.

 

The 2018-19 Business Plan provides the essential elements of challenge and opportunity to see Northern College and the communities it serves continue to transform. This year’s Business Plan represents the third plan developed from the 2016-2020 Strategic Plan. Although the four strategic directions remain in place to guide Northern College’s overall activity, Northern has introduced nine broad objectives under which the various initiatives are aligned.

 

Population demographics, which have reduced elementary and secondary school enrolment for the past number of years, continue to impact college and university enrolments throughout the province directly. This trend is most acute in Northern Ontario, given the historically smaller population base, outmigration of population to other parts of the province and lower post-secondary participation rates, generally.

 

The forecasted decline in post-secondary direct enrolment in Ontario, those students coming directly from high school, continues to drive Northern College to recruit additional students from new markets outside the traditional geographic catchment area, with the goal of increasing overall enrolment. The College is also striving to find new revenue streams and alternative ways to secure a sustainable future in these competitive times.

 

“These are some of our realities and one can either choose to look at this pessimistically or simply as a redefined context for the pursuit of new opportunities,” said college President and CEO, Dr. Fred Gibbons. “The new Business Plan, I believe, has chosen the latter view and sets forth an ambitious series of initiatives to be accomplished over the next year. Northern College remains rooted in its belief ‘your college, your community’ and strives to effect a dynamic learning environment for the benefit of our students, and ultimately, for the benefit of our communities.”

 

The 2018-2019 Business Plan is available in its entirety on the Northern College website at northernc.on.ca/documents-and-reports.