News for International Educators across Canada - March 2021

Just when you think an international education trend like Canadian institutions opening satellite campuses is over, a large university announces an overseas expansion. In this issue, we look at Ryerson's surprising decision.

As international education starts to emerge from the pandemic, effective Risk Management will be more important than ever. Be sure to attend our Risk Management in International Education webinar so that you are well-prepared. See below for details.

We've joined with The PIE to promote its TNE and Tech conference from March 22-26. Post-pandemic, leveraging technology in international education will be more important than ever. You can save when you use our discount code to register.

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When Algonquin College closed its money-losing campus in Saudi Arabia in 2016, it appeared to end a dubious chapter in Canadian international education.

There are many challenges with operating overseas – delivering a quality experience similar to what’s offered in Canada, recruiting qualified instructors and enrolling enough students to cover costs.

Algonquin took at $4.3 million loss when it bailed out of a five-year deal just three years into its mandate. It failed to enroll the 2,000 students required to make it profitable. And its expectations did not match with those of the Saudis.

Therefore, it was not surprising that eyebrows were raised when Ryerson University last month announced that it was launching a satellite campus in Cairo, Egypt.

“This exciting partnership with Universities of Canada in Egypt, and new educational model, will make Ryerson’s strong academic programming available to more students as we continue to enhance the international scope of our aspirations and influence,” announced Mohamed Lachemi, Ryerson’s president and vice-chancellor.

Universities of Canada in Egypt is a private-sector organization that currently hosts students attending the University of Prince Edward Island. UPEI’s interest in the campus is perhaps understandable, given the aging population of that province and the dearth of potential domestic students.

It's a little unclear why Ryerson is taking this route. Toronto is a magnet for both domestic and international students. Ryerson’s enrolment is a healthy 36,000 students.

At the Cairo campus, Ryerson plans to offer media production, sports media, fashion and engineering programs. The first cohort will begin classes in September and the university plans to expand its offerings in the future.

Ryerson says it will oversee academic programming, course quality and admission decisions. The campus will deliver the Canadian curriculum and at least half the instructors are expected to be Canadian citizens.

In 2018, Alex Usher of Higher Education Strategy Associates commented on the challenges facing these Canadian overseas campuses: “We never bring our A game and generally assume foreign operations can be run by remote control from somewhere in Ontario.”

Canadian educational institutions must deal with other cultures and varying contractual expectations in different legal systems. It all adds up to a recipe for uncertainty.

Ryerson spokeswoman Jessica Leach did not respond to requests for additional information about the project.

International educators across Canada are invited to join us for this webinar on May 19 about mitigating risks as the world begins to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic. We will discuss how lessons learned in the first year will better prepare us for reopening.

During this 2-hour presentation and 30-minute question and answer session, Presenter Dave Bird will explain what organizations can do to welcome back and keep safe international students, through minimizing risks to students, staff and the institution itself.

The pandemic has accelerated the pace of change in International Education and technology is now more important than ever. Be sure to attend The PIE TNE and Tech conference March 22-26 to learn about:

And much more. Best of all, you save 20 percent when you register and use our promo code: PIELiveDR

Visit the conference website for details and to register. Don't forget to use the code to save!