ST. ANN: The Mabou campus of the Gaelic College is still on schedule to open this September.
Rodney MacDonald, President of the Gaelic College, said the first-year Gaelic Foundations program will be available at Beinn Mhàbu.
“We’re on track for September. We are looking forward to having students on our site for our foundation year program,” the former premier told The Reporter. “Students can move in to the accommodations in September and we’ll have a typical, traditional university school year, September until late April.”
Students will be housed at the newly renovated campus in Mabou, the college said.
“They have the opportunity to live on the site or live off campus. Living on campus, we can host up to 35 students, with dining and classrooms, and newly upgraded accommodations,” noted MacDonald. “Each room will have its own washroom facility, that’s part of the renovation process. We’ll have updated classrooms, as per the renovations. There’ll be a dining facility and a meal plan for students that are attending Beinn Mhàbu. As a student attending Beinn Mhàbu you’ll have access to the fitness room, just down the road at the local arena. We’ll have our small gymnasium, which will also have seating in it so there’ll be a nice there for different speakers, performances, and that sort of thing.”
MacDonald pointed out that Continuing Care Assistant (CCA) and nursing students are already on campus.
“We’re renting space out for that program. That’s been a great success for the Inverary Manor, for Inverness Homecare, Foyer Pere Fiset,” he said.
Currently, MacDonald said the new radio station CBFM, new fibre op, and the Gaelic immersion school are all on site.
As someone who grew up in Mabou, MacDonald said the community is “full of life” and eager to welcome students at the start of the academic year.
“There’s a lot of employment happening for local carpenters and other tradespeople; they’ve gotten a lot of work out of the project as well,” he noted. “There’s new opportunity for seasonal workers for the area, who wish to stay, and other groups as well. There’s going to be new economic opportunities in that regard as well.”
In partnership with Cape Breton University (CBU), MacDonald said the new program meets first year requirements for arts students at CBU.
“A student would enter the first year and be registered both with us and Cape Breton University,” he noted. “The program itself is uniquely designed. It will go towards a Bachelor of Arts, or in Cape Breton University’s case, the BACS program, which is a first year arts program. If they were heading off to another university, those credits would count towards that in the first year.”
Delivered in English, the inter-disciplinary program examines the Gaelic culture from the ancient past to present day, the Gaelic College noted.
“They include courses such as Celtic history, Celtic literature, traditional music and dance, folklore, and there’s a Gaelic course as well. The four courses are done through the medium of English but are very much Gaelic and Celtic related,” noted MacDonald. “The Gaelic language course, that runs from September to April and that could be for a completely new beginner. It’s an exciting program that’s designed in six-week blocks. You get a full credit, six credits in six weeks. The student will have a lot of guest speakers in.”
Kenneth MacKenzie, Vice President of Beinn Mhàbu and Director of Education for the Gaelic College, said this is a “fresh take on post-secondary education, in a rural setting, through a cultural lens,” while developing high level skills. He noted that Beinn Mhàbu is a continuation of the long history of education at the former St. Joseph’s Convent and Renewal Centre, and builds on their relationship with Cape Breton University. He said the new program will provide a framework for future programs.
Plans are to add more programs, MacDonald said, noting they are looking at more Gaelic language courses in coming years.
Noting that they’ve received interest from students in Halifax, Ontario and other parts of the country, MacDonald said they are excited for the opportunities.
“It is our first year so we’re fortunate to have a partner in CBU that has a lot of experience and a lot of success in attracting students. We encourage, especially local students, as well to consider the foundation year for the uniqueness of the program, as much as anything,” he stated. “Foundation year programs are structured in a way that gives the students a broad experience in that first year of university that is quite significant, and being able to do so in a community that’s very much connected to that Celtic history, music, and Gaelic way of life.”
MacDonald added that the campus can help stem the tide of youth outmigration that has plagued the region for decades.
“We’re excited for the community in this as well because for many, many years, like many small communities, we’ve sent students away in September,” he added. “It’s going to be nice to see students coming into the community in September.”