Bouzi: It makes no sense to shut Algonquin College’s Hairstyling and Esthetics programs

This skilled-trades instruction has a waitlist, and it employs and trains women. It is not dependent on foreign students. In short, it fits the mandate of a community college exactly.

Published May 22, 2024 • Last updated 54 minutes ago • 3 minute read

A final decision on Algonquin College’s hairstyling program will be made in early June. Photo by Tony Caldwell /Postmedia

In a one-sentence email from the dean, employees of Algonquin College’s Hairstyling and Esthetics programs were informed recently that the suspension of their programs was being recommended to the Board of Governors. Should the board vote in favour of these program closures at its June 3 meeting, it will mean a devastating end of an era at the college. These waitlisted, female-dominated programs represent trades that bring immense value to our community. They would be cut for no reason other than poor management.

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Ontario public community colleges were founded in the mid-1960s on the principle of embracing total education. They are mandated to provide accessible education and opportunities to students whose needs are not met by universities and to support the local community’s economy. The hairstyling and esthetics programs are trade-based areas of study that directly fulfil this mandate.

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When pressed for a rationale, administrators told employees that it boiled down to money. The programs, they say, run a deficit. The bigger question, then, is how exactly programs that provide job opportunities for graduates and that are in such demand that they are waitlisted semester after semester run at a financial loss? Common sense tells us that this is an indicator of poor management.

Unlike most Algonquin programs, the hairstyling and esthetics programs can generate revenue through the salon, an on-campus enterprise. Under the supervision of their instructors, students perform salon services to the public, at costs below market prices. If managed well, this facility provides an opportunity for hands-on and applied learning for students — the true polytechnic experience and why many choose a college education — and services the needs of the community by providing accessibly priced wellness services. Think of the person who is re-entering the job market wanting to look and feel their best for an interview, or the elderly pensioner who comes to the college salon for affordable self-care and company.

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Community colleges are not businesses: they are publicly funded institutions of learning that serve the public good. Since the 1970s, versions of the hairstyling and esthetics programs at Algonquin College have been doing exactly that: providing excellent public education and low-cost services to the community.

When decisions in an education setting are made purely for financial reasons, they are often the wrong ones. Remember Algonquin’s failed venture in Saudi Arabia, when it opened a men-only campus that was supposed to lead to millions in revenue. That operation generated significant losses and a stain on the college’s name.

Cancelling the hairstyling and esthetics programs will result in job loss, including six full-time teaching positions, all held by women. Algonquin has for years talked about the importance of women in the trades, yet is contemplating cutting trades programs where both teacher and student are predominantly women. If passed, the board’s vote will disproportionately negatively impact women in our community which would be a discriminatory decision that takes the college a step back on its journey toward more gender equality.

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This decision is further misguided by failing to meaningfully consider that most students enrolled in these programs are domestic. The recent government-imposed cap on study permits for international students will be insignificant to these programs.

To distil the issue: college administrators must do a better job of managing programs. At Algonquin, for every seven full-time faculty, there is one full-time administrator in the academic area, earning a salary well above that of most college workers. Some full-time administrators also hold positions outside of the college. It might be more prudent for Algonquin to have administrators focus all their professional energy on the programs in their portfolio.

My hope is that the Board of Governors at the largest public college in Eastern Ontario will come to its senses and reject the recommendation to suspend these programs. Doing so would send administrators a clear message to find a way to make these programs viable and continue to serve the needs of the community.

Annette Carla Bouzi is a professor in the School of Business and Hospitality at Algonquin College and president of OPSEU/SEFPO Local 415, the faculty union representing approximately 1,000 members at the college. The views expressed here are entirely hers.

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