April 12, 2023 at 10:19 am
Fanshawe College is working with four other Ontario post-secondary institutions to ensure that military students are not hindered in their studies if the Canadian Armed Forces require them to relocate.
Fanshawe, Lambton, Georgian, Humber and Loyalist colleges signed a memorandum of understanding on Tuesday for a new framework that will allow students with military ties to complete their courses.
Under the new agreement, students currently serving in the Canadian Armed Forces, honorably discharged veterans and their immediate family members who have relocated within the province due to military service, will be able to transfer up to 100 per cent of their course credits to one of the five participating institutions. The College will also streamline the admissions process and share military-related prior learning and assessment recognition practices to support consistency.
Fanshawe College principal Peter Devlin, a former Canadian Army lieutenant general, said he was excited to be part of the partnership.
“This agreement will complement our commitment to provide students with military backgrounds with the accessible academic learning and institutional support they may need to complete their college education,” Devlin said in a statement.
The MOU was led by retired Canadian Armed Forces soldier Darryl Cathcart. Cathcart is also the founder of Release Point Education, an organization that supports military-connected students by providing professional, relevant, and reliable programming.
Additionally, it has been announced that the Ontario university application system will now include a self-identification option, allowing students to disclose their Canadian Armed Forces affiliation. Cathcart is also a champion of this new feature, which has been adopted by all 24 public universities in Ontario.