After 104 years as one of Canada’s only women’s universities, London, Ont.’s Brescia University College has announced that it will fully integrate into Western University starting in May.
Following the merger, the school will focus more on providing preparatory programs to assist both domestic and international students in developing their English-language proficiency and cultural foundations before continuing their studies.
“Today’s agreement is about meeting present needs of students, with an eye to the future,” said Lauretta Frederking, president of Brescia in a statement.
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“We are now at a point where women make up the majority of post-secondary learners in Canada and there is an equally important need to adapt to new realities, including the underrepresentation of equity-deserving groups in our post-secondary institutions.”
“This agreement will better position us to enhance educational outcomes for students with the greatest needs,” added Frederking.
Brescia was founded in 1919 to bridge gaps in women’s education at the time. Its founders were the Catholic Ursuline Sisters who expanded education and Catholic institutions across southwestern Ontario.
Brescia University College is a women’s university college with 1,200 women registered as full or part-time students, with programs ranging from behavioural and social sciences, to food and nutritional sciences, to the humanities.
Western will also create a $25 million Brescia Legacy Fund in order to support access to education through scholarships, bursaries and programs.
