EDITORIAL PAGE — A school for the future

About three years ago the future of Haileybury School of Mines was in doubt. With limited enrolment, bruised morale following a bitter strike and dwindling resources, it looked as if the institution were to fold shortly.

Today, on the eve of its 80th anniversary, it may be overstating things to say Haileybury is flourishing, but it certainly has recovered remarkably. Enrolment, which had fallen to 60 in 1988, reached 260 in 1991 — the school’s capacity.

Its recovery came about despite some significant factors working against it. Funding for institutes such as Haileybury is based on enrolment from two years previous. For schools in a declining mode, that works out well, but for those in a growth mode it wreaks havoc with budgeting.

What’s more, the provincial government in Ontario chose to let other colleges offer mining courses, thus diluting the pool of students available to Haileybury.

But the school managed to sustain its growth, partly because it responded to the industry’s needs. For example, it has started to change over to a “co-op” system where students alternate 4-month periods working at a mine and attending classes. Some of the larger mining operations shut down during the summer, so using that time for classroom study is more appropriate than trying to place students in mining-related jobs.

Also, much of the growth came from broadening its curriculum to include business and office management diplomas. The transition was slow and painful, but necessary to maintain the viability of the campus. Even so, Haileybury is still firmly a mining school with half the students studying for careers in the industry.

Haileybury’s ability to survive difficult times indicates just how vital this institution is. There are eight Canadian universities that can grant mining-related degrees, and there are several other colleges and schools that provide specific training for mining-related occupations.

Haileybury, however, is unique in the broad, practical education it provides in engineering, geology and metallurgy. Graduates are generalists, not specialists. They understand how different disciplines work together and, therefore, are in demand as front-line supervisors for large companies as well as for more responsible positions among small and medium-sized companies.

Haileybury is something of a national treasure, known in mining circles around the world for its alumnae’s success. But because education is a provincial jurisdiction, the chance of creating a national mining school at Haileybury is slim.

Yet this may be a prime example of how the country could build on its mining expertise. If provinces could rise above their parochial turf wars and pool resources to create a single national mining school, it would enhance the country’s mining reputation, add one more dimension to the mining expertise Canada has to offer and generally strengthen our competitive position among nations.

Students from countries around the world already consider Canada one of the best places for a mining-related education. Haileybury itself has long-standing relationships with many developing nations which send students for the broad education their emerging mining industry needs.

Consolidating that strength and “exporting” that knowledge are a natural for Canada. There is no better institution to perform such a role than Haileybury.