By Meaghan Wray and Katherine Fernandez-Blance, Queen’s Journal, 9 November 2011. For related stories, see:
- Testimonials for Queen’s Fine Arts (November 2011)
- James Bradshaw, “Queen’s University suspends its fine arts program, citing shortage of resources,” Globe & Mail, 10 November;
- “BFA enrolment suspended for 2012-13,” Queen’s News Centre, 10 November;
- CBC News, 11 November;
- Queen’s Journal, 11 November;
- Josh Dehaas, “Queen’s suspends fine arts program,” Macleans on Campus, 11 November 2011;
- Mark Jones, “Cut First, Advise Second,” 11 November 2011;
- CBC, Ontario Morning, 15 November (interview with Mike Bayne at 37:05, especially 40:05);
- Peter Hendra, “Queen’s grad disappointed by suspension of fine arts program,” Kingston Whig Standard, 15 November 2011;
- Kathleen Sellars, “Program must make changes,” Queen’s Journal, 18 November 2011.
- Queen’s Faculty of Fine Arts, “FAQs about the [. . .] Suspension of Admissions to the BFA Program” (21 November 2011)
- Lee Richardson, “Future of visual art at Queen’s in question,” Canadian University Press Newswire, 25 November 2011.
- “Report recommends NSCAD explore collaborations with other PSE institutions,” Academica Group, 14 December 2011.
BFA program won’t accept incoming students next year
The department of Fine Arts announced Wednesday that it won’t accept admissions next year.
Gordon Smith, associate dean of Arts and Science, sent an email to students at around 4 p.m.
“A review of the resources available to the BFA Programme in the immediately foreseeable future indicates that they are not sufficient to sustain the current programme,” he wrote. “Given this assessment the Faculty does not feel it would be responsible to continue to admit students at this time.”
Smith wrote that Fine Art students currently enrolled in the program will be able to complete their degrees without disruption.
“The Dean [of Arts and Science Alistair MacLean] and Associate Dean plan to meet with BFA students in the near future to discuss any concerns or questions that may arise,” he wrote. A current date for this meeting hasn’t been released.
Smith added that there are plans to continue to evaluate the status of the program.
University officials couldn’t be reached for comment on Wednesday night.
Sarah Tompkins, BFA ’13, said she thinks the program has been viewed as expendable, referencing a displacement of students from Ontario Hall to MacGillivray-Brown Hall last year.
“I want to make sure the students who are still here are going to have everything that’s been promised,” she said of the announcement.
See Friday’s issue of the Journal for full story.
Full text of email from Gordon Smith to BFA students:
“A review of the resources available to the BFA Programme in the immediately foreseeable future indicates that they are not sufficient to sustain the current programme. Given this assessment the Faculty does not feel it would be responsible to continue to admit students at this time. Consequently, following consultation with the Provost, the Faculty has decided to suspend admissions to the Programme for the 2012-2013 academic year.
The Faculty is committed to ensuring that students currently enrolled in the BFA Programme will be able to complete their degree with no interruption to their studies. The Dean and Associate Dean plan to meet with BFA students in the near future to discuss any concerns or questions that may arise.
The Faculty will continue to assess the status of the Programme.
––––––— –—
Gordon E. Smith, Ph.D.
Professor, School of Music
Associate Dean, Faculty of Arts and Science
Queen’s University
(613) 533-2448”
Real Academic Planning 