For immediate release
Community groups respond to University of Alberta’s
announcement by offering 15 full scholarships
for college-level programs in French
EDMONTON, MAY 23, 2013 - A Consortium of 14 community organizations, including Canadian
Parents for French, announced the details of a recruitment campaign like no other – a
campaign to recruit and fund 15 students to the new Business Administration program,
scheduled to start in September 2013 at the Centre collégial de l’Alberta, which operates under
the auspices of the University of Alberta’s Campus Saint-Jean.
On April 30, the University announced through an online blog that that it was suspending
registrations to the program. It wasn’t until 17 days later that the Acting Provost of the
University of Alberta offered a more detailed explanation for the suspension, that as a result of
a lack of interest, the program’s academic integrity was not going to meet the standards of the
University.
This explanation from the University shows an unwillingness to implement the Centre collégial
de l’Alberta. The Consortium denounces the University of Alberta for not consulting with the
community prior to making this drastic decision. So, the initiative announced today is intended
as a demonstration of the powerful impact that the Francophone community can have when it
is a true partner of the University in offering French-language postsecondary education in
French.
Today we are announcing three goals. First, the launch of a petition to gather 1,000 signatures
from concerned citizens; an objective that was surpassed in one week with over 1,150
signatures from Francophones and Anglophones from Alberta and beyond:
http://www.petitions24.net/proteger_le_centre_collegial_de_lalberta.
The second goal is to recruit 15 prospective students for the Business Administration program.
This would easily surpass the threshold for a feasible first intake of students for an inaugural
program.
The third goal is to raise $42,000 to offer full scholarships to the first 15 successful applicants if
the University overturns their decision to suspend the Business Administration program and
students are allowed attend classes in September 2013. This funding will be secured from the
contributions of community groups and generous individuals through a Crowd-funding initiative.
To date, $22,800 has been committed for scholarships, 54% of the overall objective.
To support the student recruitment campaign, the Consortium has set-up the following tools:
 A toll free Hot line: 1-855-830-6313
 A website: www.CentreCollegialAlberta.com

A secured crowd-funding website to raise funds for the scholarships:
https://fundo.ca/en/projects/97
The Consortium will also work with Francophone high schools and French immersion high
schools to promote the program, distributing pamphlets and hosting information sessions.
Interested candidates should contact the Consortium as soon as possible to fill out an
application as the scholarships will be offered on a first come first served basis to qualified
applicants.
The organizations that make up the Consortium include:
 Le Conseil de développement
 Regroupement artistique francophone
économique de l'Alberta
de l'Alberta
 L'Association canadienne-française de
 L’association des entreprises du Quartier
l'Alberta (ACFA)
Francophone
 Canadian Parents for French (CPF)
 La société d'éducation de l'Alberta
(EDUK)
 La Coalition des femmes de l'Alberta
 Réseau santé albertain
 accès•emploi
 Francophonie jeunesse de l'Alberta
 Fédération des parents francophones de
l'Alberta
(FJA)
 Institut Guy-Lacombe de la famille
 Centre d'accueil et d'établissement du
Nord de l'Alberta
 Conseil scolaire Centre-Est
- 30 For additional information, please contact:
Marc S. Tremblay,
President and CEO
Conseil de développement économique de l’Alberta
780-414-6125, ext. 101; cell : 780-915-9868
Denis Perreaux
Executive Director,
Association canadienne-française de l’Alberta
780-466-1680, ext. 204
Michael Tryon
Executive Director
Canadian Parents for French
780-433-7311