It’s back to the drawing board for the Queen’s University Bachelor of Fine Art program.
The university has decided to suspend all admissions to the program for the next two years while the school assesses the program’s future.
“Disappointed, but I expected it,” says Claire Dobbie, a fourth-year BFA student.
The program will still run with the students who are currently enrolled, but no new admissions will be accepted.
“There’s a lot of concern over what the two years are going to look like, because we haven’t necessarily been promised resources,” Dobbie says.
“Or a real plan for what we will do with a two-year freeze.”
The fine art program was also suspended in 2011 due to a lack of funding.
This time, there are a number of reasons cited for the suspension of admissions.
Issues with staffing, low enrollment and the general structure of the program have played a part in this decision.
“It’s built in blocks,” says Warren Mabee, associate dean of arts and science at Queen’s.
“That requires the students to enroll in one large class each semester. That makes it difficult for students who want to take internships or exchanges. It makes it difficult for students who are looking to combine their program with other programs on campus.”
The university says the change will be implemented this fall, so there won’t be any new students in the program next term.
This leaves many things up in the air, including the issue of staffing for the fine art program.
“We’re not sure if there’s going to be new faculty — no hiring is happening at current times,” Dobbie says.
“Without new students, it’s pretty hard to justify paying for new faculty. So we’ll see how that plays out for them.”
After the two years are up, Queen’s will make the decision on whether to resume the program.
The students who are currently enrolled will be able to finish it out and get their degree as of right now.
But the future of the visual fine art program is uncertain, leaving students wondering if it will ever come back.
Comments