Across the Atlantic Ocean, Algonquin students are writing finals as another semester comes to a close.
The Jazan campus in Saudi Arabia opened its door to students in September 2015 and is home to a possible 2000 at capacity.
That may seem somewhat small compared to Algonquin’s 19,000 in fulltime programs alone, but it’s the future of AC Jazan that’s causing the most excitement around their campus.
“I think that there’s quite a great deal to look forward to in the future in terms of acceptance of us as a western culture,” Jazan professor Felix Sulindika said during an impromptu visit to Algonquin. “(The students) also want to be involved in the growth of their school.”
Although over 10,000 kilometres away, there are similarities with Algonquin’s Saudi counterparts when it comes to student life.
“We have soccer tournaments, we have clubs, photography, you name it,” said Silundika.
The progress of Algonquin’s international project hasn’t gone without any controversy, some even stating that the campus goes against the college’s core values.
However, some of the best core values that Algonquin has shown are its investments in the future of education in the form of students at AC Jazan. And to Silundika, the doubters are not a concern.
“For those people who have expressed some reservations about Algonquin being there my answer is I don’t see any better way to engage society but through education,” he said. “We are busy trying to promote our academic values and general values, Canadian values.”