By Nate West
Managing Editor
I didn’t apply to Hilbert College, but given its (hopefully) soon-to-be relationship with St. Bonaventure, I wish I had.
St. Bonaventure and Hilbert College, located in Hamburg, N.Y. about 10 minutes south of Buffalo, are in the middle of a feasibility study being conducted to see whether or not an enhanced partnership between the two institutions would be mutually beneficial.
The study was scheduled to be completed by the December Board of Trustees meeting, but if more time was necessary, the findings were set be presented at the Board of Trustees meeting in March. At the time of print, a representative from Bonaventure had not responded to press requests asking if more time was required.
As Bonaventure students, we can only hope that it does. While I might not be around to reap the benefits of the collaboration, future and potentially some currently enrolled students will have that opportunity.
This seems to be a pretty clear attempt to attract students and help boost enrollment numbers. Sister Margaret wouldn’t disclose any specifics of the partnership when I met with her back in September, but it doesn’t take a Mensa member to see the plentiful upsides.
By working together, both Hilbert and Bona’s will increase the amount of programs offered. Hilbert offers programs Bona’s does not, including criminal justice, forensic science and paralegal studies. Forensic science is number three on a September 2013 U.S. News & World Report story titled “11 Hot College Majors.”
In addition, we would also have another location for classes to be held. Think of it as a quasi-satellite campus. While it’s already used for integrated marketing communication students, it could potentially house more graduate study programs, expanding the number of students in said programs.
It’s no secret Bonaventure is facing declining enrollment numbers, and it’s even less of a secret administration is giving campus a facelift to woo prospective students who may be on the fence about coming to school here. By the start of next year, my class will have witnessed renovations in three of the four residence halls on the east side of campus, a new, state-of-the-art business building, a new boiler installed, a renovated Doyle courtyard and new fitness equipment brought in.
I summon my inner Chandler Bing when I ask, “could they be anymore obvious?”
I applaud and commend the university for being so transparent. Why dance around the problem when you can take action and attempt to solve it?
Hilbert is a fine and upstanding academic institution and a partnership with them would only improve our image at a time when the university could stand to benefit from positive press.
If all goes well, Hilbert and Bonaventure will be enjoying an enhanced partnership shortly.
Who knows, if Bonaventure can add forensic science as a program, maybe the next star of CSI could be a Bonnie.
Nate West is the managing editor for The Bona Venture. His email is westnl11@bonaventure.edu
