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Winnipeg Free Press - ONLINE EDITION

So is it OK if I market myself as a doctor?

By: Nick Martin

Posted: 05/15/2009 3:31 PM | Comments: 0 (including replies)

Advanced Education Minister Diane McGifford thinks it isn't a big deal, so who am I to quibble?

Still......

William and Catherine Booth College has launched a marketing campaign calling itself a Christian university college.

Which is all well and good, except.... well, except that it isn't a university college.

Booth is a college, and has not applied to have its provincial incorporating legislation amended to add the word 'university' to its name.

"They're using the term university college solely for the purpose of advertising," McGifford said. "It's not any indication that we recognize them as a university college. That is not their official title."

Oh, OK.

Booth started out as a downtown Winnipeg Bible college. It's heavily involved as a national training and education centre for the Salvation Army, but come September, will offer university degrees in six subjects.

How those degrees stack up against similar degrees offered by the public universities we'll leave to the professionals and the accrediting bodies.

University college is a term used in some provinces to describe private postsecondary institutions which offer a few university programs, but lack the range of programs and resources of public universities, Booth's president told me.

OK, so it's not a university college, but the provincial government is OK with Booth's describing itself as a university college to boost its public profile and its marketing campaign.

McGifford says that's all right, so I guess it must be OK.

I guess.

Nick Martin, Winnipeg Free Press

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