By ALLISSA KLINE
akline@bizjournals.com | 716-541-1612

A rising demand for advanced educational leadership skills is pushing Niagara University to expand its Ontario Teacher's College program.

The private Vincentian university in Lewiston has opened two more satellites sites across the border in Hanover and Dublin, Ont., a pair of towns located more than two hours west of Toronto. Niagara now operates eight total sites in the province, in Toronto and surrounding regions.

While overall demand for teachers is down in Ontario - just as it is in many parts of the U.S., including Western New York - there are shortage areas and many districts that want to plan for future retirements, said Debra Colley, dean of Niagara's College of Education. Some of the university's Canadian alumni, who now run schools and districts in Ontario, want their colleagues or employees to learn the same leadership skills in primary and secondary education to advance their own careers, she said.

"We sit right on the border and we've really made it our mission to be bi-national," Colley said. "This is really part of the Niagara legacy in Ontario. We've been there for a long time ... and we've been able to capture some alums and do some really exciting things."

Niagara first received consent from the Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities in 1984 to offer, within the province, a master's degree in educational administration and supervision that trains teachers to become school leaders. In 2006, the university added another degree in the province - a Bachelor of Professional Studies degree in teacher education, which prepares individuals for careers as elementary and high school teachers.

Today, between 40 and 45 new students enroll annually in the part-time master's program, while approximately 185 students enroll in the full-time bachelor's program, Colley said. Six of the university's eight sites in Ontario offer the master's program. Both programs are based in actual schools, giving students first-hand access and experience.

Now that the two new sites are opened, the university plans to focus on renewing accreditation for the bachelor's program before moving onto a new, five-year long-range plan, Colley said. There's been discussion about expanding the university's partnerships in Ontario and adding new programs that would provide additional qualifications for teachers, to set them apart in an over-supplied field.

"Once people get the initial qualifications as teachers, they want to specialize," Colley said. "So that's really our main effort. We have to get them approved one by one and then develop a curriculum for additional areas."

The university is already piloting a program this summer for teachers who want to learn to teach English to non-native speakers, Colley said. It hopes to enroll about 20 students in the fall.