The University of Windsor has proposed to launch a digital journalism program, which St. Clair College president John Strasser worries will lure students away from the college's state-of-the-art mediaplex. He thinks the move may harm the relationship between the two, the Windsor Star reports.

The University of Windsor has proposed to launch a digital journalism program, which St. Clair College president John Strasser worries will lure students away from the college's state-of-the-art mediaplex. He thinks the move may harm the relationship between the two, the Windsor Star reports.

"This is direct competition with what we are doing," Strasser told the Star. "There hasn't been any discussion with [the U of W]. It's completely unacceptable, from my standpoint." He told the Star that the university should have invited the college to participate in the U of W steering committee that will establish the program, pointing out that the college received $5 million in federal funding to build the media school.

The university is "sending a direct message that 'we are going to compete with you and don't need your input and don't care what you think,'" Strasser told the Star.

The Star reports:

"University organizers said the programs are not competitors because the U of W program focuses on academics. Students will work on combined majors, in journalism and English, communications or political science.

The university also says it will teach photojournalism, video and design skills, areas of specialties at the college." The university already has a TV studio and editing suite, and told the Star that 1,700 Ontario students apply to study journalism, but only 560 are accepted each year.