It was a majority vote, as the University of Lethbridge board of governors approved a proposal to increase tuition.
This means all students would have to pay additional 10 dollars per course, while faculty of management students would have an extra 100 dollars added on to each course.
University president Mike Mahon said these market modifiers – which are tuition increases based on the value of a specific degree – are a way for the school to stay competitive with the University of Alberta and the University of Calgary. “We think we provide quite an amazing experience,” he said.
“We allow students to come to a smaller university, to have great experiences with their faculty, to have great in class and out of class experiences. In fact we still provide that at a lower cost than the two larger carrier institutions.”
The Alberta Government still needs to approve the increase before the tuition changes can be applied.
Student Union President Sean Glydon said he is disappointed, but he still plans to fight to the end. “Considering there was such a short timeline to look at it and I really think there are a lot of holes in it still,” he said.
“It is unfortunate to see it pass, but we cannot do anything about it now. We are just going to focus on government, because that’s where it is going next.”
University officials say they want to use the additional funds to attract higher caliber instructors to the school, especially for the Faculty of Management. Once the government makes their decision, the proposal will go back to the board for final approval.
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