The province said the letters would be confidential, but following public release by the University of Alberta, all 26 drafts of post-secondary expectations were released.
What it means for the University of Lethbridge is a $12-million cut in funding. The school’s president says everything is up for discussion.
“By everything, I mean all elements of the University budget are under consideration,” said Mike Mahon, who couldn’t say there won’t be programming cuts. “It’s too large of a budget cut not to put everything on the table.”
The shortfall was delivered in this month’s provincial budget after the U of L only expected a $2-million decrease.
Other responsibilities outlined in the letter include maintaining access and affordability of education, which is something students are relieved to hear.
“We were worried about tuition increases and fee increases,” said Armin Escher, president of the U of L Students Union. “The government says that’s not happening, at least this year, so we’re happy with the affordability piece.”
Now it’s up to institutions to respond by April 11.
“That’s what I’m throwing on the table,” Thomas Lukaszuk, Minister of Enterprise & Advanced Education said on Monday in Edmonton. “How can we be more fluid, so you can work as 26 unique schools within one education system, as opposed to 26 unique education systems?”
As for how they’ll respond, the U of L is reaching out for input before taking the next step.
Mahon is inviting students, staff and faculty members to a Community Update in the University Hall Atrium on Wednesday, March 27 at 3:30pm.
“We’re going to take a values-based approach,” said Mahon. “How do we ensure those values are thought of before making those difficult decisions?”
The school believes those decisions should be made by the whole community, as it’s community support that keeps the school thriving.
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