U of C plans ahead as more cuts loom
With lower provincial grants coming, research funding key, president says
Facing budget cuts and an economic downturn amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the University of Calgary unveiled what it called an “existential” institutional plan for the next decade on Wednesday.
The proposal, outlined by U of C president Ed Mccauley during a virtual community town hall meeting, will aim to add nearly $10,000 in per-student funding by 2030 by boosting both revenue and enrolment.
“We want to provide hope to campus communities that we’re not just focused on cutting expenditures,” Mccauley said. “The 10-year horizon was chosen purposefully because it’s near enough that it’s not too abstract and yet it is far enough that it takes us past election cycles and the downturn in the economy.
“This is an existential moment for the University of Calgary.”
The school is calling the plan Growth Through Focus. It includes a move to boost the number of students at the university from 33,000 to 37,000 by 2030, largely by increasing the number of grad students from 6,300 to 10,000.
At the same time, the U of C hopes to use “alternative revenue streams” to boost revenue, now $1.3 billion annually, to $2 billion by 2030. Combined, the school says it will have $54,000 in funding per student 10 years from now, up from $45,000 today.
Mccauley said in an interview that research funding, from industry and groups “who want to tackle major problems,” will be a major part of that revenue growth.
Community donations, including from alumni, will also be leaned on. Some revenue is to come from outside the province.
“We need to insulate our university from local economic fluctuations by increasing the amount of revenue coming from outside of Alberta to support the growth of our Calgary economy,” he said during the town hall.
Additionally, Mccauley said it’s important that the U of C direct its focus on a select number of specialty academic and research areas, and develop a stronger brand. Decisions are ongoing with faculty deans about which areas of study will be prioritized based on factors including academic excellence and community impact, he said.
Marley Gilles, vice-president external with the university’s students’ union, said the group only heard about the plan at its unveiling in the town hall. She said consultation with students is needed.
“We’re looking forward to consultation to help prioritize that academic mission and the student experience, and make sure that the value of programs is understood and reflected through all students and all programs,” she said.
The new plan was necessary because of a number of external forces, Mccauley said, including the COVID -19 pandemic and cuts by the United Conservative government to the school’s Campus Alberta Grant, with more budget uncertainty looming as the province looks to implement “outcomes-based funding” as soon as the 2021-22 academic year. The new plan will help the U of C explain its “value proposition” and “return on investment” to the Alberta government, the school’s president said.
The province’s 2020 budget included a 6.3-per-cent cut to Alberta’s post-secondaries, which translated to a $26.7-million cut to the U of C’s Campus Alberta Grant, which supports operating expenses such as faculty salaries.
For the 2020-21 year, that grant to the U of C is $420 million, the lowest since 2010-11, when it was $415 million — but with about 3,150 fewer students and 1,500 fewer faculty and staff.
The school’s cut of the Campus Alberta Grant could be as high as $375 million or as low as $260 million in 2022-23, depending on the outcomes of the province’s performance-based funding review, Mccauley said.
“We anticipate and expect further cuts in the incoming two years,” he said.
The cuts have led to the loss of 250 jobs so far. Mccauley said Wednesday that there have been no additional layoffs and that the university is working to minimize the effects of cuts on staff.
In an email to students Tuesday, the school said the fall 2020 course calendar should be released Friday, with face-to-face instruction happening only if no viable online alternatives are available.
The university said 23 per cent of graduate courses and 14 per cent of undergrad courses will have face-to-face components, adding that no more than 30 per cent of its students will be on campus on any given day.