UNews - Ministry of Enterprise and Advanced Education

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge draft letter of expectation

trevor.kenney — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 22:44:06 +0000

Late on Friday, Mar. 22, I received the draft of the anticipated Letter of Expectation from the Ministry of Enterprise and Advanced Education (EAE). We had previously been informed that this draft letter was not for public distribution. But, having reviewed its content and discussed the matter further with EAE, I have made the decision to share it with our community.

The letter outlines expectations of the province's publicly-funded post-secondary institutions, including the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge. The draft letter includes many considerations for our ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ in regard to programs, learners, collaboration, governance and research. Some of these considerations – like learner pathways - were introduced at a meeting of the Campus Alberta Strategic Directions Committee on Jan. 15, 2013. I was in attendance at that meeting, along with the other presidents of Alberta post-secondary institutions. There were not a lot of details provided then and as you will note in the letter, there still are few details available that would enable us to respond with clarity and certainty.

The letter is in a draft form and I am hopeful that the Minister and EAE officials will engage in the dialogue, as they have publicly indicated they would, with Alberta post-secondary institutions. There are points in the letter that align with the role the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge already plays in the province and reflects many processes and commitments the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ currently performs.

There are however many additional points that are very concerning and require a great deal more detail, understanding and discussion. On Apr. 11, the presidents of Alberta's post-secondary institutions have been invited to a meeting with government officials to discuss the draft letters and the future directions for Campus Alberta.

To view the draft letter and to provide comments to help inform the response of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ to it, I would encourage you to do so at http://www.uleth.ca/budget-finance/draft-letter. Please provide your feedback prior to Tuesday, Apr. 2 so that ideas that emerge may be incorporated into the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's response. Our response will be further informed by the governance bodies of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, the General Faculties Council and the Board of Governors.

Sincerely,

Dr. Mike Mahon
President and Vice-Chancellor

Updated budget message

trevor.kenney — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 20:50:45 +0000

Budget Message 3

More information has been provided regarding the 2013-14 Alberta Provincial budget and I am pleased to share that there is a bright point within this news for our ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ. In the Capital Plan Details Supplement to the Provincial Budget, it is identified that the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge will receive $10 million over two years to continue the planning process for the Destination Project. I have included the specific reference in the link below:

http://www.infrastructure.alberta.ca/documents/Capital_Plan_Details_2013-16.pdf

As you know, the pillars of the Destination Project include the development of new science facilities, the revitalization of ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Hall and the addition of a new power plant for the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ. We expect to receive a letter outlining the terms of this grant and have been told that it is expected that the funds will be used to move this important project into the design phase. These new funds are in addition to $2.3 million received from the Ministry of Enterprise and Advanced Education in September 2011.

There are many grants that the Government of Alberta provides to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge in addition to the Campus Alberta Operating Grant. Examples of other grants include the Infrastructure Maintenance Program (IMP) and targeted grants for programs and capital like the Campus Alberta Innovation Program (CAIP). IMP funds are used for infrastructure maintenance and the CAIP funds are used to support Chairs in specific areas of research. These additional grants are targeted and restricted to the use for which they are intended. The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ has no ability to use the funds for any other purpose – including offsetting the reductions to our Campus Alberta Operating Grant.

While the reduction of 7.3 per cent to our Campus Alberta Operating Grant does pose a severe budgetary challenge to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ on a continuing basis, I am pleased that this $10 million grant is firm recognition from the Government of Alberta of the importance of the Destination Project to our ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and our community. It is further evidence that while the current budget situation poses many challenges, the future continues to look bright for the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge.

On Wednesday, Mar. 27, from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. in the Atrium of ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Hall, I and other members of senior administration will be providing a Community Update on the budget of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ. While we will not yet have a scenario established for the budget reductions we must face, we will outline the process we will follow to establish those reductions and build the revised 2013-14 ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ budget as well as provide any further updates we can on the provincial budget.

Sincerely,

Dr. Mike Mahon
President and Vice-Chancellor

Updated President's message on 2013/14 Alberta budget

trevor.kenney — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 20:50:25 +0000

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge President Dr. Mike Mahon discusses latest details

On March 7, 2013, the Alberta government released the 2013/2014 budget for the Province of Alberta. As indicated in my initial message, the Campus Alberta Operating Grant for the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge will be reduced by 7.3% in 2013/2014. Since that time, Senior Administration has had the opportunity to have additional conversations with the Ministry of Enterprise and Advanced Education and have learned the following additional details.

Campus Alberta Operating Grant – The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge will receive a Campus Alberta Operating grant of $92,072,000 – a 7.3% decrease from last year. This reduction translates into reducing the operating budget by approximately $11.9 million in 2013/2014.

The 7.3% decrease is consistent with some, though not all; of the Campus Alberta Operating Grant reductions that other Alberta post-secondary institutions were assessed. The Comprehensive Academic and Research Institutions all received a cut in the range of 7.2%-7.3%.

In the 2012/13 Alberta budget, post-secondary institutions were informed by the government that there would be three years of stable funding with a 2% increase in the operating grant per year. While the economic climate suggested that the planned 2% was in jeopardy, there was no indication or warning from the Ministry of Enterprise and Advanced Education, or elected officials, that a cut of this significance was planned or forthcoming. Even with a 2% increase in the operating grant the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ would have been looking to decrease its overall budget expenditures by $2.6 million in order to produce a balanced budget.

Infrastructure Maintenance Program – Last year, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ had its Infrastructure Maintenance Program funding cut by 50% from $3,646,729 to $1,823,365. The 2013/14 Alberta Budget reduced this grant a further 2.3 % to $1,782,000.

These funds are restricted grants for use only in the maintenance and replacement of ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ infrastructure. These funds cannot be used for operating expenses or to offset the operating budget deficit. Ongoing infrastructure renewal projects and projects slated to commence during the spring and summer of 2013 are enabled through this dedicated grant. More information on these planned projects as well as the source of funds for the projects will be released in a subsequent communication.

Campus Alberta Innovation Program (CAIP) Chairs – The Government of Alberta is maintaining its commitment to the CAIP Chair program. The U of L has hired two CAIP Chairs to date and will continue the process to fill the additional chairs. Also, the U of L will look to fill its allocated health-related chairs through a similar Alberta Innovates - Health Solutions Chairs program.

Letters of Expectation – There has been much media and public speculation about the introduction of letters of expectation ("Mandate Letters") directed to each institution in Alberta. Through our discussion with the Assistant Deputy Minister, we have been informed that our approved government mandate will not be changed. We have been told that the letter will include expectations pertaining to learner pathways, working with government, industry and system partners, fiscal responsibility, and research and entrepreneurship directions.

While the details of this letter are not yet fully understood, the Assistant Deputy Minister has assured us that the letter will be received in draft form and that we will be consulted before the letter is finalized. I will be attending a meeting on April 12 with the Ministry, along with the other Alberta post-secondary Presidents, to discuss our letters of expectation and to gain further details of the budget.

Other items in the provincial budget that will be of direct impact on the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ community are:

Student Aid - The Alberta budget outlines $211 million for the Student Aid programs in 2013‑14. This budget includes:

$71 million for merit‑based scholarship awards;

$59 million for bursaries and grants;

$42 million for student debt management programs; and

$11 million for Alberta Centennial Education Savings Plan grants.

In addition, $425 million in student loans will be disbursed in 2013‑14.

Innovation and Economic Competitiveness - The budget is $204 million in 2013/14 for economic development, innovation and technology commercialization.

I will continue to provide regular updates to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ community as more information becomes available regarding the Letters of Expectation, the impact of the provincial budget on our own operating budget and most importantly on the process we will follow to address these budget reductions. As well, I will schedule a series of open meetings to ensure that everyone at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ has access to the information I have just shared with you. I have no doubt that utilizing the experience, intelligence and the breadth of talent of the people we have at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge we can find innovative solutions to this current challenge.

As a community, we cannot understate the significance of these reductions and the negative impact they may have on our students, faculty and staff. As one of the largest employers and contributors to the economies in Lethbridge and southern Alberta, these reductions will also be felt well beyond our campuses.
We also cannot understate the fact that the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge has faced significant challenges in the past and from those challenges we, along with those who have come before us, have built one of the top ranked universities in Canada recognized for the quality of its academic programs and research, and for the outstanding experience provided to our students.
Dr. Mike Mahon
President and Vice-Chancellor
The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge

Mahon addresses provincial budget

trevor.kenney — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 20:47:39 +0000

Message from President Mahon regarding Province's 2013/14 budget

On March 7, the Alberta government released the 2013/2014 budget for the Province of Alberta. As has been reported, this budget features a significant funding adjustment for the entire post-secondary sector and for our institution. Senior Administration has had an initial discussion with the Deputy Minister and were informed that the Campus Alberta Operating Grant for the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge will be reduced by 7.3 per cent in 2013/2014.

What this budget reduction means to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ will become clearer in the coming days as we learn more details from the Ministry of Enterprise and Advanced Education. While this obviously poses a challenge for the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and perhaps represents a new reality for the post secondary sector in our province, we have been working through a variety of budget scenarios in recent weeks. As well, our record of prudent financial planning and management has served the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ well in the past and will continue to do so into the future. Most importantly, our ability to work through this difficult budget will be based on our collective efforts, and imagination. I will continue to communicate with the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ community as details become clearer on the budget and on the development of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ budget.

UNews - Ministry of Enterprise and Advanced Education

��Ѹ�����Դ���߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge draft letter of expectation

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