Employees and college students at Vancouver Island University are elevating the alarm about doubtlessly important cuts to applications and programs subsequent fall.
Eleven applications may very well be slashed come September, whereas a number of others may finish subsequent yr.
It comes as the college faces a funding crunch, partly due to new federal caps on worldwide college students whose tuition has been a mainstay for B.C. post-secondary establishments.
“I’m fairly alarmed,” Vancouver Island College School Affiliation president Gara Pruesse instructed World Information.
“There are in all probability union members’ jobs on the road, and applications that college students are filling up the programs in proper now.”
Packages going through the axe embrace quite a few graduate certificates and diplomas, together with enterprise, venture administration and worldwide commerce, in addition to undergraduate applications equivalent to bachelor of arts levels in philosophy and international research.
The proposal is presently earlier than the Planning and Priorities Committee of VIU’s senate, which is able to make a remaining advice to the college’s full senate and board of governors.
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Pruesse stated she believes the package deal in entrance of resolution makers has inadequate information on the potential price financial savings the cuts would generate.
She stated the cuts may even have unintended penalties by driving away would-be home college students due to the diminished course choices.
College students World Information spoke with on campus stated they worth the breadth of programs presently obtainable.
“I’m not registered as a philosophy scholar, however I like philosophy quite a bit and I benefit from the lessons and the choices, and I feel the professors listed below are fairly good,” stated scholar Sean Adair.
Philosophy and English main Rachel Carefoot argued the college ought to really be increasing its course choices, not contracting them.
“We have now so many wonderful applications that may be expanded to permit extra college students to attend,” she stated.
“We have now such a tremendous nursing program right here, I’ve so many pals (in it), but it surely’s such a small program.”
In an announcement, VIU stated “no remaining choices have been made,” and that as such it will not remark additional.
B.C. Minister of Put up-Secondary Schooling and Future Expertise Anne Kang was not obtainable for an interview.
In an announcement, a ministry spokesperson pinned the blame on the federal authorities for its worldwide scholar allow caps.
“We have now raised our issues to the Federal Authorities concerning the impacts of those insurance policies on the post-secondary schooling sector,” the assertion learn.
Nonetheless, it additionally stated that regardless of provincial funding, B.C. universities are liable for administering their very own operations and applications.
“It’s our understanding that Vancouver Island College has a board-approved deficit mitigation plan to which they’re adhering,” it stated.
Full particulars of the proposed program cancellations can be seen on the VIU website.
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