Fate of three New Brunswick universities in the air

Report recommends transformation of universities into polytechnic institutes, revamp funding process

ANGELA WILSON, CUP ATLANTIC BUREAU CHIEF

WOLFVILLE (CUP) — Students, faculty, and university administrators in New Brunswick are figuring out whether or not to panic.

The recommendations of a recent commission on post-secondary education in New Brunswick has left some institutions wondering if they’ll even be considered a university much longer.

More than a thousand students, alumni, and community members marched through Saint John, New Brunswick on Sept. 17 to protest the suggested transformation of the University of New Brunswick’s Saint John campus into a polytechnic institute.

The report, commissioned by the provincial government, calls for UNB’s Saint John campus, along with the Université de Moncton’s Shippagan and Edmundston campuses, to be converted into polytechnic institutes.

According to the report, the shift would mean an education system “that embraces many aspects of a traditional university but grounds it in a more practical approach that is quite easily meshed with college programs.”

The report comes in the face of declining post-secondary enrolment across the province and the growth of community colleges. The report cited a need for a shift to education that is more “community-based, learner-focused, industry-connected, and global in perspective.”

Eric Savoie, a spokesperson for the student council at UNB Saint John, said that they are strongly opposed to the recommendation.

According to Savoie, the recommendation raises issues of access to education.

“Limiting access to university education limits choice,” he said.

At the rally through Saint John, Savoie said that students “sent the message that, while agreeing that change needs to happen, if UNB’s Saint John campus loses their university standing, it would not be a positive step for the university.”

Kathryn Hamer, vice-president at UNB Saint John, said that the University of New Brunswick is also opposed to the recommendation.

“Rather than a polytechnic, which would severely limit access to liberal arts and science programs, there are other ways to meet the goals of accessibility, affordability, transferability and choice for students, building on the strengths of existing institutions — the community college and the university campus first and foremost,” said Hamer.

According to Hamer, the university believes that they can effectively respond to new challenges by continuing partnerships among institutions that are adequately funded and supported. She said that existing programming partnerships that UNB Saint John has developed with the city’s community college have proven the effectiveness of that approach.

The New Brunswick ministry of post-secondary education is not responding to the report quickly.

In a release, the ministry announced that the government will take the necessary time to reflect upon the commission’s work and will provide a comprehensive response once the document has been thoroughly discussed and the final decisions have been made.

University administrators, students’ unions and lobby groups are eager to be a part of that decision-making process.

“Much effort has clearly gone into this ambitious report, which, if adopted by the government, will have significant repercussions for the four public universities in the province,” said Mount Allison University president Robert Campbell.

“There are some areas of the report we would like clarification on, and we look forward to consulting with the New Brunswick government and key community groups about some of these consequential recommendations,” Campbell said.

Aside from the recommended polytechnic institutes, the report also forwarded suggestions on a number of other issues, the most notable being how students pay for a post-secondary education.

Justin Robichaud, president of the New Brunswick Student Alliance, praised the suggestions on financing post-secondary education, saying that “[we] believe that the government should act on the financial aid suggestions as soon as possible. We are lobbying the government to push those issues onto the agenda quickly so that we can have those elements in the next provincial budget.”

The report advocates the re-regulation of tuition fees, provided that universities turn some of the excess revenue into student aid packages.

It also provides recommendations for a “three-pronged” student aid program. It would cap the amount of debt a student is allowed to accumulate at $7,000 per year and reduce tuition fees for low-income students. It also calls for the introduction of an improved debt management program.

The province is currently in the process of analyzing the different recommendations made in the report. Until a decision is made, Savoie is hopeful that students will continue to be at the centre of the process.

“The government seems adamant that the primary goal is for the results of the commission report to be beneficial to students. Our hope lies in students being at the centre of the decision-making process,” he said.