These are four key actions government needs to take to solve the funding crisis for the public universities and colleges the Coalition is looking for implemented.  Written by CUFA-BC.

1. Restore the $42 million cut from the expected operating grants for 2008/09

On March 13, 2008, the BC government made a surprise cut to the funding that had been promised to public universities and colleges.

Although the amount of money provided to these post-secondary institutions increased overall, the announcement that the amount would be $42 million less than originally promised came after the institutions had already made substantial spending commitments. As a result, the universities and colleges have had to scramble to make cuts to their budgets.

These cuts have affected institutions in a variety of ways. For example, at Simon Fraser University, plans are being made to cut 30 teaching staff positions and 50 support staff positions. The University of British Columbia has slowed the rate of growth of its Kelowna campus and is clawing money back from all academic departments. The University of Victoria is cutting 30 teaching staff positions and planning to cut support staff positions. The University of Northern British Columbia eliminated teaching and support staff positions last year. Layoffs have already taken place at a number of colleges.

These layoffs and service reductions are taking place despite the fact that the number of students continues to grow. This means that professors have less time to spend with each student and that there will be fewer courses for students to choose from. As a result, the quality of education is falling and it may take students longer to graduate.

2. Increase annual per student funding to public post-secondary institutions to offset the effects of inflation

A large part of the current funding crisis stems from the fact that government funding has not kept pace with the increased costs facing the universities and colleges.

In 2005, the provincial government protected students from large tuition fee increases by limiting these increases to the rate of inflation. To make this plan work without undermining educational quality, the government also had to increase the per student funding by the rate of inflation. Unfortunately, it has not done so, which has lead to cuts in quality and the current financial crisis facing the public universities and colleges.

3. Provide full funding for each new student space

If the government wants a public university or college to add new student spaces, you would think that it would provide the necessary funding to do so. However, this has not always been the case.

Although the BC government has provided new money to universities and colleges since 2001/02, it has not provided enough to keep per student funding levels constant. Had the funding kept pace with the increasing number of students and rising prices, public post-secondary institutions would have an additional $230 million in their budgets today. This is equivalent to 24,600 unfunded student spaces.

4. Provide $10,000 for each currently unfunded graduate student space

As BC’s economy becomes more knowledge-based, the need for people with Masters and Doctoral degrees grows. Students in these advanced programs are tomorrow’s decision makers, researchers, innovators, university professors and leaders.

Between 1994 and 2006, there was virtually no government funding to create new graduate student spaces. But in order to meet the needs of students and the needs of the economy, the public universities nonetheless created thousands of spaces.

Finally, in 2007, the provincial government started to fund a few hundred new graduate student spaces each year, but by then the universities had created almost 4,400 spaces without any government funding.

Had government fully funded these spaces, the public universities would have an additional $88 million in their budgets and not be facing budget cuts and layoffs. If the BC government provided even half of this amount, it would go along way to resolving the university funding problems.