open letter to premier redford, april, 2013

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  • 7/28/2019 Open Letter to Premier Redford, April, 2013

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    Confederation of Alberta Faculty Associations CAUS Council of Alberta University Students 11043-90th Avenue, Edmonton, AB T6G 2E1 #2, 9908-109 Street NW, Edmonton, AB, T5K 1H5780 (492-5630) 780-297-4531

    April22,2013

    AnOpenLettertothePremier

    DearPremierRedford,TheConfederationofAlbertaFacultyAssociations(CAFA)istheprovincialorganizationthat

    speaksfortheacademicstaffassociationsatAlbertasfourresearch-intensiveuniversities(CARIs).TheCouncilofAlbertaUniversityStudents(CAUS)istheprovincialvoiceofthestudents'unionsattheUniversityofAlberta,theUniversityofCalgary,andtheUniversityofLethbridge.Wearewritingtoyou,jointly,onbehalfofourmembers,toregisterourdisappointmentandgraveconcernatthedeepcutinfundingforpost-secondaryeducationannouncedintheMarch7provincialbudget.Yourgovernmentscommitmentlastyearwastothreeyearsofstableandpredictablefundingtothepublicpost-secondaryinstitutions,withannual2%increasestooperatinggrantsoverthatperiod.Instead,theunexpectedcutof$146millioninoperatingsupporthastheseinstitutionsscramblingtoplugmajorbudgetgapsthroughjobandprogram

    cutsthatwillreducetheaccessibility,diversity,andqualityofthelearningopportunitiesourpost-secondarysystemcanprovidetoAlbertans.Overthelong-term,thisreductioninfundingwillbefeltthroughoutourcommunitiesasourinstitutionsareforcedtodownsize,withtheriskofadditionalfinancialpressureonstudentsandtheirfamiliesthroughincreasedtuitionandfees.Thiswillmakeouruniversitieslesscompetitive,lessaffordable,andlessattractivetostudentsandfaculty.Theinevitablelossofcapacitythroughoutthesystemwillhaveimmediate,andlasting,effectsontheabilityoflearnerstoaccesstheprogramstheyrequire.Albertasuniversities,colleges,andtechnicalinstituteshavebeenparticularlyeffectiveinfinding

    efficienciesandinnovativeresponsestothefreezeonoperatinggrantsoverthepasttwoyears.However,thetimehascometore-investinthepost-secondaryeducationsystem,nottocutdeeper.Noonedoubtsthevalueofpublicinvestmentinpost-secondaryeducation,ortheunmatchedreturnoninvestmentitprovidestooursocietyandeconomy,aswellastotheindividuallearner.Recentpublicopinionsurveys,liketheoneAlbertafacultyandstudentgroupssponsoredduringthelastelectioncampaign,indicatethatastrongmajorityofAlbertansseepost-secondaryeducationasapriority,andwanttheprovincialgovernmentinvestinit.

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    CAFA

  • 7/28/2019 Open Letter to Premier Redford, April, 2013

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    Facultyandstudentsunderstandtheneedtoaddressthesustainabilityofthepost-secondary

    system,butwebelievethatthecombinationofasudden,massivecutinpublicfunding,andtherelatedplantore-structureCampusAlbertatobetteralignitwithprovincialpriorities,risksunderminingtheaccessibility,affordability,andqualityofoursystem.Ahasty,ill-considereddownsizingofourpost-secondaryinstitutionsatthistimeisinnoonesinterest,leastofallthestudents,andwilldolong-termdamagetooursystem-asthelastingimpactofthedrasticcutstooursectorinthemid-90shasshown.Albertahasanexcellentpost-secondaryeducationsystemtoday,asaresultofsustainedinvestmentandasharedvisionoftheprovincespotential.Weurgeyoutoreconsiderthedeepfundingcutsinthe2013-14budgetthatthreatentheintegrityofoursystemandcallthatvisionintoquestion.

    Yourssincerely,

    RobertSutherland RaphaelJacobPresidentofCAFA PresidentofCAUS

    cc.TheHonourableThomasLukaszuk