If they could create a better model for truly free enterprise enabling local log markets that allow for a separation from the big forestry manufactures from the timber supply, so as to create a genuine free market that brings in the highest value for the provincial government, as well as the highest diversity of opportunity for the entrepreneurs… then these research dollars will have been well spent.

To get the greatest value out of our forests part of the solution will be outlining for the provincial government what their role and responsibility is in maintaining a free enterprise economy while enabling the forests to reach a sustainable turn over without picking winners and losers.

IMO

Well spoken, Eagleone. Big Business rules the forest industry, it’s tough for the little guy to make a go of it, and that is not how it should be.
metalman.

It is a large sum for a college. But CNC’s problem is its low enrollment numbers. The number of full time students (FTE) of CNC in 2011/12 dropped to 2,278 from
2,351 in 2010/11. Similar decline in UNBC to 2,884 in 2011/12 from 2,934 in 2010/11. See
http://www.biv.com/article/20121023/BIV050101/121029992/-1/BIV/top-post-secondary-institutions-in-bc-in-2012

Both CNC and UNBC are receiving more funding from BC government than their actual FTE numbers. For example UNBC in 2010/11 received funding for 3431 FTE which is about 500 more than its actual FTE. This translates to 7 Million $ annual over-funding for UNBC. in the case of CNC, the funding FTE in 2011/12 was 3106 FTE which you can compare with the above actual CNC FTE numbers.

Without this bloated over-funding from BC government, both CNC and UNBC are not sustainable. It is time to discuss possible merger scenarios to save CNC-UNBC and create a sustainable higher education institution (UNC?) before their funding FTE levels is reduced to actual FTE.

“Without this bloated over-funding from BC government, both CNC and UNBC are not sustainable. It is time to discuss possible merger scenarios to save CNC-UNBC and create a sustainable higher education institution (UNC?) before their funding FTE levels is reduced to actual FTE.”

Not sure I understand why you refer to this situation as “bloated overfunding” when the scene on the ground is that the resources available barely meet student needs. Choices are being made whether to cut services, such as daycare, or programs/courses. If the college was overfunded, why would this become necessary. Every year, there are layoffs of faculty and support staff; if CNC is overfunded, why are these layoffs required? Finally, post-secondary is an investment in our future, so isn’t it misleading to call this a situation of “bloated overfunding” when so many benefit, now and in the future?
You want “bloated overfunding”, check out the new roof on BC Place.

If you compare the FTE numbers with
Royal Roads University numbers you see that there is a massive amount of waste in both UNBC and CNC. Or institutions like Royal Roads University (or Thomson Rivers University) are doing a much better job of managing their financial and human resources. Hire someone like Allan Cahoon in RRU to fix the system in UNBC and CNC instead of renewing the contract of the same management in CNC and UNBC year after year failing to meet the performance targets and getting F mark. Hire a manager with A mark.

Why BC government is paying $17 Million
to Royal Roads Univ for 2,330 FTE and it is paying $28 Million to CNC for the same FTE and CNC still cannot manage with 11 Million$ more? Or it is paying more than 250% of RRU funding(amount of $47 Million) to UNBC for 2800 FTE which is only 25% more FTE than RRU and not anywhere near 250% difference (i.e. $20 Mil waste annually)?

There is no point in measuring the performances if BC government is not serious about fixing the system in places like CNC and UNBC and instead waste BC tax money on inefficient systems and bad managers.

Seriously, I expect the NDP opposition to ask the BC advanced education minister about these wasteful spendings and stop wasting BC taxpayers’ money any more and stop rewarding bad managers in CNC and UNBC with more money and more funding.
The whole system is out of whack.

Mark D. same as mark F. …

$1.88 million bucks, eh? A committee or a committee of one gonna have the lone power to disburse these funds? Results and receipts will be provided or just continuation of tenure for selected good ol’ boys in school? Just askin’.

NSERC posts details of the grant and its type on its webpage and mentions the name(s) of principal investigator(s). Depending on grant, it can pay for infrastructure, lab equipment and/or training of students (research assistants/associates) and travel to conferences.

An important factor that differentiates CNC from Royal Roads is that CNC is a multi-campus operation that serves people from a huge geographical area of the Central Interior. The CNC campuses include operations in Prince George, Vanderhoof, Mackenzie, Burns Lake, Quesnel, and sometimes Valemount and Ft. St. James. The simple fact of the matter is that properly servicing a widely dispersed population is more expensive than a single campus operation located with a large accessible urban population. As a community college CNC faculty members do not have “tenure”. Also, the conditions of the grant are clear about how the funding may be used. CNC’s NRET (formerly Forestry) program should be able to make good use of this resource. CNC and UNBC operate some collaborative programs, but CNC provides students with opportunities to transfer to universities around the province, and not just UNBC. Those opportunities would be in jeopardy in any merger and would significantly reduce options for students in the Central Interior. Another issue is that the funding model used doesn’t recognize the infrastructure needed for a dispersed operation and relies soley on FTEs, which also doesn’t address cost differences in providing access in a cold northern climate.

I chose Royal Roads university among others because it is an efficient system working with number of students in the 2000-3000 FTE range. Look at data for TRU in Kamloops.

On the average, the funding per FTE that BC government gives university and colleges is almost 10,000$ annually per student (FTE). For CNC’s 2300 FTE that would bring around $23 Million of BC funding (still 5 Million less than its $28 Mil. funding).

For UNBC that would bring $28 Million (i.e. 2800*10,000$) and not its present $48 Mil BC funding. In the case of UNBC we are talking of $20 Million extra very bloated overpayment “Annually”. I.e. over the past 5 years BC government has allowed $100 Million!!! of taxpayer money on UNBC to go to waste. Your tax money that could have paid 10,000 scholarships or fully fund a new engineering college (size of CNC) in the North.

If you look at UNBC funding before 2003 you will realize that it even operated by less than 10,000$ per student BC funding “right in the north”. That cost per student has bloated to more than 17,000$ per student (per FTE) now. Thomson River University is also in William Lakes and it is “now” operating by less than 9000$ per student BC funding (half of UNBC) and it has branches in the North. It is time to realize the extent of the mess that has been created in Prince George by a number of bad managers in charge of university over the past 10 years.

Let me ask Mark Dale in public why so much waste under his management in UNBC? Let “him” as the interim president answer that or let a more efficient manager to take charge. $20 Million waste annually in UNBC is unacceptable.

Compared to UNBC, CNC is better managed financially, but the politicians in Victoria should be told that “Houston, we have a problem” of $25 Mil annual waste in PG higher education (almost equal to budget of another CNC). Let’s stop justifying bad management practices in the north and stop rewarding bad managers.
… That is the very 1st step.

Mark Dale’s answer on 1 Apr 2014 is to further increase tuition fees: “We continue to see cost pressures that span our operations and we must find ‘innovative ways’ [?!] to make ‘maximum use’ of every dollar.”

This is an April’s fool joke, nah? Or Dale has a very poor understanding of the definition of ‘maximum use’ compared to administration in RRU, TRU, SFU, UFV and all universities in BC.