Tuition Hike Helps Balance UNBC’s Budget
Prince George, B.C. – The University of Northern British Columbia Board of Governors approved the school’s 2016-17 operating budget at a meeting in Senate chambers today.
UNBC President Dr. Daniel Weeks
The $75.7 million budget allows UNBC to maintain existing service levels and includes a priority commitment to a new Academic Plan for new growth opportunities.
Included in the budget framework is a focus on strategic enrolment planning, research, Aboriginal community engagement, enhancing UNBC’s international presence, and University community relationship building.
However due to financial pressures, including declining tuition revenue and increasing compensation costs, the Board of Governors approved a number of actions to balance the budget.
They included:
– a tuition fee increase of 2% (UNBC estimates this will result in an average increase of about $100 for the average full-time undergraduate student from last year)
– a one-time elimination of allocations to reserves that have sufficient balances to maintain activities at the same level as previous years
– a temporary increase to the revenue line related to investment income based on prior years’ returns
The University says layoffs were not considered during budget discussions.
Looking ahead, UNBC president Dr. Daniel Weeks says he’s still optimistic about the future of the institution.
“Absolutely optimistic. In fact, it is because the fiscal health of the university is so good we’re able to make these one time adjustments and get a balanced budget this year and moving forward in a productive way.”
According to the University, 63% of the operating budget for the University is provided by the provincial government, while approximately 23% comes from tuition fees. Wages and benefits account for about 71% of the University’s expenditures.
Comments
Disappointing for many! Even more so, when students & parents realize they will no longer be able to claim the tuition tax credit next year.
Oh well the pay is great and all expense paid trips to far off lands.
Right to education
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The right to education is a universal entitlement to education. This is recognized in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights as a human right that includes the right to free, compulsory primary education for all, an obligation to develop secondary education accessible to all, in particular by the progressive introduction of free secondary education, as well as an obligation to develop equitable access to higher education, ideally by the progressive introduction of free higher education.
The right to education also includes a responsibility to provide basic education for individuals who have not completed primary education. In addition to these access to education provisions, the right to education encompasses the obligation to rule out discrimination at all levels of the educational system, to set minimum standards and to improve the quality of education.
From 2013 in Northern Europe Estonia started providing free higher education as well. In Argentina, Norway and Finland, no fees apply for foreign students enrolling at a university, although they may not be eligible for a monthly study allowance and loan.
Countries like Finland, Austria, Norway, Germany, and Sweden offer different types of tuition free schemes for international students. scholars4dev.com has compiled information and provided links to tuition-free Colleges and Universities in these countries.
was watching micheal moores where to invade next. It showed the huge protests in europe everytime tuition tried to be raised. He was right, over here we dont even bat an eye.
Why would you bother to watch anything that the ultra-rich Capitalist Michael Moore produces? ;-)
Post secondary education is a choice…if you make that choice pay for it.
You and I agree on this one P Val!
Nothing in life is free! Education is an investment, one that should hopefully pay off in the future, perhaps with a better job, higher pay or a more secure career.
If a business owner wants to make more money or grow their business, they make investments! Some of these may be in hard assets such as capital assets like new facilities or new equipment while others may be in soft assets like more advertising or hiring more staff. All of these come with a cost!
Tuition is also a cost, one that should be viewed as an investment in one’s future!
I don’t expect anyone to pay for my investments in my business! At the same time, I also don’t expect anyone to ask me to pay for their investment in their future!
Hart Guy: “I don’t expect anyone to pay for my investments in my business! At the same time, I also don’t expect anyone to ask me to pay for their investment in their future!”
Don’t be ridiculous, of you do – through your fees or prices for products or services. If you weren’t recouping your investment, you would not be a very good businessman and would go broke in short order.
As for subsidizing tuition for post-secondary, this is an investment for everyone, given the added income (and hence taxes paid) the better educated make, which they can then turn around and spend more discretionary income in your business. This is a true win-win.
While they didn’t consider lay offs, they just are not filling positions that come open. They are adding more and more administrators and managers though. The reasoning why, is in theory, they are behind in levels compared to other Universities in Canada. Few of these new hires actually do anything for students or work towards increasing the amounts of students.
Why would a student today drive themselves into massive debt going to post secondary industrial complexes in North America . When they can get free post secondary in English in many European countries . I’m guessing they just don’t know . Hopefully they will watch Michael Moore’s latest documentary/movie before their next semester. Finland has the best schools and they are all free . The reason they are so good is because private schools are outlawed . In Finland , if the elites want their children well educated , they must make the schools that there are the best . It never ceases to amaze me how wrong canada has got it . Making money on the backs of our children is about as sick as it gets .
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