Buy-Outs Offered To Balance UNBC Budget

Thursday, February 22, 2007 10:32 PM

The teaching laboratory at UNBC (photo courtesy of the university)

UNBC has announced it is offering voluntary buy-out packages to 11 faculty members and, as of this fall, is temporarily suspending new admissions in four bachelor's degree programs.

The moves are the fall-out from last month's decision to cut 50 jobs at the university - 25 faculty and 25 non-faculty staff - and streamline programming to check a burgeoning deficit that was forecast to hit more than $12-million dollars by the year 2010. While many of the non-faculty cuts occurred immediately, the faculty reductions are being phased in over three years due to contractual obligations.

The four programs affected are: Northern Studies, Women's Studies, Physics and Economics. UNBC President Don Cozzetto says, "We've been guided by commitments to be strategic and minimize the effects on students. These measures are directly affecting very few people and very few degrees."

The 11 faculty represent three-percent of the total number of full- and part-time faculty on campus. The four majors produced a total of six graduates last year, although the university points out they generally teach a large number of students. Courses in each subject will still be taught on-campus.

Cozzetto said back in January that the university needed to move from a growth mode to one of sustainability by focusing on its key, popular programs. He says this transition, "has been a tough process, but one that is essential if we are to be able to invest in growing programs."

The 2007-08 budget will go to UNBC's Board of Governors for approval on March 30th.

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Posted on Thursday, February 22, 2007 10:32 PM in News by 250 News

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Comments

Posted by: metalman on February 23 2007 10:38 AM

Woo. Six graduates from four majors. Gee, those courses must be horribly expensive, how else can they make it pay? Of course the buyouts don't count as a cost either, they come out of 'a different budget' rhymes with fudge it. Is it really news that the university is top heavy with faculty and administration? It's a little like federal indian money, there is lots going out, but only a few at the top of the food chain benefit. All those below the golden ring level have to make do with the crumbs that fall off their masters' plates. When things get tough, the tough get by with less, that's why they're tough.
metalman.

Posted by: Nowicki on February 24 2007 2:53 AM

These programs were expected to be cut. What is worrying is the VP Academic is keeping the two deans of CSAM and CASH whose performance has been unsatisfactory and removing a dean whose performance has been very good. The same old story of punishing the good performance in UNBC and ironically rewarding bad performance which has brought UNBC into this mess in the first place. Is the UNBC president aware of this?

If a dean's enrolment numbers have been very positive, why UNBC is removing him and keep the two deans whose performances have been unsatisfactory? This sends a very bad signal at the wrong time to the faculty, students and Prince George tax payers.

It is a fact that majority of UNBC faculty are not satisfied with the performance of Dean of CSAM, Dr Bill McGill. Is UNBC merging the two colleges under one dean and put in charge of the new college a dean whose performance in terms of increasing enrolments has been
positive?

BTW, the VP of research Dr Max left after running unsuccessfully to become UNBC president, but his replacement Ron doesn't seem to be up to the job, well apart from being a close friend of Dean McGill. One expected to see Dean of graduate studies, Dr Tait to take charge after his very positive record in increasing the graduate enrolments over the past 5 years. What is going on?