Universities working to fulfil premier’s most-improved pledge

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This article was published 28/11/2017 (2881 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Manitoba’s university presidents are working on a plan to substantiate Premier Brian Pallister’s boast that he will make Manitoba the most-improved province in Canada — at least, in post-secondary education.

But they won’t talk about what they’re doing, and whether they’ve found a way to quantify the boast.

Since taking office, Pallister has said Manitoba will be Canada’s most-improved province by the time of the 2020 provincial election. The premier has not explained how it can be measured.

This month’s agenda for the Brandon University’s (BU) board of governors meeting reports interim president Steven Robinson is working with post-secondary education (PSE) presidents to develop a plan to present to the provincial government.

“The province would like to demonstrate that Manitoba is the most-improved province in Canada in regards to PSE. PSE presidents will be presenting to the minister and deputy (minister) of education,” the agenda states.

The university initially said Robinson would grant the Free Press an interview, then declined to make him available.

Neither the University of Winnipeg nor the University of Manitoba would comment.

University College of the North president Doug Lauvstad could not provide any details in an interview Tuesday.

The universities are facing a turbulent mix of financial pressures. The provincial Conservative government froze operating grants this current academic year, and tuition is capped at the level of inflation.

Next fall, tuition can increase by five per cent, plus inflation. However, the government has a value-for-money audit report from KPMG that advises the province not only to freeze operating grants again next year, but that its grants are already too generous.

The U of M Faculty Association salaries and benefits will be frozen at 0.75 per cent, as of April 1, under the terms of Bill 28’s wage controls. But BU professors will get a 2.5 per cent wage increase and the U of W Faculty Association will receive a 1.5 per cent wage bump.

Neither the U of W nor the U of M will discuss finances yet, but the BU board of governors agenda warns even with an 8.1 per cent enrolment increase this year and the higher tuition levels taking effect, the university expects a shortfall without a grants increase.

nick.martin@freepress.mb.ca