BU doesn’t face a ‘Laurentian crisis’

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 25/03/2023 (1302 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

An opinion piece from the Manitoba Organization of Faculty Associations was published in the Winnipeg Free Press this week that attempted to draw parallels between Laurentian University — which filed for creditor protection in 2021 — and Brandon University. The op-ed was also linked from the Academica Top Ten newsletter.

We strongly dispute the opinions and conclusions drawn by MOFA. Everyone at Brandon University does excellent work with our limited budget and our institution is in solid financial shape. As president, I feel compelled to correct the public record.

An open letter to MOFA is below.

I am pleased to note that Brandon University and MOFA share a goal of securing strong and equitable public funding for Manitoba’s post-secondary institutions. Along with BU, other institutions outside the Perimeter Highway would also benefit from increased provincial funding.

Unfortunately, MOFA’s opinions in this matter, while strongly held, are unhelpful — and in fact wrong. Typically, BU wouldn’t need to respond to an opinion piece, but in this case, we find ourselves compelled to correct the public record.

On behalf of everyone at BU, I continue to engage with the province and with other post-secondary presidents regarding funding and support. In MOFA’s apparent attempt to influence political opinion, I am disappointed they presented a series of misleading allegations that may leave the public with a false impression of Brandon University, and in particular our solid financial position.

The MOFA op-ed did some good in highlighting Brandon University’s critical role as a regional institution, a distinction we have had the pleasure of helping to define, and one that we share with many other institutions across the country. BU is in fact leading the creation of an association of regional universities, a group that we expect will play a role akin to that of the U15 or the Maple League, in bringing together institutions with similar goals and responsibilities to share experiences, best practices and resources.

Like other regional universities, BU is a critical educational, economic and social hub in Manitoba’s second-largest city, providing essential services, facilities and opportunity to rural, southwestern and northern parts of the province. Recognizing and championing the role of regional universities is a central thread in our strategic plan.

We are well-placed to serve this role, which we have honorably done for over a century, and which we will continue to do. So, I was disappointed that MOFA’s opinion piece wrongly linked BU with Laurentian University, and specifically that MOFA raised the spectre of a so-called “death spiral” that would imperil BU. This is nonsense. It is untrue to say that BU’s financial position is at all like Laurentian’s was and it is gravely misleading to suggest that we may face a, quote, “Laurentian crisis” at BU.

Brandon University does not use research or donor funds to pay operating expenses. Brandon University has not taken out risky mortgages to fund massive new expansions or buildings. Brandon University has not explored creditor protection or bankruptcy. We have a significant line of credit available to us that we have never used.

Brandon University’s budget is balanced. Every year. Brandon University’s financial statements are audited. Every year. These audited financial statements, back to 2003-04, are posted on our website for all to review. This year’s budget, approved last Saturday by the BU Board of Governors, has been widely shared with the community, including at two all-campus town halls.

Any reading of our budgets and financial statements will show that Brandon University does a lot with what we have. We are careful stewards of our finances, in large part because we are deeply aware that BU is entrusted with both public funds and with student investments in their own futures.

Our smaller size and limited funding means we can’t advertise as widely or travel as far for our recruitment as we would like. In many of our offices, BU staff wear several hats rather than being able to focus on one dedicated role. But our campus is filled with devoted people who serve our students and our communities very well. Some may say that our resources are stretched, but it is a stretch to say we are facing “financial crisis.”

As we come out of pandemic restrictions more fully, there is every reason for optimism. Early application numbers for the 2023-24 academic year are very strong, and in fact are well above our pre-pandemic high-water mark in 2019.

This includes applications from Brandon high schools higher than any of the past five years, higher-than-average numbers from many other Westman high schools, application increases across the board in all faculties, and skyrocketing interest from international applicants (for many students overseas, who seek an affordable, welcoming and diverse community, Brandon University is very much a top destination). You, too, can beat the crowds at BrandonU.ca/Future-Students.

Optimism can be a self-fulfilling prophecy. In sports, it’s often said that people want to back a winner. So growing enrolment today can lead to even greater increases in the future, especially as word-of-mouth spreads about the great experience students have at BU.

But gossip and rumour can also be a self-fulfilling prophecy — a “death spiral” if you will, as people hear incorrect and misleading fears about financial worry. This could lead them to pass up their first choice of BU, opting for a more expensive, less supportive education, further away from home. That’s not an outcome that benefits anyone.

Of course, BU wants to grow, and we could use more resources to help us. We fully agree with MOFA that funding should be equitably distributed across the province, and if there is any inequity, it is smaller, regional universities (who bear the same responsibilities but with fewer economies of scale) where the extra funds could go the furthest.

I invite readers to visit BU whenever they like and see for themselves why Brandon University is Canada’s finest regional university — and how we are solidly heading towards a bright future.

» This column was originally published on the Brandon University website on Thursday.