Problems at BU cannot be ignored any longer

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 26/11/2024 (476 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It’s a situation that should cause concern for not just Brandon University staff and students, but for all Brandonites.

It was reported yesterday that the university is experiencing significant financial problems, including a $9.6-million structural deficit that can be blamed, in part, on lost revenue during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Contributing to the deficit problem is the fact that student enrolment is down 2.7 per cent overall compared to the same point last year, with the number of international students having plunged by 15.2 per cent. The number of Indigenous students has increased by 4.4 per cent when compared to last year, but the number of domestic, non-Indigenous students has dropped by 1.2 per cent.

Those are troubling numbers, given the reality that the Brodie Science Building is in dire need of upgrades, and the university must soon begin construction of a new research annex that will house a satellite campus of the University of Manitoba’s Max Rady College of Medicine. A new software system for staff and students is also needed, and several areas on campus require security camera upgrades. On top of that, the Healthy Living Centre needs a new gymnasium floor.

That’s just a partial list of issues that the university must address, at the cost of many millions of dollars that it does not have.

How did BU get into this squeeze? President David Docherty says that “Through COVID, we were given zero per cent grant, yet our student numbers were going down, inflation was running through the roof and we weren’t filling residences.”

At the same time, Manitoba’s other universities were receiving funding increases from the province at far higher levels.

That disparity put BU at both a financial and competitive disadvantage compared to those other institutions. Even worse, it forced the university to make serious spending cuts, and to delay several projects that can’t be delayed any longer.

BU vice-president Peter Hickey informed the university’s board of governors on Saturday that years of successive budget cuts and not replacing staff who retired has resulted in “critical administrative deficiencies” across the campus. Those deficiencies are impairing the university’s ability to carry out its mandate, but they cannot be reversed without more money.

How does BU address the many challenges it is facing and return to a more stable financial footing? It won’t be easy, given that real progress cannot be made until the structural deficit has been eliminated. That must be the first step in any long-term strategy, and it can only be done through higher, more stable revenues.

In May of this year, Premier Wab Kinew announced $7.4 million in funding for BU over and above what was promised in this year’s provincial budget. It was a generous gesture, but the latest numbers confirm that it wasn’t nearly enough to slay the structural deficit that continues to exist.

Beyond that reality, the province’s funding plans for the next three years — a 1.5 per cent increase in grants annually, but also a 3.5 per cap on tuition increases — might keep pace with inflation, but they won’t solve any of the core problems facing BU.

Brandon University is a critical part of Brandon and Westman. It is a major employer and a city our size is very lucky to have such an institution. Given its importance to Brandon and the surrounding area, investments in its growth and success should be a priority. Instead, we have witnessed years of cuts and underfunding that have weakened the institution to the point where its financial viability is in jeopardy.

That must change, and quickly. Brandon University needs higher levels of stable, predictable funding. It also requires stronger, more consistent leadership from both its own leadership team and the provincial government.

Most of all, it requires a clear vision for its future, combined with a coherent, long-term plan to achieve that objective.