This notice is from the archives of The Notice Board. Information contained in this notice was accurate at the time of publication but may no longer be so.
May 17, 2013
On May 16, 2013, the University of Lethbridge Board of Governors approved the 2013/2014 consolidated operating budget for the University of Lethbridge. The budget includes a deficit of $3.23 million for 2013/14.
Significant elements of the budget include the following:
Academic Staff Voluntary Retirement Plan
The Academic Staff Voluntary Retirement Plan was introduced to help address budget issues at the University at a time when we were anticipating a 2% increase in base operating grant funding.
The Plan was voluntary and faculty members were provided a three-year window to transition to retirement. 34 faculty members applied and were approved to participate. For the most part, these faculty members will not be replaced.
In the situation where the continuance of a program is predicated on the replacement of a faculty member or where the quality of a program will be severely compromised, the Dean of the Faculty and Provost of the University will develop a plan for replacing the member.
Ancillary Services
Additional revenue will be provided from Ancillary Services operations to the operating budget of the University. Currently, Ancillary Services contributes $150,000 per year, in addition to covering all of the expenses associated with their operations.
This will rise to $500,000 in 2013-14. To support this, Ancillary Services will reduce the contributions it makes to their respective capital reserves and maintenance funds and will explore additional, new revenue opportunities.
Lifecycle Equipment Annual Allocation
Annual funding for the replacement of equipment will be reduced by $1 million on a continuing basis.
Research Enhancement Fund
The Research Enhancement Fund of $300,000 per year will be discontinued. This fund was used by each Faculty to enable research initiatives.
Student Administrative Fee
An increased Student Administrative Fee will be assessed. This fee assessment will amount to $37.50 per course.
With the increase in this fee, the University of Lethbridge Student Administrative Fee will still remain the lowest in the Comprehensive Academic Research Institution (CARI) sector.
As well, the combined tuition fees and non-instructional fees at the University will still remain the lowest in the Province of Alberta among the CARI sector.
International Student Differential Fee
The University of Lethbridge currently has the lowest differential fee assessed on International Students in the CARI sector. This fee will be increased to a multiple of two (2) times the base tuition fee per course from the current multiple of 1.26 for undergraduate students. This increase will not be applied to international students who are currently enrolled in a program at the University of Lethbridge, but only to new students who are admitted into a regular undergraduate program in any semester in the future. With this increase, the University of Lethbridge will still have the lowest International Student Differential Fee among the CARI sector.
Executive Compensation
Salaries for the President and the Vice-Presidents of the University will be frozen at the 2012/13 levels.
Employment Costs
Economic benefits negotiations are ongoing with the University of Lethbridge Faculty Association (ULFA).
The Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE) is in the final year of their contract, which expires on June 30, 2014.
A commitment has been made that all employment groups will be treated respectfully and fairly through the reduction process.
Employment costs and entitlements are subject to negotiation with the relevant bargaining unit and as such, University Administration will not publicly discuss anything related to the negotiations or suggest anything publicly that would compromise those negotiations.
Reducing the Deficit
The Budget Advisory Committee has struck a number of committees to explore opportunities for reductions, structural change or revenue that will require more time than the current budget process allows for. The committees will present their recommendations to President's Executive by July 31, 2013.
The committees will be reviewing communications and marketing, information technology, recruitment, finance, faculty work assignments and Faculty program costs, collaboration with other institutions, and opportunities for new revenue generation. It is expected that the additional budget savings will be addressed through the work of these committees.
Other opportunities for greater efficiency that could result in reductions or new revenue opportunities that would impact the budget of the University are also being explored. These include reducing the number of computer labs on campus, a review of the library acquisition budget, an employee voluntary reduced workload program and increasing fund-raising and sponsorship activities to help offset operating budget support for initiatives that would be attractive to external donors such as scholarships and bursaries.
Additional information on the 2013/14 consolidated operating budget can be found at www.uleth.ca/budget-finance
Further updates will be provided on the reduction of the 2013/14 consolidated operating budget deficit as the committees noted earlier conclude their work.
Nancy Walker
Vice President (Finance and Administration)
Contact:
Robert Cooney | robert.cooney@uleth.ca