Late on Friday, Mar. 22, I received the draft of the anticipated Letter of Expectation from the Ministry of Enterprise and Advanced Education (EAE). We had previously been informed that this draft letter was not for public distribution. But, having reviewed its content and discussed the matter further with EAE, I have made the decision to share it with our community.
The letter outlines expectations of the province's publicly-funded post-secondary institutions, including the University of Lethbridge. The draft letter includes many considerations for our University in regard to programs, learners, collaboration, governance and research. Some of these considerations – like learner pathways - were introduced at a meeting of the Campus Alberta Strategic Directions Committee on Jan. 15, 2013. I was in attendance at that meeting, along with the other presidents of Alberta post-secondary institutions. There were not a lot of details provided then and as you will note in the letter, there still are few details available that would enable us to respond with clarity and certainty.
The letter is in a draft form and I am hopeful that the Minister and EAE officials will engage in the dialogue, as they have publicly indicated they would, with Alberta post-secondary institutions. There are points in the letter that align with the role the University of Lethbridge already plays in the province and reflects many processes and commitments the University currently performs.
There are however many additional points that are very concerning and require a great deal more detail, understanding and discussion. On Apr. 11, the presidents of Alberta's post-secondary institutions have been invited to a meeting with government officials to discuss the draft letters and the future directions for Campus Alberta.
To view the draft letter and to provide comments to help inform the response of the University to it, I would encourage you to do so at http://www.uleth.ca/budget-finance/draft-letter. Please provide your feedback prior to Tuesday, Apr. 2 so that ideas that emerge may be incorporated into the University's response. Our response will be further informed by the governance bodies of the University, the General Faculties Council and the Board of Governors.
Sincerely,
Dr. Mike Mahon
President and Vice-Chancellor
