April 8, 1997 for immediate release

At a UNBC town hall meeting today, details of the University budget were explained to employees and students. The 1997-98 budget is consistent with the overall goals of the University, outlined in the report, Planning for Growth. The highlights are as follows:

• The operating grant from the Provincial Government will remain virtually the same as the 1996-97 budget, at $24.8 million. Overall, revenues will remain relatively stagnant; tuition fees are frozen and there will only be a slight increase in ancillary fees.
• Enrolment is expected to grow by about 200 full-time equivalent students, providing the University with its only major source of new revenue. UNBC currently has about 2550 students (the equivalent of about 2000 full-time students).
• Three full-time faculty positions will be created in Forestry, Environmental Studies, and Social Work to meet the growing student demand for courses in these programs.
• There will be continued expansion of courses at regional teaching centres and courses available through the World Wide Web.
• Three administrative positions will be eliminated: Director of Services, Manager of Campus Planning and Development, and Risk Manager. The elimination of two Faculty Dean positions was announced in the Planning for Growth report.
• $250,000 will be committed to replace equipment in the Laboratory Building; $134,000 will be spent on capital projects primarily in the Library and student computer labs; nearly $1 million will fund additional expenditures to meet enrolment demands and such things as student recruitment and retention; $800,000 will be allocated to a capital reserve fund.

The provisional budget will be discussed at the April 9th Senate meeting and is to be officially ratified at the April 19th Board of Governors meeting.