April 1, 2006

New initiatives aimed at increasing the studentpopulation at the University of Northern British Columbiahave been the top priority in establishing UNBC’s 2006-07 budget, which was approvedby the UNBC Board of Governors today. Among the newly funded programs include additionalstaff in student recruitment, the Registrar’s Office, Continuing Studies, and thepopular Environmental Engineering program, as well as a new scholarship programrecognizing top students transferring to UNBC from a community college.

The Board has approved a balanced budget of $54.4 million for 2006-07, an increase of $2 millionover last year. Tuition fees will increase 2% annually, to $4192 for a typical, full-time student.

“Thisis a budget characterized by modest cutbacks, considerable restraint, and a fewcarefully selected strategic investments,” says UNBC President Charles Jago. “Tomake new investments, we had to achieve cuts in current operations across theUniversity. At the same time, UNBC continues to face considerable costpressures. For example, inflationary costs for energy and software licensingare rising at an annual rate of about 8%. Enrolment growth is key to increasingour revenues so we’re investing in new initiatives such as the new scholarshipprogram for college transfer students. Students transferring with an A- averageafter the equivalent of one-year of full-time studies at a college will receive$750 if they register at UNBC.”

Inthe past year, UNBC has experienced a 2.7% drop in enrolment compared to2004-05, resulting in a shortfall of approximately $500,000. As a result ofbudget re-allocation, the University will lay off two staff and a small numberof vacant faculty and staff positions will not be filled at the present time.An increase in federal and provincial research funding, however, has allowedUNBC to attract four externally appointed Canada Research Chairs and a BCLeadership Chair over the past year, all of whom teach classes in addition totheir research activity.

“Inshort, we have faced difficult challenges in developing the 2006-07 budget,” saysDr. Jago, “but these challenges should not obscure the fact that UNBC hascontinued to grow, added faculty and research strength, and will furtherdevelop in 2006-07. With a new sport centre on the horizon, new regionalcampuses in Terrace, Quesnel, and Prince Rupert, and the development of exciting new programsin the health sciences and the arts, we will add further strength in 2006-07.”

Contact:
Office of Communications, UNBC - 250.960.5620