U of A real estate

[IanO]

35 was always an inflated value and the cost of ownership for the U is significant, but it needs a few more creative minds involved.

 

[northlands]

I read that they were donated it only about 10 or so years ago. Kind of a slap in the face for the U of A just to turn around and sell something that was donated to the institution in good faith.

 

[IanO]

Sure, but imagine that you inherit a 1986 Rolls Royce from your benevolent great aunt when you are 23. It costs you $20k year just to run it and yet you can barely pay rent.

What do you do?

 

[archited]

I would consult someone who knows more about Rolls Royce than you do.

 

[IanO]

I'd find a way forward and that includes partnerships or some sort of trust... but I am sure that there are conditions.

 

[northlands]

I'd find a way forward and that includes partnerships or some sort of trust... but I am sure that there are conditions.

Yeah hopefully that's the case.

Overall I agree, U of A is in an extremely difficult situation being hamstrung by the funding cut/COVID one-two punch, but a person does wish there was a different way to approach it.

 

[archited]

This article makes me sizzle and boil. Instead of cutting funding for the U of A, the UCP should be redoubling its efforts to keep improving on the stature of this campus (but what would Kenney know -- he doesn't even possess a degree of any sort; in fact he is a University drop-out. The U of A along with NAIT has the engine to drive employment for the new Hydrogen Economy. Read Elise Stolte's article and see if your blood pressure doesn't rise as well.

Elise Stolte: 'Unprecedented' cuts at the University of Alberta make for a rapidly shrinking institution

There are massive changes afoot at the University of Alberta — it’s hard to overstate how big.

edmontonjournal.com

 

[CplKlinger]

This article makes me sizzle and boil. Instead of cutting funding for the U of A, the UCP should be redoubling its efforts to keep improving on the stature of this campus (but what would Kenney know -- he doesn't even possess a degree of any sort; in fact he is a University drop-out. The U of A along with NAIT has the engine to drive employment for the new Hydrogen Economy. Read Elise Stolte's article and see if your blood pressure doesn't rise as well.

Elise Stolte: 'Unprecedented' cuts at the University of Alberta make for a rapidly shrinking institution

There are massive changes afoot at the University of Alberta — it’s hard to overstate how big.

edmontonjournal.com

One of my professors in a 300 level course was a PhD student. He said having someone like him teach a course at that level would have been unthinkable just a few years ago, but now the Department of Political Science is being forced to use them since they're cheaper than PhD's. Class sizes have also been going up a lot.

 

[Kosy123]

One of my professors in a 300 level course was a PhD student. He said having someone like him teach a course at that level would have been unthinkable just a few years ago, but now the Department of Political Science is being forced to use them since they're cheaper than PhD's. Class sizes have also been going up a lot.

It’s genuinely distressing to see the differences in morale and just everything by the end of my undergraduate degree in 2020 (when the talks of mass consolidation between faculties were happening) and 2015. I try my best not to think too much about it now, or else I’ll go insane, but I’m saddened how much blows the U of A is taking. Even my professors at smaller departments have been fighting nail and claw to stay alive.

It’s a genuinely good university. I’m honestly saddened thinking of what’s happening now.

 

[Guy 1]

I know there was certainly a lot of administrative fat to be cut at the U of A, but nothing on the magnitude of these cuts. It's so disappointing to think about the long lasting impacts that these cuts are going to have - especially to the faculty of arts, which has very limited external fundraising abilities.

It takes such a long time to build up the quality of an institution like the U of A and such little time to destroy it.

 

[IanO]

Expect a better capitalization and use their lands more similar to UBC, SFU and the direction that UofC is heading.

 

[Platinum107]

God this is giving me such an ugly feeling on the inside. The U of A is THE province's university and should be supported and improved as much as it can be, through thick and thin. These cuts are just terrible, and I hope that when I'm a student there in a year or so things get better

 

[CaptainBL]

God this is giving me such an ugly feeling on the inside. The U of A is THE province's university and should be supported and improved as much as it can be, through thick and thin. These cuts are just terrible, and I hope that when I'm a student there in a year or so things get better

But you wouldnt even know it and at this rate the U of A and U of C will be on par. Not only has the provincial government been cutting substantial amounts from the U of A, the government is also not actively growing or expanding the U of A and its programs. These are Klein era type cuts and it looks ugly now but what is less obvious are the effects and impacts that this will have on the province and education in the future. Very short sighted and embarrassing, but not unexpected from this government.

 

[TAS]

This was the government's response to the cuts, which as we all know were greater at the UofA.

Demetrios Nicolaides, the province’s advanced education minister, has denied any specific institutions were targeted.

“We looked at the funding levels per student for all our institutions, looked at how they compared to one another, and looked at how they compared to their competitors in other provinces. We’ve used that approach to determine funding reductions,” Nicolaides said.

I don't know the numbers, but I have certainly heard the UofA does receive the most funding based on per student. It is regarded as the fat cat in Alberta. So lots of jobs are being lost as one outcome.
The province notes that MacEwan University is one of the few institutions that is not having any cuts.

One of the things concerning to me is the government's appointments of its UCP friends on the UofA board of directors as well as other schools. All government's do it, including NDP, but the NDP waited until board members terms were finished whereas I heard the UCP just replaced certain people even before their terms were over.

 

[thommyjo]

I feel torn on this, same as nursing cuts, because there is so much waste in these massive public organizations with weak oversight and incentive to reduce costs. But the health care and university systems are so vital to our economy. So im not sure how you fix the problems. There is an opportunity cost to mismanaged funds. And the pay to many professors is outrageously high. Could the province better allocate that money?

Id rather see the money stay in the school and be used more effectively though. Not sure how the government encourages that...