Last week, Athabasca University came head-to-head with three major decisions that will impact the universityís future for years to come.
From confidential agreements about sharing a building in St. Albert, to the hunt for the next president while the current president faces off against a looming $7- million deficit, the universityís next steps will have an echoing effect on the surrounding communities.
Investigations published last week by Alberta Politics and the St. Albert Gazette found an expression of interest (EOI) had been issued on Sept. 30, 2015, stating that the City of St. Albert had entered a ìstrategic partnership arrangementî with Athabasca University to acquire office space together.
The document said the city was looking for 40,000 additional square feet of office space by spring 2020, with room to grow, while the university was looking for at least 50,000 square feet to consolidate its Edmonton-area operations.
The city proposed locating the building in downtown St. Albert, South Riel or the Employment Lands.
The EOI is not a legally-binding document, and more parties could be part of the arrangement.
The documents from the investigation included a Sept. 14 letter from the St. Albert mayor to Marg Mrazek, the interim chair of universityís Board of Governors and a St. Albert resident.
The letter from Mayor Nolan Crouse informed Mrazek that city council had passed a motion authorizing administration to ìissue the attached ëExpression of Interestí to the marketplace as a preliminary process to receive potential solutions to obtain new civic space to meet the cityís long term civic space needs, subject to partnerís consent.î
Athabasca Universityís director of communications John OíBrien confirmed in an email that discussions with St. Albert had occurred, but no agreement was in place.
ìThe St. Albert Gazette article to which you refer comes from a leaked document being debated at (I believe) city council there,î he wrote. ìWe have nothing further to add at this time, as there is no agreement in place to talk about.î
He noted in another email that the leaked expression of interest was not final, as the university had not agreed to it.
Just days before The Gazette article was published, the presidential search committee held a consultation with Athabasca University staff and students in the Governing Council Chambers at AU on Jan. 25.
This consultation was one of several held across the province last week, as part of a process to get input on what people want in a new university leader.
Several staff members spoke up about the need for transparency during the search, beginning with a profile of shortlisted candidates.
Still others emphasized the need to have the president not only based in Athabasca, but also living in town and being a part of the community.
ìAs an Athabasca staff member, itís vital that the university continue an investment in this community,î one speaker said. ìAthabasca University was moved here for a reason. Itís important that the president care and be invested in Athabasca. Universities are part of the community, and the president needs to be part of that community, as well.î
The speaker noted that extensive renovations have taken place on the presidentís house and said it should be used.
According to OíBrien, $800,000 was invested in the house between 2006 and 2007 for accessibility upgrades and interior spaces ($120,000 from grants), and another renovation in 2014 to replace windows, siding and insulation.
The speaker also directly asked Mrazek ñ who is also the search committee chair ñ if the new president would be located in Athabasca.
Mrazek said the importance of the universityís location in Athabasca was discussed by the committee. She said their commitment to Athabasca remains strong, as will the future presidentís presence in Athabasca.
ìWe have to look at all our candidates that come in, and weíll have to look at (that) fairly,î she responded. ìFirst of all, I donít care who comes in if Athabasca University is in Athabasca. Theyíre going to have to certainly be able to come and be here.î
She continued: ìBut you also have to realize that presidents also do not work here full time. They spend a lot of time in Edmonton, Calgary, Ottawa ñ wherever they have to go for meetings. Whether or not they actually spend every night here, theyíre going to have to have a commitment here and be here for the meetings.î
OíBrien said current president Peter MacKinnon pays for an apartment in Athabasca and the presidentís house is leased out to cover ongoing expenses.
Mrazek later released a statement on Jan. 29 noting staff concerns at the consultation, and said the universityís next president will have a strong presence in Athabasca.
ìThis is certainly an important factor, as are many other aspects of the job of president, including building a strong team throughout the university and working with Albertaís post-secondary system, the Alberta Government and all of the universityís stakeholders,î she said.
Bob Barnetson, Athabasca University labour relations professor, said that if AU moves into a new building in St. Albert and the president wouldnít be required to live in Athabasca, it would be a good indication that the weight of the institution is shifting south ñ and jobs would soon follow.
ìSure, there will always be buildings in Athabasca,î he said. ìBut it is jobs, not buildings that matter. Anyone who has ever shacked up knows you can get your mail in one place, but really be living somewhere else entirely.î
On Jan. 28, AU president Peter McKinnon issued a staff-wide email ñ obtained by the Advocate ñ announcing a $7.2-million projected shortfall for the 2016/17 fiscal year if things proceeded as they are.
ìIn meetings with the vice-presidents and deans last week, I asked them to consider what this means for their units,î he said. ìOne scenario I asked them to think about is a six per cent reduction in their budgets ñ not because I expect or support an across the board cut of this size, but because it helps all of us to reflect upon our circumstances and options.î
He wrote that some activities would be discontinued, scaled back or reinvested, and that further details were not provided and would not be known for some time.
ìThe context of our work includes the education and business process reviews now underway; the sustainability conversations with our Ministry, and talks on the future relationship between our university and eCampus Alberta,î he said.
ìWhile conclusions to these reviews and talks are not yet in sight, we can anticipate that they will have a bearing on our budget plans, if not for fiscal year 2016/2017 then certainly for our three-year budget framework extending to fiscal 2018/2019.î
ñ With files from Victoria Paterson
