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To: Members of the SFU Community
From: President Michael Stevenson
Re: Budget 08/09
I need to inform members of the community that we have received
information from the Ministry of Advanced Education (AVED) which,
if confirmed in official budget letters, will create significant
new budget problems for the coming fiscal year. Total provincial
grant revenues for SFU in 08/09 will increase beyond those for
07/08, reflecting negotiated compensation increases and targeted
enrolment growth. However, there are significant changes forecast
in funding commitments previously announced and used in budget
planning so far.
Our indications are that there will be cuts to SFU's provincial
grant transferred in 07/08, a reduction in our enrolment growth
previously committed for 08/09, and a reduction in the value of
the grants attached to enrolment growth planned for SFU's Surrey
campus. These are major changes to the previous announcements
from government on which we have depended in planning for board
approval of the 08/09 budget next week. As you know, this
planning has involved a very difficult exercise, requiring a c. $9
million (2.5%) cut to 07/08 budget allocations across the
university. These reductions were required in order to
accommodate market pressures on the costs of new appointments, the
operating costs of new buildings, and inflation in non-salary
operating costs, none of which have been covered by the government
funding formula. The impact of the latest information we have
received would require further reductions of more than $6 million.
The timing of this new information just weeks prior to the start
of a new fiscal year means that most decisions have been made for
new appointments and new admissions for 08/09, with little
flexibility remaining to accommodate new budget pressures. We are
therefore concentrating on intensive conversations with government
in the hope of clarification and relief. At the same time, I have
asked the Vice-Presidents and Deans, and the budget task force
established in the Summer of last year, to consider options for
managing further reductions in the cost of our operations, in
light of the information so far received. I will be reporting to
the Board of Governors and to the Senate, and I will also be
reviewing these matters with all employee associations and with
the Student Society.
I will update the community on the results of these discussions
inside and outside of the university as soon as I am able.
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