Vice-president (facilities and operations) Andrew Sharman no longer employed at U of A

As of April 9, Andrew Sharman, who was the vice-president (facilities and operations), is no longer employed with the University of Alberta. The reason for Sharman’s departure is unknown.

On April 9, an email announcing his departure was posted on the r/uAlberta Reddit page. The post has since been removed.

In his role as vice-president (facilities and operations), Sharman sat on the Board of Governors (BoG). At the most recent BoG meeting on March 22, Sharman presented on the university’s proposed ancillary budget. 

On April 11, The Gateway received a statement from the university regarding Sharman’s departure.

At the May BoG meeting, the university will bring a recommendation to “integrate the university’s Facilities and Operations portfolio within University Services and Finance,” the statement read.

“This restructuring would result in administrative efficiencies and further align our university with other large, research-intensive universities across Canada.”

Vice-president (university services and finances) Todd Gilchrist has been appointed as the current interim vice-president (operations and finance).

University cannot comment on personnel matters, reason for Sharman’s departure

Facilities and Operations is responsible for maintenance of university buildings. During the December 2023 fall semester exam break, Facilities and Operations responded to an electrical vault fire in the Humanities Centre (HC). The university subsequently announced the closure of the HC for all of winter semester 2024 on January 4. This was on recommendation from Facilities and Operations as they had concerns about contamination and the air quality.

In January 2024, Facilities and Operations also responded to flooding in the Edmonton Clinic Health Academy (ECHA) and the Tory Building. According to Facilities and Operations, extreme cold caused pipes to burst in both buildings. The university had to relocate 114 classes.

After the fire in the HC, students raised concerns about deferred maintenance. As of February 2023, the HC had $7.9 million in deferred maintenance. Of this total, $0.5 million is for electrical work. Facilities and Operations did not think that deferred maintenance was the cause of the fire.

On April 11, The Gateway asked U of A media relations if the university was able to give the specific reason for Sharman’s departure. The Gateway also asked if his departure had anything to do with recent building issues, such as the flooding in ECHA and the Tory Building, and the electrical fire in the HC. In response, The Gateway was told that the university can’t comment on personnel matters.