Christina VarvisThe Peter Lougheed Leadership College was still a topic of discussion for university administrators at the General Faculties Council on March 9.
During an update on the college, vice-principal Martin Ferguson-Pell said that the administrative board is now focusing on recruiting students, finishing up the curriculum and on fundraising efforts.
Ferguson-Pell said that they aim to promote inclusivity and diversity within the leadership certificate program, and have made attempts to reduce barriers to this — such as recruiting teachers from across different faculties on campus.
Outgoing President Indira Samarasekera said the college is on track to open with its pioneer class in September 2015. But she noted that there is still more work to do.
Samarasekera also said that there is excitement from the Edmonton corporate community due to the prospect of hiring students who have leadership experience.
“We are the first university to (have this type of formal leadership program),” she said.
Students’ Union Vice President (Academic) Kathryn Orydzuk asked about the course approval process for the new college. She was concerned that these weren’t yet up on Beartracks.
Ferguson-Pell responded that they anticipate that the courses will be approved soon. But he said that putting recruitment “on the ice” because of unapproved course lists would result in the college missing out on generating students.
Teaching Assistants for the college will soon be recruited from across different faculties, Ferguson-Pell said.
The University Budget also came into conversation as Vice-President (Finance and Administration) Phyllis Clark and Dean of the Faculty of Physical Education Kerry Mummery presented on exploring Responsibility Centered Management (RCM) at the U of A.
According to Clark, this model will allow the university to shift the funding source of the post-secondary institution towards the faculties, which will be main generators of revenue.
Mummery clarified that this is a recommendation that is going to be proposed to incoming president David Turpin, since it’s a model that is working in institutions such as the University of Toronto.
On the subject of the upcoming provincial budget, President Samarasekera said that they have not received any word on tuition from the government.
“Hopefully there will be more clarity in the upcoming weeks,” she said.
No matter the outcome of the upcoming budget, Samarasekera said she expects that the U of A will continue to be responsible and accessible for students. She said that if cuts occur, they will likely affect tuition in the long-term rather than immediately.
What I actually said was: “on page 6 of provided document it says certificate approval is expected Fall 2015. Similar academic offerings are brought through governance much in advance and are indicated in the university calendar (not Beartracks) before being advertised to students. Why is the PLLC an exception to this rule?”