Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - January 10, 1995, Winnipeg, Manitoba Inside Story Winnipeg free press 1 january a of under siege school fears funding axe will leave no meat on Bones Bald Santin education reporter a siege mentality is devel Oping at Winnipeg Down town where the wagons Are being drawn against an expected primarily an undergraduate uni the University of Winnipeg is already quite officials say 10 years of underfunding have reduced the institution to its essentials and there is nothing left to but students and staff at the u of m and feeling protective and fearful for their own said they believe the u of with its is a prime target for the education ministers order to re Engineer and one reason is the u of m already offers most of the same undergraduate programs in addition to its professional and re search in Resi dents wonder Why Winnipeg should have two universities that offer Many of the same should be nervous if i was at the University of win i would be Joe a professor of economics at if youre having the provincial budget drive your Deci Sion making i would look first to the u of w As a focal Point of change and amalgamation with the University of the u of w has students Pur suing a Broad Range of Liberal arts and science it also has a faculty of education and masters programs in theology and mar with the u of it offers joint masters programs schools see Chance to grow a1 in Public administration and religious University president Marsha Hanen said the u of w cant drop any of its undergraduate programs and still be considered an under graduate and she said there is nothing else that can be we see ourselves As providing the Best possible Quality of under graduate education and that our Hanen when you have a University that is fundamentally based on an integrated Liberal arts and science its very hard to see what it makes sense to government support covered Only 60 per cent of the u of is Bud get last with student tuition picking up 37 per cent the High est proportion of the three universe our expenditures per student Are less than any other Hanen we Are by far the most efficient University in the if any savings Are to be Hanen suggests the province look to the Large Campus across if you have a lot of graduate and professional it is possible to Well Stop doing one of these and our students will go to Saskatchewan or the ultimate solution closing the u of not being considered on that could never said Spencer president of the University alumni that would be a difficult position to Wayne free press u of is Hanen says she Doest see How the University can Cut anything More and still be a Well rounded undergraduate storming Owers Manitoba universities Are under siege like never faced with dwindling dollars and accused of losing touch with the in this six part reporter Aldo Santin examines the mounting pressure for dramatic part 4 he said Many of the provinces most prominent individuals spent their undergraduate years at u of including Bill Susan Fred Penner and Lloyd we must be doing something Clements its unlikely the u of w will escape education minister Clayton manness has Al ready suggested the teaching of de saturday the manness Challenge sunday students at risk yesterday plan 2000 at u of m today Small schools defended tomorrow business report card thursday Cros Canada View cation in the province will be Over its very Likely that two of the three faculties will be possibly leaving Brandon to special ize in teacher but the u of w says its not pre pared to close its seven thousand people come student association president Jim Heber theres value to having some sort of Choice in the i cant imagine a University wanting to sacrifice a program when there Are students wanting to take Hanen said if theres to be any re organization of the University sys the province should consider amalgamating All graduate pro Grams in a new Only the u of m has a faculty of graduate studies and Hanen said that pre vents the Best teachers at the other two universities from contributing their graduate school Manitoba would do itself a great service if it was Able to come to grips with the concept of a Provin Cial graduate Hanen that where you should get the further cooperation Between universities and it would be positive for the Economy of weve recommended it a number of times but there is a tremendous inertia about there were two Camp Swide meetings in december to discuss manness Challenge document and to develop a consensus for Heber said it was Clear from the meetings that the University believes it has nothing left to give there was a Broad discussion and a lot of the discussion had to do with defending what we defend ing the value of what we to the said who is a member of the University commit tee drafting a response to for there is a commitment i across the entire University to we accept your Challenge but we Are doing what we Are trying to do already with very limited resources and i think that basically the spirit of the Docu Heber said that the University Doest know what manness adding its not prepared to give up any programs until he gets when someone says radically re Engineer and those Are relatively vague Heber what exactly Are the nuts and those details Haven become completely explicit from the minis Ter redesign raises fears about bus role Bald Santin education reporter Interior renovations to Brandon University stately Stone buildings Mirror the debate on the University future that has gripped this the outside of the buildings appears unchanged to but what goes on in those offices and classrooms May become unrecognizable to someone who graduated Only a Short time by president Dennis Anderson expects the continued decline in provincial combined with a proposed Federal funding could Cut Grants to the University of students by 25 per he has told department Heads to draw up contingency plans to Cope with a 20 per cent reduction Over the next five concentrating on eliminating some programs and enhancing Basic level people expect and they deserve to have a Basic level of University education in this Anderson that Doest mean we wont need to reemphasize some areas and pursue new there Are opportunities in the current unlike the other Brandon is clearly positioned to take advantage of education minister Clayton manness Challenge for a greater focus on Manitoba economic in Rural Anderson said by has an Institute of Rural development and the University has looked at developing curriculum for a Rural planning program at the undergraduate or masters in he there is Strong demand for business we have a very Small business administration department within the faculty of we cant keep up with the demand for business that area needs to be strengthened out deciding what areas Are to be Jeff free press Jeff Debooy Winnipeg free press Anderson sees Opportunity in Effort to Cope with funding Black says Many fear the loss of traditional is making the entire Campus Joe a professor of said concentrating on Rural issues will ghetto ize by and destroy some of the institutions traditional the9uestion of what it is we deliver Here is up for Dolecki Here we have a balanced Liberal arts with specializations in music and which Lead to employment and graduate Brandon is essentially an undergraduate it has 30 departments in the faculties of arts and its lie in its music and education Brandon College opened the first music department in Western Canada in 1904 and now attracts students from around the its education program has drawn Praise for providing native residents in the North with the skills to become teachers in their own More than people from Northern reserves and communities have received education degrees from by in the past 20 to most of the University rationalizing any of the 30 undergraduate departments is Errol a faculty association said there is a feeling on Campus Tot Anderson will replace Many of the traditional University programs with those linked to local business there Are a lot of angry Dolecki they dont believe the kind of thing the provincial government has in mind is Worth is proper or appropriate and in the Best interests of the people that we students take Consolation from Andersons aggressive defence of bus Core but Are worried about what will be offered up to the province As its efforts at what we offer is whats needed in this area of the what do we Cut asked Lesley president of the by students adding there is concern some smaller departments will a student protest five years ago saved the drama she adding its unlikely it could survive if singled out while the debate on How by will redesign itself continues within the the outcome will be of concern to the greater the reach of Brandon University goes far beyond Manitoba second largest out into All the Rural communities of the attracts recruits Brandon University is what keeps our Community Carol a local resident and its one of the things that it be for Brandon or one of the smaller towns in the keeps making us attractive to qualified recruits to become employees in our Hendrickson specializes in insurance and retirement her roles As resident and business person have Given her a better understanding of the University mandate and importance to the 1f we have a then families from various areas across the country Are More willing to come Here because they think their own kids will have Access to a it certainly is very important that this University stays vital and keeps a Good reputation across the Hendrickson said her Mother attended Buas a Par time student to finish the degree she had abandoned years earlier when she there Are Many women throughout southwestern she who still depend on adding its the Only Way for single nethers and married housewives in this area to get a University degree in nursing or teaching k i ;