Jobs and services at risk as U of R makes cuts to address budgetary shortfall

The University of Regina (U of R) has started making cuts to address a budgetary shortfall that has left them about $2.5 million short this year.

Both jobs and services are on the line and additional government funding has not yet materialized.

Students will be paying four percent more to attend classes this fall but it still won’t be enough.

“We hopefully will overcome this financial challenge and [hope] that students do not face any more reduction in the services due to financial short outcomes,” U of R students union president Tejas Patel said.

To save money, the university will look first to early retirements and not renewing contracts. Program cuts are not on the table yet. In the Saskatchewan Legislature, the opposition NDP asked the government to help.

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“Five percent cuts across the board at that institution. How many more jobs will the Sask. Party government force the University of Regina to cut due to their lack of funding,” NDP MLA Jennifer Bowes said.

The university has provided no indication of the scope of the cost-cutting. The government considers it to be a university issue.

“Of course, the U of R like the U of S is an autonomous institution and has its own independent board that makes its decisions on day-to-day operating and business matters and so my understanding is no academic programs are eliminated,” minister of social services Gene Makowsky said.

A contributing factor has been a backlog of visa applications for foreign students. They pay over triple tuition and represent a major source of revenue for the university. International registrations are up 17 percent for fall 2023 meaning financial recovery could be on the horizon.