The president of Mount Royal University says fears over the possibility of job losses are unfounded following Wednesday’s request for the school’s deans to resubmit faculty budgets.
“The deans are not being asked to specifically look at what they’re going to cut yet, they are asked to consider some options, to have a conversation about what they produced last year versus what they want to produce this year,” said MRU president David Docherty. “That is the starting point for the next round of discussions.”
The university remains optimistic it will receive funding from the NDP government but, given the province’s current economic situation, the amount is uncertain. A discussion on additional expense requirements will be held following the release of the provincial budget on April 14.
Docherty admits the confusion over potential cuts stemmed from an internal memo that did not provide sufficient context.
MRU budget discussions began in January and are expected to continue into May. To clear the air over budget cut concerns, a town hall has been scheduled for Tuesday, March 29.
With files from CTV's Alesia Fieldberg
