By Emily Keller

gprc cuts

GPRC to cut 85 positions, suspend two programs in 2020-21 budget

May 13, 2020 | 2:58 PM

Grande Prairie Regional College (GPRC) has finalized its 2020-21 budget, addressing a 13 per cent reduction in its Campus Alberta Grant, as well as costs related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a release issued Wednesday, GPRC officials say they have reduced their 2020-21 budgeted expenditures to $65 million, from the previous 2019-20 budgeted expenditures of $73 million.

“I think it necessitated some very difficult decisions through the budget and making sure we have a resilient and sustainable institution in the future,” said President and CEO of the GPRC, Dr. Robert Murray. “And also, that we were able to strategically invest in the areas that we felt were important to the colleges future.”

A total of 85 positions have been eliminated as a result of the new budget, 39 of which were retirements, voluntary severance, concluding contracts with term-certain employees, or eliminated vacant positions. The other 46 positions cut were the result of adjustments to their programs, services and them finding efficiencies.

Dr. Murray says in addition to other funding cuts, the COVID-19 pandemic will cost the college around $1.2 million between March and June of this year.

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Some major changes to service and programs include moving the delivery of service in West Yellowhead to online due to the closures of the physical locations in Hinton, Edson, Grande Cache and Jasper. The college will also launch a new operating model for the fitness centre on the Fairview Campus, and closed the Educational Technologies Centre.

Two programs were also suspended, which the GPRC says have low enrollment. This includes the Perioperative Nursing program and the University Transfer Engineering program.

They say the budget also prepares the College for the launch of a Centre for Teaching and Learning, which they say will increase access to supports for faculty, and to further their work on Indigenization.

GPRC recently announced the launch of a new Economic Recovery taskforce with the other eleven Comprehensive Community College in Alberta, of which Dr. Robert Murray will chair. They have also recently announced a partnership with Athabasca University to provide online learning management system.