Trying to wrest itself free from consecutive multimillion-dollar deficits, Vancouver Island University is looking at cutting more programs, including the masters of community planning.
VIU continues to be in the red, most recently with a $9-million deficit in 2024-25 and a November draft budget suggesting a $12-million shortfall for 2025-26.
In addition to potentially cancelling the masters of community planning program, the university is also looking at cancelling its masters of arts in sustainable leadership management, as well as graduate diploma programs in project management, hospitality management, international trade and sustainable leadership management. A digital media minor and post-degree diploma in romance languages are also at risk.
Also, a number of VIU programs could be suspended in the fall semester, including bachelor of arts in liberal studies, philosophy and global studies, and the information and technology applied systems diploma in web and mobile development.
Students already studying in programs that are potentially cancelled or suspended would receive support to graduate in those situations, the university stated.
A letter from Emily Huner, acting VIU president, on Monday, May 5, stated that the post-secondary institution is in the middle of trying to balance the books, with a multi-phased deficit management plan.
"We understand that change can create uncertainty, and we want to assure you these proposed decisions were made with great care – guided by evidence, aligned with our academic priorities, and carried out through a rigorous … governance process as outlined in the B.C. Universities Act and VIU’s internal policies," Huner noted.
In the past, the university has cited changes to international student rules reducing numbers, as a reason for financial woes, something Gara Pruesse, VIU Faculty Association president, told the News Bulletin is only one factor. She said VIU didn't recover quickly from COVID-19 shutdowns, continued spending more and more on administration, and did not change course quickly enough.
"The second thing I would say is that they haven't had, in the past, a very good perspective on forecasting," Pruesse said. "They've been failing to forecast properly, and they have failed to understand exactly what the class sizes were and what the faculty-to-student ratios were. So all of these things have led to misdiagnosis where the issues are."
The faculty association recognizes the need to examine the relevance of courses, she said, but said decisions are being made for financial reasons when there "isn't sufficient financial information about the programs being put in front of the decision-makers."
Pruesse says the faculty association has made suggestions in the past to the administration on approaches that would not lead to job losses and program cuts, but said those suggestions either haven't been taken or have been applied to a limited extent.
"The growth in expenditure on administrator salaries in total, has grown over the last 10 years by 67 per cent whereas the same growth for expenditure on faculty salaries has grown by 42 per cent," Pruesse said. "When we were more efficient, 10 years ago, we were spending less proportionally, on administrators, and we would like to see a return to that. That would save us $5 million a year."
The university stated that more courses are being considered for cancellation in the fall of 2026 including graduate diplomas in inclusive education, literacy, language and learning and teacher leadership, and a dental assistant undergraduate program. Other changes for 2026 could include halving the number of academic deans from eight to four.
In an e-mailed statement, VIU said it had "submitted two packages to the planning and priorities committee of [the] senate as part of its ongoing academic and financial planning efforts. These proposals are now undergoing the required governance review processes, which include senate and the board of governors" and no final decisions have been made.
VIU is in the middle of budget deliberations, with a review of proposed program changes slated for Monday, May 12. Proposals would be forwarded to a May 21 meeting and final budget approval is expected on June 3. No further comments will be issued until then, the university stated.
In an e-mail, the B.C. Ministry of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills said it understands the financial hardships universities and colleges are facing because of "the federal government’s unilateral changes to study permits for international students." The ministry said it has met with the federal government about a new study permit cap for international students, and its concerns remain the same.
The ministry said it will continue working with post-secondary institutions as they plan budgets, and will continue advocating to the federal government.
