UPEI Board of Governors approves balanced budget: tuition rises 4%, zero program cuts

The University of Prince Edward Island Board of Governors approved a balanced budget for the 2013-14 operating year at its regular monthly meeting Thursday night on the UPEI campus.

It was reported earlier this year that UPEI faced a shortfall of $9 million between projected revenues and expenditures for the time frame May 1, 2013-April 30, 2014. According to the University Act, UPEI must table a balanced budget; therefore, the proposal to the Board needed to strike a balance between tuition revenue increases and expenditure reductions to preserve services, maintain quality, and keep education affordable at the Island's only university.

President and Vice-Chancellor Abd-El-Aziz said, 'The University administration addressed its budget with a thoughtful approach and kept students and staff at the forefront of our deliberations. As of tonight, we have an approved, balanced budget, but it is based on a number of assumptions. We need to continue to work diligently to achieve projected revenue targets and keep costs under control to avoid any further adjustments.'

While UPEI tuition fees will remain among the lowest in the Atlantic Provinces for both Canadian and international undergraduate students, an increase of four per cent was approved. This translates into an increase of $21 per course. Since 2003, the average annual tuition increase has been 3.1 per cent.

UPEI Student Union President Anastasia Smallwood added, 'As representatives of the students of UPEI we, the UPEI Student Union, dislike any increase to tuition. However, we understand the difficulties faced by the University in the creation of the 2013-14 budget. We appreciate the fact that student interests have been put first and that the tuition increase has been kept to a minimum.'

There were no core programs affected by this budget despite the University experiencing many pressures. The status quo provincial operating grant combined with normal inflationary effects, as well as salary increments, pension commitments, benefit costs, heat, electricity, deferred maintenance, and HST, were cost drivers.

Throughout the budget process, administrators across campus worked to minimize the impact on UPEI's most valuable resource-people-by reducing non-salary expenditures as much as possible and employing a number of cost cutting measures. However, with 73 per cent of expenses allocated to salaries and benefits, some job reductions will be unavoidable in order to balance the budget.

The approved 2013-14 UPEI Operating Budget will be available online May 10, 2013.