N.B. government floats idea to merge universities to reduce post-secondary department

A leaked government document outlining possible cuts to New Brunswick universities have some in the sector worried.

A government document listing 16 ideas on ways to save New Brunswick money within the post-secondary education department is creating concern on university campuses, although some feel much of the list is out of the question.

The document, which was shared at a meeting last week, begins by stating the government’s target is to reduce the post-secondary branch of the department by $35 to $50 million.

The province is projecting a $1.3-billion deficit for the 2025-26 fiscal year, and Premier Susan Holt has said the upcoming March 17 budget will present challenges and reductions in certain areas.

Some of the list includes ideas like merging universities such as:

• St. Thomas University and the University of New Brunswick in Fredericton
• Collège Communautaire du Nouveau-Brunswick and the Universite de Moncton
• N.B. College of Craft and Design with N.B. Community College

It also considers the possibility of the province only supporting two public universities, like UNB and UdeM, while seeing Mount Allison University privatized with the help of a transition fund.

Other options include:

• repurposing university infrastructure for schools or nursing homes
• limit student aid for students from New Brunswick
• see municipalities financially contribute to recreational facilities used by the greater community

“I think it’s crazy to think about, like I couldn’t even think about how that would work,” said St. Thomas University Students’ Union president Ana Lucía Pavón.

The University of New Brunswick is the oldest English language university in the country, founded in 1785, while St. Thomas is 116 years old.

Pavón says merging the two isn’t realistic.

“It’s almost as if I were to ask ChatGPT, ‘Hey, give me some ideas on how I can fix post-secondary education in the budget.’ And then it would give me those 16 ideas,” she said.

She said they did meet with government officials in November, but these ideas only circulated last week. She also noted tuition in New Brunswick is approaching $10,000 a year for domestic students, which is among the highest in the country.

The last option asks if it would be possible to reduce the university operating grant by 10 per cent and not raise tuition.

All four of the province’s publicly-funded universities have said nothing’s been decided, so it would be premature to comment.

However, they all state that they will defend their value to the province and the communities they serve.

Minister of Post-Secondary Education Jean-Claude D’Amours told reporters last week the sector does need to make some change and do things differently.

But he recognized that the discussions have caused concern.

“The best people right now to help us finding solutions are the institution themselves,” he said.

The document acknowledges the timeline is short, but their goal was to bring university’s input back to cabinet this week.

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