U of M cuts courses to mitigate loss of foreign students
The university cancelled the applied business management program and its courses for the fall semester, said Ute Kothe, dean of U of M's extended education division, which offers non-degree certificate programs.
'Due to ongoing federal delays in visa processing, some extended education courses have seen lower enrolment,' she said in a statement.
PHIL HOSSACK / FREE PRESS FILES
The University of Manitoba slashed the applied business management program and its related courses for the fall semester due to the falling enrollment of international students.
Kothe said the cancelled program affects five part-time instructors in six courses. Degree-based programs and course offerings won't be affected for the fall semester, she said.
Instructors who taught extended education courses were notified that some wouldn't be asked to teach during the upcoming semester, as per a July 11 internal email.
'Understandably, this is difficult news to share.' said Naomi Frey, manager of program delivery for extended education. 'The diminished number of appointments available is a result of the current geo-political climate for immigration and migration.'
Kothe said the effect of having potentially fewer international students won't be fully known until the first week of class.
The cuts underscore the problem of depending too much on international student enrollment for revenue, said Patrick Noel, president of the Manitoba Organization of Faculty Associations.
'This shows that the province needs to step up in terms of funding for universities, so universities don't have to rely on what I call the 'international tap,'' Noel said Wednesday. 'We never know what will happen with international students, and sometimes the government decides to turn off the faucet.'
Contracted instructors are vulnerable when universities trim budgets because they aren't tenured and don't have the same protections as permanent staff, Noel said.
He said students are ultimately affected by the cancelled program because of the lost education opportunities.
'We're reducing the variety, the diversity and the options of what they can take when they decide to take post-secondary education. They're the biggest losers in all of this,' Noel said.
In October, U of M administration told the Free Press the federal government's limit on international students caused a 30 per cent decrease in enrollment and it expected losses ranging from $5 million to $7 million.
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The federal cap, announced in January 2024, was intended to address the strain on public resources.
The University of Winnipeg made cuts of its own in April, announcing its English language program — which was available to students who wanted to improve oral and written language skills — would no longer exist.
U of W president Todd Mondor blamed the federal international student cap.
The university won't reduce any of its programs or courses for the fall semester, a U of W spokesperson said.
matthew.frank@freepress.mb.ca
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