WINNIPEG, MB – The University of Winnipeg today welcomed the release of the final report of the Commission on Tuition Fees and Accessibility to Post-Secondary Education in Manitoba. The report, authored by Dr. Ben Levin, recommends that the Manitoba government should improve accessibility to post-secondary education while keeping tuition fees moderate and below the Canadian average.
A Solid Balance
This report strikes a solid balance between the need to increase revenues for the operating budget while enhancing accessibility for students and controlling student debt,” said UWinnipeg President and Vice-Chancellor Dr. Lloyd Axworthy. “I am especially pleased that the report emphasizes that tuition is only part of the accessibility picture and underscores the need to invest additional resources in supports for students, particularly those from non-traditional communities.”
The report recommends:
- Setting targets for participation and graduation from post-secondary education that are above national averages, with equitable participation from all social and economic groups.
- Gradually increasing tuition fees – 5% or $150 per student per year (which ever is less) for the next three years – but remaining below the Canadian average.
- Ensuring Manitoba’s system of student financial assistance is the best in Canada, by limiting maximum debt levels to $5,000 per year per student and preventing catastrophic situations.
- Creating a “Targeted Accessibility Program” by allowing institutions to levy a 1% or $25 per Full Time Equivalent (FTE) fee for each of the next three years dedicated to support programs that improve accessibility and success for under-represented groups, such as UW’s Opportunity Fund. This fee would be matched on a one-for-one basis by the Province.
- Providing more support for student housing and child care.
Successful Initiatives
Axworthy says many of the findings in the Levin Report mirror recommendations from The University of Winnipeg’s own Task Force on Access released in September 2007. Those recommendations have led to successful initiatives including the Opportunity Fund (fast-track bursaries, tuition credits and micro-financing programs), community learning programs such as Eco-Kids, Enviro-Techs, the Model School for Science and Sustainability and the Global Welcome Centre, and the construction of the new McFeetors Hall: Great West Life student residence and the pending UWSA Day Care centre on the Furby/Langside Campus.
“Commissioner Levin’s report highlights areas where UW is already breaking new ground and making a difference in students’ lives,” added Axworthy. “We look forward to working with the Manitoba government to further enhance these initiatives.”
The Levin Commission was established in July 2008 after the Manitoba government announced it planned to end the freeze on tuition fee increases in 2009-10.The full report is available at www.postsecondarycommission.mb.ca
