University of Saskatchewan Releases 2011-12 Operating Budget

Students studying in the Physics Building
Photo by Tammy Boehmer
"This year's budget again reflects how the valuable support of the Government of Saskatchewan allows us to continue to invest prudently in our priorities, which include providing an exceptional experience for our students, both graduate and undergraduate," said Brett Fairbairn, provost and vice-president academic. "Investments in our faculty are key to our students' success. We are also investing an additional $4.79 million of our incremental tuition revenues in student-related program and service enhancements. These include additional financial aid, student advising, curriculum innovation, increased research activity and hiring professors to strengthen our student/faculty ratios. Our budget enables us to enhance the learning environment that prepares our students to succeed in their chosen fields across the province."
Of total revenues in 2011-12, the provincial operating grant accounts for 70 per cent with another 22 per cent coming from tuition. The increased provincial investment, together with the university's planning and management processes, will allow the U of S to maintain its commitment to strategic priorities such as the Academic Priorities Fund, funding for scholarships and bursaries, and library acquisitions.
The budget also includes targeted funding from the provincial government to support important strategic initiatives. One example is $2.17 million to expand the number of undergraduate seats in the College of Medicine to 336, along with related post-graduate seats, a positive change for the future of health-care delivery in Saskatchewan. Finally, the budget reflects government and university investments in the International Vaccine Centre (InterVac) facility and in the University of Saskatchewan's Canada Excellence Research Chair in Water Security, research initiatives that address the challenges of infectious disease control and the growing need for clean, safe and sustainable water
Richard Florizone, vice-president finance and resources, said the university's mature planning process and its constant assessment of both risks and opportunities allows for informed, proactive budget decisions that have far-reaching benefits.
"Our relatively conservative approach to managing the resources entrusted to us means we are in a position to strategically support areas of real importance to not only the University of Saskatchewan
but also to the Province of Saskatchewan," said Florizone. "Again this year, we were able to balance the budget while continuing to invest in the kinds of innovative teaching, learning and research opportunities that contribute so much to our success and that of the province."
To download a background document for the 2011-12 operating budget, visit www.usask.ca/vpacademic or www.usask.ca/vpfr.
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For more information, contact:
Mark Ferguson, Media Relations Co-ordinator
University Communications
University of Saskatchewan
Tel: (306) 966-1851
Email: m.ferguson@usask.ca