尤物视频

It is the beginning of a new year at SFU, and I am excited about the year ahead of us. There is much to look forward to as we mark SFU鈥檚 60th anniversary and the completion of several milestone projects on the Burnaby campus, including the First Peoples鈥� Gathering House and Marianne and Edward Gibson Art Museum.

The post-secondary sector continues to face strong headwinds and it will be a complex year. I am confident that with determination and collaboration we will successfully navigate these challenges. I am grateful to the executive team who are working hard to ensure the long-term sustainability of the university. We are also extending our advocacy efforts with government to raise awareness about the continued impacts of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) changes to the post-secondary sector and discuss the sustainability of the current post-secondary funding model.

Although this continues to be a difficult time for our university and the sector as a whole, I am thankful for our community of students, faculty and staff at SFU, and I am confident in our ability to be creative, find efficiencies and deliver on our vision and academic mission in 2025.

Administrative updates

Leadership renewal

There are many senior leader searches underway at SFU. Here is a summary of progress towards each:

• The search committee for a new Vice-Provost and Associate Vice-President, Students has completed longlist interviews and is finalizing the candidates for in-person visits in January. The aim is to have a replacement hired before Dr. Rummana Khan Hemani鈥檚 retirement in the spring.
• The search committee for the next Dean, Beedie School of Business is reviewing candidate applications. Dr. Carolyn Egri continues to provide pro tem leadership while this search is conducted.
• The search for a new Dean, Faculty of Environment is underway and the advertisement is currently posted. The intent is to have a replacement hired before Dr. Naomi Krogman鈥檚 term ends in June.
• The search for a new Dean, Faculty of Health Sciences has recently commenced and the committee will be finalizing the candidate profile in January. Dr. Jeremy Snyder is providing pro tem leadership in FHS.
• The renewal process for the Dean, Faculty of Communication, Art and Technology has started. The call for nominations is currently out to establish the committee and the meetings will start in January prior to Dr. Carman Neustaedter鈥檚 term ending in summer 2025.
• The search for an Associate Vice-President, Learning and Teaching (AVPLT) will commence in January. The call for nominations was recently sent out to determine the committee members. Dr. Paul Kingsbury will provide pro tem leadership in the AVPLT portfolio through summer 2025.

Enrolments and recruitment

Note: Provost Dilson Rassier has provided a subsequent update on this matter, available here.

Preliminary spring 2025 undergraduate AFTE estimates combined with summer and fall 2024 actuals suggest that for 2024/25, SFU will be 12-14% below its unfunded (international student) goal, 6% above its funded (domestic) goal and 2-3% above its total (non co-op) AFTE goal. However, international student enrolment projections for spring 2025 and beyond remain uncertain.

On November 15, IRCC confirmed that 鈥渋nternational students must apply and be approved for a new study permit before changing learning institutions.鈥� SFU acted quickly to engage key government and political contacts and successfully advocated for international students transferring to SFU in January 2025. On December 10, IRCC issued a policy clarification to provide a grace period for students affected by the timing of the regulation allowing some students to start attending the new institution they were intending to transfer to while their study permit is being processed. The new regulations, notwithstanding the grace period for spring 2025, will greatly impact British Columbia鈥檚 robust college transfer system and are especially concerning 尤物视频 given our close relationship with Fraser International College (FIC).

Student Services鈥� Enrolment Strategies group and FIC worked closely together to ensure that international transfer students were kept fully informed of the changing regulations, provided reassurance and offered course options in both institutions. As a result, we do not anticipate losing any of the intended transfer students, but we cannot guarantee against future losses once the grace period ends. These policy changes and uncertainties will likely have added to the negative perception of Canada as a place that is not welcoming to international students. The Enrolment Strategies group will continue adapting and responding to ongoing changes, maintaining transparency in communications with students and ensuring that those impacted by changes are provided with clear information, support and options available to them.

Although SFU continues to invest in initiatives to increase international student recruitment, enrolment and retention, our longer-range projections are now that the share of international undergraduate students will fall below 15% in 2025/26, and may continue falling until 2027 before starting to recover. Again, these projections come with considerable uncertainty about the policy environment, and the potential successes from international recruitment strategy and investments.

Budget

We are anticipating another tight budget cycle at SFU and across the post-secondary sector. As shared in a message to our community from provost and chief budget officer Dilson Rassier in December, new changes in government policies, particularly those affecting international student enrolment and visa regulations, continue to negatively impact income. We know we have a challenging few years ahead.

During the last fiscal year, we reduced our budget by $50M. These reductions were found almost entirely within administration through budget cuts for administrative units, a staff hiring freeze (reducing job postings by almost 50 percent since 2022 levels) and more than 80 staff position eliminations at all levels across the university.

This work put us on the right path, and indeed we had balanced the budget for the year ahead. Unfortunately, ongoing changes impacting international enrolment from the federal government announced over the past months鈥攊ncluding the November 15 announcement as previously referenced鈥攃ontinue to catch the sector by surprise and dramatically reduce our projected income. We are now predicting an operating budget shortfall of approximately $20M for the next fiscal year, and the situation is still highly unpredictable with potentially more changes to come.

Universities in B.C. cannot run a deficit; therefore, we need to take steps now to ensure we balance our budget while we simultaneously make plans for next year. To that end, we announced a selective hiring freeze on continuing faculty positions. This selective hiring freeze is temporary, only applies to continuing positions, and has several exceptions. It does not impact the School of Medicine, which is currently funded by the government.

The selective continuing faculty hiring freeze, combined with the ongoing staff hiring freeze, another year of budget cuts for administrative units, and several other initiatives and cost-saving measures, will allow us to manage the new and continuing budget pressures. Each of these actions is intended to bring stability to our university during a volatile period. We are committed to transparency and will keep the Board and our community updated as this situation evolves.

During this meeting, the Board approved SFU鈥檚 2025/26 Tuition and Student Fee Schedule. Following a series of conversations with students and student societies, faculty and program representatives and academic leaders, the executive team and Board, the tuition recommendation is to increase tuition fees effective Sept 1, 2025 as follows:

• Undergraduate
  • Domestic students 鈥� 2% increase per B.C. tuition limit policy,
  • International students 鈥� 4% (both new and returning students)
• Graduate
  • All programs 鈥� 2%, except for programs with an existing differential rate for international students 鈥� 4%

The recommended tuition increases reflect an effort to address the ongoing challenge of meeting international enrolment targets while balancing the university鈥檚 financial obligations and student affordability. These recommendations aim to strike a balance between generating revenue to support the university鈥檚 operations and maintaining competitiveness in attracting international students, who contribute significantly to our campus community. By implementing a moderate increase for international students, this recommendation looks to mitigate the impact on affordability while supporting the institution鈥檚 financial sustainability.

Government relations

Members of the executive team will continue to prioritize government relations in 2025. Our successful efforts at the end of 2024 included Provost Dilson Rassier鈥檚 appearance in front of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration to provide expert testimony on the impacts of the federal changes to SFU鈥檚 students and programs, as well as advocacy around the November 15 announcement from IRCC stipulating that students must be approved for a new study permit before changing learning institutions. This announcement was greatly concerning to us, given B.C.鈥檚 robust college transfer system and our close relationship with FIC, and impacted students who were planning to transfer to SFU from FIC in January 2025.

In the wake of this announcement, we intensified our efforts and successfully advocated for protections that minimize the impact of these changes for international students transferring to SFU for the spring term. As previously mentioned, IRCC issued a policy update on Dec. 11 to provide a grace period that allows students to continue their studies while their updated study permits are being processed. Federal officials cited SFU鈥檚 advocacy as a key factor in this decision.

Our efforts will continue鈥擯rovost Rassier and I recently led a delegation to Victoria to discuss key priorities, including financial sustainability in the post-secondary sector, and our government relations team was recently in Ottawa to meet with federal representatives on behalf of SFU. We are also working closely with external partners, including the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade and Business Council of B.C., and with sector partners, including the Research Universities Council of British Columbia and Universities Canada, to build capacity and align our efforts as we advocate 尤物视频 and the post-secondary sector.

Advancing strategic priorities

There is work occurring across the university to advance the What鈥檚 Next strategic priorities. Several key examples are highlighted below.

Uphold Truth & Reconciliation

• In recognition of SFU鈥檚 continued participation in the Moose Hide Campaign as an ambassador campus, representatives from the campaign visited SFU鈥檚 Burnaby Campus in January to present a commemorative plaque. SFU is proud of our continued work with the Moose Hide Campaign and Indigenous-led efforts to eliminate gender-based violence.

Engage in Global Challenges

• I travelled with an SFU delegation to India in December to speak about SFU鈥檚 innovation and research work at the Times Higher Education Impact Summit and the IC-Impacts Summit, as well as to reconnect with our post-secondary partners. Along with the two summits, we advanced collaborations with several Indian post-secondary institutions and met with KPMG, the High Commission of Canada in India, alumni and recruitment agents to explore future potential for transnational education, partnership and revenue-generating opportunities.
• The SFU Sustainability and Climate Office (SCO) completed several major projects, including the 2023-2024 Sustainability and Climate Annual Report, a collaboration with VP portfolios and faculties that showcases substantial progress towards our 2025 goals. The 2025-2030 Sustainability and Climate Plan is currently in development, with commitments to What鈥檚 Next: The SFU Strategy as well as global challenges like Race to Zero and the UN鈥檚 Sustainable Development Goals.
• Several initiatives in support of SFU鈥檚 AI Strategy are underway. SFU hosted the first-ever cross-sectoral Symposium on BC鈥檚 AI Future at the Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue. The event was at capacity and welcomed 150 attendees from government, industry, academia and community organizations. The university-wide town hall on 鈥�AI and the way we work鈥� received over 350 faculty and staff participants. We also hosted a 鈥渟old-out鈥� launch of the 鈥擵INCI鈥攁n interdisciplinary collaboration which includes AI-related research.
• VPRI Dugan O鈥橬eil travelled to Paris and Brussels with a delegation of vice-presidents, research from Western Canadian universities. The trip was organized by the French Embassy in Canada and the French Consulate General in Vancouver to highlight the strengths of Western Canada in research and innovation, steward relationships and develop research partnerships. The aim is to foster impactful collaborations under the Horizon Europe program and other large-scale funding calls.

Make a Difference for B.C.

• The School of Medicine (SoM) has made critical progress towards several key initiatives, including developing an admissions framework, curriculum development, hiring and engagement with communities.
  • Admissions: The SoM admissions framework will align with the mandate and values of the MD program. Minimum admission requirements have been developed, with multiple options for demonstrating academic achievement and competency, along with an Indigenous application stream to prioritize Indigenous applicants. Applications are planned to open in Fall 2025.
  • Curriculum: Progress has been made in curriculum articulation, competency sequencing and mapping the learning experience. Focused sub-groups are being formed to advance the content and meet several spring milestones, including Senate approvals and accreditation site visits.
  • Engagement: The position of Senior Director, Health Partnerships has been filled to serve as a crucial liaison between the SoM and partners in the health sector. Formal partnership development continues, with strategic and operational meetings with Fraser Health Authority focusing on clinical learning sites, facilities, accreditation visits and communication strategies. Other initiatives include engagement with 11 Divisions of Family Practice in the Fraser Valley and work with the City of Surrey on the proposed building project and social infrastructure initiative.
  • Leadership: As of January 1, 2025, Dr. David Price has officially moved into his role as dean. An Associate Dean, Indigenous Health and Associate Director, Indigenous Perspectives have been appointed to develop and implement a strategy for sustaining relationships with local First Nations and Indigenous groups, as well as developing pathways from Indigenous communities to and through the SoM. Active searches are underway for several other leadership roles, including the Associate Dean, Research.

Transform the SFU Experience

• In recent months, there has been an increase in discussion among the SFU community about safety on our campuses. The Campus Public Safety (CPS) team has been active on this file, which also surfaces important questions about our community's approach to the complex topics of homelessness, mental health and substance use, and campus access. In December, Chief Safety and Risk Officer Galib Bhayani shared a message with the SFU community outlining new safety measures that have been undertaken in the past year, as well as sharing resources and reminders about our SFU Safe App and how to reach out to CPS for support. CPS continues to respond to all reported safety incidents, work with local authorities when necessary and provide support to community members impacted.
• VPAAE Erin Morantz and I joined Renaissance Coffee owner Parminder Parhar and his wife Kamaljit as they hosted SFU鈥檚 annual Coffee Day for Students on Burnaby campus on November 6. In total, more than $5,200 was raised from proceeds of the morning鈥檚 purchases to support the Parhar endowment, which enriches students鈥� lives through an athletics award and a bursary recognizing community service. The Parhars continue to inspire us through their compassion and longstanding dedication to education.

Sincerely,

Joy Johnson
President & Vice-Chancellor
尤物视频