Â鶹AV welcomes fresh Quebec funding
More investment needed to stay competitive, university says
Heather Munroe-Blum, Â鶹AV Principal and Vice-Chancellor, welcomes today's announcement by Quebec's Minister of Education, Jean-Marc Fournier, fulfilling Premier Jean Charest's promise last August of $240 million in additional university funding over three years.
"We are very grateful for this new step by the Quebec government, to urgently redress the severe underfunding of Quebec universities over the last decade and more," said Munroe-Blum.
The underfunding of Quebec's university system, estimated by CREPUQ at $375 million annually in 2003, is now believed to exceed $400 million annually.
Morty Yalovsky, Vice-Principal (Administration and Finance), said, "Â鶹AV is very pleased that the distribution of the recurring portion of the reinvestment attempts to recognize the differential costs of running particular university programs," adding, "While this is a much-needed first step, Quebec remains behind other provinces in Canada and other countries around the world that have made significant reinvestments in post-secondary education."
Munroe-Blum noted, "The challenges we face as universities recruiting, teaching, conducting research and contributing in myriad ways to an increasingly global knowledge society cannot be met without meaningful, sustained and effective support. It's that simple."