A petition to keep Athabasca University (AU) in Athabasca was presented to the Alberta’s Minister of Advanced Education in Legislature Nov. 25.
Just under 900 people signed the petition in response to a sustainability report that raised the possibility that AU could move to another location.
AU executives released the sustainability report last June, which stated that the university could face insolvency on its debt in the next two years and proposed several options to resolve the issue.
“Not only has AU been at the forefront of higher education for close to 50 years, it’s also the town’s largest employer. So, it’s no surprise support for the university is very strong in the community,” said Mike Dempsey, vice-president of the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees.
“AU employees live and work in the community and area. They contribute $30 million annually to the local economy. To lose that would be devastating.”
Athabasca University employees about 500 people, 270 of which are support staff represented by AUPE.
Last Wednesday, Dempsey and representatives from AUPE, the Athabasca University Faculty Association (AUFA) and CUPE 3911 presented the petition to minister Lori Sigurdson in the rotunda of the Legislature. Sigurdson wasn’t available for comment in time for publication.
“The NDP government claims to place value on both post-secondary education and job stimulus, so we’re hopeful it will make the right decision and keep AU headquartered in Athabasca,” Dempsey added.
AUPE has been circulating the petition online since August and followed up with door knocking in October.
