“I offered to provide any kind of help the university needs. They haven’t asked for any,” Dimitrios Nikolaidis said in an interview over the weekend. Nikolaidis said his department previously asked the university for a concrete plan by June 30 to expand the school’s physical presence in the town of 2,800.
Read more: Athabasca University president calls Alberta staffing demand lagging, disastrous
“What I got on June 30 did not contain any financial request and it did not even contain any kind of financial information or cost implications related to moving (personnel),” he said. “So, in the absence of any details from the university, we will have to take a step forward.” Story continues below ad Nicolaidis’ comments come as the standoff between him and university president Peter Scott grows increasingly contentious over a looming deadline that hangs the school’s fortunes in the balance. The two sides have been debating the role and mission of Athabasca University for months. It is Canada’s largest online university, hosting 40,000 students who connect virtually across Canada and not just with instructors. It was moved from Edmonton to Athabasca, 145 km north of the provincial capital, almost 40 years ago to provide distance education and help rural economic development. Therein lies the rub. Over time, the school’s on-site staff was reduced as more began working remotely. The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated this shift, and now only a quarter of the 1,200 employees work on site. Local residents formed a lobby group a year ago trying to reverse that trend, and in March, Premier Jason Kenney promised to find a way to bring back more staff. Nikolaidis agrees, saying he’s not reinventing the school’s mandate but simply trying to reverse the trend away from it. Scott openly agreed to disagree.
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Story continues below ad On Friday, he publicly called the plan regressive and self-defeating, making it harder to hire top talent and needlessly taking away critical funds, resources and time better spent on learning. Trending Stories
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Scott said he wants to help, but said it’s unfair to ask the school to be the city’s primary economic driver. “(The plan) will add absolutely nothing to the university,” Scott said in a video presentation to staff and students. Scott also noted that the move would ironically involve some university staff already working remotely in other rural areas being directed to move to that rural area in the name of rural development. Asked about this potentially self-defeating aspect of the relocation program, Nikolaidis said those are the kinds of issues that need to be ironed out — but said it can’t be done until the school has worked out the details. Nicolaidis also rejected criticism that his united conservative government, with elections looming next spring, is pursuing this plan simply to garner votes in critical rural areas. “That is completely inaccurate,” he said. “I don’t think we’re asking for anything new,” he added. “People have been working in the city (for decades) and providing high-quality academic programming to Albertans and other Canadians. Story continues below ad “Let’s continue this path of excellence.” As of June 30, the debate has turned into a line in the sand. 2:04 University of Athabasca President calls small-town Alberta staffing demand regressive, disastrous University of Athabasca president calls small-town Alberta staffing demand regressive, disastrous Scott said the school presented a “talent management plan” in its June 30 submission, including incentives such as on-site hubs, meeting and research spaces. He said officials did not hear back. Nikolaidis responded with a letter on July 29, ordering the school board to promise by the end of August that it would formally agree to begin work to bring more staff to the city. Scott said the government mandates that 65 percent of staff — including executive members — must live in Athabasca by 2025. That means 500 people must move. Nicolaidis also instructed that the board’s acceptance of the plan be followed by an implementation strategy to be submitted no later than the end of September. Story continues below ad Failure to do so, Nikolaidis said, means the school is at risk of losing its $3.4 million monthly provincial grant. Scott said it accounts for a quarter of the total funding and without it, the school would likely fail. In May, Nicolaidis replaced the board chair with Calgary lawyer Byron Nelson, who Nicolaidis says is on board with the relocation plan. Scott, meanwhile, is now seeking to harness the power of public opinion, urging staff, students and supporters to contact Nikolaidis’ office to hear him out.
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It boils down to two parties looking for common ground while seemingly unable to agree on even basic definitions. Scott, in an interview Friday, accused Nikolaidis of micromanaging his school. Nikolaidis said it is not micromanagement but responsible supervision. Regarding the impending multimillion-dollar budget cut, Scott said: “The minister said this is not an ultimatum.” “I had to quickly check my dictionary to see what ultimatum means.” © 2022 The Canadian Press
