ELIZABETH CHURCH
From Saturday's Globe and Mail Published on Saturday, Feb. 06, 2010 12:00AM EST Last updated on Saturday, Feb. 06, 2010 4:16AM EST
EDUCATION REPORTER
The fate of millions of dollars in federal funding for the beleaguered First
The government of Saskatchewan earlier this week pulled $5.2-million from the Regina school, the country's only aboriginal-run university. The move comes amid allegations from a past executive concerning financial mismanagement by senior administrators and follows years of failed attempts to reform the school's board.
The decision by the Saskatchewan government, said Mr. Strahl, has implications beyond the university's finances since the province is responsible for operating universities. "Once their involvement is gone, then it brings into question the viability of the university," he said in an interview yesterday from his B.C. riding.
"It's not a very optimistic picture. It's hard to overstate the seriousness of this."
Officials at his ministry are working over the weekend to examine the conditions on federal funding and a decision will be made quickly, he said. About $7.3-million hangs in the balance.
But Mr. Strahl said the question goes beyond federal funding. During the many years of failed reforms, students have voted with their feet and enrolment has fallen by half. And he suggested the conditions have changed since the creation of what was then called the Saskatchewan Federated Indian College two decades ago. Many universities actively recruit aboriginal students and are now coming forward with offers of help for students of the troubled institution. The school shares a campus with the University of Regina, which also confers its degrees.
After the province cancelled its funding, Saskatchewan native leaders, who oversee the university, voted to dissolve the board of governors and put the administration on leave until an audit is concluded.
Guy Lonechild, chief of the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations, said an interim, non-political board made up of aboriginal academic professionals would be put in place. He described the new board as a step toward rebuilding the school's reputation and credibility.
But Mr. Strahl said he remains skeptical about such measures, given the several false attempts at reform over the past five years. "I hate to say it, but I am from Missouri on this. I've heard this before and I have been promised this before," he said. "It is not a good news story for FNU no matter how you slice it."