uAlberta French business course suspension upsets parents' group

The University of Alberta's Campus Saint-Jean is suspending a first-year, college-level course in business administration as a cost-saving measure, prompting a parents' group to raise concerns that French language education will be reduced further this spring. The executive director of Canadian Parents for French's Alberta branch says parents were shocked to read of the course cancellation on a blog by uAlberta acting provost Martin Ferguson-Pell. The uAlberta announcement says the business course was cancelled due to low enrolment in the past 3 years, including this year when the minimum number of students was not reached. The head of the parents' group says parents with French-speaking children will fight to get the course reinstated. Ferguson-Pell has sent letters to deans in each faculty, but so far just the arts faculty has outlined its cuts publicly. The cuts are not across the board, but uAlberta has not said which faculties will face bigger cuts. Some professors are pushing the provost to release the letters he sent to each dean, arguing those who work at uAlberta have a right to know how the budget cuts are affecting the institution. The revised budget will go to a May 22 meeting of the academic planning committee accompanied by a revised comprehensive institutional plan. Edmonton Journal