Despite expected drops in enrolment rates for most Canadian post-secondary institutions, the University of Lethbridge has been proactive in seeking solutions. U of L president Mike Mahon addressed the question “Is the road ahead bumpy for Canadian Universities?” at a recent Southern Alberta Council on Public Affairs meeting.

 Mahon said that there have always been bumps in the road, as far as recruiting students and that usually it is just a matter of being ready to change to meet the needs and demands of those wanting to attend post-secondary schools.

“The University of Lethbridge started its first day on a bumpy road,” said Mahon. “There has always been an ebb and flow of bumpiness at the U of L and all universities.”  He made reference to the difficult task of originally getting the university on the west side of Lethbridge

 There was also a time in the mid ‘70s when enrolment dropped dramatically, in which Mahon refers to as the university’s darkest time. 

Throughout the ‘80s and ‘90s the university faced major financial challenges. “Today our budget challenges have re-emerged because of the realities of the economic landscape in Alberta.” He highlighted that an aging population, growing diversity, gender issues and migration/ immigration were the main factors pushing the university to rethink some of its current strategies.  “There is no question that there’s a changing landscape. This is the reality.”

 From 2009-2019 there will be an expected increase in the number of adults aged 55 and up. Meanwhile, the population of those aged 18-34 is shrinking, which is the main age group targeted for universities.“That is not going to change unless all the young people in Canada wake up and decide they are going to have five kids rather than the 1.8 we are predicting.”  Mahon said this raises the question of how to address the issue of a growing older adult population.

Referring to the building downtown that caters to the diverse downtown Lethbridge population, Mahon says “We see those kinds of opportunities to offer experiences to those individuals in downtown Lethbridge.”  These advancements, as well as off-site campuses in Calgary and Edmonton, have increased the university’s population by 30 per cent by simply targeting adults in the work force who do not have a university degree.
Another strategy the U of L will be focusing on is its graduate program.

 
In 2010 the U of  L saw an increase of 100 grad students.  Mahon says that was a jump to 7.5 percent from 6.3 per cent and he hopes to see a 10 per cent increase of graduate students in the near future.
“This is one way to address the changing needs of the economy in terms of the need for more highly educated individuals.”
Other populations that the university will be focused on catering towards is students with disabilities and the First Nations, Metis and Inuit population.
The groups are one of few populations where the aged between 18-34 is actually growing.
“It is absolutely critical that we determine how best to address that population and their needs as it relates to education and post-secondary education,” says Mahon.
“The U of L has a long history of addressing this population with outstanding successes in this area.”
Another issue the university is facing is that of gender. Currently 57 per cent of students are women and 43 per cent are men. Mahon says this trend has been standard for the last 13 years and is nothing new for the U of L.  It has, however, raised the matter of how universities and colleges ensure they are attractive to both men and women. Mahon says one solution is finding programs that work for both genders, such as the successful campaign, Men in Nursing. The final issue was that of immigration and migration.
“Diversifying our population enables us to have a culturally diverse population which is of tremendous benefit for all of us. It’s very important for our country to diversify.”

One of the main strategies the U of L has been implementing has been to position the university as a destination university, especially after being ranked fourth out of 22 undergrad universities in Canada. Mahon says the U of L has been working with Lethbridge College as well as other local bodies in order to re-position Lethbridge as a destination and educational city.
“The road has always been bumpy but the fun of the bumpiness is part of why I took this challenge on. This bumpy road is an exciting challenge for us.”