Университет TRU готов к новому семестру: сокращение бюджета на $47 млн, падение числа иностранных студентов и открытие новых кампусов

TRU set for fall term amid enrolment decline, $47M in cuts and changing campus TRU campus in transition Thompson Rivers University students return to class next week on a campus reshaped by enrolment changes, budget cuts and two major construction projects nearing completion. TRU President Dr. Airini said 13,244 students are registered to study at the university this fall, with about 48 per cent attending on campus and the remainder online. Domestic registrations are up six per cent, while international enrolment remains sharply lower following federal policy changes. A series of federal policy changes in 2024 caused international enrolment to plummet across Canada. Many post-secondary institutions have consequently had to cut jobs and millions of dollars from their budgets. International students now make up about 20 per cent of TRU’s student body after international enrolment dropped by 2,200 full-time-equivalent students between the 2023-24 and 2026-27 school years. Airini said students may notice a difference on campus, with the annual IDays festival running for a single day instead of three. Airini called the increase in domestic registrations “heartening” and attributed it to new programs, including an emergency communication certificate, technical theatre certificate, baker apprenticeship and new master of engineering science. “We’re listening to what Interior B.C. is saying is needed, we’re looking at the futures that we want our students to be successful in,” she said. Including the coming year, TRU has cut about $47 million from its budget through measures that included nearly 200 job cuts and layoffs. Airini said TRU has welcomed about 30 new faculty, bringing a “vibe and an energy that’s wonderful.” She said the university is in a period of adapting and learning following faculty retirements and staff layoffs. She said TRU has focused on “cost avoidance” over the last year and is now turning its attention to strategic investments and revenue generation that will “deepen our contribution to the economic and social future of Interior B.C. and the province.” She cited academic credentials that integrate AI and non-credit learning as examples. “After a while, you run out of things that you can avoid cost on because you've reached your perfect balance point,” she said. “Then in order to be able to grow, how it is that you serve, grow, and look after your facilities and such, you're going to need to be able to have revenue stream to do that.” A difficult start? Nathan Lane, TRU Students’ Union executive director, said he’s expecting a “difficult September.” He said a number of cuts have caused operational changes that could affect communication with students and connecting them with services in a timely fashion. “It’s hard for those things to manifest over the summer when it’s pretty slow, but I think we’re going to see where the holes are once people get back and start having issues,” Lane said. Lane said students experiencing issues can contact TRUSU or the university for help connecting with supports and services. Airini said TRU works hard to make sure transitions in services are smooth and is in talks with TRUSU to ensure student perspectives are included in planning. She said TRU will be looking to update student support services so they are accessible around the clock and more personalized. She said the university is “excited” to examine how AI can be integrated into services and classrooms. “We do not want to outsource our humanity to any entity — mechanical, political, economic — we want them to be fully human, and that's what we're setting about doing with how we integrate technology into experience and classes,” she said. Lane said he doesn’t think students will see much change in the classroom from the budget cuts, noting TRU’s cuts affected the “operational side of the house” last year. However, he suspects cuts may begin affecting the academic side of the university in the future. “I think the classes are still going to be high quality and taught by great professors, I think that we’re not necessarily at that stage yet,” he said. Coming down the pipeline Lane said he thinks a provincial sustainability review of B.C.’s post-secondary sector has the potential to be either “groundbreaking” or administrative, with little impact on how institutions are run. Either way, he doesn’t think it will have an impact at TRU until after this academic year. Airini, who previously said the review was expected this fall, said she expects TRU will be able to engage with its outcomes by the end of the year, but it will be up to the provincial government to decide when it is released. Airini said TRU is committed to “access and excellence and impact” and will make sure student groups affected by any potential changes to tuition or fees are supported. Student groups have raised concerns that the review could remove a longstanding two per cent cap on annual domestic tuition increases, which Lane said could “spring us into a province-wide campaign to have that decision rolled back.” He said students shouldn’t underestimate the extent to which transit and recreation services, as well as the availability and cost of rental housing, can be affected by municipal decisions. He expects Kamloops’ next council and mayor will make “some pretty major decisions” that could impact students. Lane encouraged students to pay attention and engage with the upcoming municipal election on Oct. 17. On-campus happenings Airini said work on TRU’s new $45 million Low-Carbon District Energy System is wrapping up and will launch in September. It will be called the TRU Power House. Work on the $22-million Indigenous Education Centre — TRU’s other major capital project — is continuing. Construction is expected to be complete by the end of 2026, with the centre set to open next April. Lane said TRUSU will hold a series of back-to-school events later this month. On Friday, Sept. 11, TRUSU will hold its Back to School Barbecue, followed by its annual Pride Parade on Sept. 15 and a welcome-back pancake breakfast on Sept. 16. A campus club day and community fair will be held on Sept. 17, while an outdoor movie night and food truck festival will take place on Sept. 24. A full list of upcoming events can be found on the TRUSU events calendar. The first day of classes at TRU is Wednesday, Sept. 9. More Kamloops News Kamloops Weather Tourism Kamloops Kamloops Transit Airport Arrivals Airport Departures School District 73 Kamloops Classifieds Kamloops Discussion Forum Thompson-Nicola Regional District Interior Health Thompson Rivers University Thompson Career College Thompson-Nicola Regional Library Kamloops Real Estate