Mount Royal University president responds to budget dispute

The president of Mount Royal University says he's sorry for the recentconfusion about the institution's budget.

He took questions Tuesday morningfrom angry faculty members, who saythey were told last week to draft spending cuts.

But David Dochertysaidno decisions have been made about the budget for the upcoming year.

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"What we're trying to do is get as much information as possible," Docherty told reporters."I know this answer may not satisfy people but I want to be clear that we can be as honest and open and as transparent as possible by saying'Here's where we're at right now.'"

Last week, the Mount Royal University Faculty Association said thatMRU administration had sent an email to the deans of each faculty,asking them to find reductionstotaling $4.3 million for the 2016/17 budget and giving them a deadline of March 29 to reply with proposals.

'We need to move forward'

Faculty members said they feared the cuts woulddiminish the quality of education, but Dochertycountered last Thursday, saying they weren't seeking budget cuts, but rather, "rationale around requested budget increases."

Docherty saidhe wants staff to know there have been misunderstandings, andsaid he is taking responsibility for that.

"I'm sorry for the fact that faculty and others had to go through the exercise that they did and Ithink in moving forward, we need to make sure that we're working in as collaborative a fashion as possible and Ithink today was the start of that by explaining exactly what part of the systematic problems were," he said.

Dochertysaid this is the "start of the budget-making process."

"Today, I think, was a day where we've tried to put more on the table," he said.

Confusion persists

However, it appeared that faculty members were no closer to understanding what exactlyDochertywas asking them to do. Members present questioned thepoint in asking for cuts ifno decisionshadbeen made, and when asked if they understoodDocherty'sexplanation of the university'sbudget situation, fewerthan half of those present raised their hands.

Just days afterlast week's dispute, the official in charge of academic spending, Provost KathyShailer,abruptly left the school.

• MRU provost Kathy Shailer abruptly leaves after budget spat with faculty

When asked if her departure was related, Docherty saidpersonnel matters are highly confidential and he won't talk about them.