AB softens request to AU to relocate hundreds of employees

The Globe and Mail reports that the Government of Alberta has “backed off on its threat to cut funding” and softened its request that Athabasca University relocate hundreds of employees to the town of Athabasca. AB Advanced Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides has reportedly said that the government’s 65% residency goal is a flexible “suggestion,” and that if some targets are “unattainable,” AB can “chat about that [and] revise them.” Nicolaides noted he “would indeed like to see, at a bare minimum, senior executives and administrative staff be based in the town, as they have been for the past several decades.” AU has reportedly welcomed the stance and the opportunity to work together on future plans. The Globe and Mail (Acct. Req.) Note: Archived stories may contain dead links or be missing source links.