Hi all,
Tiffany here.
A quick reminder that Focus Friday is happening today from 12:30-1:30pm Eastern!
In this session, we’ll be joined by colleagues from the University of Alberta to talk about how institutions are beginning to use AI across multiple parts of the university. Rather than focusing on a single initiative, the conversation will explore how AI is being integrated across teaching and learning, research, IT, the library, and graduate programming.
One of the challenges many institutions are facing right now is that AI experimentation is happening everywhere at once, but often in silos. The University of Alberta team will share how they are approaching this more collaboratively, bringing together different units across campus to think about where AI can genuinely improve institutional efficiency and support academic work.
If you’re interested in how universities are moving from experimentation toward coordinated implementation, this should be a great conversation.
As always, the session will be discussion-oriented with plenty of time for questions and reflections from the group. You can still register and join us here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/ZfgX0_xvRjynX4cMjqZ48g
Looking Back
Two weeks ago, our Focus Friday conversation turned to a question that many institutions are quietly grappling with: do we actually understand the true financial picture of our academic programs? With financial pressures increasing across Canadian higher education, panelists Joanne McKee (CFO, Toronto Metropolitan University), Donna Kotsopoulos (Dean, Faculty of Education, Western University), Jovan Groen (Director of Academic Quality and Enhancement, Western University), and Brandon Dickson (PhD Candidate, University of Waterloo) explored how better program-level costing could inform more transparent and sustainable decision-making.
A central theme throughout the discussion was that financial sustainability and academic quality are often treated as separate conversations, when in reality they are deeply intertwined. Many institutions review academic quality through formal processes like cyclical program reviews, but rarely revisit the financial assumptions behind programs once they are approved. As a result, programs may continue for years without a clear understanding of their financial viability or the extent to which they rely on cross-subsidization from other parts of the institution.
The panel emphasized that better data and shared transparency could significantly improve institutional decision-making. Integrating program costing into existing governance processes, particularly quality assurance reviews, could provide a structured moment for institutions to look at both academic quality and financial sustainability together. The goal is not to force programs to become profitable, but rather to ensure that institutions clearly understand where resources are being used, where cross-subsidies exist, and which programs are mission-critical even if they operate at a deficit.
Another major takeaway was that governance structures themselves can complicate these conversations. In Canada’s bicameral governance systems, academic matters are typically overseen by senate while financial oversight sits with boards and central finance units. This separation can make it difficult to have integrated discussions about program viability, leaving key information fragmented across different parts of the institution. Panelists suggested that collaborative processes—bringing together academic leadership, finance offices, and quality assurance teams—are essential to building a fuller picture.
Perhaps most strikingly, the research discussed in the session suggests that very few institutions currently have systematic approaches to program costing. In many cases, financial assumptions are made during the proposal stage for a new program but are never revisited later. Yet over time, enrollment patterns, costs, and institutional priorities can shift dramatically. Without mechanisms to revisit those assumptions, institutions risk making major academic decisions without complete information.
The conversation ultimately returned to a simple but powerful idea: financial transparency is not about cutting programs—it is about making informed choices. When institutions clearly understand the cost structures of their programs, they can make more deliberate decisions about where to invest, where to restructure, and where to sustain programs that are essential to their mission.
You can find the recording of this Focus Friday session on our Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HClb7iMVCfk – subscribe to get the Focus Friday sessions as soon as they’re released!
