College Task Force Interim report v.

College Task Force recommendations:

Recommendation 1: In order to ensure the quality of our

academic offerings, for the 2015-16 academic year, the
University will employ sessionals on contact terms to be
determined.
Recommendation 2: In 2015-16, decisions on sabbatical leaves
will continue to be determined in the usual manner.
Recommendation 3: The Task Force is recommending a modest
increase of an additional .25 per cent increase ($75,000) in the
internal administrative charge to help reduce the 2015-16 deficit.
Recommendation 4: The Task Force recommends an overall 5
per cent budget reduction for 2015-16.

Recommendation 5: That the College borrow $860,000 for a

capital expenditures for a College energy retrofit project.
Recommendation 6: That income from investing some or all of
the $2.228 million be used to mitigate the impact of those cuts
to units.
Recommendation 7: That the College draw $40,000 from the
accumulated unspent income in the Divinity Fund to balance the
choirs budget for 2015-16, with future draws to be considered
after the external review of the Chapel and Choir.
Recommendation 8: The Task Force believes that should a
salary freeze be adopted, the following considerations should
apply:
The freeze should not take effect until July 1, 2015 and be
in force for one year, until June 30, 2016. That means that
the 2014-15 salary increases agreed to by Dalhousie and
the Dalhousie Faculty Association (including retroactive
pay) would be implemented fully. But any Dalhousie-DFA
salary increases for July 1, 2015 and beyond would be
postponed.
In the interests of fairness, the freeze would not apply to
employees earning less than $60,000 per year.
Because of union and policy considerations, the freeze
would not apply to Carnegie/Equalization professors or
unionized faculty.
By December 2015, a Financial Sustainability Working
Group similar to the Pension Working Group and
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College Task Force Interim report v.2

representative of the College community should be

established to assess the state of the universitys finances
and to recommend if the wage freeze needs to be
continued, in whole or in part. The Working Groups
process would be transparent and its report shared with
the Kings community.
The Task Force acknowledges that, given the universitys
financial situation, any salary freeze will likely last longer
than one year. If that is the case, the Financial
Sustainability Working Group should continue to monitor
and report regularly on the Colleges financial situation.
The goal should be to end the freeze as soon as practical.
Once the freeze ends, the goal should be to return to parity
with Dalhousie on a go-forward basis as quickly as
possible.
The Task Force believes any salary freeze should be a
temporary measure to give the College breathing room to
complete necessary structural changes needed to achieve
financial sustainability.
While actual parity may be affected in the short term, we
believe the principle of parity must be a guiding one, and
the goal should be a return, over time, to actual parity.
We would urge the Board of Governors to pass a resolution
reaffirming the Colleges commitment to the principle of
parity.

Recommendation 9: That College suspend its Technology Fee ($100) for

two years.
Recommendation 10: That the College review the various ancillary fees it
charges to ensure they are necessary and appropriate, and are properly
and transparently explained to students and prospective students.
Recommendations (2015-16)
Increase the draw on Divinity Funds
Energy Retrofit
Conference Services profit
Retirements (net)
5 per cent cut
Salary freeze

Estimated Savings
(2015-16)
$80,000
$50,0001
$50,000
$100,000
$491,0002
$245,0003

1 Estimated 2015-16 return on investment. In future years, when the retrofit is

complete, this would yield savings of $100,000-$150,000.
2 The 5% cut ($561,000) $70,000 income from the $2.228 million.
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College Task Force Interim report v.2

Increase endowment administrative charge/draw
Carnegie
Savings from administrative restructuring
TOTAL from Options Above

$75,000
$75,0004
$185,0005
$1,351,000

3 This figure is based on all employees, except Carnegie/Equalization, those

faculty with collective agreements, employees earning less than $60.000.
4 This assumes that a retiring Carnegie professor position can be replaced by a
current Kings professor as a named Carnegie prof. Subject to negotiation with
Dalhousie.
5 Registrars Office and Library above 5 per cent
February 3, 2014