The Martlet

When Sue Lang’s application for a Pacific Leadership Fellowship was nominated by the Dean of Graduate Studies to receive the $20,000 provincial grant, the UVic student was hopeful she’d get to do original research for her MA in Education.

Instead, she’s stuck doing a literature review for her thesis because the fellowship program didn’t have the money to offer its applicants.

“I was shocked,” Lang said. “It’s a real let down.”

All Lang received was a letter explaining that the program, just launched in 2007, is “facing a change in its direction” — a nice way of saying the program isn’t giving out any money this year.

“In light of economic challenges that the province is facing, the program will be under review to ensure the investment the province is making is generating the expected results,” stated a letter from an executive director at the Ministry of Advanced Education.

B.C.’s Minister of Advanced Education Murray Coell stressed that the program is not being canceled — it’s just taking a year off for review.

But for Lang, like other students who applied for the fellowship, next year is too late. The grant is designed for students in their final full-time year of a masters or doctoral degree. Next year, she’ll already have graduated.

“If they have the money for next year, why not just use it now?” Lang said. “This is an insult to everyone who took the time to apply.”

Lang said the fellowships were heavily promoted to masters students last fall, and the application process was time intensive, involving a project proposal, official transcripts and letters of reference. Proposals were reviewed by two committees in the university before the top applications were recommended to the province.

Only students from UVic, the University of B.C., the University of Northern B.C. and Simon Fraser University were considered for the 20 fellowships, which, in addition to allowing them an opportunity to do research, also guaranteed them a job with the B.C. Public Service after graduation.

Coell said the students who entered the program in 2007 and 2008 will still have jobs waiting for them.

NDP Advanced Education critic Rob Fleming said cancelling the program just doesn’t make sense.

“Recruitment challenges [for the public service] haven’t changed; most of it is because of an impending retirement wave,” Fleming said. “The government needs skilled replacements at no less urgency than a few months ago.”

Fleming also noted that many people are considering returning to school now more than ever because of global economic pressures. And while U.S. President Barack Obama has created new grants to encourage education, Fleming believes the B.C. government is working in the opposite direction.

“It makes you wonder what else [Gordon Campbell] has in store” said Fleming, guessing that tuition increases and university lay offs wouldn’t be far behind. “With the Liberal budget proposed, the money’s just not there for post-secondary education.”