Sept. 15 update: After Academic Council’s Sept. 15 meeting, where they were to review 10 programs proposed for suspension, no decisions have been made. Matthew Lindberg, Dean of the School of Construction and Building Sciences, presented on the Millwork and Carpentry certificate, the first of 10 programs to be reviewed in the meeting.

Members expressed concerns about making the decision during that meeting, given the lack of time to review the entire package. One member said they were given four business days to review a “very large” agenda package. Members felt the presentation was helpful, but they wanted more time to review the full picture to make the best decision. “We just want to do a good job of this,” one member said. “It’s not a stalling technique, we really just want to go over the data and do a conscientious job of what we’re tasked to do.”

A motion was passed to postpone the decision until the Oct. 20 meeting. The rest of the programs up for suspension were not discussed, as the council ran out of time after the motion was passed. Earlier in the meeting, Peter Leclaire said that all programs would be presented to the Board of Governors at one time.

Of the 18 programs NAIT paused in May 2025, NAIT only plans to reinstate one. 16 will be suggested for suspension, and one is still being reviewed, according to a post on NAIT’s staff intranet and the public agenda for the next Academic Council Meeting. This is not a final decision yet; the Academic Council will review NAIT’s findings and make a recommendation. It will then go to the Board of Governors and to the Minister of Advanced Education for a final decision.

In their May announcement, NAIT said the programs were paused to “ensure NAIT remains financially and operationally sustainable.” Peter Leclaire, NAIT’s VP Academic, said they considered various factors, like financial viability and scalability of the programs. The announcement also said the institution will “work one-on-one with affected students to explore” other options, providing a list of “Closely related programs and paths at NAIT” to compare to programs under review and their accompanying Schools.

The pauses received backlash from students, industry and former staff for the timing and lack of consultation with stakeholders. When the decision was announced, NAIT had not yet consulted with industry or Academic Council.

“The decision was made without adequate consultation or adherence to proper governance protocols, leaving students and faculty surprised and frustrated by the opaque process,” a press release from the students’ association (NAITSA) said.

NAIT began a consultation phase in June, where they “engaged students, industry partners, and academic leaders through surveys, focus groups, interviews, and direct conversations,” the staff post says.

In a statement sent to the Nugget, NAIT said they heard through “surveys, focus groups, one-on-one interviews, and through communication received.” To respect the governance process, NAIT provided a written statement instead of an interview. Leclaire said the engagement process found that overlapping programs were creating confusion, along with a rising demand for “digital skills, cross-functional competences, and flexible delivery.”

NAIT did not specify in the email which programs were overlapping and how, but may go into more depth on Monday’s meeting. 

Programs listed on meeting agenda

According to the agenda for the Sept. 15 Academic Council meeting, the following programs are being proposed for suspension:

• Bachelor of Applied Information Systems Technology Applied Degree
• Captioning and Court Reporting Diploma
• Computer Engineering Technology Diploma
• Computer Network Administrator
• Cybersecurity Immersive Industry Education Post-Diploma Certificate
• Graphic Communications Certificate
• Leadership in Healthcare Post-Diploma Certificate
• Millwork and Carpentry Certificate
• Network Engineering Technology
• Wireless Systems Engineering Technology Diploma

Only 10 programs are listed on the agenda, though the statement provided to the Nugget said 16 of 18 paused programs will be recommended for suspension following a comprehensive review.

One program, Surveying and Geospatial Engineering Technology, will be reinstated. The post says that “financial performance has improved, enrollment has reached sustainable levels, application pressure is stable, and retention has climbed significantly.” No timeline for this improvement was given. Personal Fitness Trainer remains under review.

Academic Council is first to review the proposal on Sept. 15. Their recommendation will be given to the Board of Governors, then to the Minister of Advanced Education to make the final say.

Feature image via NAIT Content Collective