NAITSA is encouraging the Advanced Education Minister to look twice at NAIT’s decision to pause 18 programs in May 2025, according to a letter obtained by the Nugget.
Lilly Houcher, NAITSA President, and Robin Murillo, NAITSA VP External, wrote to Minister McDougall in August to express their concerns about NAIT’s decision and process when pausing 18 programs earlier this year.
“NAIT has effectively robbed students a year of their academic journey,” the letter says. The pause was announced in May, making it “too late” for students who had already been accepted to one of the paused programs to apply elsewhere. NAIT provided a list of alternative programs affected students could apply to, but not all programs had a direct replacement.
In NAIT’s original press release, Leclaire says NAIT made the changes in May to position the institution “to expand high-demand programs, invest in innovation, and launch new offerings aligned with Alberta’s economy, industry needs, and student demand.”
Captioning and Court Reporting, the only program in Canada to lead to accreditation as a stenographer, was among the paused programs.
Students first complete a one-year certificate in the Court Transcription program and then move to the two-year diploma program to become a professional stenographer.
However, with the diploma paused, students who completed their certificate have no way to finish their education and work in that industry.
“This is fundamentally unfair for the students affected and could land NAIT in court,” said Houcher and Murillo. 58 students were impacted by the pause; some were taking speed tests to prepare, while others were completing their certificate.
Decision to pause without review violates Post-Secondary Learning Act, says NAITSA
Typically, anything to do with academic policy first goes through NAIT’s Academic Council — a group of student, staff and executive representatives chosen and mandated by the Post-Secondary Learning Act (PSLA). Academic Council will review, then make a recommendation to NAIT’s governing body, the Board of Governors.
However, when NAIT announced the changes in May, Academic Council had already concluded for the year. NAITSA says that action violates Section 47(b) of the PSLA which outlines Academic Council’s duty to review program offerings at NAIT.
“Based on our conversations with NAIT leadership, it is our view that this ‘pause’ is a de facto program suspension,” Houcher and Murillo state.
“It appears the term ‘pause’ was used to expedite the process and avoid Academic Council review until the fall, a move that undermines the transparency and accountability expected of a public institution under the Post-Secondary Learning Act.”
NAIT disagrees.
In a statement provided to the Nugget, Peter Leclaire, NAIT’s Vice-President Academic, said NAIT is “confident that its decision to pause select programs prior to a formal review followed the Post-Secondary Learning Act.”
Leclaire also said they understand NAITSA’s concerns, and are committed to transparency and accountability, but that NAIT’s actions are “consistent with the province’s established oversight process, and no final decisions have been made.”
“NAIT is committed to delivering academic programming that benefits students, meets the evolving needs of industry and fuels Alberta’s economic growth, while ensuring long-term financial sustainability.”
16 programs up for suspension, Academic Council still deciding
Of the 18 programs paused, 16 are up for suspension. One has been reinstated, and the final, Personal Fitness Training, has yet to be decided.
In Academic Council’s first meeting of the academic year on Sept. 15, 10 programs were brought forward to suspend. But the vote didn’t happen — instead, the council voted to postpone the decision until the next meeting on Oct. 20 to give them more time to review the provided materials and make an informed decision.
Once Academic Council makes their decision, it will go to NAIT’s Board of Governors. In the Sept. 15 meeting, Leclaire said that all programs would be presented to the Board of Governors at one time, so it is unclear when they will review Academic Council’s decision.
Once the Board has reviewed, the Advanced Education Minister will make the final decision on the fate of the 16 programs.
Academic Council meets again on Oct. 20. The public agenda lists 10 programs to be discussed for suspension, including Wireless Systems Engineering Technology, Captioning and Court Reporting and Computer Engineering Technology.
