As we reflect on a year filled with many successes and challenges, I want to begin by extending my deepest gratitude to our Humber community for their dedication, resilience, and commitment to our shared mission of supporting students on their post-secondary journeys. Together, we have accomplished so much, and I am immensely proud of our Humber community. 

As you know, the Canadian post-secondary landscape is quickly evolving, particularly in the wake of the ongoing policy changes from Canada’s Ministry of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship (IRCC), which have had a significant system-wide impact. Since January 22, 2024, there have been over 25 changes from IRCC impacting international student recruitment. Every announcement impacts our enrolment, creating uncertainty for our students - impacting our enrolment and overall planning.

In recent weeks, we have seen announcements from other institutions across the province facing difficult operational and personnel decisions due to IRCC’s imposed limits and continual changes to the Post Graduation Work Program (PGWP), so I wanted to provide some updates on our ongoing advocacy and work to ensure Humber remains stable and forward-looking.  

The reality is that Humber is currently funded 23% by government grants, leaving the majority of funding through tuition financing and ancillary operations.  As these levers are all impacted (reduced grant, frozen domestic tuition and declining international enrolment) while the costs are increasing, it is placing extreme financial strain on post-secondary institutions. The impact at every institution will be different, the common thread is that all institutions will be impacted. What is certain is that this is a much wider public policy and societal discussion on the role of public colleges, polytechnics and universities.

Humber is actively collaborating with our partners in the provincial government and other institutions to advocate for a federal review of these changes. While this news may understandably cause some concerns, we are diligently working every day to mitigate the impact.

Thanks to our strong recruitment efforts, we are not facing an immediate impact. However, as we are heavily tuition-dependent, the full effect will only be clear after the 10th day of enrollment for the winter term in January 2025. For the fiscal year 2025-2026, we are still uncertain about our allocated international applications, making the outlook for that period unclear.

We are witnessing unprecedented challenges in our sector. I have spent most of my career leading higher educational institutions as we successfully navigated through periods of unpredictability. While there will be challenges ahead, we have two advantages – some time to plan and options to consider. 

Our core institutional differentiators ensure we are well-positioned to lead through this instability, and I am confident that Humber has what it takes to weather the days ahead. Humber has incredibly talented, inspiring faculty and staff and if we respond to this current moment by doubling down on our creativity, ingenuity, and innovation, I am positive we will weather this storm in the coming months and years. That doesn’t mean there won’t be challenging roads ahead, but Humber is truly unlike any other institution in Canada. 

I am respectfully asking us all to have empathy for our colleagues across the sector as those institutions face extremely difficult operational and personnel decisions. We remain attuned to the ongoing changes externally while adapting our internal operations as necessary, including reviewing enrolment data and being responsive to the needs and interests of our students. With the federal and provincial governments focusing on STEM and Health Care, we have also leaned into these areas from a programming perspective to meet labour market demands. 

To our Humber community, thank you for your steadfast commitment to Humber and its students. Your dedication inspires confidence in our future, and I am truly grateful for all that you do. I wish everyone a wonderful holiday season filled with joy, warmth, rest, and time with loved ones. 

Please take care of yourselves and each other, and let’s look forward to the opportunities the new year will bring. 

Warmly and with gratitude,

AMV