The issue

Athabasca University (AU) has been executing a near-virtual strategy since June 2020, where most AU staff work from home offices and new staff can be hired from anywhere in Canada. On November 30, 2022, AU’s Board of Governors signed a new Investment Management Agreement with the Government of Alberta requiring AU’s near-virtual strategy to cease as of December 31, 2022. To lead this change, Dr. Alex Clark was appointed as AU’s 11th President on February 1, 2023.

Looking ahead, by 2025 the number of Athabasca University employees that work full-time in the Athabasca region is to increase to 277 from the present 252, and at least four executive team members are to work full-time in Athabasca. A new strategic plan will expand the University’s physical presence in Athabasca.

The stakes

In 2017, the Athabasca campus had about 400 full-time employees. Now, about 250 AU employees still live and work in the region, most from home offices.

If the near-virtual strategy had continued, Athabasca would eventually have lost most good-paying AU jobs, as new recruits would be hired from anywhere in Canada. The region and Alberta as a whole risked losing about $37 million in annual wages, resulting in $100 million in economic loss every year.

The depopulation of the Athabasca region was leading to serious economic, social and cultural losses in the area, as bright young families moved away or would never be recruited to the region. Now, renewal of the Athabasca campus is starting, and AU’s future and growth in the region is encouraging.