A local ad-hoc group of concerned citizens has started the Keep Athabasca in Athabasca University letter-writing campaign to prevent what they see as a continuing trend of AU jobs slowly moving out of the Athabasca region. As Heather Stocking reports, the presendent says AU has no intention of abandoning the community.

In a meeting with Athabasca Council on June 9, 2020, AU president Dr. Neil Fassina stated that as Athabasca University continues to grow, so does its commitment to the Athabasca area, as reported by Chris Zwick.

In an interview with AU President Neil Fassina, Heather Stocking concludes that Fassina gets fired up talking about all the opportunities laying at the feet of AU because of its location. “We are at the one of the southern points of the longest uninterrupted rivers in North America; fourth longest in the world – you want to talk watershed research, this is it,” Fassina explains. “The migratory environment of the biology and zoology in the region, and as I mentioned with Dr. Connors lab, find me another comprehensive research university that can claim a dark sky.

We've got this this unique kind of spot that we're looking to build on because you don't get that opportunity in other environments. When we think about the impact of a university like this, to begin, it's the only rural community in Alberta that has a comprehensive research university. Beyond the bragging rights, how do we use it?”

In a wide-ranging Oct. 3 interview with Heather Stocking, AU President Fassina expressed frustration over continually allaying fears of AU leaving the region. “I have said it in every single public forum, and I will continue to say that in every single public forum, we're not going anywhere,” Fassina stated, emphasizing ‘every single.’

The Coates report, commissioned by the Alberta government and Athabasca University’s Board of Governors, looked at the university’s role in the town of Athabasca and noted its importance to the region’s economy. It called for the university to “…better address northern educational needs, capitalize on underdeveloped opportunities, and position AU as a leading presence in teaching and research related to the provincial North. As an outcome of this activity, AU should be able to maintain if not expand the size of its operation in the Town of Athabasca and in northern Alberta generally.”

The full “Independent Third-Party Review of Athabasca University” report is available here.