FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Alberta Students Applaud Government Move towards Strong, Stable Support of Post-Secondary Education

February 13, 2012 — Edmonton, AB

The Alberta Students’ Executive Council (ASEC) is pleased to see the Government of Alberta take action on the Council’s recommendations to reduce complexity of the student financial aid system, and to increase support for post-secondary institutions.

“We’ve long advocated for greater transparency and simplicity in how the government provides loans to students”, says Timothy Jobs, Chair of ASEC. Key adjustments to the student loan system announced today include changing loan eligibility requirements to eliminate savings, part-time earnings and parental contributions in favor of a flat-rate contribution of $1500; and a move away from a poorly-understood remissions system towards new completion and retention grants.

Says Jobs, “removing these barriers to entry will help take away the uncertainty and confusion many young Albertans encounter when they are faced with decisions about their future options for education. These are important steps towards increasing the number of Albertans who are able to pursue a post-secondary education.”

Jobs added that the impact of this announcement is augmented by the move to a three-year funding cycle for post-secondary institutions announced in Budget 2012. “Our sector has been under considerable strain the last few years with no increases to the operating budgets of our colleges, universities and technical institutes. The guaranteed 2% increases for the next three years will ease some of the pressures facing our sector, and that, in turn, should have a positive effect on students,” he explained.

ASEC advocated for steady investment in Alberta’s post-secondary institutions in its annual recommendations to the Treasury Board in 2009, 2010 and 2011. “It’s highly encouraging that the government has take the opportunity to reaffirm their commitment to Alberta’s future economic growth by improving the stability and effectiveness of our post-secondary institutions” says Jobs.

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The Alberta Students Executive Council is province-wide student advocacy group representing 170,000 students from 14 universities, technical institutes, and colleges.

For more information, location details or to set up an interview, contact:
Timothy Jobs, Chair
Alberta Students’ Executive Council
780-932-9583
timothyj@nait.ca

Graphic and Web Design Intern

Position Description & Link to the Organization’s Mission
ASEC is a member-driven student advocacy organization that exists to ensure Albertans have access to an affordable, high-quality post-secondary education. This internship position will help ASEC achieve its mission by creating clear, compelling visual and web communications materials. The work of this intern will help ASEC’s research become accessible and understandable to a wide, generalist audience. More information about our vision can be found on our website at http://www.albertastudents.ca/about/

Skills & Experience
We seek a student with strong visual acumen and familiarity with current design programs.

The successful intern will have the opportunity to hone the following skills:

> Graphic design
> Information design
> Web design and publishing

Deliverables / Duties
> Helping select, customize and implement web publishing platform for elections campaign website
> Publishing content to elections website
> Creating web- and print-based infographics based on previous ASEC research reports and documents

Other Requirements
Ability to collaborate remotely, as needed. Project and time-management skills a must. Current copies of relevant design programs a bonus.

Approximate Positions Start Date
December 2011

Approximate Positions End Date
April 2012

Time & Day of Internship Engagement
Daytime; Weekend; Weekdays; Evening

Time Commitment
In total, we expect this internship to encompass roughly 100 hours of work. The number of hours per week worked will vary depending on the tasks involved.

Work Location
• Intern may work from home or online

For more information or to apply, please contact
Carol Neuman
ed@albertastudents.ca

Our research report is now finalized and available for download here.

Recommendations for stakeholders – including parents, students, and post-secondary, government and K-12 decision-makers – include:

• Enhance access to distance learning opportunities, and broaden the scope of CAP sites
• Developing financial supports for ‘boomerang’ students who return to post-secondary from the workforce
• Developing communications tools for a diverse audience of students, including traditional, First Nations and Metis, trades, and ‘boomerang’ students
• Target parents to ensure their knowledge of financial resources and post-secondary opportunities is current, and build relationships to create awareness and excitement around post-secondary education
• Reinstate Alberta Opportunities Bursary and Northern Student Supplement programs

Read Doug’s PSE Platform

Doug Horner’s Twitter/YouTube Q&A with post-secondary students

Note: The 10 post-secondary education videos will auto-play.

Read Doug’s PSE Platform

Gary Mar

No video available.

Read Gary’s PSE Platform

Ted Morton’s tuition tax credit video

Read Ted’s PSE Platform

Rick Orman

No video available.

Read Rick’s PSE Platform

Alison Redford’s video on post-secondary education

Read Alison’s PSE Platform

Here’s what our current Chair, Timothy Jobs, had to say during yesterday’s announcement:

My name is Timothy Jobs and I am delighted to be here today to speak on behalf of our province’s post-secondary students.

I am currently the Chair of the Alberta Students’ Executive Council, an advocacy group that represents over half of the province’s quarter-million students, attending technical institutions, universities, and colleges across Alberta.

Investing in Alberta Students

The idea that blossomed into the Serving Communities internship program came from the clear need to find innovative solutions to increase the affordability of our post-secondary system.

Without question, the pursuit of a post-secondary education is the most important and financially significant investment a young person can make in his or her future.

And it is also one of the most important investments taxpayers can make. For every dollar invested in our post-secondary education system, three dollars and eight cents are returned in the form of greater economic output, and lower costs for social programs.

So it is critically important that students have the necessary tools – beyond merely loans and scholarships – to manage the costs of pursuing a post-secondary credential.

With this in mind, two years ago, our council pitched a simple idea: create a program to reward students for using their skills to benefit their communities.

The Serving Communities internship program promises to do exactly this, and much much more.

Connecting Students and Communities

For students, it creates both short-term and long-term solutions to increase the affordability of education. In the short-term, it provides students with a significant bursary to be used towards the costs of pursuing their studies, and in the long term, it allows students to gain important skills needed build meaningful careers.

It also demonstrates that students are committed stakeholders in their communities, working to strengthen the fabric of the non-profit organizations, which provide key services and add vibrancy to their communities.

Imagine fine arts students from ACAD or Red Deer College teaching art-making to at-risk youth. Or information technology students from NAIT or the University of Calgary delivering internet tutoring at seniors homes. Or education students from Mount Royal Univrersity, Grant MacEwan University, Keyano College, or the University of Lethbridge designing curriculum programs at their local YMCA. The possibilities are limited only by our collective imagination.

Partners in Collaboration
What is exciting about the Serving Communities internship program is that it does more than increase community cohesion and affordability of our post-secondary system – it also demonstrates the potential of involving students as active partners in the policy creation process.

Over the past two years, we were overwhelmed by the enthusiasm, support and encouragement we received from the Government of Alberta and Volunteer Alberta in helping nurture Serving Communities from a blue-sky idea to an on-the-ground reality.

We stand here today as proud partners in the success of this program.

We are thrilled to see the needs of Alberta students being addressed by the Government of Alberta in a way that benefits both the non-profit sector and post-secondary students.

This new and innovative way of giving students support they need to succeed during, and after, their studies, is a win-win-win for communities, the Government of Alberta and students across the province.

We thank the government, especially Premier Stelmach, Minister Weadick and Minister Blackett, for their support in making this program a priority now.

Learn more at joinscip.ca

ASEC is recruiting for two positions: a summer STEP researcher [see position profile], and a part-time Executive Assistant [see position profile here].

Applications are open now, and close on April 22 and 29. Please email your resume to ed[at]albertastudents.ca

Note: ASEC is an equal opportunity employer.

Edmonton, AB – Students at Alberta’s universities, technical institutes and colleges commend Budget 2011 for protecting grants and scholarships for students and stabilizing funding to post-secondary institutions.

“On the whole, it’s a balanced approach which takes into consideration the primary needs of students and institutions, which isn’t easy to achieve in times of fiscal constraint,” says Steven Kwasny, Chair of the Alberta Students’ Executive Council (ASEC).

But students caution that the two-year suspension to the Access to the Future fund, which matched community contributions for student awards, capital projects and other initiatives, will have a negative impact on scholarships funded by the community. “From 2006 to 2009, the Fund boosted community-driven scholarships to nearly $30M” said Kwasny. “Without Access to the Future, an important on-ramp for students in need is now closed for maintenance.”

The Alberta Students’ Executive Council represents over 120,000 students from 12 colleges, technical institutes and universities across the province.

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For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact:

Steve Kwasny, Chair Carol Neuman, Executive Director
403-896-1560 780-437-4531

Steven Kwasny, ASEC Chairperson, noted that previous Ministers have always been keen collaborators with ASEC, and worked closely with students to ensure fairness in tuition fees and funding. Kwasny added that the same is already true of incoming Minister Greg Weadick.

“Students feel confident that Minister Greg Weadick, who has spent a year as the Parliamentary Assistant for the Ministry, can hit the ground running in his new role. We look forward to a smooth transition into working with Minister Weadick,” said Kwasny.

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For more information, please contact:
Steven Kwasny
ASEC Chair
403-896-1560

Carol Neuman
ASEC Executive Director
780-437-4531

Edmonton, AB – The Alberta Students’ Executive Council (ASEC) thanked outgoing Advanced Education Minister Doug Horner for his improvements to the post-secondary education system on Friday.

“The modernization Minister Horner brought to the Alberta post-secondary system has greatly benefited Alberta students. Today, students have greater access to high-quality programs across the province, including at ASEC’s two new universities, Grant MacEwan and Mount Royal,” said Steven Kwasny, Chair of ASEC. “We wish Minister Horner the best in his future pursuits.”

Kwasny noted that Minister Horner was always a keen collaborator with ASEC, and worked closely with students to ensure fairness in tuition fees and funding. “ASEC looks forward to continuing to cultivate the spirit of collaboration we have enjoyed over the last five years.”

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For more information, please contact:
Steven Kwasny
ASEC Chair
403-896-1560

Carol Neuman
ASEC Executive Director
780-437-4531