Reply from BC Government

—— Forwarded Message
From: “Henderson, Kim N PREM:EX” <Kim.Henderson@gov.bc.ca>
Date: Fri, 3 Apr 2009 09:52:54 -0700
To: Justin Longo <jlongo@uvic.ca>
Cc: “Fraser-Ramirez, Karla Maria ALMD:EX” <Karla.Maria.FraserRamirez@gov.bc.ca>
Subject: FW: Questions re Pacific Leaders Graduate Fellowship Program

Official Word (Updated)

I received a letter from StudentAid BC on March 17 (dated March 10 2009) that followed up on the phone call I received on March 10, officially advising me that the Pacific Leaders Graduate Fellowship Program had been terminated. The letter was signed by Victoria Thibeau, Executive Director of StudentAid BC and reads in part as follows:

Minister Coell on Public Eye Radio

Campus 2020 life?

Next month will mark the secondary anniversary of the release of Campus 2020: Thinking Ahead – an ambitious plan that was supposed to “help shape the future of post-secondary education” in British Columbia. But many of the 52 recommendation in that plan, which was authored by former attorney general Geoff Plant, are languishing. And, recently, in an interview on Public Eye, Sean Holman spoke to Advanced Education and Labour Development Minister Murray Coell about some of them.

Post at UVic Grad Student Blog

uvicgradstudents.blogspot.com is a blog for UVIC Graduate Students covering graduate student issues at UVic, and at the provincial and federal level, and a source of announcements about conferences and calls for papers. Pacific Leadership Scholarship being cut? was posted on March 19.

Press Release – NDP

from http://www.bcndpcaucus.ca/en/campbell_gov_t_abandons_research_fellowship_grants

For Immediate Release
March 19, 2009

CAMPBELL GOV’T ABANDONS RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP GRANTS

Post-Fellowship Employment Component

I just heard from one of the previous recipients of a Pacific Leaders Fellowship that the employment component of the program is still in place. I’m guessing this is up to each ministry to fund as long as they feel the posting is of value. As reported to me by this person:

Minister “On the Island”

Minister of Advanced Education Murray Coell was on the CBC radio program “On the Island” this morning as a featured guest on their series this week called “Generation Owe: the group that attended university during a job-filled economic boom and now is graduating during a recession.”

Pacific Leaders Program Suspended

I received a call from StudentAid BC today advising me that my application for a Pacific Leaders Graduate Student Fellowship was being returned to me as the program had been suspended. (The program suspension has now been announced on the website – but the archived announcement is at http://ur1.ca/2ae4).