Dear Brock Community,
In last week’s Provost’s update, I focused on the impact of the Feb. 12 MCURES Provincial funding announcement and I situated the Sustainability Review (EAF) within the context of the University’s Strategic Action Plan. I linked these developments to the future direction of the University which will point toward academic revitalization, strategic enrolment growth, and financial sustainability.
The theme for this budget update will be to provide a “deeper dive” into the University’s budgeting process and revenue profile, and what this means for our strategic goals and strategies moving forward.
Financial Context
In addition to regular Senate updates via the Planning, Priorities, and Budget Advisory Committee (PPBAC), I have recently held several budget workshops with our broader Brock community. The purpose of these workshops has been to explain the financial context in which we operate and to better understand the history behind our current financial reality. As you know, we are a publicly assisted university, and our primary source of revenue comes from tuition and grants. Over the last decade, the Ontario per student funding has fallen to the lowest level in Canada. In 2007 our operating grants per student were frozen, and in 2017 an enrolment corridor was introduced by the Provincial government. This funding framework, known as the Strategic Mandate Agreement (SMA), is a funding mechanism by which operating grants are allocated based on an enrolment corridor and performance metrics. These SMA’s are renegotiated every 4 years. It is important to note that the performance metrics by which we are held accountable include indicators such as time to graduation rate, graduate employment earnings, and graduate employment rate in a related field, to name a few. Through this exercise, we have some autonomy over how much weight we afford to each metric. However, the corridor framework means that if we overperform (higher enrolment), no additional grant money is awarded. If we underperform, we risk losing grant funding. In short, the SMA framework is an exercise by which we need to ensure that our enrolment corridor and performance metrics put the least amount of money at risk.
In addition, in 2019, domestic tuition was cut by 10 per cent and frozen. Following this, in 2020-2021, the impact of COVID 19 translated into a $13 million incremental cost to the University, in addition to a significant loss in ancillary revenue. Finally, between 2021-2024 the Federal government’s cap on international enrolment, together with global inflation and geopolitical events, has severely impacted our international student enrolment. Cumulatively, these policies and historical shifts have meant that our current budget is at the same level that it was in 2014– and yet we are supporting far more students, staff and faculty.
Budget Report
A detailed list of Brock’s revenue sources is available in our publicly available Budget Report, which, of note, has been recognized for its Sound Fiscal Management and Transparent Financial Reporting by Morningstar DBRS (our External Credit Rating Agency). Although it is not a report that I presume many have read, I do encourage you to review this information available at this link. Page 19 begins a summary of revenues : 2025-26 Budget Report You will see that our revenue sources are not keeping up with our operating costs.
Budget Process
At a recent Budget Workshop, I was asked a question about the relationship between the development of the University’s budget and the budget development that occurs at the Department/Centre/Faculty and Shared Service Unit levels. Over the last year, the Office of the Provost has adjusted the timelines and considerations that go into the budget planning process. Departments, Centres, Faculties and Shared Service Units begin their budget planning in May and it culminates with their budget submissions in November. I have asked that units engage in multi-year planning, inclusive of enrolment projections (target setting), guidance (mitigation targets, fluctuating enrolment, performance targets), and new position requests. Each unit submits their multi-year plans to their respective Dean based on their academic and strategic priorities—as identified in the University’s Strategic Action Plan. Future enrolment growth—or anticipated enrolment decline—is a key determinant in this process.
Provincial Funding and Enrolment Revenue Opportunities
Given the reality that “resources follow students”—both in terms of tuition and government grants—the Province’s recent funding announcement is both timely and critically important for Brock. The provincial government has identified that the Ministry will be providing funding to support enrolment growth across Ontario for 40,000 additional students over the next three years to meet the rising demand for STEM, health, education, planning, and trades programs. Institutions will be invited to participate in a competitive call in 2026. As such, Brock will be able to submit a Priority Growth Plan and advocate for new enrolment growth that would potentially increase both tuition and grant revenue for the University. This is an opportunity that we must leverage.
Furthermore, Ontario’s university funding model allocates operating grants based on Weighted Grant Units (WGUs), where the weight assigned to a given student reflects both their program of study and their level of study. Students enrolled in four-year honours degree programs attract a higher WGU weight, meaning institutional decisions about how programs are structured and classified have direct and material implications for the grant funding Brock is positioned to receive.
As part of a broader strategic review of academic programming and institutional positioning under the new model, Brock has an opportunity to align its degree practices with the four-year honours standard that predominates across the Ontario university sector. This alignment would more accurately reflect the academic depth and credential outcomes that already characterize a significant portion of Brock’s curriculum—and ensure the funding model recognizes the true nature of the education we deliver.
Advancing this initiative would result in more than 1,000 students being appropriately recognized at the honours level, with their associated WGUs recalibrated accordingly. Applied against the new funding rate of $3,235 per WGU (increasing to $3,365 in 2027-28), full implementation is projected to generate approximately $3.4 million or more in additional annual grant revenue without any increase in student headcount. Students will see increased flexibility related to their studies, which contributes positively to retention—and that is another opportunity for revenue generation.
This is a compelling example of how strategic academic and administrative alignment can translate directly into financial sustainability. By ensuring our program structures and reporting reflect the rigour and credential outcomes Brock already delivers, we strengthen both our institutional profile and our funding position under the new model.
Degree Architecture, Curricular Reform & Strategic Enrolment Management
Brock’s long‑term financial sustainability depends on how well our enrolment demand aligns with the programs we offer and our capacity to deliver them. Student interest is concentrated in a relatively small number of programs—particularly in health, education, and professionally oriented fields—while demand across much of the undergraduate portfolio is more modest. Although Brock offers over 100 undergraduate programs, nearly half of all undergraduate applications are received by just 10 programs. Graduate enrolments remain a smaller share of our overall activity, and recent changes to federal international student policy have highlighted the financial risk of relying too heavily on enrolment in a limited number of areas. Together, these factors mean that sustainability cannot be achieved through domestic undergraduate growth alone.
Looking ahead, stability will depend on being more deliberate in how we plan for enrolment and support student success. Given the current context in which Brock exists, we have opportunities for revenue in four areas. This includes clearer degree pathways, focused recruitment efforts where demand and retention are strongest, expanded student mobility options, and strategic partnerships such as 2+2 pathways with the college sector. The work of the Degree Architecture will enable degrees to be more accessible and customizable for students. In addition, we need to develop a viable spring summer term which will allow more entry points for students, enhance co-op program capacity, and provide additional revenue by virtue of a campus that provides services to our students year-round. Given the provincial funding announcement, we must align our new program development with provincial priority areas and workforce needs.
On the international front, Brock has traditionally operated well below the sector average for how many international students proportionally made up our student body. By way of comparison, the sector average for comprehensive universities is 14.9 per cent international, compared to Brock’s 8.2 per cent. While this served us well over recent years through challenges with government restrictions on international VISA’s, this also serves as an opportunity for future growth as we look to increase revenues for our institution.
In closing, I also wish to acknowledge that our Government Relations office continues to advocate for funding for special projects which are challenging to move forward without government assistance—but would support the financial sustainability of the University. The need to modernize our Student Information System (SIS) is an example of a top priority that is difficult to fund under current financial constraints; however, once completed, would generate annual savings for the institution. As we look to all avenues of potential revenue, I extend my gratitude to many units—both academic and administrative—who have suggested and implemented new revenue streams for the University. These creative ideas—together with our focus on curricular renewal, student recruitment and retention—must remain our primary focus.