VUW Foundation Studies staff are still trying to keep their jobs, despite the university finding a new provider to teach the course.
According to statements published on the Tertiary Education Union’s (TEU) website, the department’s staff members cannot foresee success in this strategy, and instead urge the university to “expand the department instead of extraditing duties.”
Despite this, a university spokesperson told Salient “Victoria’s foundation studies programme will close in February 2017.”
Adding that “the university has no plans to review this decision.”
The contract will go to Academic Colleges Group (ACG) in the first trimester of 2017, resulting in the redundancy of staff who have driven the development of this programme over the last 14 years.
The President of the TEU, Sandra Grey, has suggested there is no evidence the change in management of the programme will bring in 150 additional students, as VUW says it will.
ACG works in partnership with the University of Auckland (since 1999), AUT, and other educational institutions and boasts a wide range of cooperating universities worldwide.
Students enrolled in this programme will have access to all of VUW’s services and facilities, and will study near Pipitea campus.