On Thursday, Mar. 7, the VIU Senate voted 16 to 9 to cancel the VIU Advanced Diploma in GIS Applications and the Master of GIS Applications programs. While some last-ditch efforts are still being attempted to save the programs, it seems likely that this will be the end of an era after 19 years.
In 2005, I arrived in Nanaimo full of excitement and hope to help make the new ADGISA program a reality. During those early years, my colleagues and I fought to make the program work and fended off attempts to cancel the program by previous administrations. Our efforts led to the development of international training efforts in Lithuania and Ukraine, the last of which brought in around $1 million to VIU. We also developed the Master of GIS Applications program to meet student wishes to have an option for more advanced study in GIS and to help ensure that classrooms were filled with GIS students.
At various times, the financial viability of the program has been questioned, and the final blow was the addition of administrative overhead onto the program budget, something that had been successfully fought back against in the past. With that simple financial decision, the program was deemed unprofitable, and a program that had served the Mid-Island for years and produced thousands of trained GIS technicians and analysts was cancelled.
Ultimately, the promises that were made in those early years never came to pass. The program never took off in the way that we had hoped for, despite the efforts of many instructors and administrators over the years. Michael, Dave and Paul, you worked very hard and did VIU proud. There are a lot of former students who you helped develop lucrative careers, who owe you a debt of gratitude.