Lincoln vice-chancellor Robin Pollard said the university had to lance continued financial deficits by finding $5 million of savings but also had to attract more students.
He confirmed Lincoln was likely to divest its Telford campus in south Otago and would no longer use third-party providers to deliver off-site sub-degree training.
Pollard also announced the establishment of a transformation board to look at all options for the university’s future.
“Lincoln is too small on its own without a very good strategic partner.”
The board, consisting of people with local and international experience, would consider options such as merging or working with another institutions or academic co-operation.
A transformation programme manager was being hired and membership of the board would be considered at the next university council meeting.
The council would have the final say on any changes but Pollard said Lincoln would remain a land-focused tertiary institution and the student experience offered at the university would not be compromised.
The proposed job cuts would mean the loss of 16 academic and 35 non-academic positions at the university and a further four academic and 13 non-academic jobs at Telford.
There was a one month consultation with staff over the cuts.
“We think we are being prudent with these staff reductions.”
Lincoln has in the last few years made 100 people redundant.
Pollard said his brief from the university council was “to be firm but not heroic, to do what was prudent and reasonable” and he said that process or fitness programme to make the university viable was not yet over.
“This is not the end story.
“The entire agenda has been very considered and very deliberate and will carry on into next year.”
The university had already cut unpopular courses and programmes, revamped its Academic Board, cut international travel and tightened financial management and costs.
It had also launched initiatives to make existing courses more popular, updated teaching methods and asked staff to take leave.
“We asked people to take leave when possible, since the long-term build-up of excessive leave creates a financial liability.”
But a lower head count was also needed.
“It’s hard just to tighten your belt.
“You need to address the cost structure in a more concerted way.”
The next council meeting would also consider a revised budget Pollard described as being “on track to meet financial performance measures”.
Telford had relied on making margins from courses run by correspondence or through third parties to subsidise its south Otago campus.
But off-campus student numbers had fallen from 1300 effective full time students in 2012 to 500 now.
Pollard said Lincoln had unwittingly been implicated in a Tertiary Education Commission audit that required a $1.5m refund because courses delivered off-campus were not conducted as required.
Lincoln was seeking to recover funds from those third-party providers.
Pollard said it had been difficult for Telford to increase in size but its future was brighter given funding changes that differentiated based on the type of education delivery and would benefit residential training providers.
A spokeswoman for PGG Wrightson confirmed the company was consulting staff at AgNZ and could not comment until that process was complete.
