UW will receive $1.6 million from the Ontario government to
     help pay for four "restructuring" projects, it was announced
     on Friday.
 
          The money is about half of what UW had requested under
     the provincial "transition assistance" program. Officials
     here are reasonably happy with the news, provost Dr. Alan
     George said:  "Our top priority projects were the ones that
     were funded. . . . We received at least nominally our 'fair
     share'."
 
          The money comes as four grants:
 
          * $700,000 to help with the financial systems project
     -- the overhaul of the way UW keeps financial records and
     handles purchasing, receiving and other business activities.
 
          * $600,000 to support the "faculty and staff renewal",
     or early retirement, program.
 
          * $170,000 to "enhance" high-tech video classroom links
     among UW, the University of Guelph, and McMaster University.
 
          * $160,000 to help with energy conservation.
 
          Will Ferguson, the MPP for Kitchener, came to Waterloo
     Friday to announce the grants, as representative of the
     minister of colleges and universities. He told a small news
     conference that in the current hard economic times, the
     government wants to see institutions "serve more people with
     less", and these grants are designed to help make that
     possible.
 
          "Reshaping and restructuring our postsecondary
     institutions offers the best chance our colleges and
     universities have to play a key role in meeting our goals of
     social justice and economic renewal, while preserving and
     enhancing both quality and accessibility," a statement in
     Ferguson's name said.
 
          The $1.6 million coming to UW is a share of $22 million
     for the province's universities, which in turn is a share of
     the $160 million fund for public sector agencies announced
     as part of the provincial budget last January.
 
          Another $17 million is being handed out to community
     colleges for similar "restructuring" or "transition"
     projects -- things that will save money and make the
     institutions more effective in future years.
 
          There's been no decision on whether another round of
     transition grants will be made next year, Ferguson said
     Friday.
 
          At the news conference, the presidents of UW and
     Wilfrid Laurier University took the opportunity to tell
     Ferguson that they see the announcement as a good-news, bad-
     news story.
 
          The good news is that grants are welcome, and that the
     province has announced the level of its general operating
     grants to universities for three years ahead, so that
     institutions have some time to plan.
 
          The bad news is that the operating grants went up just
     1 per cent this year, and will go up 2 per cent in 1992-93
     and another 2 per cent in 1993-94.
 
          "We understand the problems the government faces," UW's
     Dr. Doug Wright said. "It's a very, very difficult time for
     everyone."
 
          Both Ferguson and the presidents also cited as good
     news the "consultative" process that was used to work out
     the details of the projects. Faculty, staff members and
     students were closely involved in preparing the
     universities' proposals for the money.
 
          "It's extremely encouraging to see our institutions
     work with us and with each other to get the most out of
     every dollar we invest in higher education," Ferguson's
     statement said.
 
          The transition grants can be expected to give some
     relief to UW's 1991-92 operating budget, which included some
     spending for the financial systems review and the early
     retirement program. Details haven't been settled yet.