The Thompson Rivers University (TRU) campus in Williams Lake could be fully closed by spring 2028 as the university navigates a period of unprecedented challenges.
A decision on the proposed closure and the launch of planning from 2026 to 2028 to reimagine post-secondary education in the Williams Lake region is anticipated to be made by the TRU Board of Governors on Friday, March 27.
In an executive summary letter to the TRU Board of Governors, President and Chancellor Dr. Airini wrote that the board approved a budget mitigation report, noting the bold ambition is to turn the university’s unprecedented financial challenges into a strategic transformation, positioning Thompson Rivers University for success for decades to come.
Dr. Airini noted the proposal before the board is not a withdrawal from the region, but a “shift away toward a focused, collaborative, community needs-based model that can endure.”
“Through a re-imagined model for post-secondary education in the Williams Lake region, future selected TRU offerings in Williams Lake will be delivered either at the current campus (as tenants), at other venues in the city, or through distributed learning modes,” Airini stated.
Williams Lake Mayor Surinderpal Rathor appeared in a Facebook video on Thursday, March 26, with Coun. Scott Nelson, calling the potential closure “disturbing news,” said staff have sent “an emergency resolution” to the TRU Board of Governors and that “nothing will happen to the local campus under his leadership” and staff are “working to find out the truth.”
In a March 26 letter to the TRU Board of Governors signed by Rathor, the city called the news of the potential closure “a surprise.”
According to the city, a commitment was made to bring together all local government bodies and First Nations to brainstorm all options for keeping a post-secondary campus operating in Williams Lake, prior to any decision being made on a future closure, at a Jan. 26 meeting with Rathor, city staff and Dr. Airini.
In his letter on the future of the Williams Lake campus and regional centres addressed to the TRU Board of Governors, Dr. Airini noted the mayors of Williams Lake and 100 Mile House, Chief of Williams Lake First Nation, and himself have agreed to oversee planning from 2026 to 2028 for imagining post secondary education in the region with initial planning to be reported to the Board in June 2026 on project scope, governance and initial scenarios.
Possible future scenarios that might be explored according to Dr. Airini include a Williams Lake regional post-secondary cooperative based in the vacated TRU Williams Lake facilities or a Williams Lake-based skilled trades training centre for defence workforce development.
Also possible would be a First Nations-led post-secondary education network, a BC Wildfire Service training, education and research centre to provide solutions to wildfires, or a regional university study hub that builds on initiatives in Alberta and Australia.
TRU has operated a campus in Williams Lake for over 45 years, and has been offering programming in 100 Mile House at various facilities for more than 35 years.
TRU has also been providing programming in Lillooet since 1994.
In recent years, TRU has closed regional centres in Clearwater and Barriere, Dr. Airini noted.
A complete closure of the facilities at TRU Williams Lake campus by spring 2028 and focused programming in the Williams Lake region is anticipated to result in yearly budget savings of $3.5 million to $4 million, as well as capital cost avoidance of $5.6 million over the next three to four years.
“If no alternatives are found, the campus could be closed permanently and put up for sale,” reads Dr. Airini’s attachment.
Total enrolment at the Williams Lake campus has declined by 24 per cent from 2017/18 to 2024/25 and is expected to further drop.
Dr. Airini also noted while there have been real efforts and tangible investments to reverse the enrolment trend at Williams Lake, they have not been successful, and have yet to attract sufficient enrolment from the region itself.
Application data for the Regenerative and Agriculture Diploma and the Practical Nursing program revealed that only 19 per cent and 27 per cent of the applicants are from the region.
“Currently, TRU is under significant pressure to reduce its costs primarily due to the federal government’s January 2024 decision to limit the number of international students,” Dr. Airini noted.
Since the fall of 2025, TRU has cut approximately $30 million from its operating budget, and will need to cut an additional $19 million to $21 million to achieve a balanced budget for 2026/27.
On average (over the past four years), according to Dr. Airini, the Williams Lake campus and regional centres lose approximately $3.4-million each year, with no indication (based on enrolment trends) that this trend will be reversed any time soon.
A reduction in programming leading to the potential closure of the Williams Lake campus would impact approximately 26 full-time employees.
TRU’s regional centre in 100 Mile House is leased through to May 2029, and in Lillooet through to September 2029. Dr. Arinini noted no action is being sought at this time regarding the regional centres, although they could be considered in the future, transitioning to a university study hub.
The City of Williams Lake is urging the TRU Board of Governors to delay a decision at their public board meeting scheduled for 1 p.m. Friday, March 27.
In the letter signed by Rathor, the city is also urgently requesting that community representatives be involved in discussions regarding the future of the Williams Lake campus and the Ministry of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills be immediately included in discussions about the impact of the potential closure.
“Council has officially taken the position that it strongly opposes any potential closure of this vital community asset and that it expects any significant changes to the services offered at the campus should be first subject to public consultation and input,” the city wrote on its Facebook page Thursday, March 26.