Across Canada, public universities are being asked to educate more diverse student populations, sustain research capacity, modernize aging facilities, and support regional economies while facing increasingly complex financial constraints. The challenge is not simply a matter of reducing expenses. It involves balancing public expectations, government funding, tuition policy, workforce costs, infrastructure obligations, and the changing needs of students. Understanding these pressures helps explain why university leaders are reconsidering long-standing operating models and why decisions about budgets often generate intense debate across campus communities. A funding model under sustained pressure Public universities generally rely on a combination of government grants, tuition revenue, research support, donations, investment income, ancillary services, and other…