ABSTRACT
Athabasca University, the newest of the four Alberta universities, is presently situated in Edmonton, the provincial capital. The University is currently in the process of relocating to the town of Athabasca, a small rural community some 145 kilometres to the north of Edmonton. The considerable size of Alberta and the relative geographic isolation of many of its inhabitants make communications a vital concern. The legislative responsibilities of these two levels of governments are established by the British North America Act and under one of the sections of this Act education is identified as a provincial responsibility. Although the Athabasca University student population is very diverse in its characteristics, it has been relatively consistent in this diversity. Students have consistently reported that the most important reason for their undertaking university study is to prepare for a future career and the next most important reason is for personal development.
