Editor's note: The following is the executive summary of U of G's submission to former Ontario premier Bob Rae, who is leading a review of post-secondary education. The full document can be found at www.uoguelph.ca/info/raereview. A hard-copy version is available from the President's Office.
The University of Guelph strongly urges the advisory panel to the government to recommend a significant reinvestment in higher education to support students, restore quality and make transformational change by:
The University of Guelph believes the public interest is best served by a single higher-education system that includes a number of diverse and autonomous institutions that have evolved differentiated missions that draw on institutional strengths to fulfil specific needs. It would not be advisable to arbitrarily impose judgments about institutional roles that disrupt this system, which successfully balances regional, linguistic and programmatic diversity with institutional histories and community expectations. At the same time, there is great merit in looking for new ways of encouraging — and financially supporting — appropriate and effective collaboration among institutions, including partnerships between colleges and universities. Areas of collaboration should include the seamless transfer of students where appropriate, the development of true joint diploma-degree programs, sharing library resources and purchasing powers, the development of distance education resources, and research capacity.
The University of Guelph strongly believes it has demonstrated a number of key ways in which it has fostered and promoted such collaboration. These areas have begun the process of transformation of the higher-education system in the province, but cannot be continued and completed without appropriate resources. The government should consider supporting focused and specific collaborative efforts through competitive funds.
U of G fundamentally supports the focus on accessibility to all levels of higher education expressed in the discussion document. Accessibility is affected by social, cultural and financial issues. Each of these needs to be reflected specifically by government in its policies and programs for post-secondary education. In addition to dealing with the total cost of higher education, the University strongly supports the concept of developing specific programs focused at targeted groups to change the perspective on the value and attainability of higher education and for supporting individuals from groups not traditionally represented in higher education.
In return for acting on these recommendations, the provincial government will make a significant contribution to the changing face of higher education. It will have the assurance that it is providing its citizenry with an excellent post-secondary system that meets the needs of a society that is increasingly dependent on well-educated individuals — knowledge workers — whose abilities touch us in every part of our lives. Whether we are in need of health care, responsible community planning, improved environmental practices, innovation that supports business expansion and the creation of jobs, child care, creative public policy, healthy food or safe water, we are looking to people with knowledge and insights available through first-rate post-secondary education and research.
Recently, the province committed to a new investment from its $500-million fund for one of the important private-sector areas contributing to Ontario's economic success: the automotive industry. Similar investments are made to strategically cultivate various sectors of the provincial economy.
The publicly supported post-secondary sector, estimated to generate direct economic spinoffs of $3.2 billion annually and, most important, the supplier of researchers, professionals, leaders, entrepreneurs, community workers and educators for Ontario's future, also warrants provincial investments that are commensurate with its impact on the overall health and well-being of the province.
