An article appeared in the Ontarion expressing concerns about the various ways universities are ranked. Everyone has concerns about the ranking processes but I am more concerned about the attitudes expressed in the article.

First, the author complained that only those institutions with the highest tuition fees and the greatest level of corporatization are ranked first in Macleans. These are not true for Guelph, yet we are ranked number one. Second, the author attacks the level of research funding coming into the University. One of our Canada Research Chairs (and renowned teacher) Frances Sharom penned a response to the Ontarion. I attach her letter below. In addition, to supporting a large number of graduate and undergraduate students, research monies bring substantial support for staff positions at the University and make very substantial contributions to the running costs of the institution.

It is not perhaps the results of the individual surveys that is significant but the fact that all the surveys conducted this past year (including the assessment by students themselves) place Guelph as one of the very best comprehensive universities in the country: an institution that balances accessibility with the quality of education, research and service.

Sponsored research benefits students
Dr. Frances Sharom
Professor and Canada Research Chair, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology
An article in last week’s Ontarion decried the fact that the University of Guelph receives “restricted” funding from sponsors that can only be put towards research, implying that such funding does not benefit students. As a Canada Research Chair, I am the recipient of such funding from three sources, the federal government agency NSERC, the Canadian Cancer Society and the Ara Parseghian Medical Research Foundation, a private foundation dedicated to curing a fatal children’s disease.
A very large fraction of the research money I receive goes towards supporting students both educationally and financially. I employ three undergraduate Work-Study students in my research lab year-round, providing valuable lab experience and financial support. When they graduate, these students often ask me to act as a referee when they search for a full-time job, or go on to further education and training. Over the past 12 months, three senior undergraduate students completed 4th year research project courses in my lab. The materials they used, which are often expensive in molecular bioscience labs, were paid for by the funding from my research sponsors. This summer, I employed two co-op students full-time in my lab, paid for by research grants. Six graduate students are currently in the process of completing their PhD and MSc degrees under my supervision. Their salaries are largely paid for by sponsored research dollars. The sophisticated equipment that these students use, and the cost of their research materials, are again paid for by research grants. Without sponsored research, undergraduate and graduate students would not have these opportunities to engage in the excitement of scientific discovery, and be supported financially at the same time.
Research funding makes the university a better place for all of us.