Daily Bulletin

University of Waterloo -- Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

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Wednesday, July 17, 1996

Government announces its panel

The Ontario ministry of education and training yesterday issued its long-awaited "discussion paper" on post-secondary education. It lists "five broad objectives that should guide policy development" for universities and colleges -- excellence, accessibility, "a range of programs and institutions", accountability, and "responsiveness to evolving needs".

The discussion paper provides the basis for a study that's to be done, between now and the end of the year, by a five-person "panel".

A government news release summarizes what the panel is being asked to do:

Minister of Education and Training John Snobelen today appointed a panel to provide advice on future directions for Ontario's postsecondary education system.
"The government is committed to achieving a postsecondary education system based on excellence, accessibility, and accountability," Mr. Snobelen said. "It is also important that the quality of our current postsecondary system be strengthened and tied to reforms at the secondary level."
Mr. Snobelen asked the panel to consult with stakeholders and the general public and provide the Government with advice on three key issues:

the most appropriate sharing of costs among students, the private sector and government
ways to promote and support cooperation between colleges and universities, and between them and the secondary school system
ways to meet expected levels of demand for postsecondary education, with reference to existing public institutions and existing or proposed private institutions.
The panel will be chaired by David C. Smith, principal emeritus of Queen's University, Kingston. The other panel members are:

Fred W. Gorbet, senior vice president, operational services (U.S.), Manulife Financial, Toronto
Catherine Henderson, president of Centennial College, Scarborough
Bette M. Stephenson, former Minister of Education and of Colleges and Universities, Richmond Hill
David M. Cameron, chair of the department of political science, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia.
The minister released a discussion paper to provide background for the panel's work.
"Colleges and universities face major challenges due to changing demographics, new labour force needs, limits on government funding, and the development of new technologies," he added. "This discussion paper will be the basis for a province-wide discussion to find new ways in which government, postsecondary institutions and private partners can meet these challenges head-on."
The minister asked the panel to report to him by December 15. The panel is expected to consult this fall.

What's in the discussion paper

"The system of postsecondary education in Ontario must change," the discussion paper says, "in order to meet evolving educational needs and adjust to new fiscal realities." News reports about the discussion paper yesterday and today have emphasized its hints about the possibility that private universities could be permitted in Ontario. (With the smallest of exceptions, the whole post-secondary system in this province now is publicly funded.) All that the paper actually says on the subject is this:

To accommodate the full range of these needs, many different types of facilities are needed. These could include publicly supported institutions and privately supported institutions, and, in some cases, "mixed" facilities in which the private sector supports some programs offered within a publicly funded institution.

Just a few other excerpts:

Statistics indicate that the postsecondary education system in Ontario compares favourably with systems in other jurisdictions in terms of cost-effectiveness and accessibility. . . .
A number of institutions might have -- or might develop -- different, specialized missions and might offer only certain types of programs, or only some types or levels of degrees or qualifications. . . .
Postsecondary institutions should be able to show students, government, and taxpayers that the available financial resources, including tuition fees, are being used wisely and efficiently. . . .
The present rates of participation in postsecondary education are higher in Ontario than in many other jurisdictions. . . .
While the need to provide postsecondary education to Ontarians in a cost-effective manner must be our primary concern, we must also be mindful of the economic and social consequences of failing to provide Ontario residents with the educational opportunities they need. . . .
If the postsecondary education system is to accommodate the higher numbers of students expected in the next ten to fifteen years, either student-aid programs will have to be expanded with the aid of non-government sources or the cost per student will need to be reduced significantly.

The full discussion paper is available on the World Wide Web at gopher://gopher.edu.gov.on.ca/00/english/desk/postdir/posteng.txt.

Where those grad students are

Well, my thanks to half a dozen people who took the trouble to tell me that I had mangled a link in yesterday's Bulletin. The "Survival Guide for Graduate Students" in the department of computer science is, in fact, at http://math.uwaterloo.ca/CS_Dept/survival/.

Among the people who caught the mistake was Anne Fullerton in the Davis Centre Library, who writes thus:

Did you know that the Library -- specifically the Library Instruction Committee -- has a Library Information for Grad Students webpage? It has been up since the spring term and is still under construction. We hope it will gather together useful information on library services for grad students. Unlike a pamphlet, it can be updated as soon as information changes. Links to tools like UnCover, electronic Interlibrary Loan forms, departmental Liaison Librarians, Fall Information sessions for new Grad students, etc.

The "Information for Grad Students" page is at http://www.lib.uwaterloo.ca/usered/grad/.

Happening today on campus

The news bureau has announced a presentation at 4 p.m. today in the Davis Centre lounge: "Research In Motion Ltd. and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada will announce funding for a University of Waterloo project aimed at developing the next generation of microchips for wireless communications." The key UW researcher is Mohamed Elmasry of the electrical and computer engineering department.

Konnichiwa Japan, "a Japanese language and culture group on campus", is sponsoring a talk on "Living and Working in Japan", with a slide show by Gary Loftus, author of Japan: A Primer for Working and Living. The event starts at 4:00 in the multipurpose room of the Student Life Centre.

Positions available this week

The human resources department has circulated the week's Positions Available listing to departments, since there isn't a Gazette today; the list is also available on UWinfo. Today's list includes two senior jobs in the plant operations department that have been vacant for a few weeks. Here's the list:

Research programme manager, computer science, computer graphics lab, grade USG 10.
Office assistant, science undergraduate office, grade USG 3.
Director, custodial and grounds services, plant operations, grade USG 14.
Director, business services, plant operations, grade USG 13.

More information: ext. 2524.

CAR

Editor of the Daily Bulletin:
Chris Redmond -- credmond@watserv1.uwaterloo.ca
Information and Public Affairs, University of Waterloo
(519) 888-4567 ext. 3004
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