Deans of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences faculties are meeting in Edmonton currently. Items on the agenda include Prioritization, Budgeting, Collective Bargaining, etc.
As a welcome to U of A, the deans were given a guided tour of the MacTaggart collection of Chinese imperial robes, prints, and scrolls. The collection is a most generous gift to U of A, and the ways in which the material objects have been integrated into research and pedagogy is to be noted and commended.
Robert Dickeson’s Prioriziting Academic Programs and Services (2010) is being touted by the Provincial Government as a useful manual to direct conversations about strategic planning. Essentially the process involves collecting a great deal of data about the university enterprise and use that data to drive informed decisions about allocation of resources.
The key to a successful prioritization exercise will be that it be transparent and collaborative, that the goals be clear (it is not a slashing and burning exercise, rather it is knowledge gathering exercise which will allow everyone involved in decision making to make reasoned decisions about program growth, maintenance and reductions), and that the process be sufficiently robust that it can be used reliably over many cycles.
Differentiation remains a topic of conversation in the sector. While it is true that differentiation by some definitions already exists–by admission average, by region, by the emphasis placed on teaching and research, by size and resources–it is also the case that all students in Ontario can be assured of the quality of their programs. Not all universities offer the same programs, but what is offered is comparable big school to small by virtue of the IQAP process.
If we follow the presumed path that will leave us with three tiers in Ontario (U of T; U15; the rest), I’m not sure what problem has been solved, esp. if the tiers are entrenched such that universities can’t be re-seeded. Are we opposed to competition (have we given up on capitalism and evolution)?
If the conversation is about the delivery of undergraduate education, then students need to receive sufficient preparation for second degrees (professional schools, graduate schools, college programs, apprenticeships), so we are potentially undertaking a process that we return us to the current state.
I have many questions, one is, Where are the U15 graduates going, esp if they want to pursue a life in academia? Ontario has in some way subsidized their education. Presumably the best academicians blend current research with teaching. If ‘the rest’ is defined as teaching only, then there will be no faculty–graduates will pursue careers in the US or in other provinces. Why is that better? Or is that the endgame?
In Heather Mallick’s column, she highlights some of the concerns that are fuelling the discussion: the cost of education delivered in “traditional” ways; the presumed savings of MOOCs; the difficulty of transferring between institutions (colleges and universities); the unpreparedness of students (entering university and, in some cases, upon graduation). While I agree that these are the recurring themes, most of these themes will not be addressed by differentiation.
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2013/09/20/ontario_universities_are_being_reined_in_mallick.html#
The following dates are planned for the A&S Executive and A&S Faculty Council meetings for this semester: