Posts from March 2013

Today, Minister of Training, Colleges, and Universities Brad Duguid announced a new tuition framework for Ontario’s higher education institutions. The new policy caps yearly increases for undergraduates at 3 per cent (down from 5 per cent under the previous framework, while graduate and professional fees will increase by 5 per cent (down from 8 per cent). Total institutional increases are also capped at 3 […]

Funding for basic research is the cornerstone of knowledge creation and innovation. Unfortunately, the federal government is doubling down on commercialization and letting basic research languish. At Canadian universities, the largest chunk of public funding earmarked for university research comes from the federal government. In 2011-12, federal grants and contracts accounted for three-quarters of public research […]

Last week, OCUFA made its official submission to the Government of Ontario’s Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs (SCFEA). Titled Preserving the Gains We’ve Made , the submission contains a plan to dramatically increase the quality and affordability of Ontario’s universities by 2020. Key recommendations include: The Government of Ontario immediately begin moving per-student public investment in universities towards the […]

Higher education is a provincial responsibility, which gives the federal government a free pass when it comes to scrutiny of university and college funding. But the decline in federal transfers for postsecondary institutions is a big reason why tuition is so high and per-student public funding levels are so low. Federal funding for universities, colleges, and […]

Last week, Minister of Training, Colleges, and Universities Brad Duguid gave an interview to the Toronto Star indicating the Government of Ontario was close to announcing a new tuition framework for Ontario. Emphasizing his desire to find an arrangement that works for both students and institutions, the Minister had this to say: “I’m confident we’ll strike a balance that I hope will be […]

On the one hand, the latest data from the Common University Data Ontario (CUDO) indicate the deterioration of student-faculty ratios and class sizes seem to be slowing. On the other, the slope is still downwards and indicators suggest things are worse than during the final year of the “Double Cohort.” The Double Cohort was the bubble […]

Registration is now open for the 2013 Worldviews Conference on Media and Higher Education . Co-organized by OCUFA, Worldviews explores the complex – and occasionally fraught – relationship between academic and media. Worldviews 2013 will be a lively two-day conference, assembling a variety of thinkers – academics, editors, students, journalists, communications professionals – offering critical perspectives on higher education and the media and possible directions […]