On August 26, 2013, OCUFA President Kate Lawson met with Minister of Training, Colleges, and Universities Brad Duguid. The purpose of the meeting was to consult OCUFA on several policy initiatives, including a new credit transfer framework, online education, and the differentiation agenda.
The Minister emphasized that the government is still in the process of developing its plans in these areas. It appears that the government has backed away from the more strident reforms proposed last year, and will be taking a more collaborative, iterative approach to smaller-scale change.
Nevertheless, OCUFA remains concerned that some of the initiatives may be harmful to the quality of higher education in Ontario. During the meeting, we were clear that any reform must be careful to protect the autonomy of Ontario’s universities, and respect the academic freedom and intellectual property rights of professors and academic librarians. It is also imperative that reform, where needed, be undertaken with the goal of improving student success, not cutting costs.
OCUFA prepared a written submission in advance of the meeting, which can be downloaded here.