On October 3, 2012, the OCUFA Executive met with Minister of Training, Colleges, and Universities Glen Murray to discuss our submission in response to the government’s recent discussion paper.
Members of the Executive highlighted OCUFA’s concerns with the assumptions and proposals contained within the discussion paper. We believe that, taken to their logical conclusion, they would lead to an unprecedented government intrusion into academic decision-making. While professors and academic librarians are always open to positive reform, it is important that this process be truly collaborative and account for on-the-ground realities (such as Ontario’s abysmal level of per-student public funding, currently the lowest in Canada).
The Executive also pressed the Minister on the government’s next steps. It appears that MTCU will release a summary of the consultation in the next few months, and will proceed with a few pilot projects at select universities. The Minister emphasized that he now sees the reform agenda as a long-term process.
OCUFA will continue to monitor the government’s reform agenda and report on any new developments. On October 27, 2012, Minister Murray will meet with OCUFA’s Board of Directors to discuss these issues further.
This article originally appeared in the OCUFA Report. To receive stories like this every week in your inbox, please subscribe.