The College Faculty constructing on the College of Toronto. Authorities funds cuts and the race to draw extra college students are altering the operate and goal of Canadian universities. (Shutterstock)
In recent times, Canadian provinces resembling Ontario and Alberta have been trying to repurpose and reprogram our universities to extra narrowly serve the labour market. They’re doing so by adopting performance-based funding in probably the most profound modifications the sector has witnessed in a long time.
These profound modifications are encapsulated by the statements of former Alberta Premier Jason Kenney, who mentioned his authorities was “making an attempt to retool the schooling system.”
Final yr, Kenney mentioned authorities funding for universities ought to align with the wants of the labour market and criticized college arts applications which he claimed supplied “very poor” employment prospects for graduates.
It’s unsettling to think about the long-term trajectory and the implications of narrowing universities of their scope to extra carefully emulate technical and coaching schools and the way wherein they serve the present labour market and trade.
Universities already function a various mixture of vocational {and professional} coaching applications in addition to extra broadly targeted and versatile undergraduate and graduate levels. There’s little to be gained, and far to be misplaced, by trying to show universities and schools into lesser and extra convoluted variations of each other.
Each are vital to offer a strong and numerous schooling system.
Graduates pay attention throughout a convocation ceremony at Simon Fraser College, in Burnaby, B.C.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
The college’s contributions
Responding to comparable debates in the UK, former English literature professor Stefan Collini provocatively requested, “What are universities for?” It’s now time Canadians ask that very same query.
In that spirit we on the College of Regina have set to assemble many nationwide and worldwide students, heads of funding companies, directors and policy-makers to have interaction in discussions on the subject on the appropriately entitled symposium: What Are Universities For? Exploring roles, challenges, conflicting tensions, and promising re-imaginings.
The challenges going through tutorial establishments demand that we ask such questions, and that we begin to grapple with what the solutions could be and the legacy we’re leaving the following technology.
The college is an entity like no different, and may maybe be extra precisely described as a “multiversity.” City geography scholar Jean-Paul Addie has listed seven social and financial methods universities profit society: Being financial engines, altering the face of a metropolis, attracting world expertise, constructing worldwide connections, serving to to deal with societal challenges, fostering creativity and open debate and bettering folks’s lives.
Learn extra:
Seven methods universities profit society
Universities are about greater than making ready folks for the workforce. They foster essential analysis and educate college students how one can assume critically.
(Shutterstock)
What are universities for?
At their core, universities are establishments charged with performing educating, analysis and repair. Universities are immensely numerous and fairly adept at integrating quite a lot of conflicting calls for and functions: From fostering ground-breaking scientific analysis, to transmitting and critiquing data, to supplying academics for our colleges and medical personnel to our hospitals.
Intriguingly, in the event you ask the scholars themselves concerning the goal of upper schooling, the reply is: it relies upon. Analysis has discovered the best way college students view universities is contingent on how a lot the schooling prices.
In nations like Denmark, Germany and Poland, the place governments present better monetary assist for college college students, there may be better emphasis on the social advantages of upper schooling. Universities are seen as contributing to a extra enlightened and reflective society, and serving to their nation to be seen extra competitively worldwide.
Learn extra:
What is the goal of college? Your reply could rely upon how a lot it prices you
Nonetheless, in England, Eire and Spain, the place college students are anticipated to shoulder extra of the monetary value of their college schooling, they have been extra more likely to see it as a method to employment.
Canada ought to keep away from pitting these conceptions of upper schooling in opposition to each other. We should respect the various and diverse advantages of an inclusive, accessible and strong post-secondary schooling system.
Canada’s crossroads second
Present traits in Canada are an awesome trigger for alarm. Ontario ranks final within the nation for college funding as a proportion of whole income. The federal government of Alberta has just lately slashed tons of of thousands and thousands in funding from the province’s universities. Each provinces are the primary to topic their universities to narrowly conceived funding metrics.
Canadians should notice that we’re at a crucial juncture. Canada’s universities shouldn’t be an enviornment for shortsighted and partisan politicking. We urgently have to ask ourselves what sort of society we hope to keep up, foster and create and hyperlink that to how universities can finest serve that society.
Marc Spooner doesn’t work for, seek the advice of, personal shares in or obtain funding from any firm or organisation that will profit from this text, and has disclosed no related affiliations past their tutorial appointment.
