%2frss.gk Quality-Matters Blog %2fEnglish.Blogs.blog_detail.gk%3fcategory%3d%2fBlogs%2fenglish%26catalog_item_id%3d3589 There has been a lot of talk lately about the role of Ontario's universities in the provincial economy. This isn't too surprising in the midst of a recession, when economic issues are front-of-mind. And the economic impact of universities is huge: from research and development to the creation of a highly skilled workforce, our institutions equip Ontario for success in the global knowledge economy. But there is a danger in letting economic logic rule our universities. %2fEnglish.Blogs.blog_detail.gk%3fcategory%3d%2fBlogs%2fenglish%26catalog_item_id%3d3898 Ontario’s higher education system is at a crossroads. Decisions we make today will affect our ability to provide a high quality educational experience to students now and for generations to come. %2fEnglish.Blogs.blog_detail.gk%3fcategory%3d%2fBlogs%2fenglish%26catalog_item_id%3d3317 We need universities to ensure the success of students, build our economy and produce the ideas and technology that will shape our future. Right now, Ontario’s universities don’t have the resources they need to achieve these goals. Years of underfunding have taken their toll on our institutions. Classes are too big, and students do not have enough access to their professors. Classrooms, labs and libraries are showing their age. And tuition fees are far too high, leaving many graduates with unprecedented levels of debt. It’s time to do something about it. %2fEnglish.Blogs.blog_detail.gk%3fcategory%3d%2fBlogs%2fenglish%26catalog_item_id%3d3350 A Canadian Press article out today, drawing upon Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation research, highlights a disturbing fact: 14 per cent of students will drop out of university in their first year. That's about one out of every six students. The article also draws a parallel between the StatCan data and a recent OCUFA survey that suggests the majority of professors believe students are less prepared for university than they were three years ago. While the issues of retention and preparedness are complex, one factor is clear: university under-funding. %2fEnglish.Blogs.blog_detail.gk%3fcategory%3d%2fBlogs%2fenglish%26catalog_item_id%3d3372 Margaret Wente wrote a rather trite and ill-informed column last weak accusing faculty of shirking teaching in favour of research, and that universities are somehow run "to benefit professors". I would like to visit Ms. Wente's wondrous dreamland, because it sounds lovely. Reality, unfortunately, is a whole different story. %2fEnglish.Blogs.blog_detail.gk%3fcategory%3d%2fBlogs%2fenglish%26catalog_item_id%3d3347 Our universities need an additional $1.1 billion a year in operating funding. No question, this is a lot of money. With a struggling economy and looming government deficits, some might even say this is too much to invest in our cash-strapped universities. The truth is, the only thing Ontario can't afford is to let our institutions go under-funded. %2fEnglish.Blogs.blog_detail.gk%3fcategory%3d%2fBlogs%2fenglish%26catalog_item_id%3d3432 A new OCUFA research report highlights a glaring problem in Ontario's university system: we simply do not have the full-time faculty we need to ensure a high quality education experience for our students. %2fEnglish.Blogs.blog_detail.gk%3fcategory%3d%2fBlogs%2fenglish%26catalog_item_id%3d3378 A new OCUFA research report confirms what a lot of us have suspected: the recession has meant bad news for universities. The collapse of asset values has hurt university endowment revenue and dramatically increased the cost of funding pension plans. It is also now more expensive to borrow money for necessary capital projects. Worst of all, a summer of record student unemployment means many will struggle to pay for Ontario's high (and rising!) tuition.