Last week the Council of Ontario Universities (COU) released Reaching Even Higher, its submission to the government on the next multi-year funding plan.
The document is short and straight to the point, outlining three key recommendations:
1. Multi-Year Accountability Agreements (MYAAs) should be more strategic and should be based on each institution’s mission, strengths and regional needs, as well as provincial goals.
2. Total base operating revenue should increase at least to cover the cost of growth and cost inflation
3. Base funding should be further increased to allow for new investment quality, specifically retention and graduation rates, student experience and engagement, and teaching and learning outcomes.
On the first point, OUSA agrees that MYAAs should be more strategic and should be considered of much greater importance in the Ministry and at our institutions. The submission suggests that the next round of agreements be negotiated between the Executive Heads and the Minister or Deputy Minister, thus allowing more flexibility and responsiveness to local, regional and provincial goals. I agree, not only for the reasons cited by the COU, but because this would ensure greater student, faculty and community input into the negotiations. By raising the profile of the MYAAs and linking them to each university’s strategic plans, we can ensure a thorough and public discussion of accountability will take place.
On the second point, the COU estimates that an average investment of $200 million a year over the next five years will cover growth and cost inflation, assuming the tuition framework remains the same. But because students are already paying much more than their fair share of operating costs, tuition increases should be capped at no more than CPI and the government should provide the lion’s share of new revenue. There is no doubt that our universities desperately need this money, but students are paying enough.
Once growth and inflation have been dealt with, the COU suggests additional funds should be provided to improve the quality of our institutions, and I couldn’t agree more. While the Reaching Higher plan was a tremendous investment, it did not translate into the quality improvements that were envisioned. I was especially pleased to see that the COU’s list of proposed quality improvements include many of the student success issues OUSA has been championing, including expanded academic support services, increased student-faculty interaction, and support to improve teaching practices.
Overall, I found the submission presents a clear vision for a new investment in our universities. First, the “cost to continue” must be supplied not from tuition but from government funding. Second, the government must provide additional funds to cover much-needed quality improvements. And third, an enhanced MYAA system will ensure greater flexibility for institutions and greater accountability for students.
-Dan Moulton
