our bright future Ontario Graduate Caucus of the Canadian Federation of Students Ontario January 2010 Graduate Studies and Research

Transcription

1 our bright future Ontario Graduate Caucus of the Canadian Federation of Students Ontario January 2010 Graduate Studies and Research

2 General inquiries regarding this document should be directed to: Canadian Federation of Students Ontario 180 Bloor Street West, Suite 900 Toronto, Ontario M5S 2V6 Tel Fax WWW cfsontario.ca Ce document est disponible en français Local Section 1281

3 Canadian Federation of Students Ontario With more than 300,000 members at 37 students unions and in all regions of the province, the Canadian Federation of Students is the voice of post-secondary students in Ontario. Founded in 1981, the Federation represents students at the college, undergraduate and graduate levels, including full and part-time students. The Ontario Graduate Caucus of the Canadian Federation of Students represents over 50,000 graduate students in the province at 18 students' unions which are listed below in bold. Algoma University Students Union Brock University Graduate Students Association Carleton University Students Association Carleton University Graduate Students Association Association étudiante de La Cité collégiale Student Association of George Brown College Glendon College Student Union University of Guelph Central Student Association University of Guelph Graduate Students Association Lakehead University Student Union Laurentian Association of Mature and Part-time Students Laurentian University Graduate Students Association Laurentian University Students General Association Association des étudiantes et étudiants francophones de l Université Laurentienne McMaster University Graduate Students Association Nipissing University Student Union Ontario College of Art and Design Student Union Student Federation of the University of Ottawa Graduate Students Association des étudiant(e)s diplômé(e)s de l Université d Ottawa Queen s University Society of Graduate and Professional Students Ryerson Students Union Continuing Education Students Association of Ryerson Saint Paul University Students Association University of Toronto at Scarborough Campus Students Union University of Toronto Graduate Students Union University of Toronto Students Union University of Toronto at Mississauga Students Union Association of Part-Time Undergraduate Students of the University of Toronto Trent Central Student Association Trent University Graduate Student Association University of Western Ontario Society of Graduate Students Wilfrid Laurier University Graduate Students Association University of Windsor Students Alliance University of Windsor Graduate Students Society University of Windsor Organization of Part-time University Students York Federation of Students York University Graduate Students Association Our Bright Future 1

4 introduction Graduate studies are a growing segment of Ontario's post-secondary education system. With increased available student spaces, Master's and PhD enrollment has been aggressively expanded. Investing in research and innovation is critical to boost Ontario s capacity to foster a competitive knowledge-based economy. The Government of Ontario recognised that graduate programmes are essential to increasing the province s research capacity and bolstering the research missions of Ontario s universities, but adequate financial and research support services have not accompanied increased enrollment. For several years, Ontario s graduate students have paid the highest tuition fees in the country. Because graduate students have completed previous degrees, high fees are compounded by substantial debt loads accumulated from previous student loans. In addition, the financial burden of high graduate fees is exacerbated by foregone earnings so students may study and conduct research, rather than find full-time employment. Low completion rates in graduate programmes plague Ontario universities, due in part to the collection of full tuition fees during semesters in which students are not taking classes. Reported retention rates that range from 34 percent to 54 percent demonstrate the negative consequences of graduate students' financial burdens. 1 This amounts to lost investments of the education system and of students, as well as the loss of skilled innovators for the labour market. Increasing labour market demand for educated professionals, and greater government and industry emphasis on research, continues to drive up graduate enrollment. However, such increases have not been met with commensurate provincial funding. Many graduate students do not receive the financial support to devote their time to conducting high-quality research, and they have diminished access to supervisory assistance and mentorship. With hiring freezes being effectively implemented at institutions throughout the province and the increased reliance on sessional instructors, graduate students are receiving less face time with professors and finding themselves in larger classes. Those students seeking academic employment, find fewer employment opportunities upon graduation and are often unable to continue as tenure-track faculty members in Ontario. They are forced to either accept low-paying fellowship or contractual teaching positions, or leave the province altogether. The Ontario Graduate Caucus has prepared this submission to accompany the suite of recommendations proposed by the Canadian Federation of Students-Ontario, with the goal of assisting the Government of Ontario in its development of a new framework for post-secondary education. Students hope that a new framework will include an approach that utilises funds from both the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities and the Ministry of Research and Innovation. 1 Canadian Association of Graduate Studies. The Completion of Graduate Studies in Canadian Universities: Report and Recommendations. October Canadian Federation of Students Ontario

5 summary of recommendations Reinstate reduced tuition fees during the research and writing stages of graduate degrees. Eliminate differential tuition fee increases for graduate programmes. Immediately double the number of Ontario Graduate Scholarships and tie future increases to enrollment growth. Expand the Ontario Graduate Scholarship eligibility provisions to include part-time graduate students and increase the number offered to international graduate students. Provide additional funding to increase the hiring of tenure-track faculty positions to match growing graduate studies enrollment. Include the collection and publication of graduate enrollment and completion times data in Multi-Year Accountability Agreements. Require that institutions establish whistleblower protection and safe disclosure policies that include independent third-party oversight as part of Multi-Year Accountability Agreements. Increase research funding across all disciplines without conditions of commercial viability. Increase funding for the Champions of Innovation programme delivered through the Ontario Centres of Excellence. Our Bright Future 3

6 recommendation one Reinstate reduced tuition fees during the research and writing stages of graduate degrees. 4 Canadian Federation of Students Ontario

7 Until the early 1990s, many students in Ontario paid reduced tuition fees during the independent research and thesis writing stages of their degrees. These lower fees provided a financial incentive for graduate students to study in Ontario, and reflected the reduced institutional resources that students utilise while finishing their studies independently. As Ontario universities began eliminating postresidency fees, the cost of a five-year PhD program more than doubled. 2 Today, graduate students in Ontario pay the highest fees in Canada while the majority of graduate students outside of Ontario pay fees that are further reduced during the thesis writing stage of their studies. Graduate students working on their theses, dissertations, or research papers are not enrolled in classes and, in some cases, are only using library services and meeting with their supervisors a few times a month. During this phase of their studies, graduate students make significant contributions to the core teaching and research functions of a university. More importantly, reduced post residency fees alleviate the financial barriers to completing graduate studies by making graduate education more financially accessible, while helping to mitigate post-graduate debt. A new funding framework should look for substantive ways to increase the research capacity of post secondary education and improve retention rates for graduate students. Reinstating reduced post residency fees for graduate students would improve access and reduce student debt, while playing an important role in improving retention and reducing completion times for Ontario s graduate students. 2 Canadian Federation of Students. Post-Residency Fees: Toward Accessible Graduate Studies Our Bright Future 5

8 recommendation two Eliminate differential tuition fee increases for graduate programmes. 6 Canadian Federation of Students Ontario

9 When the Ontario government invested in the creation of more graduate student spaces, it allowed graduate and professional student tuition fees to increase at a higher rate than undergraduate fees. This year, graduate and professional student tuition fees in Ontario averaged $8,642, 144 percent higher than the national average and nearly $700 more than the previous year. 3 Tuition fees in graduate and professional programmes were permitted to increase by as much as eight percent per year, leading many programme fees to increase by as much as 36 percent over the life of the Reaching Higher framework. Many of Ontario s brightest minds choose not to pursue graduate or professional education because of the high cost of tuition fees for these programmes that has resulted from deregulation or differential regulation. With average undergraduate student debt at $22,000 upon graduation, graduate students must balance the desire of further their studies against the further educational costs and foregone earnings that accompany graduate level education. 3 Statistics Canada. University Tuition Fees: 2009/2010. The Daily. Tuesday October 20, Online. < High fees and accumulated debt limit opportunities for marginalised groups to pursue graduate studies. As a result, the graduate student population is less diverse and excludes underrepresented groups to a larger extent than undergraduate studies. Graduate students are less likely to be racialised, Aboriginal, queer, women or the first in their family to obtain a higher education. This leads to the under representation of marginalised groups among the professoriate, which often deters students from underrepresented groups to attend and complete higher education. If Ontario is going to expand its research capacity and produce a skilled labour force, it cannot afford to perpetuate systemic barriers that exclude marginalised segments of the population from academic and economic success. A new funding framework must seek to remove financial barriers to graduate studies as part of a strategy to encourage all qualified students to obtain graduate-level education, including students from marginalised communities. Our Bright Future 7

10 recommendation three Immediately double the number of Ontario Graduate Scholarships (OGS) and tie future increases to enrollment growth. 8 Canadian Federation of Students Ontario

11 Ontario's investment in the creation of more graduate student spaces has been a way to allow more students to engage in meaningful research and teaching opportunities. However, this increase in graduate enrollment has not been accompanied by a proportionate expansion of graduate student support. The Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS) is one of the few provincial forms of financial assistance for graduate students. Only 2,000 students around 3.3 percent of graduate students in the province receive an OGS. 4 High tuition fees and a lack of adequate funding opportunities for graduate students contribute to high rates of graduate student attrition. To address these issues, a new funding framework for post-secondary education is needed. First, OGS scholarships should be one hundred percent funded by the provincial government, as opposed to the current method, where the province provides only two-thirds of the funding and institutions must make-up the remainder. Money funded through the Ministry of Research and Innovation should replace institutional funding of OGS. In addition, the total number of OGS should be doubled immediately. Finally, a new framework should ensure that the number of scholarships increases at the same rate as any increases in graduate enrollment. This will help ensure that graduate programmes remain accessible to qualified students, and prevent expanding graduate enrollment from translating into fewer scholarships for students to access. 4 Ontario Student Assistance Program. Ontario Graduate Scholarship Program. Online. < Grants_full_sepapp_OGS_12345.htm > Our Bright Future 9

12 recommendation four Expand the Ontario Graduate Scholarship eligibility provisions to include part-time graduate students and increase the number offered to international graduate students. 10 Canadian Federation of Students Ontario

13 Canada ranks last of 17 peer countries in how many PhDs are educated and graduated, according to a Conference Board of Canada 2010 annual report card. This is the tenth year in a row that Canada has done poorly on the report, lagging behind the United States by 80 people per 100,000 aged 25 to 29 who have a PhD. 5 It is necessary for the province to identify ways in which to expand the number of students completing doctoral studies, and support those students who need it most to ensure they complete their studies. In Ontario, nearly 11,000 graduate students study on a parttime basis, and do so for a variety of reasons. 6 In many cases, graduate students are employed part or full-time while they engage in part-time studies because they cannot afford to pursue their studies on a full-time basis. Many others have chosen to return to their studies after a number of years on the job market, in order to improve their employment options. For these students, many with dependents and accumulated debt, foregoing earnings in order to study on a full-time basis is not an option. However, none of these students are eligible for the Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS). In order to make graduate studies more accessible to part-time students, they need financial support to continue with their degrees. In addition, most of the OGS are limited to Canadian citizens and permanent residents, thus limiting the funding opportunities available for international students. International students make invaluable contributions to teaching and research at Canadian universities, and bring perspectives that internationalise the educational experience for all students. Their presence has a significant economic impact on the communities in which they study. The Government of Canada 5 Paperny, Anna Mehler. "Canada lags in graduating PhDs: report." Globe and Mail. Jan Clark, Moran, Skolnik, Trick. Academic Transformation. Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario estimates that international students contribute $6.5 billion to our economy annually $2.1 billion of that into Ontario s economy alone. 7 Ontario benefits by attracting and retaining international graduate students, as they provide the expertise and knowledge needed in the skilled economy. Despite savings realised by Ontario for graduate students whose prior learning was provided abroad, international graduate students are required to pay tuition fees that are generally two to three times greater than those paid by their Canadian counterparts. Tuition fees charged to international students who attend Ontario s public post-secondary institutions remain unregulated by the government and can fluctuate widely between institutions and from year to year. University administrators have taken advantage of this, resulting in tuition fees for international students at Ontario institutions ranging from $14,000 to $38, Despite these fees, only 60 students three percent of OGS recipients are international graduate students. 9 If Ontario is going to equip itself with the creative and skilled workforce needed in the new economy, it must provide adequate financial support in the form of scholarships or grants to attract and retain graduate students from around the world. A new funding framework should expand OGS eligibility to include part-time students, and to offer more scholarships to international students. Together, both policies will help address the high attrition rates experienced in Ontario s graduate programmes, and encourage students from diverse backgrounds to pursue graduate-level education. 7 Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada. Universities Matter: How Canada s universities contribute to economic recovery and long-term prosperity. August Canadian Federation of Students. Tuition Fees for International Graduate Students. Fall Ontario Student Assistance Program. Ontario Graduate Scholarship Program. Online. < Grants_full_sepapp_OGS_12345.htm > Our Bright Future 11

14 recommendation five Provide additional funding to increase the hiring of tenure-track faculty positions to match graduate student enrollment growth. 12 Canadian Federation of Students Ontario

15 Tenured faculty members play an integral role in enhancing the quality of the educational experience of graduate students through teaching, supervising and mentoring. Tenured faculty drive educational development within universities and help to foster an environment of creativity and innovation. They are the most knowledgeable in their respective fields, and this helps to attract other academics and students to Ontario institutions. The Ontario government has not provided the resources required to maintain the quality of graduate research and teaching. Given the increase in graduate enrollment, the faculty gap has widened since investment in faculty has not kept up with expanding graduate enrollment. Ontario s student-to-faculty ratio is currently 27 students per faculty member, the worst in the country and 15 percent higher than the next highest province. 10 Unfortunately, sessional teaching staff have been hired to be able to fill the faculty gap in universities in order to address the new enrollment pressures, a strategy that diminishes the level of quality institutions are able to deliver. This strategy also reduces the number of permanent academic 10 Ontario Confederation of Faculty Associations. November employment opportunities for graduate students upon completion of their studies. Hiring additional tenured professors is essential for the maintenance of high-quality graduate education, but is also an investment in research and innovation that is key to the province s participation in the knowledge economy. The number of necessary new faculty hires needed just to elevate Ontario's level of quality to the national average are around 5,000, based on conservative estimates. 11 A greater number of faculty positions will help graduate students access professors, and provide room for employment upon graduation. A new funding framework must address these pressures by providing adequate funding for the hiring of tenure-track faculty to match enrollment growth. 11 Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations. Investing in Students, Ensuring Success: Recommendations for a meaningful successor to Reaching Higher. December Our Bright Future 13

16 recommendation six Include the collection and publication of graduate enrollment and completion times data in Multi Year Accountability Agreements. 14 Canadian Federation of Students Ontario

17 While billions of dollars are spent on maintaining the post-secondary education system, very little information about how students are performing at the graduate level is publicly maintained. Data on student enrollment and degree completion times is difficult to obtain from post-secondary institutions in Ontario as it is not centrally collected or analysed. Students have long called for better public distribution of data related to the quality of graduate studies, such as retention and attrition rates for Master's and PhD students, times to completion of programmes, the number of sessional faculty hired per programme and other relevant data. This information can inform policy makers about aspects of the accessibility and quality of education in Ontario. For example, such data would be important in determining guidelines for grant and scholarship eligibility and funding. By publishing average completion times, by institution and programme, both the province and institutions would be able to develop funding models that accurately reflect programme completion times and identify barriers to a student s ability to complete their degree in a timely manner. This could further help to improve retention rates among graduate students in the province. The responsibility to collect and publish graduate enrollment and completion time data should rest with institutions and be published in Multi-Year Accountability Agreement reports. This will make graduate programmes more accountable and transparent, while providing valuable statistical information and for the analysis of the impact of policy changes over time. By having access to this information, policy makers will be able to develop evidence-based policy to position Ontario as a global leader in graduate education. Our Bright Future 15

18 recommendation seven Require that institutions establish whistleblower protection and safe disclosure policies that include independent third party oversight as part of Multi-Year Accountability Agreements. 16 Canadian Federation of Students Ontario

19 With the increased influence of private industry over publicly-funded research at Ontario universities, a new set of challenges has emerged. In many cases, the democratic increase of private interests in public research have resulted in conflicts of interest, where graduate students are left unprotected. At most institutions, whistleblower protection and safe disclosure policies either do not exist or have become outdated and inadequate. There have been several reported cases of graduate students who have witnessed inappropriate research activities or research misconduct who have been unable to speak out against such activities. They could have faced retaliation from both corporate sponsors and university administrators, including threats to compromise these students ability to graduate and their future career opportunities. The integrity of public research needs to be protected and the provincial government has a responsibility and an important role to play in this process. Institutions should be required to implement whistleblower protection and safe disclosure policies in order to uphold a commitment to research integrity. This will foster a research environment where both faculty and students can act appropriately without fear of reprisal. Such protection must extend to all members of the university community including students, research staff, post-doctoral fellows and faculty, and it must involve third-party independent oversight. The province can play a vital role in upholding research integrity and protecting graduate students and their work by reporting on the status of whistleblower protection and safe disclosure policies in the Multi Year-Accountability Agreements. costing Our Bright Future 17

20 recommendation eight Increase research funding across all disciplines without conditions of commercial viability. 18 Canadian Federation of Students Ontario

21 In an attempt to be competitive with universities worldwide, Ontario universities have tried to enhance their research images. In pursuit of this, funding has been directed towards particular disciplines, which has created a false prioritisation within research and prevents funding opportunities for students whose fields of research are not deemed to be commercially viable by government granting agencies. For example, much of the new available research funding at the provincial level is targeted for graduate students in industry and business related areas of study. This leaves most graduate students across the province unable to access research funding, leaving a majority of students without funding. Commercial viability is a poor measure of whether research deserves public funding. True innovation happens only when researchers have the freedom and resources to undertake research that may lead to commercial success in a way that was not anticipated. Research in the social sciences and the humanities provides insight into society, while may have less of an immediate commercially viable outcome, can lead to critical knoweldge about society, the economy and the arts. Students and researchers need government to consider the long-term potential of all kinds of research, and ensure that money is available to support reserach in all diciplines. A new funding framework must support public research in order to foster an environment where graduate students and researchers can become leaders in their field, regardless of the short-sighted perception of the commercial viability of their research. This is integral to fostering innovation and prosperity in a knowledge-based economy. Our Bright Future 19

22 recommendation nine Increase funding for the Champions of Innovation programme delivered through the Ontario Centres of Excellence. 20 Canadian Federation of Students Ontario

23 One of the many challenges faced by graduate students is the increasing need to constrain their research by framing it within the boundaries of industry and private interests in order to receive funding. Due to a lack of funding, many graduate students sacrifice novel ideas to instead pursue already established research streams that are guided by private industry. This limits innovation and basic research, some of which could have commercial potentials that are not yet anticipated. By restricting research paths to those that have already been established by the private sector, it slows down the emergence of new and innovative ideas, breakthroughs and technologies. One of the few programmes that effectively funds innovation is the Champions of Innovation programme administered by the Ontario Centres of Excellence. This programme not only provides much needed support for innovative researchers who are looking at new and emerging technologies, but also helps graduate students develop research abilities that are free from limitations imposed by private industry. The key component of this programme is that applicants do not require an industry partner in order to receive funding. This element encourages true innovation and allows researchers to explore research paths that would otherwise remain uncharted. A new framework should seek to increase the funding allocated for the Champions of Innovation programme and create additional funding envelopes that do not require industry partners in order to foster novel research and true innovation. Our Bright Future 21

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25 costing Reinstate reduced tuition fees during the research and writing stages of graduate degrees. $182 million Eliminate differential tuition fee increases for graduate programmes. Policy dependent Immediately double the number of Ontario Graduate Scholarships (OGS) and tie future increases to enrollment growth. Expand the Ontario Graduate Scholarship eligibility provisions to include a part-time graduate student scholarship and increase the number offered to international graduate students. Provide additional funding to increase the hiring of tenure-track faculty positions to match graduate student enrollment growth. $35 million Policy dependent $400 million Include the collection and publication of graduate enrollment data and completion times in Multi-Year Accountability Agreements. Require that institutions establish whistleblower protection and safe disclosure policies that include independent third party oversight as part of Multi- Year Accountability Agreements. $0 $0 Increase research funding across all disciplines without contingency on commercial viability. Policy dependent Increase funding for the Champions of Innovation programme delivered through the Ontario Centres of Excellence. $10 million Our Bright Future 23

26 Canadian Federation of Students Ontario printed on recycled paper