The University of Ottawa is calling upon the Government of Ontario to increase its financial support of universities, while providing adequate financial assistance to all students wishing to pursue higher education. The University’s position is detailed in a brief submitted to the Rae Review on the restructuring of post-secondary education in Ontario.
“The Government needs to restore its level of support to universities to ensure we can provide a consistent and sustainable level of high quality education to our students,” the brief says.
The University says that it would use these additional funds to enhance the quality of the university experience, to improve accessibility, to recruit and retain faculty, to build and maintain infrastructure and to address the true cost of delivering clinically-based programs.
The submission also calls for a national system to support graduate students “who represent the next generation of the Canadian professoriate.”
“Our ability to attract faculty is crucial, as many of the current professors edge toward retirement; by your own estimate, Ontario universities will need 11,000 new faculty by 2010.”
The brief also notes the University’s “commitment to bilingualism and the promotion of francophone communities.”
“There is an important cost factor, however, to our ability to offer services in both French and English.” The University estimates that its bilingualism grant — not increased since 1992-93 — should be at least doubled over the next four years.
The University has commissioned an independent study of the costs associated with delivering programs and operating in Canada’s official languages. The study findings will be available early in 2005.
Full text of University’s submission (PDF file)
