Mandate ChangeHerald Editorial Board

Dr. Dave Marshall, President

December 9, 2003

What is it that Mount Royal is asking for?

In order to expand its degree offerings to “foundational”

degrees, Mount Royal is asking the government for the

support required to become nationally-accredited degree-

granting institution as a member of the Association of

Universities & Colleges of Canada. This will allow it to better

respond to the needs of the Calgary and Alberta communities

for increased access to high-quality degrees, working

collaboratively with the U of C.

Why do we need more access to degrees in Calgary or Alberta?

Degree Accessibility in Calgary & Alberta

• Alberta ranks 8th in per capita degree parchments per 100,000 20-29 yr old population.

• Calgary ranks 14th (39 similar sized major cities in North America) in # of residents over 18 with Bachelors or higher

• Compared to Edmonton…Calgary needs 7,400 more degree places

• Only city of comparable size in the developed world with only one university.

• Mount Royal has had a 90% increase in degree applications since 1998 (U of C…26%).

It is commonly agreed that we need access to more degrees, but why does

MRC want to join AUCC?

You offer applied degrees now and university-level degree transfer, now

that Bill 43 has passed why not just stay as you are and expand college degree

offerings under Bill 43?

…a couple of issues to consider

1. How have other provinces addressed this problem?

2. What is the common element of these solutions and why this common trend?

What strategies have significantly addressed degree demand??

• Give existing universities $ to expand undergraduate capacity (e.g. Ontario)

• Start new universities from scratch (e.g. UNBC, UOIT)

• Offer university transfer at colleges (B.C. and Alberta)

• Establish post secondary hybrids (University Colleges in B.C.)

• U degrees “off campus”(AU at MRC…how most new Us established)

• Various C-U articulations/joint programs leading to university degrees.

The critical trends for Alberta & Mount Royal

• the “grad” and professional school bottleneck

• the trend to “tighten up” the accreditation processes and the use of these processes as the first level of degree triage

• the trend to “tiering” of degrees

• and, the trend to redefining or clarifying of the meaning, outcomes and value of a particular “degree”

. . . In Mount Royal’s case, the consideration of the defining qualities of the “foundational” type degree (BA, BSc, etc.)

Defining the “Foundational” Degree

The value of the foundational degree does not simply come from the label

– but from the usefulness of the credential in helping both employers and

graduate or professional schools in sorting out “applicants”.

THIS VALUE HAS TRADITIONALLY COME FROM

(a) THE OUTCOMES

(b) THE EXPERINCE

(a) the outcomes…

1. With restrictive entry requirements, does a “presorting” of degree participants… a “triage” for employers.

2. With a general liberal arts or sciences component, a degree assures a level of “foundational” knowledge.

3. With discipline or applied or professional focus on top of (2) above, provides specialized knowledge.

4. In a scholarly environment, the degree experience ensures the acquisition of research skills.

5. Interaction with other learners and scholars/faculty develops reasoning, learning, communication and intellectual skills.

And (b) from the “Degree Experience”

It has long been held that while the “curriculum”

is important in achieving such degree outcomes

that give it its value, it is equally important that

the degree experience take place in a unique

environment.

“ The Degree Experience” . . . an environment that is:

Primarily university level programs

Primarily “scholarly” (i.e. PhD) professors

Academically governed by scholars

Learning resources at the university level

This is not about the institutional LABEL!!!

• The acceptability of a degree worldwide doesn’t come from the label university or college . . . but from the combination of outcomes and environment that give the degree value.

• In CANADA, while there are a few such “colleges” the most understood descriptor for that circumstance is the label “university.”

• Consequently, in this presentation I will use “university” to mean a nationally-accredited degree-granting institution…and “college” to refer to others

Canada’s only “accreditation” process assesses this “Degree Experience”

Primarily university level programs

Primarily “scholarly” (i.e. PhD) professors

Academically governed by scholars

Learning resources at the university level

AUCC• 70%? of programming

• 70%? of those teachers in university level programs have PhDs and a workload that reflects a balance of teaching / research / scholarship

• “Bi-cameralism”

• Investment in library

The “Degree Mobility” Spectrum

Low Mobility (3) High Mobility (3)

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Future Employment Flexibility?

Future Learning Flexibility?

(1) College = non-AUCC, provincial “Colleges Act”(2) University = AUCC, provincial “Universities Act”(3) Mobility = transferability to future study & varied employment

Non-AUCC and AUCC Member Institutions

Non-AUCCInstitutions

AUCC Institutions

Access of Graduates to Graduate Degrees

Depends upon the current philosophy of receiving institutions and usually involves an individual assessment of the sending institution. Or, is negotiated on an institution-by-institution or student-by-student basis. However, the most prevalent policy across Canada is to use AUCC membership as a starting point for the consideration of applicants for graduate school. Some Universities automatically reject non-AUCC applicantsMost US institutions are open to considering institutions on a one by one basis.

Eligible for graduate schools at all Canadian universities. Admission would depend upon factors other than the sending institution.

Non-AUCC and AUCC Member Institutions

Non-AUCCInstitutions

AUCC Institutions

Access of Graduates to Professional Degrees

Since most post-degree professional accreditations (e.g., teaching) require a university (AUCC member) degree for certification, non-AUCC member graduates do not usually have access to most professional degrees at universities.

Are eligible for professional certification and then usually eligible for admission to university-delivered professional programs.

Why not stay as we are and offer foundational degrees?

• A common theme in all successful Provincial responses to the “foundational degree” access problem is to ensure that degrees come from “accredited” institutions.

• While all degrees will have a measure of “mobility,” the easiest way at the current time to ensure maximum degree mobility for graduates is AUCC membership.

• Mount Royal believes that it should only offer “foundational” degrees as an AUCC member.

What is needed to get membership?

1. Operate under the university side of Bill 43

2. Receive the financial support to meet other membership criteria.

At minimum, Mount Royal needs two things in order to get AUCC membership:

Defining MR as an Undergraduate, Instructionally-Focused Institution

• No graduate activity

• Role expectation for university-level faculty higher in teaching/instruction than research

• Criteria for faculty promotion through ranks:

1st consideration performance as instructor

2nd consideration performance as scholar

• Performance as scholar would use inclusive measure of scholarship (i.e., instructionally-related scholarship equally valued as traditional discipline, discovery or basis scholarship

What will distinguish MRU?

• Roles & place of non-university programs & faculty

• Blend of degree & non-degree programs

• career focus

• Unique student mix

Estimated Cost Items??• Library: $5 to 10 million one time for capital and

holdings

• Using Gov’t “access” funding amounts, new “university level” students: up to 2,000 at $7,000 = $14 million vs $9 million if 2,000 more college-level funded degree students (i.e., $5 million marginal cost to add university- level vs college-level places )

• Exisiting degree level: If ALL funded at U level = approx $5 million extra operating.

What Are the Steps?

Step 1: Get the mandate change…the “license to practice”…(an OC that defines a unique

university) (Timeline?..at Gov’t discretion)

Step 2: Get AUCC “accreditation”…become a university (Timeline?...2-4yrs after Gov’t mandate change)

Step 3: Make a “new U” (Timeline? A lifetime…)