The Mandate Change

Six Questions to Answer

Mount Royal College

The Mandate ChangeSix Questions to Answer

1. What is it that Mount Royal is trying to do anyhow?

2. Why do we need another university in Alberta or Calgary?

3. Why can’t Mount Royal simply stay a college that offers degrees?

4. If Mount Royal becomes a university, how would it have to change?

(a) How are colleges different than universities?

(b) How would Mount Royal be a different university?

5. How much will it cost?

6. How would Mount Royal go about making this change take place?

Question 3

Why not a college that offers degrees?

The Outcomes of the Degree Experience

The value of the 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”.

The “currency” or usefulness of the degree comes from.. (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.

“Degree Experience” (con’t)

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 High Mobility

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Future Employment Flexibility?

Future Learning Flexibility?

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

Question 3

Why not a college that offers degrees?

• Answer: Mount Royal must be an “accredited” university to ensure that its degree graduates have the maximum mobility in both the workplace and in further study.

Question 4

Two sub-questions to answer this question:

1. Generally, how are universities different than colleges? and

2. How will Mount Royal be different as a university?

Three primary areas to examine:

1. Governance

2. Program Mix

3. Faculty

We need more degrees and the preferable system would be for those degrees to come from a university.

But what changes would be required at Mount Royal if it were to become a university?

1. Governance

• A “bicameral” environment….a division of powers between a governing body and an academic body whereby the board manages the finance, plant and human resource (non academic) matters and the academic body manages the academic matters.

• AUCC defines academic side as …”Authority vested in academic staff for decisions affecting academic programs… through ...appropriate elected body of academic staff.”

2. PROGRAM Comparison: MRC & University Status

MRC Today

University Norm

The

“New U”

Baccalaureate Degrees- Applied- Other (2)

20%

37%

2%

82%

20% (1)

50%

Certificates/Diplomas 43% 3% 30%

Graduate Degrees 0% 13% 0%

Total FLE 7,595 FLE 9,500 FLE

(1) These degrees would retain a workplace focus, however, the label would change under a university structure.

(2) Other degrees includes professional degrees such as nursing, teacher education, business, etc.

3. FACULTY Comparison: MRC & University Status

MRC Today University Norm The New “U”

Undergrad Intensive

Research Intensive

Base Classroom Contact Hours per Week

13.5 9 3 to 6 9 to 13.5

Role Distrib./Expectation• Teaching• Research• Service

90% 0%10%

40%40%20%

30%50%20%

(Avg. across FT fac.)60%20%20%

Qualifications Range from PhD to baccal., plus profess. qual. & experience

PhD & peer-adjudicated research experience & background

PhD in baccal. areas (or equiv. in profess. fields)

Promotion Structure

• Teaching• Research/Scholarship• Service

No Rank Structure Assist. to Assoc. to Full Prof. ranking structure

20%70%10%

Assist. To Assoc. to Full Prof. ranking structure

70%20%10%

THE NEW U??

• Governance: Established under Bill 43… traditionally bicameral.

• Program: Primarily undergraduate university level but with an applied/workplace orientation.

• Faculty: Workload and reward structure that includes a scholarly role but emphasizes instruction.

• Delivery: Close faculty interaction at a time and mode that reflects learner needs.

Question 5

Contact with Professors + Scholarly Environment = Degree Environment

How much will this cost?Three items require resource consideration:

1. Library2. Faculty 3. Program delivery

These three items are all reflected to the extra costs of achieving the environment most likely to produce “degree outputs “.

What Are the Steps?

• Step 1: Get the mandate change

• Step 2: Get AUCC “accreditation”

• Step 3: Make a “new U”

The Message

Calgarians need access to degrees to ensure continued growth and prosperity – both individually and collectively.

Most valued (“mobile”) degrees can only be delivered in a university environment.

Mount Royal wants to become a university, but not a traditional university.

The Message (con’t)

The “New U”• Undergraduate only• Applied/workplace oriented• Faculty emphasis upon instruction• Delivery responsive to learner needs• Cost effective degree delivery

“Westjet U”

• Accessible, affordable, efficient and client responsive

Undergraduate - Instructionally Focused University

• 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 university & non-university programs

• Workplace focus• Unique student mix