Senate Agenda, June 18, 1999 - EXHIBIT VI

Report on the 246th Meeting of the Council of Ontario Universities

D.M.R. Bentley, Academic Colleague

At the meetings of the Academic Colleagues and the Council of Ontario Universities at the University of Waterloo on May 27 and 28, several matters of interest and importance to Senate were decided and discussed:

• Council approved the Report of the Committee that was struck in 1998 to Review the role, structure and appraisal process of the Ontario Council on Graduate Studies (OCGS). Three of the recommendations of the report occasioned some debate and apprehension: (1) the recommendation that "[c]onsultants should be retained for all periodic appraisals" (concern was expressed about the cost of this); (2) the recommendation that "OCGS should consider reviving the issuing of disciplinary reports..." (the concern here was that such reports might not merely provide a context for programs, but also serve as a means of ranking them); and (3) the recommendation that "[t]he membership of the Executive Committee of OCGS should be increased by one to allow for a permanent seat for the University of Toronto (elephantiasis).



• Council approved amendments to the COU Constitution that would maintain public funding and Ontario location as the basis for membership while substituting "a significant portion" for the present fifty percent public-funding requirement, the reason being that Wilfrid Laurier University now receives only forty percent of its funding from the public purse. In a related decision, Council voted to reject the application of Redeemer College for membership of COU.



• Council was informed that the Provincial Auditor has expressed dissatisfaction with the accounting procedures of the Ministry of Education and Training, a fact that could have major implications for universities.



• Council was informed that the new admissions system has experienced some teething problems but, on the whole, appears to have worked well.



• Council received information about the Learning Technology Institute that is to be convened in Toronto in August (a copy of the memorandum has been forwarded to the Educational Development Office) and COU was urged to involve itself in any co-operative activities between TVO and the MET in the realm of technology and distance learning.



• Council discussed the possibility of establishing a working group with the Ministry of Energy, Science, and Technology to ensure the participation of universities in the government's research and innovation agenda. Both the Colleagues and the Executive Heads were visited by Dr. Heather Munroe-Blum, the Vice-President of Research and International Affairs at the University of Toronto, who discussed the mandate and activities of the project on "Research, Post-Secondary Education and Innovation" that is underway under her leadership and with funding from the Ontario government. Dr. Munroe-Blum is eager to receive pertinent submissions either by e-mail (heather.munroe.blum@utoronto.ca ) or by ordinary mail (Room 12, Simcoe Hall, U. of T.).



• Council learned from two visitors from the Ministry of Science, Research and Art of Baden-Württenberg that the collaboration between their universities and Ontario's is in good health.



• Council was informed by Sally Brown, the Senior Vice-President of National and International Relations of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada, that the AUCC is mounting advocacy efforts on three fronts: (1) federal transfers to the provinces; (2) support for "research and innovation", and (3) international educational opportunities for faculty and students. Ms. Brown also drew attention to an update on the Canada Millennium Scholarships in the AUCC Presidents' Letter, a copy of which has been forwarded to the Registrar's Office.



• Finally, a climatological note: tension appears to be building at Council on account of a possible bifurcation of the interests between the large, research-intensive universities (a group unfortunately known as the G7) and the universities that are regarded as more teaching oriented. It is clear that great care will have to be taken to prevent the tension from resulting in a divisive split that could adversely affect the ability of the universities to respond to government agendas and initiatives in a variety of areas, including "research and innovation" and the "double cohort".