News and commentary

This op-ed was published in the Globe and Mail, November 15, 2012

Paul Davidson
President and CEO, Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada

Canada’s universities combine outstanding quality, relevance and affordability. They offer safe and welcoming learning environments. In the globally competitive international education sector, this is an enviable place to be.

So why – in a recent survey of students, parents and education advisers in Brazil, China and India – was Canada not on the map?

Our competitors have offices in key markets with budgets for promoting and building brand awareness. Canada currently spends just $1-million a year to pursue a market that contributes $8-billion annually to communities across the country. Australia has been spending about 20 times that amount for about 15 years – so yes, their brand awareness is higher. The United Kingdom has invested targeted resources in addition to the remarkable reach of the British Council. And U.S. President Barack Obama has made explicit commitments to fund efforts to recruit hundreds of thousands of students from China, India and Brazil.

Even as trade talks stall, and Canada`s approach to foreign investment is clarified, Canada’s education sector has still made enormous strides in advancing Canada’s place in the world. Three years ago, Canada’s universities, colleges, public schools and language institutes formed a consortium to work together to attract more students to Canada. And the results are encouraging – international student enrollment is up 12 per cent at universities this year; enrollment from India is up 40 per cent over two years; and Brazil recently committed to sending up to 12,000 students to Canada through its innovative Science without Borders program.

Achieving that success in Brazil took years of effort and overcoming what respondents to the survey released this week said was a barrier to making Canada their destination: “The weather – COLD.” Canada’s universities identified Brazil as a priority country to pursue two years ago. The Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada organized a strategy session for Canadian university leaders, key Brazilian counterparts, and government officials nine months before a mission by university presidents to the country. The Canada-Brazil Science and Technology working group met concurrently to identify areas for greater collaboration, and leaders of Canada’s private sector and media were invited to share their insights. As we built momentum around a Canada strategy for Brazil, a Senate committee initiated a study of the Canada-Brazil relationship, and MPs took an active interest. The Prime Minister announced that the Governor-General would lead the mission to Brazil, and that he would be joined by two ministers, and an accompanying delegation of MPs, business leaders and others from the education sector.

Throughout the process and with the help of public servants, the sector negotiated a series of preliminary agreements that were completed in advance of the April 2012 mission over the course of three working visits. Over the 10 day, four-city mission, Canada’s universities announced 73 new partnerships and Governor-General David Johnston met with President Dilma Rousseff. The number of students Brazil would send was not confirmed until that meeting, in which Mr. Johnston closed the deal so that Canada became the second largest beneficiary of the Science without Borders program. The first thousand students are on campus now and another cohort of about 500 students are expected in January.

This is a compelling example of getting international education marketing right – sector led, with support from government, and active engagement of the private sector, tied to broader strategic interests for Canada (in this case, advancing science technology and innovation with the world’s sixth largest economy).

But there is more to do. As Ipsos-Reid, the polling company commissioned by the Foreign Affairs Department put it, Canada needs to “communicate its postsecondary education advantages” globally. Or as Prime Minister Stephen Harper said last week in Delhi, “Canada needs to be connected to an international supply of ideas, research, talent and technologies in order to create jobs, growth and long-term prosperity in an increasingly competitive environment.”

A sophisticated international education strategy will recognize that, even within the university sector, there are at least four different groups we want to attract – each serving a different public policy goal and requiring specific marketing tools:

Undergraduates are the largest potential pool offering immediate economic benefit to Canada, a source of high quality immigrants and proven potential for increased trade. Master’s and PhD students have demonstrated abilities from the world`s best institutions, particularly in the fields of science ,technology, engineering and math to help Canada strengthen our innovation capacity. Post-doctoral students who are outstanding new scholars require targeted measures to attract them to pursue their early careers here. And finally, young global faculty with whom we can develop international research collaborations and who in turn will ignite interest in Canada among the next generation of their students overseas.

By living with and learning from international students, Canadian students have the opportunity to acquire the global skills employers are demanding. Moreover, their presence on our campuses alerts Canadian students to the intensity of the global competition that awaits them upon graduation and creates life-long networks that will span the world and continue beyond their time on campus. Universities are ready to participate in the sustained, co-ordinated and resourced initiative to leverage more fully our global brand for excellence in education.

This op-ed was published in Embassy magazine on June 6, 2012.

By Paul Davidson
President
Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada

Canada needs to get serious about Brazil. There are few places in the world today where the opportunities to build prosperity through partnerships and collaboration are as abundant and robust – but like all opportunities, this is a limited-time offer.

Calls for action in building stronger connections with Brazil grew again last week with the Senate committee report calling for the government of Canada to focus its relations with Brazil in areas such as education, science and technology. The report of the Standing Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade encourages a strategic role for the federal government, with education as a driving force in intensifying Canada-Brazil relations. Canada’s universities couldn’t agree more.

Strengthening partnerships with Brazil is a priority for Canada’s universities, as evidenced by this spring’s unprecedented international mission of university presidents, led by His Excellency the Rt. Hon. David Johnston. During visits to Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Campinas and Brasilia from April 25 to May 2, close to 30 of Canada’s university presidents saw first-hand the tremendous opportunity to build strategic collaboration in research, innovation and higher education with Brazil.

The Governor General was instrumental in securing Brazilian President Dilma Rouseff’s commitment to send up to 12,000 Brazilian students to Canada over the next four years through her innovative Science without Borders program. In addition, Canada’s university presidents announced 75 new partnerships and scholarship programs to deepen Canada’s collaboration with Brazil.

Government, universities and industry all see the potential in this economic powerhouse. Now our challenge is to come together to create additional partnerships that will build prosperity in both countries.

Canada’s prospects for economic growth are dramatically enhanced when our strategic assets are leveraged effectively – no individual institution or sector acting on their own can fully realize their potential or maximize the benefits to Canadians. When it comes to the Brazil connection, collaboration is key.

Why Brazil? There is limited awareness amongst the broader public about the incredible opportunities that Brazil presents. This dynamic nation has emerged from the global economic downturn stronger than many of Canada’s traditional partners. Brazil is making important investments in research, innovation and education – including student mobility – to enhance its place in the world.

Brazil recently surpassed the United Kingdom to be the world’s sixth largest economy and is set to become the fifth in the coming years. Canada has more investment in Brazil than it has with India and China combined.

The education connection is critical. Strategic collaboration in higher education with countries such as Brazil leads to linkages in trade and diplomacy. Partnerships in higher education are fundamental to our competitiveness in a global economy.

In order to build such connections, Canada needs an ambitious and sustained international education strategy that is sector-driven and built on partnerships. The university community looks forward to the upcoming report of the federal government’s Advisory Panel on Canada’s International Education Strategy, which was tasked with making recommendations for a strategy that will maximize economic opportunities in international education, including building our engagement with key markets.

This international education strategy can support Canada’s innovation, science and technology objectives. Canada has invested to create a dynamic research community and research infrastructure that is globally ready and globally engaged. Developing mechanisms to achieve international research collaboration at scale will require partnerships and commitment from government and the private sector.

Canada’s international education strategy will need to move from simply international student recruitment to developing sustainable funding for Canadian students to study, research, work and volunteer abroad. In virtually every meeting with Brazilian universities, we were asked how many Canadians would be coming to study in Brazil.

Brazil is investing in strategic international partnerships. In addition to the ambitious Science without Borders program that will see 100,000 Brazilians study around the world, this country is aggressively investing in research and innovation, including international research collaboration.

In Canada, too often we introduce pilot programs to test the waters, but fail to take them to scale, or worse, cut existing programs in an effort to meet deficit-reduction targets. This approach not only lacks ambition, but weakens our brand and prevents us from building momentum and competing on the global stage.

Many other countries are knocking on Brazil’s door. Canada made important progress in positioning itself as a partner of choice through last year’s visit of Prime Minister Harper to Brazil, the establishment of the Canada-Brazil CEO Forum, and the successful university presidents’ mission.

Now is the time to build on this momentum and mobilize significant resources in government, higher education and the private sector – working collaboratively – to realize the potential of the Canada-Brazil relationship.

Ottawa – Canada’s universities welcome recommendations that the government of Canada focus its relations with Brazil in areas such as education, science and technology. The recommendations were contained in a new report tabled yesterday by the Standing Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade.

“Strengthening partnerships with Brazil is a priority for Canada’s universities. This report encourages a strategic role for the federal government, with education seen as a driving force in intensifying Canada-Brazil relations,” says Paul Davidson, president of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada. “During AUCC’s recent mission to Brazil, Canada’s university presidents saw first-hand the tremendous opportunities to build strategic collaboration in research, innovation and higher education with Brazil. This report speaks to those opportunities and ways in which government, universities and industry can work together to build partnerships for prosperity in both countries.”

Close to 30 university presidents travelled to Brazil from April 25 to May 2, meeting with leaders of Brazilian universities as well as partners in government and industry to share ideas and strategies for bilateral university collaboration. During the mission, 75 new partnerships, scholarships and student mobility programs were announced, worth $6.7 million.

Canadian universities are already responding to the Brazilian government’s new Science Without Borders scholarship program, by taking steps to attract top Brazilian students and researchers. Canada will welcome up to 12,000 of the 100,000 Brazilian scholarship recipients who will study and conduct research at the undergraduate, doctoral and post-doctoral levels.

AUCC applauds the Senate committee’s extensive work on this study and its recognition of the crucial role that education, science and technology must play in building meaningful partnerships with this economic powerhouse. “AUCC was pleased to share our university community’s insight and expertise with the committee during its consultations and is happy to see many of our recommendations and contributions reflected in the report,” says Mr. Davidson.

AUCC is the national voice of Canada’s universities, representing 95 Canadian public and private not-for-profit universities.

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Intensifying Strategic Partnerships with the New Brazil, report by the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade

For more information, contact:

Helen Murphy
Manager, Communications
Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada
Tel. : 613-563-1236, ext. 238    
hmurphy@aucc.ca

This op-ed by Stephen Toope, president of the University of British Columbia and chair of the board of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada, was published in the University World News on May 20, 2012.

Building prosperity in these challenging times requires that nations reach out beyond their borders, more than ever before, to establish strategic international connections. Increasingly, the right doors are being opened and the path to prosperity is being constructed through partnerships being forged by universities in research, innovation and higher education.

Canada’s universities recognise the need to build and strengthen international collaboration with nations that are making bold investments in education and research. High on that list is Brazil.

That’s why 30 university presidents from across Canada embarked on an unprecedented mission to Brazil from 25 April to 2 May 2012.

My colleagues and I met with the leaders of Brazilian universities and research networks, government officials and private sector partners who share our objective of advancing research, innovation and higher education connections between Canada and Brazil.

The importance of this mission is underlined by the fact that Canada’s Governor General David Johnston was asked by Canada’s Prime Minister Stephen Harper to lead the mission.

A fruitful investment

It was the largest-ever international mission of Canadian university presidents, and has already proved to be a most fruitful investment of time, energy and ideas. What we witnessed during our time in Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Campinas and Brasilia is a quickening in higher education relations between our countries.

During our week-long visit, 75 new university partnerships and scholarship programmes were announced and meaningful discussions set the stage for even greater collaboration in the years ahead.

In addition to pursuing collaborative research, both countries are keen to advance an innovation agenda. This mission included opportunities for university presidents to meet with Brazilian private sector leaders.

Canada’s private sector shares the goal of strengthening partnerships with Brazil, and in São Paulo partners from both countries explored successful models of university-industry linkages to advance research and innovation in common areas of interest.

The steps that Canada and Brazil are taking together will open the door to new worlds that we can only imagine for our students and faculty. They are investments that will benefit our economies through innovation, our societies through higher education, and the world as a whole through the creation of new knowledge through research.

The benefits of exchange

These days, vast amounts of international research and enterprise can be accomplished virtually, through computer-mediated communications, and this is a great enabler of global collaboration.

But there is something essential and irreplaceable about the opportunity for students and faculty to take actual, physical steps beyond the geographic borders of their native countries and enter a larger world.

Especially for students, the benefits include access to people, information, expertise, facilities and resources that are not readily available to them at home. But the advantages of international study in higher education extend much further than this. International study is – or should be – a transformative experience.

Different cultures, different languages and different ways of doing things have a way of expanding our minds and our capabilities. I know of no more effective way of cultivating creative, engaged global citizens capable of contributing meaningfully to their society. Our world and our economy are hungry for such people.

It is in recognition of this need that Brazil’s President Dilma Rousseff has inaugurated the Science Without Borders programme, which aims to help more than 100,000 Brazilian students to study abroad. We recognise the value of this effort and admire its bold commitment. Canada’s universities are ready to welcome 12,000 of these students.

One of the themes reinforced during our Brazil mission was that truly meaningful international partnerships emerge from people-to-people connections. To be effective, they have to be so much more than words on the page.

Personal connections provide durable bonds that ensure two-way flows of knowledge, innovation and business opportunities. Personal bonds not only cross borders, but are much more sustainable through time and inevitable difficulties.

This mission allowed those personal connections to take shape.

Putting words into action

Now we are back at home and mobilising our university communities to put those words into action. We are connecting researchers with Brazilian scientists and enhancing mobility opportunities for both students and faculty.

Most importantly, we are putting into action a commitment to build on the momentum of our mission, to return to Brazil and to build even stronger connections in the years ahead for the benefit of the people of both countries.

Presidents wrap up successful visit

Brasilia, Brazil – Canada’s universities set the stage for the acceleration of bilateral collaboration with partners in Brazil during the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada’s presidents’ mission from April 25 to May 2. Canadian universities and their Brazilian counterparts announced 75 new partnerships with Brazilian institutions, scholarships and student mobility programs worth $6,736,800 (CAD) during visits to Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Campinas and Brasilia.

An additional $10.25 million investment in undergraduate internships and graduate fellowships was also made during the mission through Mitacs. Canada’s Mitacs connects university-based researchers, including graduate students and faculty members, with Canadian companies through collaborative research projects and provides research internships to top international undergraduate students.

The mission wraps up today with meetings with government officials and industry leaders in the capital, Brasilia, along with additional university and research facility visits.

“I’m immensely proud of the progress that has been made in strengthening our partnerships in research, innovation and higher education with Brazilian institutions,” said David Barnard, president of the University of Manitoba and member of AUCC’s board of directors. “We’ve taken important steps with our Brazilian university partners in opening our doors to a two-way flow of students and faculty between our countries for collaboration in key areas of study and research. Our relationships with Brazil have grown this past week; we gained greater awareness of each of our strengths and worked together on strategies for further enhancing our connections in the future.”

“Both countries are committed to building prosperity through investments in research and higher education,” said Paul Davidson, AUCC president. “In the new university partnerships and scholarship programs announced this week and those just starting to take shape, we see that commitment transformed into action. The real success of this Brazil mission will be seen on our campuses and those of our Brazilian partner institutions in the coming months and years as our bilateral collaboration expands.”

“Soon we will see more of Canada’s and Brazil’s top scientists working together to address global challenges, we will see more Brazilian students studying in Canada and Canadian students studying in Brazil, and we will see the people of Canada and Brazil increasingly as the beneficiaries of great research that drives innovation and leads us to growth and prosperity.”

AUCC is the national voice of Canada’s universities, representing 95 Canadian public and private not-for-profit universities.

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Note to editors:  A full list of today’s announcements is included in the backgrounder.

Media Contacts:

In Brazil:
Helen Murphy
Communications Manager
Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada
hmurphy@aucc.ca
613-563-1236 ext. 238
Cell. +1-613-608-8749

Atendimento à Imprensa no Brasil
MAPA Comunicação Integrada – São Paulo
Karoline Pereira – Atendimento
karoline@mapacomunicacao.com.br
Débora Kojo – Coordenadora de Núcleo
55 (11) 6182.4881 / 5096.3137 / 2501.8374
www.mapacomunicacao.com.br

In Ottawa:
Mélanie Béchard
Communications Officer
Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada
mbechard@aucc.ca
613-563-1236 ext. 306