News and commentary

This op-ed was published in Embassy magazine on December 18, 2012.

By Paul Davidson
President
Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada

As part of the Governor General’s delegation to Mexico this month, I heard His Excellency David Johnston’s call for “the diplomacy of knowledge.” He describes this as the willingness and ability to work together—across disciplines and across borders.

That diplomacy, making people-to-people connections, is powerful. Reaching around the world to connect and collaborate on ideas will move us forward as a country. But instead of global competition for talent, we should think about global collaboration for talent.

We travelled to Mexico to promote further co-operation in innovation, technology, education and local development. It’s a start. Real change will come from developing more hands-on working relationships – those people-to-people connections.

On the academic front, there are compelling reasons to increase co-operation through student and faculty mobility and international research, not just with Mexico, but globally. China, India and Brazil, in particular, offer a growing wealth of opportunities on many fronts. And there is a certain urgency around our need to seize those opportunities.

Our workforce is aging. During the next 20 years, six million Canadians, the baby boomers, will be poised for retirement. But the working world they are leaving is vastly different from the one they entered. Our new entrants must have skills and knowledge far beyond the local markets we once served. The generation we are educating now must develop global skills. Their preparation will determine Canada’s prosperity for the next 50 years.

Part of the solution lies in attracting more international students. They enhance the educational experience of Canadian students by bringing global perspectives, languages and cultures to our campuses. They also have a tremendous economic impact on communities across Canada. While our country has plenty to offer, the lure of the United States is strong. So our efforts to attract people from around the world have to be bolder and louder.

Mexico, for instance, should be a natural recruiting ground. Geographically, it’s close. We have enjoyed nearly 70 years of diplomatic relations and cooperation in higher education. About 44,000 Mexican students pursued higher education abroad in 2008-09. The lion’s share of them, more than 14,000, went to the U.S. Fewer than 2,000 came to Canada, ranking us sixth, behind countries as far away as Germany and France. And even Australia is ramping up its efforts there.

I encouraged the students we met in Mexico to consider Canada. We offer an excellent education, coast to coast. Our universities and student living costs are affordable. And we welcome diversity on campus.

There is also plenty to commend in Canadian university faculties. Half of our faculty members were hired in the last decade. They are highly qualified, young and have fresh approaches to teaching and research. They are collaborative and globally oriented. Many have international experience. Meld that with the hands-on approach of co-op, internship and work placements that have become a distinguishing characteristic of the Canadian university experience, and the opportunities for innovative research and teaching are tremendous.

Businesses around the world would also do well to look to Canada as they recruit for internships. In addition to providing practical experience for a student on the cusp of a career choice, businesses benefit from a ready source of new ideas, approaches and energy. The soon-to-be-employed graduate either leaves with a knowledgeable understanding of the strengths of the business or becomes a job-ready, pre-screened recruit.

As a case in point, I met with a vice president of Bombardier Transportation based in Querétaro, Mexico. A graduate of Université de Sherbrooke, she started with Bombardier as an intern in the mid-1990s and never left the company.

Bombardier has established partnerships with leading Mexican universities, including Tecnológico de Monterrey. For its part, TEC Monterrey has networking agreements with 24 Canadian universities, illustrating the international appeal of Canadian university talent and expertise.

These kinds of people connections create opportunities for our students and researchers, and drive bilateral economic growth. Our federal government can help make more of them happen through a sustained, sophisticated and resourced strategy; a strategy that is sector-led and linked to national goals.

To dream big we must go beyond incremental improvements. Change will come not just from the number of agreements signed or visits made, but through a transformed relationship that is matched to the challenge and opportunity before us, in both scope and scale.

Op-ed published in Embassy

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

The vision is bold; the potential is real. But what will it take to get Canada to be a world leader in international education? It will take a high degree of coordination, decisive action and commitment to move quickly, before opportunities pass us by.

That’s the vision outlined recently by the federal government’s expert panel on international education – a bold strategy that would see Canada become a 21^st century leader in attracting top talent and preparing Canadians for the global marketplace. It’s a vision whose time has come.

That’s not so say Canada hasn’t made great strides already – we have, and in many ways. Canadian universities have long embraced the importance of internationalizing our campuses, from recruiting international students, to developing joint programming with overseas partners, to finding new and innovative ways to provide international experiences to Canadian students.

There has been significant progress at the federal level. Immigration policies, for example, demonstrate a clear recognition that students are a valuable source of talent – the kind of immigrant Canada wants and needs to attract to address our labour shortages.

Forward-looking policies introduced by CIC now provide Canada with an advantage over other potential destination countries for international students. These students can now work in Canada – both on and off-campus – while pursuing their studies. They can participate in co-op programs. They can even work in Canada for up to three years after graduation. The Canadian Experience Class was introduced as a path to permanent residency for international student graduates of Canadian education institutions who have gained skilled work experience in Canada. We’ve just celebrated the 20,000^th person to become a permanent resident under the program – in four short years, a remarkable achievement.

CIC has recently launched consultations on the review of its International Students Program. The review is being undertaken to improve the integrity of Canada’s immigration system, enhance accountability, and improve Canada’s reputation as a destination of choice for studies abroad. These steps are critical to keep Canada competitive in the drive to attract our share of the world’s 3.5 million international students.

Next steps

Yet issues persist and hurdles must be cleared. Having worked diligently to reduce visa processing times, they are now increasing. Our immigration officers overseas are faced with increased demand for processing study permits at a time of fiscal restraint and reduced government spending. The result is unintended delays in processing and loss of students to other countries that can issue student visas more quickly. Canada needs to find a way to ensure CIC can meet the demand. It is time to explore new ways to ensure that visa offices are adequately resourced for student permit processing, including a review of the fees charged for these permits.

From a foreign policy and trade perspective, there is growing recognition that universities are an underleveraged asset in promoting Canada to the world. The advisory panel on the development of a comprehensive international education strategy for Canada has submitted its recommendations to Finance Minister Flaherty and International Trade Minister Fast. One very straightforward recommendation is to establish a council on international education and research that will bring together senior government officials and representatives of the sector to keep our focus on this important part of Canada’s economy and link our efforts to research, innovation, commerce and human resource strategies.

The consultations to refresh Canada’s Global Commerce Strategy have heard that access to talent is a priority for Canadian employers, and central to this is attracting high-quality international students and researchers. International research collaboration is also globally recognised as a strategic investment in economic growth, bilateral trade and talent development. Given these linkages, education should be clearly identified as a priority economic sector that will actively be promoted and support by Canada’s Trade Commissioner Service.

We will be asking much of our officers overseas in taking this on – particularly those who are hired locally and who may never have experienced education in Canada at any level. AUCC and partners are ready to share expertise and enhance understanding of the education sector among staff of Canadian missions abroad.

International education – in all its aspects – is key to Canada’s success in a rapidly changing integrated global knowledge economy. The bold strategy recommended by the expert panel will benefit Canadians across the country, by giving employers access to the talent and global markets they need, enriching communities and making our country more prosperous and innovative. That’s a vision we can all support. 

Op-ed published in Research Money September 21, 2012

By Daniel Woolf
Principal and Vice-Chancellor of Queen’s University
Chair of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada’s Standing Advisory Committee on International Relations

New and returning students have unpacked their things and settled back into campus life here at Queen’s University, but many graduate students have been here all summer, working alongside faculty researchers on a variety of projects. The research endeavour never sleeps.

In Canada, we’re doing well in terms of research achievements. Canadian research teams have elevated our status as a world leader in areas of expertise such as information and communications technology, health education and environmental stewardship. But we need to push further to compete in today’s highly competitive, multi-disciplinary, trillion-dollar global research industry. Our contemporaries are already focusing their resources and attention to compete in this market.

Take a look at Brazil, projected to become the fifth-largest economy over the next few years. Already, it has 5.4 million university students and produces more PhDs than Canada. Other parts of the world have become the planet’s economic drivers. In fewer than two decades, more than 40 percent of the world’s GDP will come from Asia.

A culture of collaboration among top world talent has already become both the norm and the necessity. In Canada, some 40 percent of today’s university faculty earned their first or highest degree in another country, and 30 percent of Canada Research Chairs have been recruited from abroad. Top research talents are collaborating at a record level to leverage their combined data, research and knowledge. Close to 50 percent of Canada’s research papers have co-authors from other countries – twice the rate of 15 years ago and double the world average. Now we must step up our momentum to keep pace with the changing context of global research.

The shift toward international partnerships comes as traditional world powers cope with difficult fiscal realities. The United States’ slower-than-anticipated recovery and the European Union’s ongoing economic fragility have allowed Brazil, China and India to seize the lead. In this climate of change, what remains constant is the collective global recognition that university research, as a key investment, drives both short- and long-term economic growth. Over the past decade, our competitors have been pouring considerable resources into all sectors of research.

The Royal Society of London estimates the number of researchers, globally, at seven million. In our research-driven global economy, the new challengers – with their booming populations – are very serious about research and economic growth.

As I, and others, have stated elsewhere, Canada is facing fundamental choices. Economic, social and technological revolutions are underway throughout the world. We will confront significant economic, health, and labour market challenges as a result of shifting demographics in the decades ahead. By 2030, the proportion of the Canadian population that is over the age of 65 will double, while the working age population (ages 25-64) will grow by only eight percent. To offset these differences and remain competitive in the global marketplace, we must use our considerable research assets to drive innovation and become more productive.

There are already clear results from global collaborations, and more will follow. Working as teammates, our international partnerships on pandemic research and planning mean we’ll also combat the spread of infectious diseases with greater insight and speed. Collaboration in the face of major environmental shifts and surging world populations will ensure better planetary resource management.

For example, Queen’s University partners with Fudan University in Shanghai and the Southwest University of China to offer the Ontario Universities Program in Field Biology. Students from both countries do field study on aquatic environments and ecosystems along the Yangtze River in the vicinity of the Three Gorges Dam Project in China, and in the St. Lawrence River and Frontenac Arch regions of Eastern Ontario.

Moreover, Colin Funk, Canada Research Chair in Molecular, Cellular and Physiological Medicine at Queen’s, is the only Canadian scientist working with an international consortium of 39 investigators from 18 institutions and four countries to personalize drug therapy for the most common medications consumed worldwide, with the goal of reducing the risk of heart attacks, heart failure and strokes.

These examples show Canada has top talent to bring to the table. But if we expect others to view Canada as an attractive partner, we must commit to R&D as an investment priority, and make this commitment well-known across the globe. Competition is fierce. Our international colleagues seeking collaboration on highly complex issues will naturally pursue the most readily available resources, talent and investment.

As our competitors surge forward, Canada must commit more in R&D investment, particularly on the private sector side. Either we demonstrate comparable commitment, or potential collaborators will take their business elsewhere: we then run the further risk of Canadian researchers moving outside Canada.

To build prosperity at home, our international competitors must also be our allies. Competition and collaboration now go hand-in-hand. The result of doing both well will be increased innovation, productivity, social well-being, entrepreneurship and jobs for Canadians.

Op-ed published by the Toronto Star, September 8, 2012

By Alastair Summerlee
President, University of Guelph
Ex officio director, Board of directors, Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada

Student mobility in higher education is a two-way street. We want to attract top students from around the world to study in Canada, and we want Canadian students to benefit from study-abroad experiences. While the incoming traffic of international students is humming along rather nicely, with good growth potential, outgoing traffic is like the road to a Canadian beach in March.

Although we still lag behind key competitor countries in international student recruitment, our share of the pie has been growing. In 2011, the number of international students enrolled in Canadian universities grew for the 16th consecutive year. There are now 100,000 international students from more than 200 countries studying at Canada’s universities.

Why is this important? For starters, international students enrich the educational experience of Canadian students by bringing global perspectives, cultures and languages to our campuses. Attracting students from around the world also helps build prosperity in Canada.

There’s a myth out there that these students are a drain on our tax dollars, but that’s simply not true. International students typically pay the full cost of their education and have a huge economic impact on Canada. According to a federal government report released in July 2012, international students generate 81,000 jobs, nearly $8 billion in spending and more than $445 million in government revenue annually. That’s worth more than our export of wheat.

In the coming years, universities and their partners in government and the private sector will increasingly work together to bring more international students to Canada’s campuses. But we must also do more to expand opportunities for Canadian students to study abroad. Only 12 percent of today’s undergraduates participate in international study experiences for academic credit before they graduate. The world demands something more of us.

Canada’s future is increasingly shaped by global, fast-moving interconnected forces. To understand these challenges, we need a workforce with knowledge of other countries, cultures and languages, and an ability to establish partnerships with colleagues from around the world. Getting more Canadian students to live and learn in another culture is about developing global citizens and building the labour force Canada needs to be prosperous in the knowledge economy.

According to a recent survey by the Canadian Bureau for International Education, 91 percent of employers say they value job candidates with international experience because it develops cross-cultural understanding. And 50 percent said they would hire a candidate with study abroad experience over one without — all else being equal.

International study experiences also play a significant role in students’ personal growth. For many young Canadians, university years are the most transformative time in their lives and this is enriched by exposure to new cultures, languages, communities and experiences. Students return from overseas placements with an expanded understanding not only of the world around them, but of themselves. And they come back with a better understanding of the value of being Canadian.

At the University of Guelph, I have seen hundreds of students return from global study experiences with a new awareness of what is magical about Canada, of what is incredible about living here. They come back with a sense of marvel at what we do and accomplish on a daily basis; things that they used to take for granted.

Unless we significantly boost the number of Canadian students gaining international study experiences, Canada risks being left behind. Consider what our economic competitors are doing. About 33 percent of German and 20 percent of American university students participate in study-abroad programs over the course of their university studies.

Financial considerations are often cited as the most significant reason for Canada’s dismal participation rates in international study experiences. We can do better.

A pan-Canadian international student mobility program, with both government and private sector funding, would help students gain the international experience they need to achieve their potential and contribute to the global economy. This program should include opportunities for both short-term and long-term study, work and research abroad. Private sector involvement will be key to providing students with hands-on experiences through internships and similar opportunities.

I am more confident that this will happen — and soon — with the release of the advisory panel’s report on Canada’s International Education Strategy on August 14. The panel — led by Western University President Amit Chakma and mandated with advising the federal government on a new strategy for international education — calls for a major new mobility program to enable an additional 50,000 Canadian students a year to go abroad for study and cultural exchanges, service learning and other experiential learning activities by 2022.

Global experiences give us perspective. They help our young people understand Canada’s place in the world and their place in Canada. International study helps develop the culturally aware employees that industry needs.

More importantly, these experiences nurture compassionate, globally literate, adaptable young adults who are ready to take their place in the world. And that’s what Canada needs.

This op-ed was published in the Hill Times on September 3, 2012.

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

A high quality product, affordable pricing and growing demand. That’s a typical recipe for success in business. When we think about international education, these three ingredients are a recipe for driving economic growth in communities across the country. And Canada has them all.

We are fortunate to have an outstanding offering in education at all levels. At the university level, our very high quality programs coupled with affordable tuition provide exceptional bang for the buck. Increasing demand for such excellent educational opportunities is evident in countries around the world, especially in places such as India, Brazil and China, where a rapidly growing middle class is looking for high quality education beyond domestic borders.

Our challenge – and it’s an urgent one – is how to leverage our assets in a way that will strengthen our education brand around the world, enhance international study opportunities for Canadian students, and help address changing labour market needs here at home. A new report released this week provides the federal government with a roadmap to achieve just that.

The report of the Advisory Panel on Canada’s International Education Strategy, released August 14, presents a robust plan for building prosperity in Canada through strategic investments and partnerships in international education.

We will only maximize our strong potential in international education when partners in government, higher education and the private sector come together to strengthen our international brand, build and grow partnerships in research and innovation, and ensure more Canadian students benefit from international study experiences. The return on investment is huge in terms of ongoing economic, social and cultural benefits.

We have a strong foundation upon which to build. In 2011, the number of international students enrolled in Canadian universities grew for the 16th consecutive year. Full-time international enrolment has increased by more than 11 percent since 2010. We have four times more international students today than in 1995. There are now 100,000 international students from more than 200 countries studying at Canada’s universities. These students are attracted by our strong reputation for high quality education, diverse opportunities, and a safe and welcoming environment.

Students from around the world add value to the educational experiences of Canadians, bringing global perspectives and cultural insights to our campuses. And their presence has a huge economic impact. According to a federal government report released in July 2012, international students pursuing their education in Canada generate 81,000 jobs, nearly $8 billion in spending and more than $445 million in government revenue. That’s worth more to Canada than our export of wheat. We’ve gone from being the bread basket of the world to being the “brain basket.”

Among the advisory panel’s most significant recommendations is a call for a major new program for Canadian student mobility abroad. Canada’s employers tell us they need people with knowledge of other countries, languages and cultures. We need graduates who can establish partnerships with colleagues around the world. We need to develop global citizens.

Unfortunately, only three percent of today’s undergraduates participate in international study experiences for academic credit in any given year. Financial considerations are often cited as the most significant hindrance to participation in international academic exchanges, research collaboration and internships. The panel’s recommendation is to create opportunities for 50,000 Canadian students a year to go abroad for study and cultural exchanges, service learning and other experiential learning activities by 2022. Partnerships are a key component to this strategy, with the suggestion that universities, provincial and territorial governments, and private sector partners join with the federal government in funding a major new student mobility program.

Canada’s universities agree that partnerships and collaboration are fundamental to our success in international education. Five national education associations, including AUCC, work together in partnership through the Canadian Consortium for International Education Marketing to advance Canada’s brand more effectively in the global education market. Canada’s universities also work with private sector and government partners to build international connections in education, research and innovation.

With the advisory panel’s report, the federal government has an opportunity to better coordinate its strategies for economic development, science and technology, global commerce, immigration and the labour market. It has a plan to help position Canada as an international leader in education, research and innovation. And it has the business case for investment in key areas that will build prosperity.

Ongoing market changes in global education will dictate the necessary scope, scale and urgency of Canada’s next steps. They must be purposeful, coordinated, bold and ambitious. Let’s get to it.