News and commentary

This op-ed was published in Research Money magazine, December 6, 2012

By Heather Munroe-Blum, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of McGill University

As Prime Minister Stephen Harper has said, “you simply can’t build a modern economy without investing in world-class research.”

Our modern knowledge economy depends heavily on research and innovation, both of which require talent, perseverance and funding. Innovation – the search for a new idea, a new way of doing things, a new product – is what allows us to put our knowledge to use and to be competitive in a global economy. High-quality research makes innovation happen. And both take place at universities.

The OECD’s Innovation Strategy and the Canada’s 2011 Jenkins Report demonstrate that universities play a crucial role in driving innovation and prosperity, and for that matter, the health, social well-being and security of nations.

In 2011, Canada’s universities were responsible for 38 percent of Canada’s R&D activities and conducted more than $11.3 billion in research, including approximately $1 billion in directly funded contract research for the private sector. The overall economic impact of Canada’s universities is estimated to be more than $60 billion annually.

What’s more, research and innovation translate into jobs. According to the OECD, innovation accounted for two-thirds to three-quarters of economic growth in Austria, Finland, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States between 1995 and 2006.

Innovation also attracts talent. When Canadian universities take a lead in conducting research, we draw bright minds to our country. In recent years, universities have attracted or repatriated more than 450 Canada Research Chairs and Canada Excellence Research Chairs from abroad. Talent follows opportunity.

In this globalized world it’s no longer enough for us to succeed or even excel at home – Canada must compete globally. Nurturing top talent at home and attracting leading researchers from around the world is what will position Canada as an innovation leader.

We have a strong foundation upon which to build. A report by the Council of Canadian Academies recently highlighted the high regard that the world’s most cited researchers have for the quality research conducted in our universities. We can strengthen that reputation by leveraging and growing partnerships between Canadian universities and international institutions, both public and private.

I recently had the opportunity to serve on the U.S. National Research Council’s Committee on Research Universities, and it is clear that research universities on both sides of the border are working to respond to their changing environment.

The U.S., a long-time front-runner in research and innovation, is at risk of falling behind in the innovation race, due in part to stagnating investment in innovation. Asia’s emerging economies steadily and dramatically increased R&D spending as a percentage of GDP between 1996 and 2007 – Japan’s reached 3.4 percent in 2007, and South Korea’s 3.5 percent. In comparison, U.S. spending remained between 2.5 and 2.8 percent of GDP over the past three decades, while Canada’s was still below 2 percent of GDP in 2007.[1]

In a globally competitive environment, partnerships between universities and the wider community, including industry and civil society, have never been more critical. Countries, institutions and companies need to tap into and contribute to international knowledge networks.

Innovation is, at its core, a creative endeavour. Creativity often means heading down a path without knowing what’s at the end.

Earlier this year, after almost 50 years of searching, researchers confirmed the existence of the Higgs-Boson particle. While there may be no known applications for the Higgs-Boson particle today, the search for it has contributed to discoveries in health instrumentation, diagnostics and treatments, as well as the information and communication technologies that power the Internet.

Innovations and discoveries enrich our daily lives. Research in social science and humanities is increasingly important in our globalized world. Trading with partners in Canada and from around the world requires a deep understanding of history, culture, religion, law, ethics, marketing, supply-chain development and data analytics – research skills that come primarily from social science and humanities programs.

As our government develops national strategies for science and technology, international education and global commerce, Canada’s universities – and their tremendous capacity for talent development, research, innovation and collaboration – will play a key role in our country’s roadmap for the future.

Dr. Heather Munroe-Blum is Principal and Vice-Chancellor of McGill University and a Professor of Epidemiology in the Faculty of Medicine. She is a member of Canada’s Science, Technology and Innovation Council, and was named an Officer of the Order of Canada for her outstanding record of achievements in science, innovation and higher education policy.

This letter was published in the Vancouver Sun on December 1, 2012.

by Christine Tausig Ford
Vice-president, Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada

Re: The employability gap, Column, Nov. 28

Dan Ovsey’s column misleads readers on how universities prepare their students for jobs in today’s marketplace. In addition to developing global citizens, universities are producing the adaptable graduates Canada’s labour market needs.

From 1990 to 2011, the number of jobs filled by university graduates in Canada more than doubled to 4.5 million from 1.9 million, while the growth in jobs in the skilled trades grew by only a third.

Professional and management jobs grew by 1.7 million during this time, with 1.4 million positions filled by university graduates. Most of the job growth for those with degrees is in high-skill occupations.

There is no evidence of a growing proportion of under-employed university graduates in the workplace, as this article suggests. The vast majority of the underemployed young people Ovsey refers to from Stats Canada data have not completed university; many have no post-secondary education at all.

The author points to a need for more university and employer partnerships to prepare young people for the workforce. In fact, more than 50 per cent of today’s undergraduates have a co-op or internship experience in the workforce as part of their studies.

He also argues that, while university enrolments grow, thousands of skilled trades and other technical jobs go unfilled in provinces where the economy is booming.

However, since 2000 job growth for university graduates has well outpaced that for other levels of education.

Even in booming Alberta, jobs filled by university graduates over the past decade exceed those filled by people with trade certificates by a factor of four to one.

A university degree remains the surest path to prosperity, and university graduates remain crucial to Canada’s economic well-being.

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 letter to the editor was published in The Walrus on November 13, 2012

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

Ken Coates and Bill Morrison’s “The Uses and Abuses of University” (October) gives a misleading picture of the prospects for today’s graduates and the role our universities play in building Canada’s prosperity.

From 1990 to 2011, the number of jobs filled by university graduates in Canada more than doubled, from 1.9 million to 4.5 million, while job growth in the skilled trades only rose by 31 percent. Professional and management jobs grew by 1.7 million during this time, with 1.4 million filled by university graduates. The majority of job growth for those with degrees is in high-skills occupations; there is no evidence of increasing over-qualification of university graduates in the workplace, as this article suggests.

The argument is also made that while university enrolments rise, thousands of skilled trades and other technical jobs go unfilled in provinces where the economy is booming. However, since 2000 job growth for university graduates has well outpaced that for other levels of education. In fact, jobs for university grads have increased more than three times faster than for those with other education. And yes, that includes Alberta.

University graduates routinely earn higher incomes and experience more stable employment than those without a university education. During their careers, university graduates will earn up to $1 million more than a registered tradesperson or a college grad working full time.

Coates and Morrison’s argument does not reflect the facts, and may mislead young people, their parents, and guidance counsellors who are charting a course for the future.

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Read other related letters to the editor in response to the Walrus article.

Ottawa – International Education Week, November 12-17, 2012 is an opportunity to celebrate the importance of Canadian universities’ internationalization efforts.

The purpose of International Education Week is to increase awareness and understanding of international education through a variety of activities and events undertaken by governments, educational institutions, stakeholder groups, and individuals.

Canadian universities are committed to the internationalization of higher education and research through the development of globally knowledgeable and engaged graduates, engagement in global research efforts with the world’s leading experts, attracting top talent to Canadian institutions, and cultivating strategic alliances and partnerships that lead to political, social and economic ties of tomorrow.

All forms of international collaboration and connectivity are valuable, including two-way international student and faculty mobility, international research collaboration, joint academic programming, internationalization of the curriculum, and engaging with communities in the developing world. Canada’s universities are building people-to-people linkages and institutional partnerships in countries around the world.

In recognition of the importance of international education to Canada’s prosperity and to enriching Canadian society, the federal government mandated an Advisory Panel on Canada’s International Education Strategy to make recommendations on a national strategy. In August 2012, the panel submitted its final report entitled International Education: A Key Driver of Canada’s Future Prosperity which focuses on a vision for Canada to become the 21st century leader in international education, to attract top talent and prepare our citizens for the global marketplace.

AUCC is committed to supporting our members’ internationalization efforts, and the federal government’s goal of making Canada a country of choice to study and conduct world-class research.

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

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For more information:

Gail Bowkett
Director, International Relations
Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada
Tel: 613-563-3961, ext. 301
gbowkett@aucc.ca