News and commentary

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 Globe and Mail on September 3, 2012

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

Like the rush to buy new running shoes for the kids and the shortening of summer evenings, the last days of August routinely bring a wave of editorial comment questioning the value of a university education, bemoaning the cost of tuition, and lamenting a supposed by-gone golden age of higher education. More recently, these have been coupled with articles suggesting today’s graduates are ill-prepared for the workforce and that universities are failing to advance Canada’s research and innovation agenda.

While it is true that tuition has increased in recent years, so too has the value of a degree. The income premium of a university degree is large and growing. University graduates will on average earn $1.3 million more during their careers than a high school graduate and $1 million more than a college grad. And contrary to what you read in the papers, there are jobs for university graduates. Between July 2008 and July 2012 there were 700,000 new jobs for university graduates in Canada compared with 320,000 for college grads, and a net loss of 640,000 jobs for those with no postsecondary education.

Student debt load is a serious issue that we should all work to address – but it is important to note that more than four out of 10 students in Canada graduate completely debt-free. For those that do have debt, almost one-third owe less than $12,000. How do we make sure that the balance among private value, public benefit and access is appropriate?

Canadians typically overestimate the cost of a degree and underestimate its value. In a world of greater uncertainty, a university education remains the surest path to prosperity for Canadians.

One of the greatest public policy achievements of the last three decades is expanded access to Canada’s high quality higher education system. Once the preserve of Canada’s elite – in 1980, only 10 percent of Canada’s young people attended university – full-time enrolment has since increased steadily so that this fall, one in every four young Canadians will be enrolled full-time. Indeed, university enrolment has grown by more than 50 percent since 2000 alone. In fact, undergraduate enrolment surpassed the one million student mark for the first time last fall. Canada will need all of them, and more, to offset the retirement wave that is already underway. In the next 20 years, six million Canadians are set to retire. Many of those jobs, as well as new jobs being created in an increasingly knowledge-driven world, will need to be filled by university graduates. Public investment to ensure today’s students get the quality education experience of previous generations is essential to Canada’s economic strength in the years ahead.

Frankly, public investments have not kept pace with the dramatic expansion of enrolment. In fact, on a per student basis, provincial support for university operating budgets remains at the same level as it was in 1997. You read that right. While 20 years earlier, government operating support averaged $22,400 per student, by 1997 it had fallen to $11,600 and it has stayed at that level ever since. It can be argued that universities today are delivering substantially more with substantially less.

The development of co-op, internship and work placements – both in industry and broader society – has become a distinguishing characteristic of the Canadian university experience. Once an opportunity in a few programs at a few universities, today more than half of all students will have the opportunity of putting ideas to work during the course of their studies. These students benefit from this early exposure to the working world – as do businesses benefit from a ready source of new ideas, approaches and energy.

With more than half of Canada’s faculty hired in the last 10 years, campuses across the country have a new generation of professors providing their students with opportunities for hands-on research experiences – experiences that excite the imagination and help build a culture of innovation. Going to university is more than a rite of passage. It is an opportunity to engage in the pursuit of ideas and research that generates new knowledge, which can then be transformed into products, processes and services. The research environment is a critical training ground for students. The ability to identify a problem, test solutions, and apply new knowledge in related areas is the very definition of innovation and at the heart of the university mission. Research transforms how we think, act and live.

Federal investments in research and innovation since 1997 have provided Canada with an extraordinary platform upon which to conduct leading research that benefits Canadians and the world. These investments are integral to ensuring Canada a prominent place in a globalized world. More important, they are an essential component in finding the new discoveries and nurturing the talent that will lead to enhanced economic prospects for all Canadians. And perhaps most importantly, learning in a research-enriched environment provides university graduates with the 21st century ideas and skills that today’s employers want – and need.

Oh, and those back-to-school running shoes you’re buying? They’re better than ever, thanks to the work of university researchers including those at the University of Calgary’s Human Performance Lab – home to one of the world’s leading experts in the biomechanics of sports shoes.

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.

This letter to the editor was published in the Globe and Mail on August 31, 2012

By Christine Tausig Ford
Vice-president and Chief Operating Officer
Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada

In his column Why We Should All Care About Student Debt (ROB, Aug. 30), Rob Carrick chastises the public school system for providing bad advice to students on postsecondary education and debt. Unfortunately, his comments could also mislead students and their parents.

Four out of 10 students graduate debt-free. Among those who graduate with debt, almost one-third owe less than $12,000. The median debt for those who borrow is $23,500.

Even in this tough economy, many new jobs are being created for university grads. From July of 2008 to July of 2012, the net increase in new jobs for university grads was 700,000, compared with 320,000 net new jobs for college grads.

During their careers, university grads will typically earn $1-million more than a registered tradesperson or college grad working full-time. University education remains the surest path to prosperity.

This letter to the editor was posted on the Windsor Star website on August 14, 2012.

By Christine Tausig Ford
Vice-president and Chief Operating Officer
Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada

Re: Supporting students, guest column, by Don Cayo, August 10, 2012.

In his column, Don Cayo argues that there is a low level of interest in university education.

Last year, a record number of students enrolled in Canada’s universities – more than one million. Full-time enrolment grew by 50 per cent since 2000.

Students are voting with their feet. They know that more jobs than ever require university degrees.

Between July 2008 and last month in what everyone will agree were tough economic conditions, more than 700,000 net new jobs were created for university graduates. This compares to a net loss of 600,000 jobs for those with only a high school diploma.

Moreover, university graduates earn on average $1.3 million more than those with only a high school diploma and $1 million more than college grads.

Mr. Cayo also misleadingly states that the average debt load for university graduates is nearly $27,000. This figure applies only to those students who graduate with debt.

In fact, four out of 10 Canadian students actually graduate university debt-free. Canadians know that they are getting great value and even greater opportunities from their university degrees.