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OTTAWA – A newly released strategy for international education presents an ambitious and achievable plan to boost Canada’s prosperity through investments in international education. The strategy, outlined in the report of the federal government’s Advisory Panel on Canada’s International Education Strategy, was released today by the Honourable Ed Fast, Minister of International Trade and Minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway, in Halifax.

The panel, led by Western University President Amit Chakma, calls for investments in international student recruitment to attract top talent and help meet Canada’s workforce needs, a major new international mobility program for Canadian students that will help them acquire a global perspective, and a series of other measures to strengthen Canada’s worldwide reputation for excellence in education and research.

“The advisory panel has laid out a bold vision to build prosperity through strategic, targeted and sustained investments, key partnerships and a coordinated approach to international education,” says Stephen Toope, president of the University of British Columbia and chair of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada. “This report is a blueprint for preparing our graduates to be global citizens and contributing to the labour market of the future.” 

The panel’s report calls for federal funding support for new scholarships for international undergraduates, graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, and the creation of a new Council on International Education and Research, comprised of senior government officials and stakeholders, to provide policy advice to the federal government. 

“Canada needs these kinds of bold initiatives and investments in order to succeed in a very competitive marketplace in international education,” says Paul Davidson, president of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada. “These are achievable goals. This is a plan that will help to align national strategies for economic development, science and technology, global commerce, immigration and the labour market. The implementation of these recommendations will drive growth in our economy and help position Canada as an international leader in research and innovation.”

“We commend the panel for its dedicated and thorough work over the past 10 months to develop a meaningful roadmap that will build on Canada’s success in international education and provide our students with enhanced global opportunities in the years ahead,” says Mr. Davidson. “Universities look forward to working with their partners in other education associations, governments and the private sector in a collaborative effort to strengthen Canada’s education brand.”

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

This op-ed was published in Research Money on July 31, 2012.

By Paul Davidson
President
Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada

For generations of Canadians a postsecondary education in the social sciences or the humanities has been a viable — and valuable — path to a fulfilling and rewarding career. That’s still the case today, especially in the face of a global culture and economy fueled by technology and innovation. Despite what some pundits will argue, a social sciences or humanities (SSH) degree is not only relevant given the demands of the 21st century knowledge economy — it’s indispensable.

In fact, many high-tech and business leaders have recently acknowledged the significant role that SSH graduates have played — and will continue to play — in their companies’ successes.

Damon Horowitz, director of engineering at Google, is a vocal public advocate for the power of an education in SSH. A self-described “serial tech entrepreneur,” 10 years ago he found himself struggling to develop better, smarter artificial intelligence systems at a burgeoning Silicon Valley startup. The solution to his dilemma? He quit his well-paying, high-profile tech job and enrolled in graduate school at Stanford University to study philosophy. He ended up graduating with a PhD in philosophy, which he calls one of the best decisions he has ever made. During a May 2011 speech at his alma mater, Horowitz said that he considered his PhD in the humanities a “rite of passage to intellectual adulthood” that allowed him to better understand how the products he helped develop were reshaping the culture he was living in.

To him, a social sciences or humanities education was the best way to cultivate the kind of perspective that he thinks is critical to dealing with the identity and privacy issues raised by new technologies. He added that a university education in the humanities was the best way he knew of to advance a person’s career. And his employer seems to share his outlook.

Google recently announced that it expects the majority of its 6,000 new hires in 2012 will be filled by people with degrees in the humanities or liberal arts.

Closer to home, Mike Ashar, president of Irving Oil, has come to rely on the benefits of a well-rounded business and liberal arts education throughout his career.

A firm believer in the value of lifelong learning, Ashar has four degrees to prove it: an MBA, a bachelor of applied science in chemical engineering and two BAs, one in economics and one in philosophy. Though he originally took the latter to scratch what he calls an intellectual “itch”, he now says it’s the degree that he relies on most regularly in his day-to-day work as head of one of Canada’s largest resource companies.

Ashar believes that success in business entails the ability to evaluate multi-disciplined causes and complex systems, something that his education in the humanities has prepared him to do. “My philosophy education allows me to use critical thinking and multiple perspectives,” he says. “In addition to the traditional science- and economics-based mechanistic solutions, a broad philosophical background has allowed me to gain sharper insights into business strategy and execution.”

Unfortunately not everyone sees it the same way. Some of the skills associated with SSH — including critical thinking, creative problem-solving, the ability to collaborate and to react well to change — are often written-off by those in business and media circles as so-called “soft skills”. But let’s take a look at some hard numbers.

According to a September 2011 report prepared by Torben Drewes, a professor of economics at Trent University, in 2006 the employment rate for SSH graduates was 95%. About two-thirds of these jobs were in professional fields, or were management or supervisory positions.

And for those who still believe that an SSH is not worth the investment, the study shows that they in fact do yield a positive rate of return.

Dr Drewes calculated standard rates of return for bachelor degrees in SSH in order to compare them with other investments. He found that a humanities degree had a rate of return of 4.1% for men and 10.5% for women, while the rate for social sciences degrees was 8.6% for men and 12.2% for women. No matter how you look at it, those are impressive returns on investment and certainly better than any you might get on the stock market these days.

What’s more, the skills that SSH are so good at cultivating also prepare graduates to be true global citizens — the exact kind that today’s workforce is recruiting.

Studies show that 91% of employers have identified an understanding of other cultures as an asset when it comes to hiring new employees. It’s the ability to understand, engage and collaborate with others that is one of the key dividends of an SSH degree.

Graham Carr, dean of graduate studies at Concordia University and president of the Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences, says it well — and eloquently. Just like physicians, engineers or scientists, he says an SSH education involves “a broader type of intellectual formation” that equips graduates to interpret information.

“Whether students are immersed in the study of medieval courts or fascinated by the impact of urban renewal on homelessness … fostering their ability to think critically, broadly and flexibly is integral to preparing them to meet workforce and societal needs, says Carr.”

SSH has always been a reliable way of opening people to larger worlds. That’s why they’ve long been a home for those interested in exploring their intellectual passions. So, perhaps it should come as no surprise that these same qualities make these grads perfect candidates for our global knowledge driven economy.

OTTAWA – Attracting international students to Canada has an economic impact of close to $8 billion in spending and creates 81,000 jobs in this country. Those figures were part of a federal government report released July 27 on the overall economic impact of international students in Canada — benefits that include the generation of more than $445 million in government revenue. Spending by international students has increased by $1.5 billion since 2008.

“This significant economic impact is one of the many reasons that attracting outstanding international students benefits Canada,” says Christine Tausig Ford, vice-president of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada. “These students enrich our university campuses with their cultures, languages and unique perspectives. Along with study-abroad experiences, learning and living alongside students from around the world helps Canadian students gain the kind of global knowledge and awareness that is so highly valued by today’s employers.”

The updated report on the economic impact of international education in Canada was released by the Honourable Ed Fast, Minister of International Trade and Minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway, at the University of British Columbia on July 27. It shows that the total amount spent by international students in Canada is more than the value of a number of important industries, including our export of wheat to other countries. The report also shows that these economic benefits are realized by communities across Canada, not only major urban centres.

“Canada’s universities welcome the release of this report, which reinforces the value of international education in building jobs and prosperity in Canada,” says Ms. Tausig Ford. She added that Canada’s universities will continue to partner with education groups, governments and the private sector to position Canada as a destination of choice for top international students. The university community also looks forward to the upcoming report of the federal government’s Advisory Panel on Canada’s International Education Strategy, expected to be released shortly. The panel’s recommendations will provide valuable direction for the development and implementation of a renewed Canadian approach to international education.

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Read the report : Economic Impact of International Education in Canada – An Update

For more information or interview opportunities:

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

OTTAWA — The Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada congratulates National Chief Shawn A-in-chut Atleo on his re-election at the 33rd annual general assembly of the Assembly of First Nations (AFN).

A hereditary chief of British Columbia’s Ahousaht First Nation, National Chief Atleo was first elected chief of the AFN in 2009, and since then has worked to advance the economic conditions and educational opportunities available for Aboriginals in Canada.

“National Chief Atleo has demonstrated inspired leadership in addressing educational issues among Aboriginal youth — the fastest-growing demographic in Canada,” says Christine Tausig Ford, vice-president of AUCC. “Canada’s universities have worked in close partnership with National Chief Atleo and the AFN to enhance university programs and services for Aboriginals in Canada. We look forward to continuing to work with him and the AFN in this critical area.”

National Chief Atleo, who holds a master’s degree in education and is chancellor of Vancouver Island University, has made Aboriginal youth a key priority during his three years as national chief.

There are more than 560,000 Aboriginals under the age of 24 across Canada, yet the university completion rate for the Aboriginal population overall is 8 percent — a third of the national average. Canada’s universities are striving to address the gap through the development of new campus facilities and programs to support Aboriginal students, and to create initiatives to encourage Aboriginal children, youth and their parents to consider university as a possibility.

“As a society, we all need to work together to help fully engage Aboriginal youth in higher education,” says Ms. Tausig Ford “Not only is it the right thing to do, but our labour market needs the talents of university-educated Aboriginals in Canada.”

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For more information or interview opportunities:

Brad Mackay
Communications Officer
Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada
Telephone: 613-563-1236 ext. 306
Email: bmackay@aucc.ca

This letter to the editor was published in the Globe and Mail.

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

The six students profiled in Summertime: It’s about the bottom line (Life – July 9) show how some students finance their university studies. But not all students struggle to pay postsecondary costs. In fact, four out of 10 Canadian students graduate from university completely debt-free. And of those who graduate with debt, 28 percent owe less than $12,000 for their years of study.

Moreover, the returns on a university degree are clear. University graduates typically earn much higher incomes and have more stable employment. Even during the most recent economic downturn between June 2008 and June 2012, employers created almost 680,000 net new jobs for those with a university degree – while there were 600,000 fewer jobs for those with only a high-school diploma.