All Posts Tagged With: "Council of Ontario Universities"
The most (and least) lucrative degrees in Ontario
Pity the poor arts grad
Dentist photo by ^@^ina on Flickr.
The new Council of Ontario Universities’ study of the 2008 graduating class reveals big differences in what graduates were making two years after tossing their mortarboards in the air. Below are the average salaries reported by nearly 20,000 Ontario graduates in 2010, from highest paid to lowest paid. In parentheses are the employment rates two years after graduation. It’s clear that people with plain old humanities, arts and biology degrees are in lower demand and get paid less than those with more specialized degrees.
Continue reading The most (and least) lucrative degrees in Ontario
Ontario’s recession-era grads did alright
High employment rates. Steady wages.
One of the biggest surveys that gauges how university graduates have fared in the workplace was published this week and the results show that university is still a very good bet for most people.
The figures come from a survey of nearly 20,000 graduates from Ontario’s class of 2008, courtesy of the Council of Ontario Universities. Despite the global recession that has hampered employment since 2008, nearly 19 out of 20 graduates (93.8 per cent) were in jobs by 2010.
83.5 per cent of their jobs were somewhat or closely related to their fields of study, higher than usual.
The jobs paid well too, $49,469 on average, which is slightly higher than the median income for all Canadians. (Remember, these students were only two years into their careers.) But pay is stagnant. In fact, it was slightly higher for 2004 and 2006 graduates two years after their convocations.
Ontario profs worried about education quality
57% say quality has declined in the past year, according to survey
Ontario universities are crammed with students, and education is suffering, according to a survey of professors and librarians released today. The study, conducted by the Ontario Confederation of Faculty Associations (OCUFA), revealed that 57 per cent of academic staff say education quality has been declining over the past year. OCUFA president Mark Langer calls the results a “warning bell” issued to government from “the people working on the front line in the universities.”
Other results showed that 55 per cent of respondents reported larger class sizes and 38 per cent said retiring or departing faculty had not been renewed. As a result, 38 per cent said that out-of-class support for students had declined, and 39 per cent were using fewer essay-style exams to compensate for larger classes. Fifty-one per cent said that programs, or classes, had been canceled due to budget constraints.
Langer said the survey results were directly linked to government initiatives to encourage more and more students to go to university. “We’re just packing them in,” he said. “It’s not like stamping out widgets. It doesn’t work that way.”
The Ontario student teacher ratio is among the lowest in the country at 26 to one, compared to the national average of 19 to one. Langer also says that Ontario per student funding is the lowest in the country, but he didn’t have exact figures available, calling the numbers “complicated.”
According to the Canadian Press, John Milloy, minister of training colleges and universities, objected to the claims in the report. “Quality is not declining . . . it’s in fact the opposite . . . We’ve seen a phenomenal investment in the system,” he said. Operating grants to universities have risen from $1.9 to $3.2 billion since 2002, an increase of 77 per cent.
Langer does not dispute that the government has invested heavily in higher education, but he says any extra funding is being “swallowed” up by disproportionate number of students being admitted. “[Funding] is not keeping pace with demand,” he said. Landger adds that the government is not solely to blame, noting that the recession wreaked havoc on university endowment funds and pension plans. When asked if OCUFA would support lowering the number of students admitted to Ontario universities, he dismissed the idea. “We’re certiainly ready to educate them, but give us the support.”
Bonnie Patterson, president of the Council of Ontario Universities, agrees that universities are underfunded, but says that the OCUFA survey failed to account for the many out-of-class programs she says universities provide. She says institutions have shifted some resources towards support for students from underrepresented groups and international students. “And yes there has been some trade-offs in the classroom,” she said.
Meaghan Coker, president of the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance, says the survey does not account for the quality of teaching in the classroom, focusing too much on measures like student teacher ratios. “It depens less on class size, and more on the practices professors use,” Coker said. She is referring to “active learning” versus “passive learning” and says even in a class of 250, a professor, properly trained, could be effective.
Pension relief for Ontario universities
Province amends solvency rules, but no additional funding provided
Ontario universities that have run into trouble keeping their pension plans afloat will see some relief from the province, but that doesn’t mean any new funding will be on the way. Pension funds that have taken a beating over the recession have accumulated massive deficits, meaning universities may have trouble paying retired workers without redirecting money from other areas like teaching.
To help alleviate the financial pressure, the Ontario government is proposing to amend the Pension Benefits Act to provide universities with much needed solvency relief, by temporarily exempting them from regular solvency expectations. Universities eligible to participate in the plan will be given three years to negotiate with pension plan members and representatives to develop a strategy to bring pension funds into solvency. After this stage, universities that have developed a successful plan will be given 10 years “to amortize their solvency deficits,” according to a government release sent out on Thursday. Under current rules, universities are given five years to address deficits.
But the government is firm that public funding will not be used to cover pension shortfalls. “Ontario will not provide additional funding to cover university pension deficits,” the release stated. Universities that fail to develop a successful plan during the first stage of the process will be subject to normal solvency requirements.
According to the Council of Ontario Universities (COU), no fewer than seven universities are in need of pension deficit relief, including the University of Toronto, Queen’s, York, McMaster, Guelph, Carleton and Trent. Pension deficits range from $3 million at Queen’s to $748 million at the U of T, according to a May report by credit rating firm DBRS.
The COU declined comment, and says it will be leaving it to individual institutions to speak to the policy. A U of T public relations spokesperson said the university is “looking for more details from the government” before an official response will be given.
An email sent by Maclean’s On Campus to the Ministry of Finance seeking clarification on how universities will be judged eligible to participate in the plan was responded with a restatement of Thursday’s press release. “Universities must submit a plan to the Ministry of Finance outlining how they will make their pension plans more sustainable,” the email from the finance department stated.
The Ontario Confederation of Faculty Associations was unavailable for comment, but executive director Henry Mandelbaum told the Toronto Star he is concerned the government’s plan will see universities raise faculty pension contributions or reduce payouts to retired staff.
The Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance is pleased with the proposal, “Without solvency relief from the government, many institutions would have been forced to divert significant funds away from their academic pursuits, thus severely impacting the learning experience for Ontario’s students,” executive director Alexi White stated on the group’s website.
Ontario university applications rise
Unis say more money needed to fuel “knowledge economy”
Almost 2,300 more prospective students have applied to enter Ontario’s universities this September, new data shows. Numbers released Monday show 86,500 students have sent in applications to the Ontario Universities’ Application Centre. That’s an almost three per cent increase over last year.
The number of mature students applying to go back to school is also tracking almost three per cent higher compared to last year. The Council of Ontario Universities says that could mean more than 45,000 mature students applying by the end of their application cycle in September.
There has been concern that Ontario’s Grade 12 students will face heavier competition for university and college spaces in high employment courses as those laid off due to the shaky economy seek to go back to school.
However, Ontario’s minister of education and some university officials have indicated Grade 12 students will not be given priority for the available spaces despite the fact they could end up in the workforce with only a high school education if they are not accepted. Laid off workers would by definition have some employment experience to fall back on if not accepted.
Professor Bonnie Patterson, president of the Council of Ontario Universities, says with the increase in applications, governments will have to invest more in universities in order to have enough graduates to fuel the so-called “knowledge economy” of the future. “To meet these demands, enhanced government investment in the sector is required to accommodate the growth and to ensure that the quality of the learning experience is not undermined by taking more and more students on board,” said Patterson.
Patterson reminded the government that its own task force highlighted the need for more educated graduates. “We recognize that these are challenging economic times for the province but as the Ontario Task Force on Competitiveness has said in a recent report, the recession has not changed the imperative for developing our human assets – if anything it has heightened the need,” she said.
There has been a 46 per cent increase in the number of university applicants since 2000.
The Canadian Press
University applications rise in Ontario, but barely
Slow growth adds fuel to the enrolment debate
Applications from high school students to Ontario universities have continued to increase this year, according to preliminary numbers released by the Ontario Universities’ Application Centre (OUAC). Applications are up 1.1 per cent compared to last year.
However, the growth of applicants has slowed considerably compared to last year, when it rose by by nearly five per cent. This adds further fuel to the debate raging in higher education circles over the future of university enrolment levels. Will Canada experience a continuing upsurge in university enrolment, or have we reached a peak?
Last year, an audit performed by the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions, or OSFI, a federal oversight agency, said enrolment at Canadian universities would start decreasing in 2009. (See: Yes, there will be shrinkage. Jul 2, 2008). Ontario’s universities, however, have been telling a different story, saying that demography and economics are likely to lead to an university enrolment boom in Canada’s largest province. According to the Council of Ontario Universities, enrolment at Ontario campuses could increase by 120,000 new students by 2021. (See: Do I hear 120,000. Oct 4, 2007) Most of this growth is expected to occur in the Greater Toronto Area. (See: Is there really a looming space crunch in Toronto? Jul 31, 2007)
It’s difficult to make conclusions based upon the first release of application data from OUAC, but a few observations are possible.
While the numbers do not fulfil COU’s prophecy provincially, we’ll have to wait and see if predictions of a major crunch in Toronto come to pass later this year.
Applications at the University of Toronto and Ryerson University have grown, but they’re not skyrocketing. Applications at the two universities increased by 2.9 per cent and 3.7 per cent respectively. The total increase in applicants between the two schools is 2,544 potential students. York University is a wildcard: with the CUPE 3903 strike dominating the headlines, applications are down 10.8 per cent — representing 4168 fewer applications than last year.
Due to the York strike, its hard to say anything definite as to whether or not there is a “Toronto Space Crunch.” We’ll have to wait until final enrolment figures are finalized in the summer.
In the rest of the province, only two universities saw double-digit increases in applicants this year, and application numbers at other universities are distinctly mixed, with applications falling on many campuses.
Algoma University, Ontario’s newest university (and one of its smallest) which previously operated as a satellite college of Laurentian, has seen a 40 per cent increase in applications. The new university may have benefited from its clever and widespread Colossal U publicity campaign. The majority of Algoma’s increase is in students making it their fourth or lower choice, though 14 per cent more students did make the university their first choice. (In Ontario, students apply to multiple universities through the centralized OUAC applications centre. They also list the universities applied to in order of preference.)
University of Guelph – Humber, a joint college/university campus continues to see large growth. Last year at this time, applications at the suburb Toronto campus were up 24.7 per cent. This year, the increase is 17 per cent.
Many universities saw a decrease in applications. Brock, Laurentian, Nipissing, Trent, Waterloo, Western, Laurier, and Windsor are all showing a drop in applicants.
Applications by program are not showing the same variance as last year when applications to environmental and mathematics programs skyrocketed. This year, growth in environment students continues at 8.5 per cent but applications to mathematics degrees is down 7.5 per cent. Only two programs are showing a double-digit increase. Both nursing and social work show increased popularity with potential students.
OUAC will release updated statistics in the middle of February and continue to do so monthly until final enrolment figures are confirmed in September.
York U Strike Q&A I: GO Transit
I have a few friends who attend York University and two of them asked me about getting refunds for their transit passes. Both of them travel to York University using GO Transit and pay for a student monthly pass. I called GO Transit to inquire about refunds for students affected by the school’s recent CUPE [...]
I have a few friends who attend York University and two of them asked me about getting refunds for their transit passes.
Both of them travel to York University using GO Transit and pay for a student monthly pass.
I called GO Transit to inquire about refunds for students affected by the school’s recent CUPE strike.
Jessica Kosmack, a spokesperson for GO Transit, tells me that all students and faculty from York University can apply for a refund at any GO station or ticket agency. GO normally charges a 15 per cent administration fee for pro-rated refunds. This fee is waived for York students and faculty during the labour disruption.
GO service to York University is respecting the picket lines in place (GO drivers are unionized) and buses are relocated to Steeles near the university instead of in the centre of the campus.
If the strike continues on Monday, GO Transit will be decreased trips on its popular 407 bus service to York University. GO Transit will be posting the changes on its website tomorrow.
Students at other colleges and universities served by buses originating or destined for York University may be affected by decreased service. GO Transit will be updating its website tomorrow with the changes.
Have a question, need an answer?
York University is providing students with a FAQ list here: http://www.registrar.yorku.ca/disruption/
CUPE 3903 is updating their information online at: www.3903strike.ca and their primary website is: www.cupe3903.tao.ca
Feel free to email me with your tough to answer questions; I’ll try to find the answers.
York U strike is a power struggle, not about wages
CUPE and Ontario universities face off. Students suffer the consequences.
Students at York University should expect a long strike, as both sides have a lot to lose if the other side gets what it wants in the single issue that actually matters in this dispute: the length of the contract.
See also: Ont. dismisses combined bargaining for university unions
See also: GO Transit refunds for York students?
CUPE 3903, which represents 3,400 contract faculty, teaching assistants and graduate assistants at the university, wants a two-year contract. The Canadian Union of Public Employees is attempting to negotiate a contract end date of 2010 at all universities, where it has members in Ontario.
The reason for this is simple. The union’s hand is stronger if it’s able to shutdown every university in Ontario than if it’s trying to negotiate dozens of different contracts with various colleges and universities. The union also has dreams of proving its relevance by having what would amount to a general strike.
The union’s dream is the nightmare of university administrations across the province. This strike is not really about York University. This strike is about CUPE and the Council of Ontario Universities. It is a struggle for control of the universities themselves.
Neither side, from their perspective, can afford to give ground in this struggle.
CUPE needs to be able shut down York University in 2010 for its plan to work. The COU needs to prevent CUPE from being able to shut down Ontario’s universities if it hopes to avoid a mass disruption in 2010 that will damage the inter-provincial and international reputations of Ontario’s higher education brand.
This strike is not about wages, benefits, or job security. The only issue is what happens in 2010, and the rest of the rhetoric is just smoke and mirrors.
As for students, you might want to prepare for exams in the new year and regret buying your transit pass for the month.
Thoughts on the alleged COU fraud
It happens
I spent many hours today working on the story of how the Council of Ontario Universities was defrauded of over $600,000 by one employees.
