The New Brunswick government has established a transformational agenda to move New Brunswick to economic self-sufficiency. A key element in its strategy is the modernization of Post-Secondary Education (PSE) such that it contributes to New Brunswick’s economic vitality in a manner that has marked other countries’ and jurisdictions’ economic success. In particular, the government aims to attain a degree of ‘relevance’ in the PSE system, to make the system responsive to socio-economic needs in the context of New Brunswick’s demographic challenges.

WHAT HAS BEEN THE PROCESS?

The government established a PSE Commission in 2006-07, which reported in September 2007. Its Report was controversial and divisive. The Premier asked the University Presidents and a number of Community College Directors to form a PSE Working Group to examine the Commissions’ Report and to make operational recommendations for PSE in New Brunswick.

WHAT IS THE ULTIMATE OBJECTIVE OF THE PROCESS, REPORTS, AND ANNOUNCEMENT?

There is general consensus that the PSE ‘status quo’ is not viable and that New Brunswick PSE has fallen behind other jurisdictions. The objective of the process has been to modernize the PSE system in innovative and economical ways, to make it more ‘student focused’ and responsive to socio-economic conditions, and to create a ‘virtuous cycle’ of PSE and economic development.

WHAT ARE THE BASIC INGREDIENTS OF THE GOVERNMENT’S ANNOUNCEMENT?

The approach centres on four broad areas:

• Making the PSE system more focused on the student (affordability, accessibility, opportunity, participation, preparation, mobility, and evaluation)
• Reorganization and invigorating the PSE system (including an autonomous community college system, enhancement of apprenticeship training, new collaborative mechanisms for applied learning and articulated programs, a Council for Graduate Studies and Research)
• Encouraging and requiring greater collaboration amongst the PSE players (universities and community colleges) and between the PSE system and the community
• Ensuring that the new system is properly organized and adequately funded in order to implement the changes successfully

WHAT IS ‘NEW’ OR INNOVATIVE IN THE STRATEGY ADOPTED BY THE GOVERNMENT?

On the general level, the approach embraces a collaborative or partnership model. New Brunswick is not a large or wealthy province, so it is critical that it use its resources wisely and that it ‘levers’ its existing strengths in capacity. To this end, the approach encourages and necessitates a broad collaborative approach:

• Amongst the universities (e.g. shared services, credit transfers, international recruiting, program development and delivery in targeted areas, research and graduate studies)
• Between the universities and the newly autonomous community colleges (e.g. credit transfers, program innovations, new institutes of applied learning)
• Between PSE players and the community (e.g. program partnership in selected areas, new institutes of applied learning)

WHAT ARE SOME SPECIFIC EXAMPLES OF CHANGE?

• Creation of an autonomous community college system with independent boards, and the substantial expansion of student places in colleges
• Creation of a more integrated provincial system of research and graduate studies, which will allow smaller universities like Mount Allison to have a greater role and more opportunities in these areas
  
• Aligning the apprenticeship system more closely to the community colleges
  
• Creation of Institutes and Consortia of Applied Learning, as ‘virtual’ institutions or ‘brokerage processes’ to develop applied programming quickly, efficiently, economically, and effectively when and where demanded
  
• Offering greater opportunities for community involvement and participation in PSE development and change
  
• Creation of a system-wide ‘Presidents’ Council’, bringing University Presidents and Community College Directors together on an ongoing basis, to initiate and oversee change

HOW WILL ALL THIS BE FINANCED?

The government has proposed some short and medium term financial initiatives that involve a substantial commitment of public funds:

• A tuition freeze plus extension of a number of direct and indirect student grants
  
• Increased operating commitments to the universities in 2008-09 and 2009-10
  
• A five-year financial commitment to innovation
  
• Financial support for the expansion of Graduate Studies
  
• A five-year commitment to increase capital funding to universities and community colleges

THE GOVERNMENT’S PSE PLAN AIMS TO FACILITATE STUDENT MOBILITY BETWEEN AND AMONGST UNIVERSITIES AND COMMUNITY COLLEGES IN THE PROVINCE. HOW WILL THIS AFFECT RETENTION RATES FOR MOUNT ALLISON?

This is an initiative that is designed to help students, which is the central focus of the approach. More seamless movement from one institution to another in the province can only help students in New Brunswick develop a plan for learning that suits their needs and individual styles and even helps them reduce their own debt load. This approach is embedded in many existing systems in Europe, BC, California, etc. Some work will have to be done to make this approach work well and to maintain quality. Mount Allison will benefit generally from increased student mobility and from the general increase in PSE participation and retention that this approach will encourage.

IF STUDENTS IN THE PROVINCE CAN TAKE THEIR FIRST AND SECOND YEARS OF POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION IN THEIR HOMETOWNS, WILL THIS HAVE A NEGATIVE IMPACT ON MOUNT ALLISON’S STUDENT NUMBERS?

We don’t think it will affect us greatly and, in fact, there might be a positive effect from this plan. At Mount Allison we draw around a third of our students from New Brunswick, many of whom are from neighboring towns and communities in SE New Brunswick. There is a finite number of students who travel from a great distance within the province to attend Mount Allison. Many of those who do come to Mount Allison come for very specific reasons and many of those will not be dissuaded by heightened opportunities to study in their own hometowns. But, perhaps most importantly, a system that enables students to have a greater degree of control over where and even how they study will likely result in greater participation rates overall. And this is what we all hope most ardently to achieve through this new plan — a more literate and educated population.

THERE SEEMS TO BE A GREAT DEAL OF EMPHASIS PLACED ON APPLIED PROGRAMS IN THIS NEW PLAN. IF MORE AND MORE STUDENTS ARE BEING ENCOURAGED TO STUDY APPLIED SKILLS WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR PLACES LIKE MOUNT ALLISON THAT ARE COMMITTED TO PROVIDING A BROAD-BASED LIBERAL EDUCATION?

To begin with, Mount Allison will only benefit from the enhancement of economic prosperity in our province that will be generated by the increased opportunities for applied learning that this approach offers and which the economy is demanding. Second, many of the envisioned applied programs will require PSE partnerships, which will not only result in greater learning opportunities for New Brunswick students but will also create learning and program opportunities for our students and our institution (e.g. BSc in Aviation) in areas from the arts and culture to business and the environment. Third, there will continue to be a robust demand for skills in critical thinking, research, and academic study both in applied programs as well as in traditional university offerings. By working alongside and with community colleges, and with the community itself, we envision deeper and more extensive learning opportunities for our students.

WILL MOUNT ALLISON LOSE ITS IDENTITY AND AUTONOMY IN THE NEW, COLLABORATIVE ENVIRONMENT?

No. All of the participants in the Working Group process were keenly committed to enhancing the identity and maintaining the autonomy of their institutions. To this end, they rejected the idea of an independent third-party authority and acted to create mechanisms and processes that they ‘owned’ and managed. At the centre of the system will be the Presidents’ Council — in which Mount Allison will be a central authoritative player, well able to play out its identity and ambitions in this collaborative process. Moreover, this approach will allow Mount Allison to increase its authority and capacity in a number of areas, from research and graduate studies to international recruiting, credit transfers, and shared services.

To view the government’s full Action Plan to Transform Post-Secondary Education please visit http://www.gnb.ca/Promos/PSE/index-e.asp

To view the Recommendations of the Working Group please visit http://www.gnb.ca/Promos/PSE/RecommendationsWG-e.pdf

To read news releases about the Plan as issued by the New Brunswick government, please visit http://www.gnb.ca/cnb/news/pet/2008e0952pe.htm