Preamble

This Strategic Mandate Agreement between the Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Development and University of Toronto outlines the role the University currently performs in Ontario’s postsecondary education system and how it will build on its current strengths to achieve its vision and help drive system-wide objectives and government priorities.

The Strategic Mandate Agreement (SMA):

• Identifies and explains the shared objectives and priorities between the Ontario government and the University
• Outlines current and future areas of program strength
• Supports the current vision, mission, and mandate of the University and established areas of strength within the context of the University’s governing legislation
• Describes the agreed-upon elements of the new university funding model, including:
  • a University’s enrolment plans as well as their projections of their enrolments relative to their corridor midpoint and any desired changes to their corridor during the period of this SMA; and
  • differentiation areas of focus including metrics and targets
• Provides information on the financial sustainability of the institution; and
• Informs Ministry decision-making and enables the Ministry to align its policies and processes to further support the University’s areas of strength

The term of the SMA is from April 1, 2017 to March 31, 2020.

The agreement may be amended in the event of substantive policy or program changes that would significantly affect joint commitments made in the SMA (e.g. Major Capacity Expansion, Highly Skilled Workforce, etc.). Any such amendment would be mutually agreed to in writing, dated, and signed by both signatories.

Ontario’s Vision for Postsecondary Education

Ontario’s colleges and universities will drive creativity, innovation, knowledge, skills development and community engagement through teaching and learning, research, and service.

Ontario’s colleges and universities will put students first by providing the best possible learning experience for all qualified learners in an affordable and financially sustainable way, ensuring high quality and globally competitive outcomes for students and Ontario’s economy.

University of Toronto Vision, Mission and Mandate

Mission Statement: The University of Toronto is committed to being an internationally significant research university, with undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs of excellent quality.

Aspirations

The Ministry recognizes the importance of supporting institutions to evolve and acknowledges the strategic aspirations of its postsecondary education institutions. The SMA is not intended to capture all decisions and issues in the postsecondary education system, as many will be addressed through the Ministry’s policies and standard processes. The Ministry will not be approving any requests for capital funding or new program approvals, for example, through the SMA process.

Institutional Aspirations

The University of Toronto’s SMA 2014-2017 states: "The University of Toronto is a globally recognized, comprehensive, and research-intensive institution with a distinct leadership role in Ontario’s postsecondary education system. The University of Toronto’s broad range of program offerings and research activity have a major economic and social impact, locally and globally.”

Through its mission and purpose, the University of Toronto will continue to pursue its differentiated mandate and promote the shared priorities of the Ontario government. Future aspirations include:

• Continue to be recognized globally as Canada’s flagship university in the discovery of new knowledge in a broad range of disciplines
• Maintain a leadership position in research and innovation, driving the economy of the city-region and province forward through research, teaching, entrepreneurship and commercialization of scholarly findings and inventions
• Support the long-term prosperity of the city-region, the province and the country through the attraction and development of talent in key economic clusters
• Expand enrolment of international doctoral students to a level comparable to other Canadian peer institutions--in order to foster cutting-edge research by the world’s best and brightest minds and maintain our reputation as a global destination of higher learning
• Broaden and deepen international activities including: educational experiences that give our students global competencies and help them engage more effectively with the world; strategic global research partnerships to improve lives in Canada and abroad; and initiatives with distinguished alumni around the world to enhance global opportunities for academic, business and entrepreneurial activities
• Benefit students’ academic and professional outcomes through the expansion of high-quality, pedagogically-sound work-integrated learning and experiential learning (WIL/EL) opportunities across undergraduate, graduate and professional programs
• Maintain U of T’s leadership position in promoting student access and diversity through unparalleled financial support for students from all backgrounds and family income levels, and through a range of structured access and pipeline programs

Shared Objectives and Priorities for Differentiation

Student Experience

This section captures institutional strengths in improving student experience, outcomes and success. This section recognizes institutions for measuring the broader learning environment, such as continuity of learning pathways; retention; student satisfaction; co-curricular activities and records; career preparedness; and student services and supports.

Institutional approach to improving student experience

A key priority for the University of Toronto is to re-imagine undergraduate education. In building on this priority across three campuses and 20 academic divisions, U of T is developing an ecosystem of curricular and co-curricular innovation to enrich our students’ experience.

The University of Toronto will continue to enhance programming and services to improve student experience and student outcomes. This will include focused efforts in: health and wellness services including mental health, preventing and responding to sexual violence and sexual harassment, study abroad opportunities, international student experience, and graduate student initiatives. On the final point, our priority is to support masters and doctoral students’ timely progression and to assist them in their consideration of a range of career options post-graduation.

Examples of institutional initiatives

• Study Abroad Opportunities – Expanded support for student mobility in the form of study abroad and international exchange will ensure that more U of T students find academic and co-curricular opportunities to gain global competencies and experience the world’s complexities. The University created new positions (15) to advise students, develop new international programs and placements, and support departments in integrating international experience into their curricula
• International Student Experience – Building on our current strengths in the area, we will commit additional academic and co-curricular programming, as well as counselling, language and support services will support the transition of international students into the University to ensure their success and to build bridges for them to integrate more fully with the U of T community. The Centre for International Experience plays a leading role in these efforts
• Graduate Professional Development (GPD) – A particular spotlight will be on improving completion rates and professional outcomes for doctoral students, who undertake complex research and study and then pursue careers both inside and outside academia upon graduation. Additional resources will be provided to support the existing Graduate Professional Skills Program and the new SGS Summer Institute focusing on skill development to prepare them more effectively for a range of academic and non-academic careers
• Tri-Campus Sexual Violence Centre – Following an extensive two year process of consultation the University established a new tri-campus Sexual Violence and Support Centre to coordinate supports for students, faculty or staff impacted by sexual violence. The centre staff will collaborate with key stakeholders in developing and enhancing campus programs, policies, and procedures regarding response to sexual violence and allegations of sexual harassment consistent with the University’s new Policy on Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment

Metrics and targets

Innovation in Teaching and Learning Excellence

This section focuses on innovative efforts including pedagogical approaches, program delivery and student services that contribute to a highly skilled workforce and ensure positive student outcomes.

This section captures institutional strengths in delivering high-quality learning experiences, such as experiential, entrepreneurial, personalized and digital learning, to prepare students for rewarding careers. It includes recognition of student competencies that improve employability.

It begins to identify indicators of quality that are currently available and within an institution’s control.

Institutional approach to innovation in teaching and learning excellence

Re-imagining undergraduate education at the University of Toronto involves coordinating a hive of activity across 3 campuses and many academic divisions. U of T is building an ecosystem of innovation that provides undergraduate students with the foundation they need for a lifetime of success across a range of disciplines. Students will be offered a larger number of local and international experiential learning opportunities as well as opportunities to participate in research alongside leading scholars. In hybrid and flipped classrooms, students will engage in technology-enhanced learning and benefit from other teaching innovations. Faculty and staff will work together to revitalize the undergraduate curriculum in many disciplines through curriculum mapping processes that better define learning outcomes and pathways for students. And U of T will continue to maintain the highest quality teaching and academic programs through assessment methods such as online course evaluations, UTQAP program evaluations, and pedagogical research.

The University of Toronto believes that work-integrated and experiential learning (WIL/EL) opportunities can play an important role in enhancing the educational experiences of students. The University currently offers a broad range of WIL/EL including co-ops, practica, internships, professional experience years, research opportunities, service learning, and clinical placements. We will expand these offerings further. Planned growth in WIL/EL opportunities for students will occur in a manner that maintains our high standard of academic quality and maximizes the learning benefit to students. The University’s Task Force on Experiential Learning (established in 2017, and led by the Vice-Provost Innovations in Undergraduate Education and the Vice-Provost Graduate Research and Education) will provide recommendations customized to U of T’s distinct and diverse environment, and help frame that activity going forward. The U of T Centre for Community Partnerships will support the implementation of the Task Force’s recommendations. Building on a second institution-wide priority – Leveraging our Location(s) – we will scale up the number of experiential placements with local partners in the community, enabling us to enrich undergraduate education while simultaneously contributing to the University’s reinvigorated city-building mission.

The University has strengthened our Teaching Stream through awarding of Professorial ranks to these outstanding faculty members. We promote and recognize teaching excellence through awards that recognize exceptional performance in early careers, through to the institution’s pinnacle teaching award: appointment to the prestigious President’s Teaching Academy. We offer central and divisional teaching fellowships to faculty members focused on pedagogical innovation and research. The Centre for Teaching Support and Innovation (CTSI) continues to be an active hub for the promotion and dissemination of this work. As a result, we are ranked in the top 28 universities in the world for our teaching by Times Higher Education in their world rankings.

Examples of institutional initiatives

• Experiential Learning & Undergraduate Research Opportunities – Building on the existing array of experiential learning opportunities, the University will expand in this area with more undergraduate research and entrepreneurship activities across a wide array of science, engineering, humanities and social science programs. Specific initiatives to support this expanded activity include:
  • Undergraduate Research Opportunities - Through the work of a faculty-driven Undergraduate Research Working Group, the university has launched a new Research Opportunities Catalogue where students can be matched via the Career Learning Network with faculty members for hands-on research experiences. The working group also developed an institutional definition and framework of undergraduate research at the University of Toronto in order to expand and enhance student, staff and faculty understanding of the research process and continuum specifically situated at the undergraduate level. The definition and framework helps all members of the University categorize research-related experiences, both curricular and co-curricular, supports communication efforts regarding the research-intensive mission of the institution, and supports the embedding and integration of research skills in the development of academic courses and programs, as well as co-curricular programming
  • Global Scholars Initiative – A new program that will provide select students with a specially structured curriculum and an integrated academic, co-curricular, experiential and international student experience that supports the enhanced learning and employability of our graduates, and will be recognized with a new certificate
• Expansion of Curriculum Mapping – Building on the articulation of learning outcomes for all undergraduate programs, departments across the University will engage in curriculum mapping. This will be aligned with existing Quality Assurance processes; we will offer updated templates, online mapping menus, and other supports to enable faculty to better define the knowledge they are transmitting to students, and allowing students in turn to better assess and articulate their own learning
• On-line learning – Under the umbrella of Open UToronto, the University is developing reusable and accessible digital resources such as e-textbooks, and designing personalized learning opportunities by growing the collection of interactive resources available across degree programs. We are also supporting faculty innovation in hybrid, flipped, and online classrooms. U of T will also extend its reach in online learning by growing our current MOOC offerings (20) with new courses in urbanization, GIS mapping, sustainable engineering, and more

Entrepreneurship – See section 5

Metrics and targets

Access and Equity

This section recognizes institutions for their efforts in improving postsecondary education equity and access. Institutions play an important role in providing equitable and inclusive environments that make it possible for students from diverse communities to thrive and succeed.

Institutions will also be recognized for creating equitable access opportunities that can include multiple entrance pathways and flexible policies and programming, with the focus on students who, without interventions and support, would not otherwise participate in postsecondary education. Examples include outreach to marginalized youth, transition, bridging and access programs for adults with atypical education histories and who do not meet admission requirements.

Institutional approach to improving access and equity

 The University of Toronto is a leader in providing access to higher education to students from all backgrounds and levels of family income through its unparalleled student aid commitment and broad range of access and pipeline programming. To supplement existing initiatives, U of T will provide additional resources and supports to enhance the participation of students from two specific underrepresented communities: Indigenous (Aboriginal, First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples) and Black students.

For Indigenous students, a number of supports will be implemented in response to the Final Report of the Steering Committee for the U of T Response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. The report calls for developing new or enhancing existing programming and services (e.g. First Nations House). For Black students, recommendations will come forward from the Working Group on Black Student Recruitment and Success. Increased access from these communities will have a positive impact on the University and province. For example, evidence has shown that increased diversity of medical students leads to better physicians with a greater ability and understanding of diverse communities.

One key to ensuring a diverse student body is recruitment of faculty members from underrepresented groups so students can see themselves at the front of the classroom and benefit from a range of research approaches and teaching s. The University will make additional investments in hiring excellent faculty from diverse groups across our three campuses.

Examples of institutional initiatives

• TRC Related Supports – In response to the University of Toronto’s TRC Steering Committee’s Calls to Action a number of commitments were made to build trust so that the University becomes deserving of Indigenous communities and able to support the increased participation of Indigenous students in University life. The following are examples of specific actions underway:
  • Appointment of a Director of Indigenous Initiatives whose mandate is to coordinate, advise, collaborate, and liaise with academic and non-academic communities addressing the Steering Committee’s calls to action
  • Creation of additional faculty (20) and staff (20) positions for Indigenous colleagues.
  • Conversion of existing academic and co-curricular spaces to make them more welcoming to members of our Indigenous community by visibly acknowledging the historical presence of Indigenous peoples.
• Black Student Application Program (BSAP) – The aim of this application program is to increase and support Black medical student representation at the University of Toronto. Through BSAP the intent is to break down some of the barriers that might impede Black students from applying to the MD program and to nurture a more inclusive environment at the school that is welcoming to all. It will be in place for the 2017-18 MD admissions cycle
• Access Programs: Appointment of a new Provostial Advisor on Access Programs aimed at: coordinating our numerous pipeline and facilitated entry programs; enhancing awareness of programs encouraging diverse students to attend University of Toronto; and, measuring success of such programs.
• Faculty and Staff Diversity Initiatives – To build on existing efforts to increase the diversity of our faculty and staff in line with our unique Statement on Equity, Diversity and Excellence, the following additional commitments have been made:
  • Deployment of one of Canada’s first Employment Equity Surveys to collect accurate statistics on faculty and staff composition
  • Hiring of Director of the Transitional Year Program
  • New funding to support faculty hires from underrepresented groups (40 total)
  • Launch of new affinity group for racialized staff members, one of the first at a Canadian university
  • Launch of a new Working Group in Equity and Diversity in Research and Innovation to advise on strategies to foster a culture of equity, diversity and inclusion within U of T’s research and innovation activities

Metrics and targets

Research Excellence and Impact

This section captures institutional strengths in producing high-quality research on the continuum of fundamental and applied research through activity that further raises Ontario’s profile as a globally recognized research and innovation hub. It also acknowledges that research capacity is strongly linked with graduate education.

Institutional approach to research excellence and impact

The University of Toronto is a global leader in research and innovation and is Canada’s pre-eminent research- and innovation-intensive university. We continue to build on a long legacy of achievement, forging new paths by drawing on our multidisciplinary strengths to produce the knowledge, services, social benefits, products, and companies of the future. Internationally, we are one of only a handful of institutions that excel across all disciplines and our faculty members are highly successful in securing prestigious national and international awards and honours.

The extraordinary breadth and depth of academic excellence across our three campuses and nine partner hospitals is reflected in the local, national and global impact of their research. Our faculty members author or co-author more articles than their colleagues at all other universities in North America except for Harvard. Our impressive performance is a reflection of the excellence of our faculty, our graduate and undergraduate students, and their collaborations with leading researchers and institutions world-wide.

Every year, U of T researchers and innovators secure funds from a rich diversity of sources, including the federal and provincial governments, the not-for-profit sector, private-sector partnerships, and national and international research and philanthropic foundations.

Our research is guided by the University’s Strategic Research Plan (SRP). The SRP reflects the breadth of U of T research within a flexible framework. It identifies thematic research areas and expresses our core commitments to research excellence. We have initiated a University-wide process for the development of an SRP to cover the coming 5-year period. It will provide direction for how to support University research and innovation, identify strategic objectives, and articulate enabling actions.

Example of institutional initiatives

• Regenerative Medicine--Medicine by Design: U of T is the Canadian leader in research funding and scholarly output within this highly competitive and rapidly advancing field. U of T was among the first recipients of the federal government’s Canada First Research Excellence Fund (CFREF), established to help "Canadian postsecondary institutions excel globally in research areas that create long-term economic advantages for Canada.” As a result of this $114M award, U of T established Medicine by Design (MbD) as the central co-ordination point for regenerative medicine efforts by researchers at U of T and its affiliated hospitals for the creation and manufacture of cells, tissues, and organs. MbD is facilitated by U of T’s integrated system of specialized research facilities dedicated to basic and applied research, clinical translation, advanced manufacturing, and commercialization, such as the Translational Biology and Engineering Program, a key component of the Ted Rogers Centre for Heart Research.  In collaboration with hospitals, institutional partners & industry, projects include research into fundamental questions in regenerative medicine; innovations that are expected to be ready for clinical trials within a few years; active clinical trials; and enabling technologies that have the potential to accelerate life-saving discoveries across the field. A key Clinical Translation/Commercialization Fund competition was launched January 2017. Further rounds of funding will be supported to 2022. Strategic recruitment of 12 new faculty/clinicians across multiple Faculties and hospitals will be completed by 2018.
• Artificial Intelligence--Vector Institute Affiliation: U of T is a major founding partner in the Vector Institute, an independent, non-profit research institution that builds on Toronto’s well-established and recognized talent in machine and deep learning to make the city and province a world-leading centre for Artificial Intelligence (AI) research and commercialization. More than 30 companies have committed a combined total of more than $80 million over 10 years to support the Institute. The research done in collaboration brings the transformational potential of deep learning and machine learning to fields as diverse as health care, finance, insurance, education, retail, advanced manufacturing, construction and transportation. The University will continue to support the Institute in its ramp-up to full operational capacity, including support for the implementation of IP and industry engagement strategies
• Connaught Fund Awards: U of T’s Connaught Fund is the largest internal university research funding program in Canada. U of T has managed the Connaught Fund for more than 40 years, awarding more than $155 million to U of T researchers across all subject areas over that time. The University will continue to support our researchers with Connaught funding in three ways: 1) for early career researchers to accelerate their scholarly programs, 2) to support ground-breaking interdisciplinary research in partnership with public and private sector partners, and 3) to seed innovation with a strong emphasis on meeting global challenges facing society.
• The U of T Jackman Humanities Institute (JHI) is a national and international nexus of scholarly research in the Humanities. U of T is Canada’s top school for the study of the Humanities and one of the best in the world, ranked 18^th in theQS World University Rankings by Subject 2017. JHI advances scholarship at U of T by creating new networks -- both physical and virtual -- for interaction among humanities scholars, regardless of their discipline. JHI offers a variety of ways for students and faculty from across U of T to learn from each other, from distinguished visiting scholars, and post-doctoral fellows, and develops new interdisciplinary modes of understanding human experience. JHI will continue to support Humanities research, providing funds and support for faculty and student fellowships, conferences and workshops.
• Advanced Digital Research Assets: We have an unprecedented opportunity to harness technology to make great strides in improving so many aspects of our society, from health care to the environment to the economy. U of T’s SciNet is Canada’s largest supercomputer centre, providing Canadian researchers with computational resources, expertise and training.SciNet powers work in the biomedical sciences, aerospace engineering, astrophysics, climate science and more. Working with provincial, federal and industry partners, U of T will continue to develop plans for further supporting digital scholarship with leading-edge infrastructure and tools

Metrics and targets

Innovation, Economic Development and Community Engagement

This section recognizes the unique role institutions play in contributing to their communities and to economic development, as well as to building dynamic partnerships with business, industry, community members and other colleges and universities. It focuses on regional clusters, customized training, entrepreneurial activities, jobs, community revitalization efforts, international collaborations, students, partnerships with Aboriginal Institutes and a program mix that meets needs locally, regionally and beyond.

Institutional approach to innovation, economic development and community engagement

Our researchers rely on community and private sector collaborations to extend the boundaries of knowledge. U of T is developing a network of more partnerships to feed innovation, entrepreneurship and commercialization across our three campuses. We are also enhancing our data sources to better understand the employment outcomes and economic and social impact of our graduates. The results of these surveys will be examined in the coming months and will help inform future initiatives.

U of T has a well-earned, impressive reputation for bringing cutting-edge discoveries to the world, turning ideas into new companies and accelerating them into new products and services. We are among North American leaders in the number of new research-based startups, with strong numbers of new invention disclosures, licenses and options. Innovations developed by U of T researchers provide industrial partners – especially small-to-medium-sized enterprises – with access to new technologies and expertise.

We also participate in a number of federally funded Centres of Excellence for Commercialization and Research (CECRs) including the Centre for Commercialization of Regenerative Medicine, the Centre for Commercialization of Antibodies & Biologics, and MaRS Innovation. We have a strong track record of developing innovative partnerships with government and industry to share the knowledge and resources. U of T receives support from the Province of Ontario’s Campus-Linked Accelerator Program and we will continue to expand our campus-based initiatives to encourage entrepreneurial faculty and students.

Our growing number of partnerships with the community and community organizations are also having an impact. Examples such as the East Scarborough Storefront, the Imagine Health Clinic and Downtown Legal Services provide opportunities to further our ties with the community while at the same time providing rewarding learning experiences for our students.

Examples of institutional initiatives

• Alumni Impact Survey: In the spring of 2017, U of T embarked on a project to learn more about the impact of the University’s more than 500,000 living graduates. Our first-ever Alumni Impact Survey will be used to build an evidence-based understanding of our alumni’s careers, experience, and impact in Canada and around the world. The survey asks about employment and civic engagement, such as whether our alumni have started a company, received patents, published a book, served on a board or spent time volunteering. Results will be communicated to alumni and the U of T community in late 2017. The data will also be used to build to develop new activities focused on career development and civic engagement
• 10,000 PhDs Project: In 2016, U of T’s School of Graduate Studies undertook a study to determine the employment outcomes of our doctoral graduates. Using publicly available data sources, the study focused on the current and past work/employment status of the approximately 10,000 PhDs who graduated from the University over the years 2000‐2015. The purposes of this study are: to better align our graduate programs with student outcomes; and, to contribute to an academic understanding of graduate education.
• Advanced Computing Partnerships: U of T is a founding member of theSouthern Ontario Smart Computing Innovation Platform (SOSCIP), which supports collaboration between academic researchers and industries using advanced computing and big data analytics. SOSCIP is a unique innovation model involving 15 institutions, Ontario Centres of Excellence and IBM. It supports Ontario as an innovation hub in areas that are critically important to society: information and communications technology, health and health care applications, and smart urban infrastructure (water, energy, transportation). In May 2017, UofT launched ARCNet, a state-of-the art facility for advanced computing teaching and research. ARCNet is a true partnership between U of T’s SciNet high-performance computing research and teaching consortium, SOSCIP (the U of T-led industry consortium), and Compute Ontario. The facility is a 6,600 sq. ft. office, research and teaching space at MaRS that allows for researchers, students, technology experts, industry partners and strategic leaders in Ontario’s advanced computing strategy to come together under one roof to facilitate collaboration.
• Community and Urban Partnerships: More than 220 faculty members and researchersat U of T are engaged in cities-focused teaching, research and innovation. Cities@UofT is an initiative that is intended to help address the University’s strategic priority of Leveraging Our Location(s). Urban research takes place at each of our three campuses, in areas such as architecture, arts, science, education, law, medicine, public health, and social work. We have appointed the University’s first Presidential Advisor on Urban Engagement to bring greater visibility to this area, and to facilitate connections to partners outside the University
• Energy, Environment and Sustainability Partnerships: U of T is a leader in research and innovation fields related to climate change and sustainability, energy, environment, clean tech, biofuels and environmental policy and law. In early 2017, the President announced a new U of T Committee on the Environment, Climate Change, and Sustainability that will identify ways to advance the University’s contribution to meeting the challenge of climate change and sustainability. In April 2017, U of T organized a Sustainability Summit bringing together U of T’s green experts with over 500 business leaders, entrepreneurs and policy makers to exchange ideas with government on ways to inform and shape public opinion and public policy to meet the challenges of climate change; to enhance industry research partnerships with the aim of building a less carbon intensive society, reducing greenhouse gases and moving towards clean energy; and, to encourage and foster sustainable start-up companies developed from research at the University. The Committee’s future activities will include organizing community events to promote sustainability-related research, teaching, and outreach; and raising the profile of the University’s contributions and partnerships
• Innovation and Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Partnerships:
  • Campus-linked Accelerators (CLA’s) – Within our structure of nine campus-linked accelerators, we offer many entrepreneurship initiatives for our students across our three campuses. In 2017, we launched University of Toronto Entrepreneurship (UTE) to further help coordinate programs for University-based entrepreneurs and recent graduates.
  • Toronto Discovery District - The University works closely with partners at OCE and MaRS (MaRS DD, MaRS Innovation) and our startup teams benefit from their programs and services. In collaboration with the government and private sectors, we have launched partnerships such as:
    • JLABS - In partnership with the Government of Ontario, the MaRS Discovery District and Johnson & Johnson Innovation, U of T helped establish thefirst JLABS incubator in Canada, an innovative research centre designed to advance bio/pharmaceutical, medical device, consumer and digital health programs. JLABS@Toronto has welcomed over 40 startups within its 40,000-square-foot facility that contains cutting-edge, modular and scalable lab space, equipment, and access to scientific, industry, and capital funding experts.
    • ONRamp - In 2016, U of T and RBC announced the creation of ONRamp, a major new initiative that will support Canada’s innovative entrepreneurs by providing a 15,000-square-foot facility within the U of T ecosystem, housing new collaborative workspaces for students, entrepreneurs, and startup companies, as well the RBC Innovation Hub. ONRamp will enable these new companies to network with each other, showcase their work to potential investors and grow their businesses. A $3 million contribution from RBC will also be used to create fellowships, prizes and a speaker series intended to enhance the university’s entrepreneurship ecosystem
    • We are working to increase our outreach to youth in the community and to find synergies with other Ontario CLAs and members of the ONE network, diversifying our offerings and growing our strategic relationships with networks of mentors, advisors and alumni

Metrics and targets

Enrolment Strategy and Program Direction

Enrolment plan and corridor midpoints

This section also establishes the agreed-upon corridor midpoint that will form the basis of enrolment-related funding over the course of the SMA period.

Corridor midpoint

For funding purposes 199,074.17 wgus will be the corridor midpoint value for the university of toronto. this value represents a planned decline from the institution’s actual enrolment of 202,397.2 wgus in the 2016-17 academic year. the funded enrolment value of 3,323.03 wgus will be transferred to the university’s differentiation funding. the university of toronto will receive funding consistent with this level of enrolment and subject to the policies contained within the Ontario university funding formula reform technical manual, may 2017, version 1.0, regarding enrolment and differentiation funding.

Projected funding-eligible undergraduate enrolments

Below is the institution’s projected enrolment of funding-eligible undergraduate enrolments for the University of Toronto

Note – for this table, Full-time Headcount should be reported for Fall term only.

Graduate allocation – SMA 2017-2020

Below are the allocation of funding eligible graduate and PhD spaces for the University of Toronto

Note – allocation shown in FTEs

Projected international enrolment

Note:  International enrolments include all funding ineligible international students.

International enrolment strategy and collaboration

The International enrolment plan for the University is included in the University’s Annual Budget Report brought forward to governance and approved by its Governing Council each year. The University is currently developing a new five-year International Strategic Plan with aspirational goals, new metrics, and strategic priorities related to: partnerships with universities abroad; student mobility; international student experience; and recruiting talent from around the world. That plan would be approved by the senior administration and would be reported to Governing Council for information.

Strategic areas of program strength and expansion

Program areas of strength

1. Education, Physical Education, Recreation and Leisure
2. Fine and Applied Arts
3. Humanities
4. Social Sciences
5. Agricultural and Biological Sciences
6. Engineering and Applied Sciences
7. Health Professions and Occupations
8. Mathematics and Physical Sciences

The proposed areas of program strength are intended to inform program approval processes.

Program areas of expansion

1. Biomedicine and Health-related
2. Engineering/Architecture/Environment
3. Global Affairs/Public Policy
4. Business/Management/Finance
5. Arts & Science – doctoral-stream
6. Graduate Teacher Education

Financial sustainability

The Ministry and the University recognize that financial sustainability and accountability are critical to achieving institutional mandates and realizing Ontario’s vision for the postsecondary education system. To this end, it is agreed that:

It is the responsibility of the governing board and senior administrators of the University to identify, track, and address financial pressures and sustainability issues. At the same time, the Ministry has a financial stewardship role. The Ministry and the University agree to work collaboratively to achieve the common goal of financial sustainability and to ensure that Ontarians have access to a full range of affordable, high-quality postsecondary education options, now and in the future.

The University remains accountable to the Ministry with respect to effective and efficient use of provincial government resources and student resources covered by policy directives of the Ministry, or decisions impacting upon these, to maximize the value and impact of investments made in the postsecondary education system.

Institutional Collaborations and Partnerships

University to University Mobility.

• In partnership with six other universities, U of T formed the University Credit Transfer Consortium (UCTC) in 2013
• Students enrolled at participating UCTC institutions can count any first year arts and science course taken for credit at a UCTC university for general credit at their home institutio
• Participating universities have agreed on course equivalencies and credit recognition across more than thirty of the most popular and highly enrolled undergraduate course

College to University Mobility

The facilitated transfer model provides intensive, personalized support before, during, and after transfer to U of T from a partner college.

The withdrawal rate for students entering via U of T’s facilitated pathway is significantly lower than for other college transfer students.

Facilitated transfer programs are in place at all three campuses:

• Seneca-Woodsworth College
• Humber-Woodsworth College
• Seneca-U of T Scarborough
• Sheridan-U of T Mississauga
• Humber-U of T Mississauga
• Centennial-U of T Scarborough

University – Hospitals

Together, the University of Toronto and our nine affiliated hospitals form one of the leading health sciences centres for research and education in North America.

University-Industry & Public Sector Partnerships

The University of Toronto offers a growing number of programs for students involving internships, practica, co-op, service learning, capstone projects etc. Through these efforts the University has developed partnerships with hundreds of public and private sector employers. Our Career Centre and Centre for Community Partnerships are key to these collaborative efforts.

Ministry/Government Commitments

• The SMA2 process has focused on implementing the first stages of the new funding model and demonstrating the ongoing commitment by all colleges and universities to student success. Future growth will only be funded through negotiated changes to an institution’s funded enrolment corridor. Through the SMA2 cycle, the ministry will continue to work closely with institutions to ensure all dimensions of the funding model are implemented
• In a memo to colleges and universities dated March 7, 2017, the ministry committed to using the SMA2 (2017-20) process as a transitional phase to commence the collaborative and joint development of performance metrics and targets, tied to funding, for SMA3 (2020-23). The ministry reiterates this commitment and reaffirms that metrics and targets included in SMA2 are not tied to funding at this time and are a beginning point for further discussions with the sector prior to their application in SMA3. Colleges and universities will have the opportunity to reset and realign metrics prior to the application of metrics in SMA3. The ministry will also engage other stakeholders as part of discussions on a broad metrics strategy.
  • The ministry commits to establishing a joint working group with each of the sectors and to begin detailed discussions in fall 2017 on metrics/targets and to seek input on the performance measurement methodology for SMA3
• Colleges, universities and the ministry all benefit from processes that are transparent and non-duplicative. The ministry commits to work with colleges and universities to continue to streamline processes and seek opportunities to further reduce red tape (in part through increased access to other tools) , including reducing or eliminating duplicated reporting requirements
• Through SMA2 discussions, the ministry has heard concerns about the challenges of delivering breadth in programming for Francophone and Francophile students, including the cost and funding of such delivery. Starting in fall 2017, the ministry commits to consulting institutions who have a formal mandate for bilingual and/or French-language delivery to review the delivery of French-Language programming and consider these concerns
• In 2016, an extension of the existing tuition policy framework was announced to support a major reform in OSAP. The ministry will engage with both the college and university sectors around the next tuition policy framework, including examining the issue of tuition anomalies in certain professional programs as a result of past changes to tuition policy, and, for colleges, examining tuition levels relative to competitive college tuition frameworks in Canada
• In recent years and during the SMA process, there has been an increased interest in the creation of a new polytechnic designation in the Ontario postsecondary education system. Starting in fall 2017, the ministry commits to undertake a review that examines whether improved benefits for students and employers are sufficient to make such a change. The ministry commits to working collaboratively with institutions across the sectors on this review
• The ministry commits to continue to work collaboratively with universities to assess the anticipated need for additional graduate spaces related to programs that are currently under development
• Starting in fall 2017, the ministry commits to undertake a review of the university Northern Grant working collaboratively with universities to examine whether the criteria for access and allocations of the Northern Grant represent an equitable approach

[1] U6 includes the Ontario members of the U15 research universities: Toronto, McMaster, Western, Waterloo, Queen’s, Ottawa

2014-2017 Strategic Mandate Agreement, University of Toronto