Preamble

This Strategic Mandate Agreement between the Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Development and Western University  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.

Western University Vision, Mission and Mandate

Mandate

Western, with its three affiliated university colleges (Brescia, Huron, and King’s), offers a diverse and unique student experience. As the leading full-­‐service, research-­‐intensive, residential university, known for its commitment to the best student experience, discovery research and innovation and transforming lives through knowledge mobilization across a broad array of disciplines. Western’s mandate — derived from the University of Western Ontario Act and historical developments over more than 130 years — is to provide the highest quality learning environment to help students, staff and faculty achieve their full potential which, in turn, will drive Ontario’s competitiveness and prosperity and Ontario’s contribution to our global society. The Western community aims to deliver an exemplary university experience by engaging the best and brightest people, attracting strategic resources and by continuously elevating ourselves to ever-higher global standards.

Vision

Our vision is an extension of our mission and mandate: to be one of Canada’s leading universities, known nationally and internationally for its commitment to the best student experience, the outstanding calibre and contributions of its students, graduates and faculty, and the intensity and impact of its world-class research and service. Western will be a globally recognized destination for academic distinction, delivering transformational learning and research with impact.

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

Elevating Canada’s best student experience at a research-intensive university to the next level

Canada’s best student experience at a research-intensive university: This statement reflects a transformation that occurred over the past 20 years. For 11 consecutive years in the Globe and Mail’s survey of student satisfaction, thousands of students ranked Western at the top of its class on a wide range of measures: from the high quality of our teaching, to the outstanding facilities and residence experience, to overall campus atmosphere and student satisfaction. What accounts for Western’s edge in this category? We believe the most distinguishing element of Western’s unique identity is our unwavering commitment to outstanding student engagement across the spectrum of the university student experience: from the classroom, to the libraries, to residences, to athletics and recreation, to co-curricular clubs and student involvement in campus leadership. Our unique composition, with three affiliated university colleges, equips Western with an unparalleled range of learning environments for students.

The success of this formula is evident from entrance to graduation. Our first-year cohort now arrives at Western with entering grades at an average of 89.6 % — well above the Ontario average — and ranks second on entering averages in Ontario (COU Report – Entering Analyses of Registrants, 2015). Once enrolled, our students stay to complete their degrees at Western:  their retention and graduation rates consistently rank among the highest in the country (CSRDE Custom Peer Reports, 2017). And they graduate into success: employment rates for Western’s undergraduate class of 2013 six months after graduation averaged 88.9 %, rising to 94.9 % two years after graduation. The well-rounded education students receive at Western propels our graduates into diverse leadership roles across the public and private sectors. We take pride in the fact that Western alumni figure very prominently among Canada’s "Top 40 Under 40”.

The 2014 edition of Western’s Strategic Plan — Achieving Excellence on the World Stage — builds upon the momentum of preceding plans. It revisits and rises to President George Hall’s challenge from 1956 and aims for nothing less than transforming Western from being Canada’s best into being a truly global university. By raising our University’s national reputation and international profile, we will: be able to recruit and retain the world’s brightest students, faculty and staff; enhance the value of a Western degree for current and future graduates; enable our scholars and researchers, students, faculty and alumni alike, to grapple with the important questions of our time to seek solutions to our world’s outstanding problems.

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

Western has a strong mandate and reputation for providing the best student experience at a research-intensive university (Globe & Mail Surveys 2010-15). Western has long been developing initiatives to enhance the student experience, including implementing a first-year residence guarantee, a first-year course selection guarantee and by creating more than 400 unique undergraduate program offerings and 120 Masters and PhD programs. Our three affiliated university colleges offer students across the range of many Western programs an opportunity to seamlessly integrate collegiate class settings with Western’s teaching environments, giving students the best of both worlds.

Western’s first- to second-year retention ranks second in Ontario at 93.3 % (2014-15 data), a function of both the academic excellence of its incoming students and the exceptional student experience it provides. Western’s student experience involves engagement in leadership activities that range from enriched experiences for students who are high academic achievers (e.g., Scholar’s Electives, Western Scholars, Western Integrated Science and the School for Advanced Studies in the Faculty of Arts and Humanities) to opportunities for participation in student government, the Leadership and Academic Mentorship Program, faculty and residence councils and nearly 250 student clubs, associations, and varsity sports.

Examples of institutional initiatives

The Western Experience is academically rich while at the same time providing students with a wide range of opportunities to support their career and professional development and their overall well-being.

Career Preparation and Professional Development

Experiential learning is an effective way for students to gain transferrable skills for the workplace and beyond. Western is increasing the number of experiential learning opportunities that connect students’ academic learning with meaningful, degree-related experience in industry and community settings. More than 3,680 Western students participate in formal Work Integrated Learning experiences, understood as internship, co-op, and practicum. In the co-curricular space, Western and its affiliated university colleges facilitate a broad range of community volunteering opportunities (e.g., Western Serves Day of Service), as well as job shadow experiences. Our Career Counselling team provides a variety of services to prepare students for their transition to work and our Propel Entrepreneurship provides resources for students who have innovative ideas they would like to bring to market.

Demand for co-working spaces that house student innovation and entrepreneurial activities has grown significantly in recent years and Western responded to these needs by supporting a number of initiatives. Propel Entrepreneurship was launched in the fall of 2014 as a partnership between Western University and the Ontario Centres of Excellence, and serves as the hub for student-led entrepreneurship on campus. In February 2015, Propel moved into a centrally located facility on campus and is now home to more than 200 active start-ups and 60 club-based events annually. Additional Faculty specific spaces are planned or underway in Engineering, Science, Medicine and Visual Arts, which will provide students with specialized equipment and training in order to spur innovative ideas and discovery. Our approach of fostering innovation and discovery at the Faculty level, while centralizing entrepreneurship, commercialization and business creation within a hub — is consistent with many of the successful programs across North America. Entrepreneurial resources and physical spaces are vital for students, not only to validate their ideas, meet potential partners and gain real world experience, but also for the transferable skills that are developed in this environment.   These skills, such as critical thinking, communication, leadership, accountability, and time management serve students well throughout their career, no matter their chosen path.

Although Western will follow the lead of the Council of Ontario Universities in defining experiential learning, the functional definition offered by the Association of Experiential Education (AEE) has informed our thinking on this matter. According to AEE, "Experiential education is a philosophy that informs many methodologies in which educators purposefully engage with learners in direct experience and focused reflection in order to increase knowledge, develop skills, clarify values and develop people’s capacity to contribute to their communities.” For Western, providing our students with the cross-cultural competencies needed to live and work in Ontario, Canada, or elsewhere, is a top experiential learning priority. Over the last five years, Western and its affiliated university colleges have developed more opportunities and provided more funding for students to participate in international experiences so that they can become more globally aware and cross-culturally literate. During this time we increased participation of our students from 4.2 % to more than 7.6 % annually. Our aspiration is to have 10 % of its students participate in an international experience each year. As a %age of degrees conferred, this would translate into approximately 40 % of our students having an international experience by the time they complete their degrees.

Building on a decade of leadership in professional development training for graduate students, Western will offer "Own Your Future”, a new comprehensive transitional competencies and career development program for graduate students that is built on core competencies and learning outcomes, beginning in September 2017. The program will engage students at the outset of their graduate studies, embedding competency development and career preparation throughout their formal studies. Throughout the program, students will use self-assessment tools to evaluate their competencies, guide goal setting, and demonstrate mastery. Own Your Future will prepare Western graduate students for success in a broad range of careers both within and beyond academia. In addition, Faculties and graduate programs have created supplementary professional development opportunities for their students that complement and augment our centrally delivered opportunities. For example, our Faculty of Engineering has developed courses in business, entrepreneurship, and commercialization and a certificate in STEM teaching for graduate students in engineering.

Student Well-being and support

To support the academic success of our students, Western and its affiliated university colleges provide extraordinary services and wellness programs for graduate and undergraduate students. The Student Development Centre has long provided counselling, writing and learning skills assistance, and support for students with disabilities. Western International provides transitional and wellness support for international students through more than 30 programs.

The recently opened the "Wellness Education Centre” (WEC) offers a safe, comfortable environment for Western students to ask questions and learn about the many health and wellness resources available on and off campus. The Western Wellness Coordinator, Wellness Peer Educators and Western’s Sexual Violence Prevention Education Coordinator have offices in the WEC.

Western Residences are ranked among the best residence experiences in large universities in Canada. Western residences provide academic programing and social, personal and professional skill development activities to enrich the student experience at Western. Our data show that students who live in residence do better academically than their off-campus peers. Western and its affiliated university colleges were leaders in offering a first-year residence guarantee, a commitment that continues today.

Western Libraries support student success by providing: essential scholarly resources; independent and collaborative learning environments and study spaces, and critical access to information literacy instruction and research help, when and where it is needed. With 2.1 million in-person visits to the libraries each year and tens of millions uses of the virtual library, Western Libraries are an integral part of the graduate and undergrad student experience.

Metrics and targets

System-Wide Metrics2019-20 Target Range
Proportion of fourth year students with two or more High-Impact Practices  (HIPs) (from the National Survey of Student Engagement)50.0%
Year 1 to Year 2 retention (from the Consortium for Student Retention Data Exchange)93.0%
Proportion of operating expenditures on student services, net of student assistance (as reported in the Council of University Finance Officers data)4.0%
Institutional Metrics2019-20 Target
Undergraduate Student Satisfaction
overall satisfaction with education received
95%
Graduate Student Survey
overall quality of your academic experience
87.5%
International Experiences
Number of international experiences divided by degrees conferred
30%

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

Teaching and learning is a key pillar in Western’s 2014 strategic plan, in which it articulates a commitment to innovation, experiential learning, the development of leadership and transferrable skills and educating the whole person. With a long-held and evidence-based reputation for an outstanding student experience both in and beyond the classroom, Western and its affiliated colleges continually enhance our academic programs, our opportunities for faculty pedagogical development, and our engagement with students as crucial partners in the scholarly community. The 2014 strategic plan commits the university to providing a community engaged learning opportunity, an international learning opportunity, or a research learning opportunity for all undergraduates who wish to pursue one as part of their degree.

Western’s undergraduate program structure is among the most flexible and student oriented of any in Ontario. In Western’s modular program structure, students may combine programs in cognate or entirely different fields of study. Given that half of university students change their intended major at the end of first year, Western’s flexible program structure helps ensure an effective path towards degree completion without penalizing students as they clarify their academic and career goals. In addition to the flexible program structure, undergraduate students may enroll in multidisciplinary programs in the liberal arts through the School for Advanced Studies in Arts and Humanities or in the sciences through the Western Integrated Science program. Both multidisciplinary programs are strongly oriented to active learning. Furthermore, Western also offers the Scholar’s Elective program, a highly selective program where each student is provided with a faculty mentor and a robust research experience over four years.

Since the approval of the University’s strategic plan in 2014, credit-bearing experiential learning opportunities have been extended to more students. Experiential learning has long been a priority of co-curricular programming at Western and its affiliated university colleges and it is increasingly becoming an integral part of curricular program requirements. In recent years, Western has invested in the development of Community Engaged Learning (CEL) courses as a strategy to increase high-impact practices, help students connect theoretical ideas with real-world experiences and make meaningful contributions to the London-Middlesex community. CEL courses feature community-based placements and/or projects with local non-profit organizations that support course learning outcomes. CEL opportunities at the affiliated university colleges include a partnership with the Dene Indigenous communities in northern Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories that sees both undergraduate and graduate placements.

Many of Western’s professional programs require WIL experiences, including the University’s continuing education unit, where nearly all students in diploma programs complete a practicum placement. At the graduate level, Western has seen dramatic growth in professional Masters programs, most of which include an integral experiential learning component. More than half of the 30 professional Master’s degree programs that Western currently offers include internships or practicum experiences. The remaining half include capstone projects that bridge classroom learning with industry experience.

Examples of institutional initiatives

1.0 Programs

In Western’s Integrated Science (WISc) program, undergraduate students combine intensive interdisciplinary studies with an area of specialization. Through novel classroom and laboratory experiences, students in WISc refine their critical thinking and problem solving skills while at the same time strengthening teamwork, leadership abilities and community engagement. Since  many of today’s most pressing scientific  problems are interdisciplinary (e.g. climate change), graduates of WISc gain a unique skill set allowing them  to work more effectively on cutting-edge problems that span the traditional science disciplines in both industry and academia.

Through an innovative collaboration between the Faculty of Engineering and the Ivey School of Business, students may complete an Engineering Leadership and Innovation Certificate. They acquire a developed knowledge and critical understanding of the key concepts and skills in management, leadership and innovation. In particular, they learn how the fields of engineering and business intersect and how principles of business and management can enhance the implementation of engineering technologies.

Professional Masters programs are developed and introduced in response to existing or anticipated need for advanced knowledge and skills in the public or private sector. Western has identified and responded to emerging job markets that require specialized training beyond a four-year Bachelors degree. While many universities use the term professional Masters to describe course-based Masters programs in traditional areas, Western’s professional Masters programs are designed to lead to a specific career track outside of academia. Our professional Masters programs emphasize the development of skills related to workplace and job market needs and they often cross disciplinary boundaries to prepare students for a range of employment sectors. Our professional Masters programs are designed to foster the skills that graduates will need to thrive in an evolving workplace. Opportunities for purposeful interaction with employers through internships and placements and development of workplace skills such as project management, communication, leadership and teamwork are important features of many of our professional Masters programs.

Our Master of Public Health Program (MPH) is an interfaculty program with a unique emphasis on interdisciplinarity and experiential learning. The intensive one-year, entirely case-based curriculum includes robust international placement opportunities. Our MPH is the only program in Ontario and only 1 of 4 in Canada to be accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH). CEPH is the longest standing accrediting body of public health schools in the world

Western’s Master of Professional Education (MPEd) and Professional Doctor of Education (EdD) are designed to prepare graduates for advanced careers in leadership and/or teaching roles. These online programs enable practicing professionals to apply research-­‐informed learning to real world challenges in education practice and leadership. The EdD is aimed at experienced educators and professionals with the goal of preparing them to effectively apply empirically-­‐based knowledge and leadership practices to their own workplace and leadership roles to promote meaningful, sustainable change. The online courses are designed to facilitate active learning and include course content resources, online discussion forums, assignments, video and audio content, and collaborative, synchronous learning sessions whereby students and instructor gather through web conferencing tools. Approximately 500 domestic and international students are enrolled in these professional graduate programs in Education, with enrolment projected to increase. The MPEd in Aboriginal Educational Leadership plays a special role in reaching Aboriginal learners who cannot leave their communities.

2.0 Teaching Expertise & Innovation in Teaching and Learning

Through Western’s Teaching Fellows program, ten outstanding faculty members are provided with time and resources to undertake research in areas of teaching of strategic priority to the University. Teaching Fellows are appointed for a three-year term and serve as instructional leaders in their disciplines, mentoring, offering peer consultation and sharing their advances in teaching and learning with the campus community and beyond. Current research topics include technology-enabled learning, curricular experiential learning and international education. The Western Certificate in University Teaching and Learning is designed for Graduate Teaching Assistants and includes a year-long program of instruction and learning activities. These two signature programs are heavily subscribed by Western instructors and the Teaching Support Centre delivers many others.

The University’s blended course development initiative further extends opportunities for active learning across campus. The Supported Course Redesign (SCoRe) program supports faculty members in the evidence-based transformation of fully face-to-face large-enrolment foundational courses into blended offerings. Through their

participation, faculty secure direct support and funding to engage in the course redesign process. Working with an interdisciplinary redesign team, faculty participants work to develop course-level learning outcomes, assessments and learning materials appropriate for a blended course. Courses redesigned through the SCoRe model are evaluated to assess the effectiveness of the redesigns on students’ self-regulation in learning and on their approaches to and engagement in learning.

Increasing the number of short-term faculty led study abroad courses at Western is one of the action items in The International Action Plan. Providing students with an opportunity to gain an academically meaningful, international experience through these programs will take Western further toward its goal of having 10% of its students participate in an international experience in any given year.

3.0 Students and Skills

A wide range of teaching and learning activities focus directly on the development of transferrable skills and competencies — including active and experiential learning — and they are a strategic priority at Western. The University’s Senate recently approved the Western Degree Outcomes, institution-­‐level outcomes that provide the framework for all program-­‐ and course-­‐level learning outcomes for undergraduate and professional programs. They serve as a shared language of achievement and skills that any Western undergraduate — regardless of disciplines or degree—might use to describe the result of their years of study to a variety of audiences. They make explicit an inventory of academic, professional, and working world competencies that are already the implicit content of the Western University curriculum.

Active learning, a defining characteristic of High Impact Practices (HIPS) in teaching, and experiential learning are often embedded in a course. Health-­‐related courses take advantage of simulated environments such as the University’s 3-­‐D Anatatorium, for instance, which boasts a large collection of models, joints, skeletons, bones, life-sized replicas and virtual technology to afford students a rich environment for anatomical studies. Field courses provide experiential learning opportunities and Western provides these in many disciplines. The Classical Studies department, for example, conducts a course on the site of Vindolanda  in  the  UK,  where students participate in excavations  to  investigate  provincial  life, Roman  imperialism  and  identity  in  antiquity. This is but one example of numerous "Faculty-­‐Led Study Abroad” opportunities. Active learning is central to blended, studio, and most capstone courses, to courses using the case study method, and to courses designed for inquiry-­‐based learning.

At the graduate level, Western has introduced courses in entrepreneurship to complement formal graduate curricula. These courses provide students with the knowledge and skills to apply their disciplinary knowledge beyond the classroom and university and to explore novel applications to real-world challenges. Open to all doctoral students in all programs at Western, response to these courses has been enthusiastic, as demonstrated by both enrolment in our pilot courses and through course evaluations and feedback. A "Design Thinking” course was piloted for PhD students in Fall 2016 and enrolled 25 students from a range of disciplines; a "New Value Creation” course was piloted in Winter 2017 and enrolled 25 from diverse disciplines. An intense "Graduate Student Innovation Scholars” program was piloted in Winter 2017; despite a short time-line for launching this pilot, we received applications from 45 graduate students enrolled in graduate programs across nine Faculties.

Metrics and targets

System-Wide Metrics2019-20 Target
Composite score on National Survey of Student Engagement questions related to students’ perceived gains in higher order learning outcomes28.0
Proportion of programs with explicit curriculum maps and articulation of learning outcomes90.0%
Graduation rate (from the Consortium for Student Retention Data Exchange)84.0%
Institutional Metrics2019-20 Target
Instructor and Course Evaluations
Overall effectiveness of instructor
Course as a learning experience
90%
88.0%
Work Integrated Learning (Co-ops, Internships, and Practicums )4,000

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

Western has a strong commitment to access and equity with programs supporting student groups including Indigenous students, first-generation students, students with disabilities and students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. Access for under-represented populations are an institutional priority for the affiliated university colleges where they have built complementary programs to Western in support of access and equity. Western was among the first universities in the province to publicly guarantee students admitted to Western would not be prevented from attending or forced to withdraw, due to lack of access to the necessary financial resources. Today, Western is still a leader in financial support for students through its scholarships, bursaries and work-study programs substantially exceeding the minimum Student Access Guarantee (SAG) commitments.

Western is a committed participant in initiatives to improve access for underrepresented groups through its involvement in special access programs, financial and cultural mentoring programs. Western supports "Pathways” by providing transparency and information related to course equivalencies and the development of many articulation agreements with College partners throughout Ontario.

Examples of institutional initiatives

Financial Aid Access

Western’s financial aid program supports student retention and success by reducing financial barriers. In addition to the provincial Student Access Guarantee, Western maintains a commitment of financial support to ensure students have the necessary financial resources to meet all educational costs required to complete their degree. Western looks at all education related costs when considering bursary eligibility. For example, we use the full cost of residence living in our needs assessment, even though it exceeds Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) allowances.   This ensures

that students from all backgrounds have access to residence life and the critical programs that support belonging, personal well-­‐being and retention. By continuing to offer a work study program, Western also supports access for students who need to work to cover education costs as well as providing an opportunity for work experience for students to build their resume.

First-­‐entry Western students in receipt of OSAP paid 40 % of the tuition cost as a result of funding from Western (scholarships, awards, bursaries). Second-entry Western students in receipt of OSAP paid 69 % of the tuition cost as a result of funding from Western (scholarships, awards, bursaries).

Western spent about $90 million in student aid (undergraduate and graduate support, including scholarships, awards, bursaries and Graduate Teaching Assistantships) from the operating budget in 2016-17. Based on Council of Ontario Finance Officers – Universities of Ontario data, our spending on student aid (excluding salary related student support) as a % of total expenditures continues to trend above the Ontario average. Our commitment to student support aligns with our strategic objectives in both our commitment to access and to the student experience. The financial aid program at Western and its affiliated university colleges is particularly responsive to underrepresented groups including Indigenous students, first-generation students and students with disabilities. Institutional practices are sensitive to the individual circumstances of students, with a mindset of fairness and flexibility.

Support for Indigenous students includes: full access to set-aside funds, including a special emergency program with same-day turnaround for amounts up to $500; recognizing costs for mature learners not normally incurred by other students; and full integration with band funding support to ensure there are no gaps in funds available to cover all educational costs. Western also supports an Indigenous student bursary program and a number of need-based scholarships including 10 Canada 150 scholarships of $3000 each.

Western’s financial commitment to other underrepresented groups includes support for Crown Wards, by providing funding equal to at least 50 % of their tuition costs. In many cases funding exceeds the minimum amount to support necessary living costs. Western also supports students with disabilities, augmenting funding provided by the Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Development (MAESD), to offset the extra costs associated with an often-longer period of study.

Indigenous Student Access

Western has maintained the Access Transition Opportunities Program for Indigenous students since 2006 in order to assist with successful university transition and degree completion through academic, cultural and personal supports. Newer initiatives include the development of Indigenous Community Outreach Coordinator and Indigenous liaison Admissions Coordinator positions.

Students with Disabilities (SSD) Access

This unit is dedicated to enhancing accessibility at Western, which is accomplished by playing a central role in determining academic accommodation and by providing a variety of services for students with disabilities. New initiatives in SSD include a summer transition program which was attended by over 300 students in summer 2016. The program included strategies to give students information regarding supports prior to attending university in the fall. SSD has also purchased new text to speech software which was used by over 350 students this year, new alternative format text software for students, and online request ability for the latter.

SWAU & WISE

Academic initiatives supporting access include the School within a University (SWAU). SWAU allows 33 secondary school students facing challenges the opportunity to experience the university environment and earn credits at both the secondary school and university level. The program offers a unique and supportive learning environment with educators, counsellors, support staff and student peers. The Western Initiative for Scholarly Excellence (WISE) program also supports access by allowing high-achieving students from any background access to a free university level course to prove their ability to succeed at university whether or not they have considered this possibility in the past.

First-Generation Students Access

Western and its affiliated university colleges support first-generation students with both academic and financial mentoring to help students adjust quickly and improve the likelihood of successful progression and graduation. Western’s Leadership and Academic Mentoring Program and King’s Academic Mentoring Program are examples of effective supports for first-generation students. The Mature Student Mentoring program includes one-to-one mentoring of mature students, many of whom are also first-generation students. Western provides special financial support for first-generation students in many other ways as well, through budgeting and financial literacy workshops, as well as through our internal bursary program. The outcome of our various initiatives is a retention rate for first-generation students that is equal to the retention rate for other non-first-generation students.

Metrics and targets

System-Wide Metrics2019-20 Expected Value
Number of the following groups at an institution: 
Indigenous students460
First generation students2,000
Students with disabilities2,400
Francophone students330
Share of OSAP recipients at an institution relative to its total number of eligible students50%
Number of transfer applicants and registrations, as captured by the Ontario University Application Centre800 applicants; 80 registrations
Institutional Metrics2019-20 Target
Student Aid Spending
Western, spending (from all sources) as % of total expenditures
6.5%
Net Tuition
% of full-tuition paid by OSAP recipients
40%

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

Western ranks among Canada’s top-10 research universities and has many areas of scholarship and research where it can lay claim to being both a Canadian and global leader (Research Infosource: Canada’s Top 50 Research Universities, 2016). Our Strategic Plan challenges our campus community to aspire to become a more preeminent research intensive university by raising our stature nationally, and expanding the number of areas that achieve excellence on the world stage. Meeting  this challenge starts with creating a culture that places increased  value  on  scholarship  and  innovation,  one  that strives more intently to increase the impact and productivity of our research and scholarly activities across and between the disciplines. To support this priority, Western continues to focus more attention and resources on promoting and rewarding:  excellence in scholarship and innovation; knowledge creation; and the translation and mobilization of that knowledge into policies and applications useful in the public realm.

Western’s size and structure enable us to demonstrate creative approaches in targeted priority research areas. In addition to having broad strengths as a research intensive university, we are well along the path of identifying and consolidating specific areas of research excellence and, as such, we are achieving areas of differentiation. Evidence of this can be seen in our processes, investment of resources, and impacts as described in the following approaches.

Selective investment in interdisciplinary areas of strength:

Western has a structure that supports interdisciplinary collaborations within and outside the university. For example, in the health-related disciplines, robust relationships with the healthcare system include cross appointments of clinical faculty and university appointments for scientists in affiliated research institutes. Our Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Faculty of Science, Faculty of Health Sciences, and Faculty of Engineering have extensive and growing collaborations with industry as, increasingly, do our Faculties of Social Science, Arts & Humanities, and Music.

We have developed targeted incentives to nurture the development of new interdisciplinary partnerships and initiatives that expand and enhance existing partnerships. For example, since 2007, we have provided seed funding for 23 projects through the Interdisciplinary Development Initiatives (IDI) program. Many of the projects funded by the IDI program have led to the development of new graduate education opportunities in synergy with strategic interdisciplinary research development. Our PhD and Master’s level collaborative graduate programs in Developmental Biology, Molecular Imaging, Planetary Science, Musculoskeletal Health, Public Health, Global Minds and Migration and Ethnic Relations have all grown out of the IDI program to provide interdisciplinary opportunities for graduate students and faculty to conduct research that transcends disciplinary boundaries. In addition, the IDI program has led directly to the development of new Masters programs in Environment and Sustainability, Financial Economics and Linguistics.

Infrastructure of resources to support research

Our strategic research investments include:

  • Internal seed grants for new investigators and accelerator grants to move established investigators to the next Western reinvests substantial internal funds in research
  • State of the experimental facilities including Canada’s only ultra-high field strength MRI, 3D wind tunnel, and avian wind Examples of work arising from these facilities are the world-­‐ class research programs in the field of Medical Imaging
  • Construction of IMPACKT – an advanced Level 2+/3 facility with integrated live viral imaging what will be one of three in North
  • Construction of a Western Interdisciplinary Research Building (WIRB), to support the growth of our existing and emerging interdisciplinary research teams and to expand the scope and impact of our interdisciplinary
  • A supportive and facilitating ecosystem of interdisciplinary Centres, Institutes and graduate programs to facilitate interdisciplinary thought and

Researchers benefit from the strategic alignment of Western Libraries and Research Western, allowing for enhanced institutional support for research activities and a holistic approach to supporting the research cycle. Western Libraries provide supportive physical and virtual library research environments, as well as timely access to librarian expertise. They are expanding opportunities to disseminate research results, including strong positioning of the institutional repository, which has enabled over four million downloads Western research outputs to over 200 countries on six continents. Nearly 2.4 million of these downloads are from our electronic thesis repository program to users in 228 countries, with the top downloaded theses ranging across the many disciplinary areas we support at Western; this enables the cutting-edge research of our graduate students to be found and used by scholars, citizens, government, industry and other stakeholders in the research enterprise of the university.

Research Cluster Program

To strengthen our national and international stature, Western is selectively identifying and investing in clusters of research excellence. To date, two research clusters have been targeted for differential investment. These clusters have arisen out of grass roots strengths with interdisciplinary momentum supported by institutional investments (e.g. the IDI program, selective recruitment through the Western Research Chair (WRC) program) as well as the clusters’ competitive advantage for external recognition and investment (e.g. the CRC program, the CERC program and external funding opportunities). These two clusters are elaborated as examples in section 4.2.

As we continue our movement in the direction of differentiation and selective resourcing of clusters of excellence, our goal is to identify and support four to five research clusters.

Examples of institutional initiatives

Western’s Research Clusters program targets world-leading research areas for significant institutional investment. The Research Clusters program builds on our platform of research supports, such as our commitment to interdisciplinary Research Centres and Institutes, our selective investments in interdisciplinarity, and our infrastructure supports for research excellence. These investments have a cumulative effect, generating further success in securing external funding. Our first two Research Clusters are described below.

Novel, interdisciplinary graduate programs were a central, and early, feature of the two clusters. Reinforcing this interdisciplinary drive, Western’s School of Graduate and Postdoctoral studies is continuing to develop models enhancing support for innovative, flexible interdisciplinary graduate degrees, of which the most recent model provides our third example.

Western Research Cluster-Cognitive Neuroscience Our first Research Cluster is the Cognitive Neuroscience  Cluster, which  has achieved  international distinction. The excellence of Western’s Brain and Mind Institute facilitated the recruitment of Adrian Owen, the Canada Excellence Research Chair in Cognitive Neuroscience and Imaging. Investment from Western in a Cognitive Neuroscience cluster of research excellence propelled this group further forward to the point where it was able to successfully compete for a $66 million award from the Canada First Research Excellence Fund (CFREF). This careful stewardship is now a template for growing successful interdisciplinary research clusters at Western.

Western Research Cluster – Musculoskeletal Health

Musculoskeletal Health (MSK) research was identified as our second Research Cluster. This cluster investment follows directly from funding of a Bone and Joint Health interdisciplinary initiative through our IDI program. The Bone and Joint Health IDI had, as its key deliverable, an interdisciplinary graduate program in Musculoskelatal Health, which built on an earlier CIHR-funded Strategic Training Program. The MSK graduate program became a vehicle that brought together over 70 MSK researchers from across Western and became the nexus for the MSK cluster. External success is becoming evident through CIHR grants, Foundation Grants and CFI funds secured by the MSK cluster. Through the Western Research Chairs program, we are continuing to invest in recruitment of additional top scientists to this nascent cluster.

Novel models for interdisciplinary graduate programs

Novel, interdisciplinary graduate programs have arisen as a product of our selective investments in interdisciplinarity and are also in themselves a strategy to promote further interdisciplinary research interaction and impacts. New to our institutional landscape, we are now piloting a model of doctoral studies that enables students who are conducting research at the intersection of two disciplines to complete a PhD that combines the two disciplines by meeting the requirements, simultaneously, of two graduate programs. The pilot cases are two students who are simultaneously pursuing PhD credentials in Computer Science and Hispanic Studies, with research incorporating both disciplines and merging the methods and knowledge of both disciplines. The goal is to  enhance  our  menu  of  models  of  interdisciplinarity  within  which  students  can  achieve  thesis  research  that pushes  the  boundaries  of  traditional  disciplines  and  enables  our  graduate  students  and  faculty  to  pursue research in novel and emerging areas of relevance.

Metrics and targets

System-Wide Metrics2019-20 Target
Tri-council funding (share within Ontario, by council – 3-year avg)
SSHRC
NSERC
CIHR
7.1%<
8.8%
8.7%
Total Number of Papers (5 year total)
Average # of Papers per Full-Time Faculty (5 year avg)
16,500
2.25
Total Number of Citations (5 year total)
Citations per Paper Published (over 5 years)
152,0009.4
Institutional Metrics2019-20 Target
Total Research Revenue
All sources per tenured/probationary faculty member
$215,000
Grads to Total
Western, Graduate enrolments as % of total full-time
20%
Research Chairs:  Externally-funded and Western-endowed
Total research chairs
110
Thesis downloads 

600,000

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

Western’s mission to create, disseminate and apply knowledge for the benefit of society includes a commitment to knowledge translation and economic development in our region, province and nation. (http://president.uwo.ca/economic_impact_report_2015.html) recently completed by an independent accounting firm provided many details of Western’s significant economic contributions in the region and to Ontario:

  • Over 6300 fulltime equivalent positons with Western being the second largest employer in the London Census Metropolitan Area (CMA)
  • Nearly 15,500 fulltime employees are connected to Western, 11,000 of which are located in This employee base annually contributes over $1.6 billion dollars in value added to the region’s economy
  • Over 11,000 part-time positions, primarily students, are provided each year at
  • Western research is estimated to have a cumulative annual contribution of $2 billion to Canada’s
  • Over $500 million is directly spent annually by Western students and visitors in supporting the London CMA
  • Western capital investments annually generate an average of 1,560 person-years of employment and contribute over $145 million to Canada’s
  • WORLDiscoveries, Western’s business development, technology transfer and commercialization office, has generated over $23 million in royalty and licensing income over the past five years, among the highest gross income levels among technology transfer offices in
  • Western alumni living in Ontario contribute approximately $7.4 billion to the provincial
  • Western’s three Research Parks, the largest collection of university based incubators in Canada, are home to nearly 1,400 knowledge based employees that annually contribute over $120 million to the region’s economy

Western’s Research Parks are home to 90 companies ranging from multinational corporations, to university‐driven spin‐off companies, to entrepreneur‐ driven technology start-‐up entities. This includes 25 start-­‐up companies, 41 early stage SMEs and 25 established anchor tenants representing key sectors including advanced manufacturing, life sciences, biotech and digital media. With services such as shared space, startup advice and Western’s WORLDiscoveries group providing patent and IP support, the Western Research Parks have been recognized as one of the top research park destinations in North America.

Examples of institutional initiatives

Not-for-Profit Partnerships

Nonprofit community partners play an important role in the education of Western students by providing student placements and projects affiliated with Community Engaged Learning courses, and other Work Integrated Learning experiences. Western actively engages with the London nonprofit community by partnering with over 150 organizations for CEL courses, being a founding tenant of London’s new social innovation shared space (Innovation Works), and hosting our annual community-university dialogue (Engage Western), among other   initiatives. Western Centre for Research on Migration and Ethnic Relations (MER)

MER facilitates research that draws on academic knowledge to inform public policy and practice on migration and ethnic relations in Canada and internationally. The Centre informs policy and practice on migration and ethnic relations through the research conducted under the auspices of the Centre and as the academic home of the Pathways to Prosperity Partnership, a SSHRC funded alliance of federal and provincial migration ministries; municipalities; national, regional, and local organizations involved in newcomer settlement and integration; and researchers from over 50 universities. MER has been involved in the London and Middlesex Local Immigration Partnership (LMLIP) since its inception, and is the official research arm of the LMLIP. The London and Middlesex Local Immigration Partnership is a collaborative community initiative designed to strengthen the role of the city in integrating immigrants, funded by Citizenship and Immigration Canada.

Expanded Industry-Relevant Research Capacity

Western is developing research infrastructure that can function at a scale relevant to the needs of our industry partners, government agencies and other stakeholders. Four projects described below exemplify this approach.

The London Wastewater Facility: As a founding member of the Southern Ontario Water Consortium (SOWC), Western worked closely with private sector partners in the water treatment industry and the City of London to develop a world-class research facility (operating inside an existing municipal wastewater treatment plant) allowing industry partners to develop, validate, and demonstrate new technologies at full scale. The 3,000 square-foot lab is currently operational with industry tenants pursuing collaborative research and development with academics from Western’s Faculty of Engineering, to develop, integrate and commercialize new water delivery and wastewater treatment systems

The WindEEE Dome: Building on over 50 years of experience in wind engineering, Western identified the need to test buildings and other structures in non-standard wind patterns, including tornadoes and downbursts. Working with leading engineering and wind tunnel design firms, Western developed the concept and secured over $30 million in funding from internal sources and the Federal and Provincial governments to construct the Wind Engineering, Energy and Environment (WindEEE) Dome the world’s first 3D wind testing facility. This capability has provided significant additional value to our industry partners in the civil engineering, architectural, and insurance industries. Partners can test new designs for building structures, building materials and building techniques, as well as renewable energy systems such as wind turbines, at relevant model scales, using the latest experimental techniques. WindEEE has also been a test centre for drone operation research in this rapidly growing industry.

The Fraunhofer Project Center @ Western: Western has established a partnership with the Fraunhofer Institute of Chemical Technology (ICT) based in Pfinztal, Germany. This successful partnership has resulted in the first Fraunhofer Project Center (FPC) in Canada, a 20,000 square-foot, state-of-the-art industrial facility equipped with a 2,500 tonne industrial hydraulic press and five different manufacturing processes all focused on developing advanced polymer composite materials and processes to serve the global automotive, transportation and construction markets. This $28 million project was a co-investment by Western, the City of London and the Federal government. The facility has already completed more than 60 collaborative research projects with private sector partners such as GM Canada, Ford Canada and many others, collectively valued at more than $4 million dollars. These projects typically involve a team consisting of industry partner R&D experts, FPC research engineers and technicians, and students from Western and other institutions. Over 35 students have received industry and project training at FPC and have moved into employment in the advanced manufacturing sector.

Enhanced Commercialization Capacity

Western recognizes that innovation leads to prosperity. London and the surrounding region have experienced significant change and economic instability with the changing face of industry and manufacturing since 2008. In an effort to meet that challenge, Western, in partnership with its two research hospitals combined their resources to create a shared technology transfer and commercialization organization called WORLDiscoveries. Since its inception, WORLDiscoveries has established a measurable and impressive track record of success (AUTM Canadian Licensing Activity Survey:FY 2010-15), including:

Routinely ranking among the top five income-generating technology transfer offices in Canada;

Leading the nation for three successive years in the number of new spin-off companies created;

Establishing the first permanent Canadian technology transfer office in Asia.

In the latter case, it is worth noting that Western has since expanded its Asian footprint by adding offices in Nanjing, Hong Kong, and Tanjin, China. This commitment has resulted in matching investments by Chinese public sector and industrial partners and paved the way for further technology transfer, licensing and commercialization activities that WORLDiscoveries is pursuing actively throughout the Pacific Rim.

Since its inception, Western has secured 12 revenue-generating agreements with Asian-based industry partners valued at over $6 million and formed the first two joint venture companies ever in Canada between a Chinese multinational and two university-based spinoffs.

Metrics and targets

System-Wide Metrics2019-20 Target
Graduate employment rates90% (6 months)93.5% (2 years)
Proportion of graduates employed full time in a related job (2 years out)90%
Institutional Metrics2019-20 Target
Economic impact$13.0B
Licensing revenue$5,000,000
Students Involved in Entrepreneurship courses and activitiesTBD  (data collection underway)

Enrolment Strategy and Program Direction

Enrolment plan and corridor midpoints

This section 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, 93,001.08 Weighted Grant Units (WGU) will be the corridor midpoint value for Western University. This value was determined using the institution’s actual enrolment (expressed as WGUs) from the 2016-17 academic year. Western University will receive funding consistent with this level of enrolment and subject to the policies contained within the Ontario University Funding Model Technical Manual, May 2017, Version 1.0.

Projected funding-eligible undergraduate enrolments

Below is the institutions projected enrolment of funding-eligible undergraduate enrolments for the Western University

 Projected 2017-18Projected 2018-19Projected 2019-20
Undergraduate Full-time Headcounts26,89326,98627,104

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 Western University

 Target 2017-18Target 2018-19Target 2019-20
Masters2,9853,1143,145
PhD1,3391,3991,421
Total4,3244,5134,566

Note – allocation shown in FTEs

Projected international enrolment

 Projected 2017-18Projected 2018-19Projected 2019-20
Undergraduate Full-time Headcounts3,1273,2683,343
Masters Full-time Headcounts764795801
Doctoral Full-time Headcounts600605611
Total Enrolment Full-time Headcounts449146684755

Note:  International enrolments include all funding ineligible international students.

International enrolment strategy and collaboration

Western’s strategic plan, Achieving Excellence on the World Stage, clearly articulates the importance of Western’s international activities. Western takes a comprehensive approach to internationalization. At the centre of our international strategy we aim to encourage and promote global citizenship and awareness and to enhance our international relevance as an institution of higher learning. Our goal is to be a truly global university providing the best education for tomorrow’s global leaders.

Western’s international strategy was written in consultation with more than 30 groups on campus and was presented to the Senate after approval by the President, Vice-Presidents, Associate Vice-Presidents, and Deans. International enrolment is only one of 10 components in the strategy. At the undergraduate level, approximately 10% of our students are international. At the graduate level, approximately 20% of our students are international. Our aspirations are to maintain the graduate student proportion of international students and to gradually increase the undergraduate proportion to 15 %. The affiliated university colleges each have long-standing, broad-based international initiatives that extend to over 30 countries which result in student mobility in terms of exchange, CEL and pathways to degrees.

Strategic areas of program strength and expansion

Program areas of strength

  1. Liberal and Creative Arts in the Digital Age
  2. Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Disciplines
  3. Business, Management, Finance and Law
  4. Medical, Health and Behavioural Sciences
  5. Education

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

Program areas of expansion

  1. STEM Disciplines
  2. Business, Management, Finance and Law
  3. Medical, Health and Behavioural Sciences
  4. 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.

System-wide Metrics2015-16 Actuals
Net Income / (Loss) Ratio3.98%
Net Operating Revenues Ratio9.56%
Primary Reserve Ratio205 days
Interest Burden Ratio1.34%
Viability Ratio2.20

Institutional Collaborations and Partnerships

The following lists highlight some of the partnerships not mentioned elsewhere in the document.

Western Libraries provide critical resources and services to support student success and research advancement at Western University. They participate in multiple inter-institutional partnerships that provide for shared services and digital infrastructure and that support efficiencies in licensing, information services and collections management.

The Ontario Council of University Libraries (OCUL) enhances library and information services through: collective purchasing of electronic resources; shared services and digital information infrastructure; collaborative planning, advocacy, and assessment; and through research partnerships, communications, and professional development. The Scholars Portal is OCUL’s key digital services suite consisting of scholarly resource and data repositories, virtual reference services, and an accessible content eportal.

The Canadian Research Knowledge Network (CRKN) is a partnership of 75 Canadian universities dedicated to expanding digital content for the academic research and teaching enterprise. Its focus is largescale licensing of published research content and academic databases. This consortial approach to licensing ensures cost effective negotiations and the CRKN Model License allows CRKN to license content effectively, ensuring that all licensed

content has rights and permissions that are as advantageous as possible for researchers and users.

Keep@Downsview is a new partnership between the University of Toronto, University of Ottawa, Western University, McMaster University and Queen’s University. These five institutions will share a high-density storage and preservation facility that supports long-term preservation and access to scholarly print materials, and is designed to provide a secure environmentally controlled space that is optimal for long-term preservation. The facility, located at the University of Toronto’s Downsview Campus, uses cost effective high-density rack storage, and has a capacity for 5 million volumes, with the potential for further expansion.

Western and its affiliated university colleges support over 84 transfer agreements with over 18 college partners the details of which are outlined in Annex A.

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

2014-2017 Strategic Mandate Agreement, Western University