5 B.C. postsecondary education stories to watch in 2017

    1 of 5 2 of 5

      The most recent figures from Statistics Canada showed there were 272,808 students enrolled in B.C. colleges and universities.

      The B.C. government's website states that another 51,000 students attend private training schools every year.

      Despite the huge number of British Columbians who attend or work at postsecondary institutions, this sector doesn't normally receive much media attention—except when something dramatic happens.

      With a provincial election scheduled on May 9, 2017, next year will be particularly important for this sector.

      Here are five stories worth keeping an eye on:

      Tom Szymanski

      1. Tuition as an election issue

      South of the border, U.S. senator Bernie Sanders put free tuition on the political agenda during his attempt to win the Democratic Party presidential nomination. The nominee, Hillary Clinton, subsequently agreed to incorporate this in the party platform for in-state colleges and universities.

      Earlier this year, the Ontario government announced it will end university and college tuition for low-income students. It's coming through a radical restructuring of student aid.

      Here in B.C., however, postsecondary institutions are increasingly reliant on tuition to cover costs. 

      That's because the B.C. Liberal government has held the line and sometimes even reduced operating grants to colleges and universities.

      It puts opposition politicians in a bind: do they call for lower tuition fees, knowing that it will only push postsecondary institutions to try to attract more foreign students to offset the loss of revenue?

      At UBC's Vancouver campus, tuition accounted for 39.6 percent of the 2015-16 operating budget, according to a document submitted to the UBC board. International tuition revenues shot up $23 million that year, whereas domestic tuition rose by $8 million.

      UBC and other institutions have an incentive to attract more international students. That's because they aren't subject to the legislated caps on tuition designed to cushion the blow for domestic students. It's given rise to media coverage that domestic students are being crowded out of universities.

      This wouldn't have become an emerging issue had the provincial government not tried to build up such large surpluses and lower taxes on the back of the postsecondary sector, which is a key driver of future economic prosperity. Expect students and staff at postsecondary institutions to influence B.C. political parties to promise to give a better deal to colleges and universities.

      To date, Premier Christy Clark has tried to blunt criticism with flashy capital announcements, such as the recent $45-million provincial contribution toward an expansion of SFU's Surrey campus. But a really important issue for many administrators is operational funding, which is forcing them to lure more foreign students and expand continuing education to help pay the bills. 

      It's not out of the question that the B.C. Liberal government might copy aspects of the Ontario tuition-free model in its next budget. 

      Emily Carr University of Art + Design's new campus will open next year east of Main Street and north of Great Northern Way.

      2. Opening of the new Emily Carr University of Art + Design campus

      In September 2017, ECUAD president Ron Burnett will see his dream come to life when the first students walk through the doors of the 285,000-square-foot campus alongside Great Northern Way. Emily Carr University professor and artist Landon Mackenzie and painter Ben Reeves devised the colour scheme for the exterior, featuring 15 hues paying homage to the work of Victoria artist Emily Carr.

      Even before its opening, the four-storey campus has already turned this area into one of the city's hottest art zones as major galleries have moved into the neighbourhood. The presence of the new campus could increase the likelihood of the Millennium SkyTrain line eventually being extended west from VCC-Clark Station, which would have major ramifications for the city.

      The campus will include three lecture theatres, including a 400-seat venue for major events. It was made possible with a $113-million provincial grant, which was announced shortly before the 2013 election. Don't be surprised if the premier reminds voters of this on the campaign trail next year.

      UBC Peter A. Allard School of Law professor Margot Young identified many shortcomings in a draft sexual assault and harassment policy intended to protect students, staff, and faculty.
      UBC

      3. How will UBC address sexual assault and harassment?

      UBC has found itself at the centre of several negative news stories about sexual assaults on the Point Grey campus and the dismissal of the former chair of the creative writing department, Steven Galloway.

      If these issues aren't kept out of the public eye in 2017, it could have a corrosive effect on the university's reputation and its fundraising efforts.

      In October, the UBC faculty association's status of women chair, Margot Young, wrote a devastating analysis of the university's draft sexual assault and harassment policy, calling its investigation, disclosure, and reporting procedures "inadequate". She pointed out that sexual assault is "not simply one form, among many, of student misconduct", and that the proposed dispute-resolution process of students making decisions for other students "is inappropriate to the issue". 

      A new draft of the sexual assault policy is expected to go to the UBC board of governors in February, which will be followed by a round of UBC community consultations.

      In 2016, Santa Ono became the 14th person to assume the presidency of UBC.
      UBC

      4. Diversity at the top of institutions

      This year's appointment of Santa Ono as UBC's new president was greeted warmly by advocates of greater diversity in management. But it's also true that the senior administrative positions at B.C. colleges, institutes, and universities are overwhelmingly filled by white men and women.

      These officials have often made great efforts to increase access to postsecondary education for indigenous people and racial minorities. However, the existence of mostly or entirely white senior management teams on increasingly multicultural campuses doesn't sit well with some students and faculty members. Expect to hear more about this in 2017.

      5. How will private training schools be regulated? 

      With a provincial election looming, the B.C. NDP and the Greens will likely highlight how the B.C. Liberals dropped the ball on the regulation of private career training institutions. The government quietly folded a Crown corporation, the Private Career Training Institutions Agency, into the Ministry of Advanced Education following a scathing 2015 Ombudsperson's report that came with 36 recommendations. In the report, then ombudsperson Kim Carter called on the Ministry of Advanced Education develop a student bill of rights and ensure that the provincial regulatory body has adequate staff to oversee this sector.

      For opponents of the B.C. Liberals, it will be easy to poke holes in the government's record. A more challenging assignment will be to come up with a new model that recognizes the important role that private career-training institutions play in the B.C. economy while ensuring that students aren't being shortchanged.

      Comments