Overview

The Ministry of Training, Colleges, and Universities is calling on all publicly-funded colleges and universities in Ontario to submit a first draft of a new Strategic Mandate Agreement (SMA) by December 20, with a final version due in March. The SMA process, which was started in mid-2012, called on each institution to submit an eight-page document demonstrating how its activities, current and planned, contribute to the directions identified in a paper that was released entitled, “Strengthening Ontario’s Centres of Creativity, Innovation and Knowledge: A discussion paper on innovation to make our university and college system stronger”.

This second call for submissions – issued recently – has the added lens of the Differentiation Policy Framework for Postsecondary Education document, which was released last month, and is also meant to be broader than the first round. The Ministry is looking to the province’s 49 publicly funded postsecondary institutions to devise solutions to increase capacity, affordability, quality, and access through collaboration, technology, and innovation.

Each SMA will comprise a differentiated mandate statement, an institutional vision, 10 areas of program strength, differentiating activities in support of institutional operation and program delivery, and three to five strategic program focus areas where there will be growth in the next five years. The document is meant to provide insight into the current state of six key government priorities at each of Ontario’s postsecondary institutions, including:

• Social and economic development
• High-quality educational experience
• Financial sustainability and accountability
• Access for all qualified learners
• World-class research and innovation
• Collaboration and pathways for students

It will also examine six components of differentiation at each institution:

• Jobs, Innovation, and Economic Development
• Teaching and Learning
• Student Population
• Research and Graduate Education
• Program Offerings
• Institutional Collaboration to Support Student Mobility

Given the tight timeline, the College leadership asked Dr. Mark Hoddenbagh, Director, Applied Research and Innovation, to chair this initiative.

“Our vision for the future of this institution positions us and our students for success, and we look forward to sharing it with the Ministry and the broader College community in the coming months,” says Dr. Hoddenbagh. “As the only publicly funded English-language college in Eastern Ontario, and as a leader in digital and online learning, we feel we offer an experience that is well in line with what the Ministry is hoping to achieve.”

Watch for opportunities to add your thoughts to Algonquin’s SMA process in the New Year. If you would like more information, please contact Dr. Mark Hoddenbagh at hoddenm@algonquincollege.com.