advance cash faxing money no now

Fall 1 9 9 7 ••
um ver s l
Manager
-(
of
^
L:-1
Glenn Harris takes on the challenge
of leading CAUBO
* -I...JU
lis
let HU
V
li'.
NO *wwiia
03E 3iins
i33yis iy33"W ose
oaiwa
N3H0D 33iarww
(i) aia
gy Transforming t h e Cla
University One-Card
System,
Recreation Services
Athletics
Book Store
ii i^
iiwillliiifiiri
iifipfill/iii
iJoiitiiir
Vending
Student Union
DDI
DD
Library
Housing
Dining Service
The most comprehensive computer system,
providing one card to handle all your needs.
General Meters Corporation tm
1935 Dominion Way
Colorado Springs, CO 80918
(719) 522-9222 FAX (719) 522-9297
Managing Editor
Andrea Kuch
Editor
Jo Anne Sommers
Contributor
Louise Legault
Art Direction
Heidi Nabert Design
Traffic Manager
Elaine Cewick
Publisher/Advertising Director
Gladywn Nickel
Advertising Sales
Grant Crosbie
Coleen McCrae
Published four times a year by
August Communications Ltd.
19
CAUBO's new president brings a thoughtful,
considered approach to the challenges facing the
post secondary sector...by Jo Anne Sommers
Editorial/Design Office
250 the Esplande, Suite 201
Toronto, Ontario, M5A 1J2
Tel: (416) 867-1042
Fax:(416)867-1115
[email protected]
Advertising/Administration
200-388 Donald Street
Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3B 214
Tel: (204) 957-0265
Fax: (204) 957-0217
[email protected]
Magazine Consultants
Canadian Association of University
Business Officers
320-250 Albert Street
Ottawa, Ontario KIR 1B1
23
27
30
Postage Paid at Winnipeg.
Postmaster: Send address changes to Winnipeg office.
The views expressed in this publication are the
CO
Your Bagpipes Sound Slightly Flat
A light-hearted look at the Nova Scotia political
scene. ..By Dexter Kaulbach
Executive Director, CAUBO
Maurice Cohen
Publication Mail Registration No. 0179620
De nouvelles facons d'apprendre
Q)
Departments
5
Director's Message
The Growing Need for Bursaries... by Maurice
5
>
Message du directeur
Bourses: un besoin croissant... par Maurice
6
Cohen
Cohen
News & Views
Montreal Universities Get a Facelift...Brock Sudents
Register on the Web...Western Business School Tops in
Research...CUPA Honours Fijal...Fleming Wins First
Clements Award...and more
responsibility of the publisher and do not necessarily
reflect the views of the officers or members of the
D
Canadian Association of University Business Officers.
Les opinions exprimees dans cette publication
sont la responsabilite de I'editeur et ne refletent
pas necessairement celles des dirigeants ou
des membres de l'ACPAU.
Cover photograph by Dick Woolner
bJO
a
New Learning Opportunities
De nouvelles methodes d'enseignement transforment les universities canadiennes...
par Jeff Buckstein
Fax: (613) 563-7739
[email protected]
Universite de Sherbrooke
>s
How Canada's universities are adapting to the
changing face of classroom instruction...
by Jeff Buckstein
Tel: (613) 563-1236
CAUBO Editorial Board Members
Chair-. Nancy Sullivan,
University of Guelph
Members-. Terry Falconer,
The University of Manitoba
Jacques Samson, Universite Laval
Bryan Mason, Dalhousie University
Carole Langlois,
Master of Persuasion
Volume 5 Number 4
CEPT
i same.
The creation of a defining style at any corporation must begin with its
In doing this, we place great faith in our people. We earn their commitment
people. A n d thanks t o the talented and diverse nature of the people who work
by believing in t h e m , and in return, they work diligently t o earn the
at Altamira Management, the style w e have created is a unique and innovative
commitment of our clients.
one indeed — one that sets us apart in the world of pension fund management.
We offer our people the opportunity to exercise their expertise by
providing them with the kind of entrepreneurial working environment that's
B l o o r
S t r e e t
E a s t ,
innovative style that sets us apart at Altamira Management.
To learn more about how our style
^PLAltamira!^
can work for you, call (416) 925-4274. W///*JTSLiaiLU±<X
necessary for such a talented group t o do their best work.
2 5 0
Commitment and talented people — key elements of the unique and
S u i t e
3 0 0 ,
T o r o n t o ,
O n t a r i o
M 4 W
nagem6nt
1 E 6
Executive D i r e c t o r ' s
Canadian Association of University
Business Officers
Board of Directors
Glenn Harris
President
University of Alberta
(403) 492-5354/Fax 492-1439
E-mail: [email protected]
Carole Langlois
Past President
Universite de Sherbrooke
(819)821-7370 Fax 821-7882
E-maih [email protected]
Nancy Sullivan
Vice-President
University of Guelph
(519) 824-4120, ext. 3841 Fax 767-1693
E-mail: [email protected]
Trudy Pound-Curtis
Secretary-Treasurer
Memorial University of Newfoundland
(709) 737-8222 fax (709) 737-7909
E-mail: [email protected]
Maurice Cohen
Executive Director, CAUBO
(613) 563-1236 ext. 268 Fax 563-7739
E-mail: [email protected]
Byron Braley
The University of British Columbia
(604)822-2292 Fax 822-2417
E-mail: [email protected]
Fernantl Landry
Universite de Moncton
(506) 858-4117 Fax 858-4162
E-mail: [email protected]
Bryan Mason
Dalhousie University
(902)494-3862 Fax 494-2022
E-mail: [email protected]
Robert Nelson
Ecole de technologie superieure
(514)289-8820 Fax 289-8879
E-mail: [email protected]
Jacques Samson
Universite Laval
(418) 656-2131, ext. 3154 Fax 656-2281
E-mail: [email protected]
Duncan Watt
Carleton Unversity
(613) 520-2843 Fax 520-2681
E-mail: duncan_watt@carletonxa
Robert White
University of Toronto
(416)978-7466 Fax 978-4431
E-mail: [email protected]
Tony Whitworth
University of Saskatchewan
(306) 966-6631 Fax 975-1026
E-mail: [email protected]
CAUBO Commitee Chairs
Administrative & Support Services
Robert Nelson
(514)396-8820 Fax 396-8879
Editorial
Nancy Sullivan
(519) 824-4120, ext. 3841 Fax 767-1693
Financial Reporting
Trudy Pound-Curtis
(709) 737-8222 Fax 737-7909
Human Resources
Jacques Samson
(418) 656-2131, ext. 3154 Fax 656-2281
National Procurement
Ron MacOonald
Interuniversity Services Inc.
(902)453-2470 Fax:453-2369
E-mail: [email protected]
Taxes
Tony Whitworth
(306) 966-6631 Fax: 975-1026
Treasury
Byron Braley
(604)822-2292 Fax 822-2417
Message
The Growing Need
for Student Bursaries
by M a u r i c e
Cohen
The recently published CAUBO investment
survey reports endowments of over $3.1
billion held by Canadian universities at the
end of 1 9 9 5 . The seven largest e n d o w ments account for two-thirds of the total.
This is heartening, as it indicates a significant increase in the ability of our higher education institutions to raise funds and
invest them wisely. However, it is sobering
to know that at least six U. S. universities
had endowments larger than the Canadian
t o t a l ; C a n a d a as a w h o l e w o u l d h a v e
r a n k e d behind Emory University in the
NACUBO survey of 1995!
Given the existence and weight of the
private university component in the United
States and the publicly funded nature of
the Canadian system, it is not surprising
that a relatively much larger proportion of
endowed funds are designated for student
financial aid in the United States. Until
now, need-based financial aid has not been
considered a top fund raising priority by
Canadian universities. This will probably
soon change.
Except in Quebec, where the government
has frozen tuition fees for most of the past
30 years, Canadian universities have been
forced by funding c u t b a c k s to d o some
catching up with institutions south of the
border in the area of tuition fees. Canadian
fees are now comparable to those at some
public institutions in the United States.
They are also fast approaching 40 percent
of the average net (i.e. after financial aid)
fees charged by private American universities. In 1996, over two-thirds of first year
s t u d e n t s at p r i v a t e U . S . i n s t i t u t i o n s
received grants and the average grant was
approximately half of tuition.
The average debt load at graduation for
students in Canada is now higher than in
the United States. N o t w i t h s t a n d i n g
changes in government student assistance
programs, Canadian universities must significantly increase their capacity to provide bursaries by giving a high priority to
endowments for need-based financial aid
in future fund raising efforts. Ontario universities, in partnership with the provincial
government, have already taken a step in
the right direction.
Bourses: un besoin
croissant
par M a u r i c e
Cohen
Le recent sondage ACPAU fait etat de fonds
en dotation de plus de 3,1 milliards de dollars detenus par les universites canadiennes a
la fin 1 9 9 5 . Les sept plus grands fonds
representaient les 2/3 du total.
Cela est reconfortant puisque cela signifie
que nos e t a b l i s s e m e n t s d ' e n s e i g n e m e n t
superieur ont de beaucoup augmente leur
capacite a lever des fonds et a bien les placer.
D'autre part, il faut noter que les fonds d'au
moins six universites americaines depassaient
le total canadien et que le Canada se serait
place apres l'Universite E m o r y d a n s le
sondage NACUBO 1995.
fitant donne l'importance du secteur prive
aux Etats-Unis et, a Poppose, celle des subventions dans le systeme canadien, on ne peut
s'etonner qu'une plus forte proportion des
fonds de dotation americains est destinee a
l'aide financiere.
Sauf au Quebec, ou le gouvernement a
maintenu un moratoire sur les frais de scolarite depuis presque trente ans, les universites
c a n a d i e n n e s o n t eu a r a t t r a p e r leurs
consoeurs americaines en matiere de frais de
scolarite pour pallier la reduction des subventions. Les frais canadiens se comparent maint e n a n t a ceux de certains etablissements
publics americains. lis vont bientot rejoindre
4 0 % des frais moyens nets (apres l'aide
financiere) des etablissements prives. En
1996, plus des deux tiers des etudiants de
premiere dans les universites americaines
privees ont recu des subventions qui s'elevaient en moyenne a environ la moitie des
frais de scolarite.
La dette moyenne des diplomes canadiens
est maintenant plus elevee que celle de leurs
collegues americains. Malgre les modifications apportees par le gouvernement aux programmes d'aide financiere, les universites
canadiennes devront a l'avenir augmenter
leur capacite a fournir des bourses en accordant plus d ' i m p o r t a n c e a u x fonds d'aide
financiere dans leurs efforts de levee de
fonds.
UNIVERSITY MANAGER FALL 1997
5
News
&c V i e w s
CUPA Honours Fijal —
Brian Fijal has been honoured by
the College and University
Personnel Association (CUPA) for
his work with CHERD, the Centre
for Higher Education Research and
Development.
At a special awards ceremony
during CUPA's recent N a t i o n a l
Convention, in Boston, Fijal, the
University of Manitoba's associate
vice-president, administration, and
director of CHERD's management
programs, won the organization's
Teaching Excellence Award. The
award recognizes excellence and
CHERD is Canada's leading institution dedicated to research and the
professional development of faculty
and administrators in higher education. Fijal has been instrumental in
developing curricula for teaching
contemporary professional development management programs to university administrators in Canada
and around the world.
C H E R D offers the Senior
University Administrators Course
(SUAC) and University Management
Course (UMC). Both are designed
to broaden and deepen the knowledge and expertise
required to recognize and
CUPA president
handle current and
Sara Philips presents the
emerging policy issues.
teaching excellence award
Collaborating
with
J
to Brian Fijal
CAUBO, Fijal developed
the Certificate Program in
Higher Education, the
1
•
only program of its kind
in Canada. An example
1 1
of CHERD's leading-edge
creation and delivery of
timely programs, the curriculum consists of SUAC
or UMC as a core course,
accompanied by a choice
of electives. Responding
to customer demand,
m
CHERD offers customdesigned
training
programs at indiprofessionalism in higher education
vidual
institutions.
More than 2,000
h u m a n resource m a n a g e m e n t .
administrators
from
more than 15
CUPA, an international organizacountries
have
participated
in the
tion, represents more than 6,100
management development programs.
human resource administrators at
Fijal became active with CHERD
1,700 colleges and universities.
in 1981 as an instructor for UMC.
Fijal was honoured for his dedicaHis role expanded as he began teachtion to C H E R D ' s m a n a g e m e n t
ing other professional development
development programs. Citing a
management programs. In 1994, Fijal
commitment to the importance of
was appointed director of CHERD's
development training to an institumanagement development programs.
tion's management program, CUPA
Today, in addition to UMC, he teachpresident Sara Philips noted that
es CHERD courses in Canada, the
Fijal superbly met all of the qualifiUnited States and Africa.
cations for the award.
M
7
0
^^^H
UNIVERSITY MANAGER
FALL 1997
'
Fleming
Clements
Captures
Award
At a special presentation during
CAUBO's annual conference in St.
Catharines, Eric Fleming was presented with the inaugural Ken
Clements Award. Fleming, the
University of Toronto's insurance
manager, was honoured as the creator of the Canadian Universities
Reciprocal Insurance Exchange
(CURIE).
After considering seven nominations for the award, CAUBO's
executive committee chose Fleming
unanimously. In endorsing the
choice, the board of directors
noted the significance of Fleming's
achievement in shepherding the
CURIE initiative from inception to
full operation.
"With this award, we take great
delight in simultaneously recognizing two major contributors to the
health of Canada's university system — Ken Clements and Eric
Fleming."
CURIE was created at a time
when insurance premiums were
rising dramatically and coverage
for some liabilities was unavailable
from the commercial market. The
resulting rate stabilization under
CURIE resulted in a premium
reduction estimated at 20-25 percent, or at least $2 million.
Moreover, improved risk management by the 44 participating institutions has resulted in better claims
experience than predicted, resulting in rebates of almost $10 million over the past decade.
The Ken Clements Award was
created to honour the extraordinary contribution of Ken Clements
during his 23 years as CAUBO's
executive director. It will be presented annually to a university
administrator who has made an
outstanding contribution to
CAUBO's activities.
T H E WAY W E L O O K AT IT,
IT'S THE OPPORTUNITIES
THAT ARE M A G N I F I E D .
A t M a r v i n & P a l m e r , w e s p e c i a l i z e in i d e n t i f y i n g s u p e r i o r g l o b a l e q u i t y o p p o r t u n i t i e s .
O u r s t r u c t u r e d t o p - d o w n a p p r o a c h begins with intense focus on c o u n t r y a n d c u r r e n c y analysis,
a n d is f o l l o w e d b y a close r e v i e w of s e c t o r s a n d c o m p a n i e s .
A d e c a d e of e x p e r i e n c e a n d o u t p e r f o r m a n c e h a s m a d e M a r v i n & P a l m e r a n i n d e p e n d e n t
l e a d e r in g l o b a l e q u i t y i n v e s t i n g . To m a x i m i z e y o u r g l o b a l , n o n - N o r t h A m e r i c a n , a n d e m e r g i n g
m a r k e t s i n v e s t m e n t s , t u r n to M a r v i n & Palmer. F o r m o r e
/0T*j^m\
V/f A T) VTNF & P A T \ / f F R
i n f o r m a t i o n , call E u g e n e J . M u l v a n e y a t 3 0 2 - 5 7 3 - 3 5 7 0 .
V ^
GLOBAL EQUITY MANAGEMENT
MARVIN
J&
& PALMER ASSOCIATES, INC. 1201 N. MARKET STREET, SUITE 2300 WILMINGTON, DELAWARE USA 19801-1165
News
& V i e w s
Montreal Universities Get Cash for Renovations
Montreal-area universities will be getting a welcome facelift, thanks to a
special renovations fund announced
by the Quebec government.
McGill University, with a $14.7 million grant, is the big winner. The size of
the award reflects the fact that McGilPs
buildings are older than those of most
other universities in the province.
L ' U n i v e r s i t e de M o n t r e a l will
receive $ 1 1 . 4 million, followed by
Concordia University at just under $5
million. Concordia received far less
than the other two, based partly on
the fact that about one-quarter of
its space is rented.
L'Ecole Polytechnique receives
$1.8 million, while L'Ecole des Hautes
Etudes Commerciales gets $686,600.
L'Universite de Quebec was awarded
$7.9 million for its network of campuses across the province, including
the Montreal site.
The funds were allocated based on
the value and size of buildings owned
by each university that are more than
five years old as well as how much
renovating the university has previously done. The universities
must provide 30 percent of
all f u n d i n g
used on t h e p r o j e c t s , w i t h t h e
province supplying the balance.
Charles Emond, Concordia's vice
rector, services, is delighted by the
announcement. "As a newcomer to
the campus, I'm keenly aware of how
desperately we needed these funds to
a d d r e s s major i n f r a s t r u c t u r e a n d
maintenance issues." He said the university will use the money to repair
cracks in the foundation of the main
academic building, fix leaky roofs and
improve heating, ventilation and air
conditioning systems.
According to an education ministry
spokesman, other universities across
Quebec will receive similar funding
designed to accelerate the pace of renovation programs.
C h e c k out our library card,
T h e Diners Club /enRoute Corporate Card gives your
university special a c c e s s to the most extensive reference
system y o u c a n h a v e to reconcile travel e x p e n s e s .
••iitilMlBSti
FOR Y O U R STAFF A N D
F O R Y O U : It organizes
reams of worldwide travel
expenses into itemized billing
statements and comprehensive
reports that you can analyze
right on your PC. Eliminates the
need for cash advances and
allows up to 3 times longer to
pay than most credit cards.
F A C U L T Y : The Diners Club/
enRoute Corporate Card gives
them ready access to over
3 million merchant locations
worldwide, plus a network of over
220,000 automated teller
machines. It even offers an
optional Aeroplan miles program.
Diners Club/enRoute Card
The Right Answer for Business
S e e why so many companies and business travellers are switching to Diners Club.
Call 1-800-387-1121 today to find out more
UNIVERSITY MANAGER
FALL 1997
eans
7th Annual Ranking
) ,
The most comprehensive and accessible collection
of data on universities available in Canada.
On newsstands November 17.
Join Maclean's Class of '97.
Advertise in Maclean's 7th Annual Ranking of Universities
featuring two special opportunities:
1. Canadian universities are eligible for a 2 5% educational
discount off regular advertising rates.
or:
2. Book advertising at Maclean's regular rates and receive a free
ftind-raising ad page (of equivalent value) in Maclean's.
Space closes October 23. Call now for details.
In Toronto:
In Montreal:
In Vancouver:
Charles Hodgkinson
Maryse Bayard
Bill More
(416) 596-5316
(514) 843-2520
(604) 891-5600
E-mail: [email protected]
Maclean's web site: http://www.canoe.ca/macleans
Book now as the issue is always a sellout.
Maclean's
W H A T MATTERS T O C A N A D I A N S
Reach 2.1 million Canadians
News
&c V i e w s
W e s t e r n Business School R a n k e d Tops on Research
The Richard Ivey School of Business is
the world's leading contributor of international strategic management research,
according to an article published in the
Journal of International Management.
The School topped a list of 30
renowned business schools, which
included Harvard Business School,
Wharton, the London Business
School and Rutgers.
The 10-year study
reviewed nine leading strategy and
international business journals to
determine
the
breadth of research
conducted in the field
of international strategic
management studies. To help determine
the quality of the business schools and
their faculties, authors were awarded
one credit for each article published in
the journals. Richard Ivey School of
Business scored 22 points, well ahead of
second-place Wharton with 16.
"To be an international leader in
business education the school's
research
must
be
world
renowned," said Lawrence
Tapp, the school's dean. "This
study confirms that our
research is relevant and well
respected in the international
business community."
Due to increased competition,
technological advances, falling
trade barriers and the integration of
O k CO-OPERATORS
STILL ADDING VALUE
WITH ACTIVE BOND
MANAGEMENT
JIM LORIMER
VICE PRESIDENT, FIXED INCOME
Contact: JUDITH E. LOWES,
VICE PRESIDENT, MARKETING
130 Macdonell Street, Priory Square.
Guelph, Ontario N1H 6P8
(519) 767-3901 Fax: (519) 824-7040
10
UNIVERSITY MANAGER
FALL 1997
national economies, international
strategic management is an area of
increasing importance to the business
community. Many business schools,
including Ivey, are adapting to rapid
globalization by initiating international
research and educational initiatives.
Some of the strengths of the School's
international strategy research relate to
issues such as managing international
joint ventures and methods of successful international diversification.
Ivey recently strengthened its academic ties with Asia. Last April, the
School launched the Asian Management Institute in Hong Kong.
Through the Institute, Ivey will offer
students more Asian case studies than
any other business school in the world.
Founded in 1873, Barnes & Noble is the industry's leading bookstore contract
management firm and the world's largest bookselling organization. Serving over
350 colleges and universities, Barnes & Noble provides services to more students
than any other contracting firm. Barnes & Noble serves many of the world's top
academic institutions, medical schools, law schools, and community colleges.
Barnes & Noble has established a reputation for operating the finest serviceoriented campus bookstores in the industry. All campus stores are customized to
meet the specific needs of their community and feature a highly professional
management staff, top quality merchandise, computerized book ordering, and
innovative store design.
For more information, please contact:
Robert Beaudin, Vice President, Canadian Operations
Barnes & Noble College Bookstores
1543 Bayview Avenue, Suite 233
Toronto, Ontario M4G3B5
416-489-8985
it arid trademark Ojj\
vrchmcs for the Puhi
Experts
usually
agree
hidden.
8 5 % of c o m p u t e r
(We t e r m
it t h e
costs
iceberg
are
theory.)
Surprising isn't it? Of all the costs you're likely to incur owning computer technology, it's
estimated that a mere 15% is spent on the initial purchase price. The remaining 85% of costs are
below the surface - 14% goes to administration, 15% on operations, and the bulk of your money
- about 56% - is taken up by asset management and service and support costs. That's why when
it comes to choosing technology that suits you and your business needs, it's important to consider
asset management, reliability and upgradeability, service and support, and price:performance.
In other words, the total cost of ownership.
Rob Nevin, Manager of Computing Services for the City of Guelph, sums up total cost
of ownership this way: "Cost has to be a lifetime consideration. It wouldn't
be a wise decision if we bought a computer for $ 1000 only to find it
costs us another $3000 to keep it running." At Compaq, we recognize the
budget pressures of the Public Sector and the importance of delivering technology that lowers
overall IT costs. By looking at the total cost of ownership, you can gauge the entire life-cycle cost
of your technology. So that over the long run, you'll use technology more effectively, save
money, and yes, avoid icebergs.
And by working closely with Public Sector Resellers, Compaq is able to help you further with
total network systems integration. Compaq is committed to providing the help you need. When
you need it. "They offered us a variety of value-added resellers to deal with," says Keith Johnson,
Superintendent of Education Services for the Halton Board of Education. "We've had positive
response when we needed help troubleshooting and advice on how to do things."
Compaq products consistently deliver the quality, reliability and robust performance
that you need to work efficiently and avoid unnecessary maintenance costs. Andrew Catton, Team
Leader of Network Services for the Export Development Corporation appreciates this. "I think
the one thing that sets Compaq apart from its competitors is that they provide a consistently highquality product. You can be sure that if it's got the Compaq name on it, it's going to work."
For more information on the Compaq Public Sector Program and technology that can help
minimize your total cost of ownership, (and manage around potential
icebergs), visit our website at www.compaq.ca or call 1-800-561-4102.
COMPAQ.
News
&c V i e w s
1
Student
Debt
Called
Canada's student loan system doesn't work and the provinces and
Ottawa should cooperate to develop a national alternative, says Peter
Godsoe, chairman of Scotiabank.
He was addressing university student leaders at a conference on
financial aid, sponsored by the
Bank of Nova Scotia.
Godsoe joined a chorus of critics
of the existing student loan system.
The premiers recently called on the
federal government to introduce
grant and bursary programs to help
students avoid or ease the need to
borrow. The federal Canada Student
Loan Program (CSLP) accounts for
60 percent of student aid debt.
The student debt situation has
reached the crisis point, according to
Murray Baker, author of the book,
The Debt-Free Graduate. Government funding cuts, sharp increases in
Brock S t u d e n t s
Register on t h e Web
With the launch of WEB BIRT (Brock
Information and Registration by
Telephone) last June, Brock University
became the first Ontario university to
offer students the option of registering
via the Internet.
A combined effort by Brock
Registrar's Office and the Department
of Computing and Communications
Services, WEB BIRT was initially
offered to first-year students as an alternative to the existing phone registration
system. WEB BIRT was used by more
than 2,000 new students during the
past summer and is expected
to see even greater use
when the service is
offered to upper-year students.
"WEB BIRT not only provides better, more accurate
14
UNIVERSITY MANAGER
FALL 1997
a
Crisis
tuition fees and leaner government-sponsored loan programs
have resulted in increased
debt loads for students
who must borrow for
their post-secondary
studies, he noted.
Student debt loads
have tripled in the past
seven years. The average
level of debt on graduation
for full-time students who
borrow from the CSLP is expected
to rise to $25,000 next year, compared with $8,700 in 1990, says the
1996 federal government Task
Force on Youth.
The rate of defaults on student
loans is a major concern to banks
and governments. At Scotiabank, 25
percent of those who negotiated
loans under the CSLP are at least one
information," says associate registrar
Sheila Booth. "It is also a visually oriented system for those who feel more
secure with information they can see.
New students can view a list of the
courses in which they're registered and
print a hard copy."
User-friendly graphics and a simple
identification system using student and
personal information numbers make
the system comfortable for even the
least experienced cyber-surfer. Web registration is both time and cost-efficient
because e-mail is much cheaper than
long distance telephone charges. Access
to the Web site registration room is also
instantaneous, compared with the telephone system which may require users
to wait for an available
line.
Perhaps the most significant advantage of
WEB BIRT is the "onestop-shopping"
experience
it offers.
month late on repayments. In June, the
Canadian Imperial Bank
of Commerce withdrew
from Nova Scotia's $100
million provincial student
loan program because the
province would not pay
the bank more money to
finance the loans.
Student leaders attending the conference responded that lenders
should do a better job of
communicating with inexperienced
young borrowers. "We'd like to see
the banks take a more responsible
role when they administer loans, so
they explain about lines of credit
and full-fledged student loans," said
Katherine Kowalchuk, president of
the University of M a n i t o b a
Students Union.
Throughout the on-line registration
process, a checking system ensures that
the student has the grade average necessary to enter a course and that space is
available in the class. Complete information is provided immediately and
registration is complete when the student exits the site.
"This has been an exciting project,"
says Jim Leonard, a member of Brock's
Department of Computing and
Communications Services. "We married
our old and new computing technologies and completed the first phase of the
project in less than a month. It's been a
great success and encouraged us to look
at new ways of enhancing Web access."
The next step is to enable students to
view and update their address information, access marks and perform degree
audits by comparing courses they've
completed with requirements for the
degree they're working towards. They
will be able to check what they have,
see what they need and explore the various options open to them.
What does our 70 years of
hospitality leadership have to
do with your campus?
It makes us uniquely qualified to manage the plant maintenance,
janitorial and food service departments on your campus and
deliver superior quality.
Employee relations know-how
Care and attention for your largest investment
Our unparalleled record for excellent employee relations and
extensive training and motivation prepare our people to create
superior customer satisfaction in plant maintenance, janitorial
and food services.
Our automated preventative maintenance system "CAMMP"
provides the information on each of your buildings. Our professional managers use this information to achieve optimum
building performance.
Time-proven, automated systems
Flexibility and innovation
We have developed our Enhance System, a computerized janitorial planning and management system that ensures smooth
daily operations and that actually gives our clients more control over their campus janitorial services.
Whether it's residence dining, branded products, concession
services or catering, Marriott has the skills to make each service a happy experience.
f> Harriott
Your partner for facilities management and food services
1-9051632-8592
Please complete the following questionnaire to determine if you should buy the new Maytag washer and dryer.
•
Dryer
1. Do you want to make more money?
©1997 Maytag Co.
If you answered yes, have we got a washer
There's lots of good news for the people
and dryer for you. Maytag's revolutionary
doing the laundry, too. These
High-Efficiency
washers are not only gentle on
laundry equipment puts a whole
clothes, they have greater
new spin on savings.
Unlike top-load washers, it has no agitator
and uses less water. This design not
only reduces water and sewage
costs, it cuts energy bills.
But that's just the
beginning. Because our
washer also extracts more
water from clothes in the spin
cycle, it can save on drying too.
Fact is, a laundry room equipped with these
new Maytag washers could lower costs up to
capacity than current
top-load and 18-pound
front-load washers, so
you can clean bulky
MAYTAG HIGH-EFFICIENCY WASHERS
AVERAGE ANNUAL SAVINGS
items with ease. And for
easy access, doors open a full 180 degrees.
While they may be revolutionary, they're still
Maytag washers. With stainless steel wash
baskets, porcelain enamel tops, a new Precision
Endurance drive system and a heavy-duty motor.
And even as you read this, your Maytag
5 0 % or over $200 per washer per year.* To
Commercial Laundry professional is standing by
figure out how much you'd gain, call us at
to give you a demonstration.
1-800-688-0208 for a free savings calculator, or
use the one in the commercial laundry section of
our Web site at www.maytag.com
•Based on 24 units, hot water, 5 turns/day; 360 days; average U.S. water, sewer and energy cost.
Which brings us to the second
part of our questionnaire: What are
you waiting for?
A/IAYTAr
1
THE DEPENDABILITY PEOPLE ™
srcri
a new o w n e r s h i p
a new n a m e
a renewed c o m m i t m e n t
Now, 20 years after inception, the
employees of Canada Life Investment
Management Limited have purchased a 50% equity
interest in the company and have changed the name to
INDAGO CAPITAL MANAGEMENT INC.
ind-ago1 - are vt to search, to investigate, to explore
ind-ago2- inis/an encircling
INDAGO is a Latin word which embraces both our commitment
to research and investigation in pursuit of outstanding investment
opportunities, and our commitment to a total understanding
of all aspects of our clients' investment needs.
I
I N D A G O
CAPITAL M A N A G E M E N T INC
For more information about INDAGO, please telephone us at (416) 864-0947 or fax (416) 864-3377
by Jo A n n e S o m m e r s
Life takes some interesting turns. But for a
pair of work gloves, CAUBO's new president might have become a turkey farmer
instead of a leader in C a n a d a ' s post-secondary education field.
G l e n n H a r r i s ' y o u n g c a r e e r w a s at a
crossroads when he returned to L o n d o n ,
Ontario in mid-1970, following a stint of
p o s t - g r a d u a t e w o r k at the University of
British Columbia. Armed with a degree in
honours mathematics from the University
of Western O n t a r i o , he visited the local
C a n a d a M a n p o w e r Centre a n d was presented with an interesting choice.
"There were two possible matches,"
recalls the vice-president, finance and
administration, at the University of Alberta
in Calgary. "They said I could work on a
turkey farm in nearby Dorchester. The only
catch w a s t h a t I h a d to s u p p l y my o w n
gloves! The alternative was a position in the
registrar's office at my alma mater."
Harris opted for the latter, spending the
next t w o decades in various capacities at
the University of Western Ontario. He rose
to the position of vice-president, administration, and in that role, he caught the eye
of Paul D a v e n p o r t , then president of the
University of Alberta.
" P a u l needed a vice-president, finance
and administration, in 1 9 9 1 . We'd known
each other for some time and he thought I'd
be a good fit. Initially, I wasn't sure I wanted to make the move but the timing seemed
right for a change so I took it."
Uprooting and moving long distances to
take on new challenges is nothing new for
H a r r i s . A native of L o n d o n , England, he
came to Canada with his family as a child.
H e a t t e n d e d h i g h s c h o o l in
Toronto, then obtained his undergraduate degree from Western
before moving on to UBC for postgraduate work in oceanography.
Of course, by the time Harris moved to
Alberta, he and his wife, Lesley, had t w o
daughters, Amanda, now 20, and Brooke,
n o w 17. The fact that Calgary seemed like
a g o o d place to raise a g r o w i n g family
made his decision easier.
The timing of Harris' arrival in Alberta
meant that he was quickly immersed in an
environment of dramatic funding cuts and
tough choices. The experience impressed on
LV LCkSUiLL'HlLGKlJJ LL
Pft
CAUBO's new president brings a
thoughtful, considered approach to
the challenging issues facing
Canada's post-secondary sector
UNIVERSITY MANAGER
FALL 1997
19
him the vital importance of maintaining good communications.
"During a period of drastic cutbacks, you're under great pressure to
take decisive action quickly.
Unfortunately, communication is often
a casualty of that process. Although
time is of the essence, I'm convinced
that it's worth the effort to explain
what's happening to those affected by
change. It's something that we, as university administrators, must learn to
do better."
Relaxing during a break at
CAUBO's recent annual conference in
St. Catharines, Harris reflected on
Canada's university scene and his new
role as CAUBO's leader. This is an
exciting time to be involved with the
organization, he says. "CAUBO is
entering a new phase and Maurice
Cohen and I are in a position to help
take it in a different direction. At the
same time, we recognize that the
UNIVERSITY MANAGER
departure of Ken Clements left us
with some very big shoes to fill."
Clements is a Harris booster. "His
greatest strengths are his optimism
and an ability to achieve compromise
when dealing with competing interests," says the former executive director. "He's a good negotiator and
extremely knowledgeable about new
models of restructuring and downsiz-
Think the pickings
are getting slim ?
^ ^ - K * * "
20
Reviewing plans for the coming year withjaimie Fleming (left),
the University of Alberta's investment and real estate director, and
Doug Owram, vice-president, academic.
FALL 1997
"Glenn brings a big
picture orientation
to CAUBO and will
move the
organization in
that direction"
ing. There's a lot of doom and gloom
in the university world these days but
Glenn believes that a solution is possible to even the most difficult p r o b lem."
Those skills will be put to the test in
the coming m o n t h s . Harris sees his
role as t h a t of a consensus builder,
reaching out, both within and outside
CAUBO, to members of Canada's university community.
JLlOLCv
O i l
TO
Harris brings a wealth of experience
to the task. He began t e a c h i n g the
senior university administrator's
course (SUAC) run by the Centre for
Higher Education Research and
Development (CHERD) in 1990 and
has since become the course director
for SUAC.
He says his work with C H E R D has
given him great insight into the workings of the university system, both in
Canada and abroad. "I've learned that
leadership issues are essentially the
same everywhere. The solutions are
influenced by local conditions and the
path you take depends on your jurisdiction, the history of the institution,
etc. However, you can find common
g r o u n d and learn a great deal from
your colleagues in other parts of the
world."
Many issues are best dealt with by
building alliances with sister groups,
he continues. "For instance, I've discovered areas of common interest and
yOti'V
C&YCCLYrlS*
concern with organizations such
as t h e C a n a d i a n A s s o c i a t i o n of
University Research Administrators.
By working together, we can achieve
our goals faster and more effectively."
Harris believes that good administration is really about fostering positive r e l a t i o n s h i p s w i t h p e o p l e .
"Otherwise, problems surface quickly
and flaws are magnified. This is particularly true on university campuses,
given the current pressures to cut costs
and adapt to change."
Strikes may seem to revolve around
specific issues but the real root cause
is invariably an inability to resolve differences, he adds. "It takes years t o
recover from the damage that a strike
inflicts. You have to go back to basics
and rebuild relationships with all the
constituencies involved. And you must
listen carefully — t a k e n o t h i n g for
granted."
Harris plans to do a lot of listening
in t h e c o m i n g m o n t h s . "We m u s t
There's one global custodian that can
give you what you want out of a relationship. Commitment. Communication. Creativity.
And not least of all — Capability. No matter where you invest, Northern Trust delivers:
>•
GLOBAL coverage, through regional offices and subcustodians in 71 countries,
>•
GLOBAL 24-hour securities lending in 34 countries,
>•
GLOBAL 24-hour foreign exchange in 74 currencies through dealing rooms in Singapore, London, and
Chicago, and
>-
GLOBAL risk monitoring and exposure management tools.
But enough about us — let's talk about you. We'll take the time to get to know the real you — what your
objectives are, and how they best can be achieved. Then we'll deliver customized solutions that feel so right,
you'll wonder what life was like before we met.
Think this relationship could work? Contact Keith Martin, 1.416.365.7161, [email protected]. Or visit our
web site at http://www.northerntrust.com.
Northern Trust
MasterSo\JRCESM
INTEGRATED SOLUTIONS FROM ONE TRUSTED SOURCE
Global Custody, Securities Lending, Foreign Exchange, Investment, Risk and Performance Solutions
Toronto • Chicago • New York • Detroit • Grand Cayman • London • Hong Kong • Singapore
UNIVERSITY MANAGER
FALL 1997
21
identify issues of national importance
to our members and focus our efforts
on them. We can't make assumptions
about what those issues are, because
they vary so widely across the country.
Maurice and I have begun a process of
meeting with members across Canada,
in order to take the pulse of the membership. A great deal of work has to
be done and we must choose our
issues carefully to maximize our
resources."
He cites performance-based funding, information systems development
and deferred maintenance as opportunities for CAUBO to play the lead.
"Deferred maintenance is a case in
point. Physical plant people and
senior administrators each see it as
their particular problem and feel as if
they're not being heard by the other
side. In order to deal with the issue
effectively, we must foster better dialogue between the t w o groups.
CAUBO is uniquely positioned to
bring both sides together."
Duncan Watt, vice president of
finance and a d m i n i s t r a t i o n , at
Carleton University, will continue to
lead that initiative, H a r r i s says,
adding t h a t Watt's background
uniquely suits him for the role. "He is
the first Canadian university vice president in several years to come from a
physical resources background."
CAUBO's Treasury Committee is
tackling the common fund issue which
Harris likens to CURIE.
"No other organization in Canada
could bring such an initiative to
fruition. It's tremendously complex
and could assume many forms.
What others say
about Glenn Harris
When you talk to Glenn Harris'
colleagues, they invariably describe
him as open and approachable.
"He's universally well-liked," says
Brian Fijal, associate vice-president and director of management
programs at CHERD. "I've rarely
known anyone to whom people
warm so quickly."
Fijal says Harris possesses a solid
grasp of the organizational issues
facing higher education. "He's not
a micro-manager, though. Glenn
brings a big picture orientation to
his CAUBO portfolio and will
move the organization in t h a t
direction."
CAUBO's past president, Dexter
Kaulbach, calls Harris a "thoughtful individual" who prefers to discuss matters in-depth before reach-
Fortunately, there's general agreement
about the need for such a fund and
we're working hard to develop the
options."
CAUBO continues to explore the
possibility of establishing a National
Procurement Task Force, Harris says,
adding that such initiatives pose a difficult challenge for the organization.
"Even if we establish an umbrella
agreement for Canadian universities,
it's not binding. So, if it's to work
ing conclusions. "He brings a
relaxed, somewhat laid-back style
to meetings. That, coupled with his
very pleasant personality, enables
him to put others at ease and
accomplish a great deal."
Paul Davenport, president of the
University of Western Ontario,
describes him as a "team player.
He gets the best from others as
well as himself. Glenn also has a
tremendous capacity for hard work
and a wonderful understanding of
how universities operate."
An excellent communicator,
Harris has the ability to explain
complex financial arrangements in
laymen's terms, Davenport adds.
"I've seen him sit down with various groups — staff, students and
faculty — and explain complex,
difficult decisions in ways they
could understand, even if they
weren't always happy about them.
That's a tremendous asset for a
leader in tough times."
effectively, we have to create incentives without pressuring our members
to use it."
This, he says, harkens back to the
issue of performance. "How can we
demonstrate the benefits of the work
we're doing? In the past we've tended to assume that the value was selfevident but that's not sufficient anymore. We have to prove ourselves to
the m e m b e r s h i p on an ongoing
basis." •
A COMBINATION OF
TEAM AND SPECIALTY
G R V P H O 1ST
INVESTMENT COUNSEL INC.
PRODUCES CONSISTENTLY
VIGILANCE • COURAGE
SUITE 1400
1002 SHERBROOKE STREET WEST
MONTREAL, QUEBEC H3A 3L6
TEL.: (514) 288-4122
22
UNIVERSITY MANAGER
APRIL 1997
MANAGEMENT THAT
SUITE 1905
20 BAY STREET
TORONTO, ONTARIO M5J 2N8
TEL: (416) 364-2299
SUPERIOR RESULTS
UNIVERSITY MANAGER
FALL 1997 2 2
Technology
How Canada's
universities are
adapting to the
changing face
of classroom
instruction
New learning
opportunities
by Jeff B u c k s t e i n
Above, Mike Atkinson,
University of Western
Ontario. Top, Paula Cooke,
Acadia University.
Despite the worst fears of some academics, new technology is helping to
provide an enriched and more personalized learning environment for many
university students.
Until recently, students were generally limited to obtaining course material from traditional venues, such as
lectures, tutorials, study groups and
library research. Today, with access to
E-mail and other electronic means of
communication, student options for
communicating with the academic
community and the outside world
have significantly increased.
To some degree, technology has
helped offset the negative impact of a
dramatic increase in the number of
full and part-time post-secondary students (in Ontario, for instance, graduate and undergraduate enrolments
rose 2 6 % , from about 242,000 in
1980 to over 305,000 by 1995). That,
combined with cuts to education
funding across Canada, resulted in
increased class sizes. By the early
1990s, it was common for lecture
halls to hold as many as 400 students.
In 1 9 9 3 , University of Western
Ontario administrators, searching for
innovative ways to teach large numbers of students, decided to establish a
'superclass' for first-year psychology
students. Nine hundred students
attended Professor Mike Atkinson's
first superclass four years ago; the
number grew to 1,200 in 1994, where
it remains. To create interest and
motivate students in a class of this
size, Atkinson decided to use multimedia technology to assist in his presentations.
The alumni hall required $500,000
in renovations to accommodate the
necessary equipment. New lighting
was installed, along with a sound and
video projection system, a computer
with CD-drive, laser disc player and
UNIVERSITY MANAGER
FALL 1997
23
Technolo
VCR, and other equipment, including
a 20-foot-high seamless rear projection screen.
Atkinson's high-tech lectures are
carefully scripted and choreographed,
with up to 20 hours of preparation
time required before each bi-weekly
90-minute presentation. Four technical assistants help prepare the stage,
while five graduate and two undergraduate students serve as teaching
assistants.
He says a multimedia presentation
style helps to enhance the learning
experience by providing different
ways of presenting information. For
instance, he points out that brain
structure and animation showing how
neurocells work can best be illustrated
with 3-D imaging via the computer.
Attendance has remained at, or
near, capacity in the four years
Atkinson has taught the superclass.
And feedback indicates that some students regard it as "more personal and
intimate" than much smaller classes.
Atkinson believes that a professor's
teaching method and performance,
rather than class size, are most
responsible for galvanizing students'
interest in a subject.
High tech is being applied differently at Acadia University. Paula Cook,
project manager of the Acadia
Advantage program, says that IBM
notebook computers were issued to
375 of 1,100 first year students at the
Wolfville, N.S. campus last September.
Over the next four years all first-year
students will receive notebooks, so
that, by the year 2000, all Acadia students will have computer access.
It cost Acadia about $11 million to
upgrade seats and install fibre optic
wiring and plug-ins for the notebooks. Capital costs are being
defrayed through a fundraising campaign, while operating costs are covered by tuition and revenue generated
through summer rentals of the notebooks. Acadia Advantage students
pay a $1,200 premium - $5,055 a year
versus $3,855 for other full-time
24
UNIVERSITY MANAGER
FALL 1997
Technology linking Carleton
University to global contacts
helps professors to enhance
their course curricula.
undergraduates, says Cook, adding
that eventually, the project is expected
to break even.
The theme of the Acadia Advantage
program is "access to information at
the students' preferred workplace on
campus." Students have network and
power access to the Internet from
classrooms, residences and common
areas, such as the library, student centre, coffee shop and lounges.
Most Acadia Advantage students
say they enjoy classes more because of
their computers, Cook adds. Music
students, for instance, have discovered
that analyzing songs with the notebooks produces intensified sound. The
study of art classics is enhanced
through digitized slides. And physics
Technology
A professor's
teaching method and
performance are
most responsible for
galvanizing students'
interest in a subject
l a b o r a t o r y w o r k is a c c e n t u a t e d
because data from activities such as
t i m e a n d m o t i o n studies c a n be
imported directly into the notebooks
on a real-time basis.
Carole Dence, director of Carleton
University's Teaching and Learning
Resource Centre, says every Carleton
student is entitled to participate in the
university's CHAT (Carleton Hotline
for Administration and Teaching) system. It was introduced in 1993 and
i n c l u d e s E-mail, c o u r s e d i s c u s s i o n
g r o u p s and Internet access t h r o u g h
on-campus computer labs and outside
venues via modem. Several instructors
have developed their own websites to
p o s t a s s i g n m e n t s a n d i d e n t i f y or
establish links to relevant course
information on the Internet.
Technology linking the university to
global contacts has provided opportunities for professors to enhance their
course c u r r i c u l a . For e x a m p l e , one
ESL instructor at Carleton was able to
link a group of Japanese students with
English-speaking students at a Florida
campus studying Japanese culture and
history. The Carleton students served
as a resource to the Florida-based students while practicing their English
l a n g u a g e skills, t h e r e b y p r o v i d i n g
t h e m w i t h an " a u t h e n t i c l a n g u a g e
experience," says Dence.
A n o t h e r C a r l e t o n initiative is the
university's i n s t r u c t i o n a l television
s y s t e m , w h i c h w a s i n t r o d u c e d in
1978. Today, at an annual operating
cost of about $700,000, the unit manages a television capture and delivery
system for approximately 65 arts and
science courses. During the academic
y e a r , m o r e t h a n o n e - t h i r d of
Carleton's undergraduate population
will take one or more television courses, taped during live lectures to an onc a m p u s class, says Robin Allardyce,
the university's director of instructional television.
Allardyce says a recent survey of
Carleton students w h o t o o k courses
via instructional television found thjat
those who reacted most positively felt
the courses were being delivered by a
"dynamic professor" w h o
e n c o u r a g e d the l e a r n i n g
process and stimulated
their interest.
Televised courses of oncampus lectures in the arts
a n d sciences were i n t r o d u c e d t o U n i v e r s i t y of
W i n n i p e g s t u d e n t s in
1993. Last year, approximately 600 students took
courses through local television, accessible to t h e
general public on cable.
Curtis N o r d m a n is dean of continuing e d u c a t i o n a n d d i r e c t o r of t h e
Centre for Learning Technologies at
the University of Winnipeg. He says
the televised lectures offer the community "a great opportunity to glimpse
w h a t the university can d o . " Some
professors have developed considerable followings in the Winnipeg area,
he adds. While shopping at Safeway,
one i n s t r u c t o r w a s recognized by a
w o m a n w h o shouted, "I k n o w you.
You're the psychology lady on TV!"
N o r d m a n believes the "great irony"
in technology is t h a t despite predictions t o the contrary, it has created
new opportunities for interactive communication between students and professors. And s t u d e n t s are t a k i n g
a d v a n t a g e of t h e s e o p p o r t u n i t i e s .
Acadia Advantage
participants
revealed in a survey last year that they
c o m m u n i c a t e m o r e frequently w i t h
DHL WORLDWIDE
EXPRESS
U.S. • OVERSEAS • WORLDWIDE
D H L International Express Ltd.
WORLDWIDE
EXPRESS
UNIVERSITY MANAGER
FALL 1997
25
Technology
their professors than do other students. They enjoy the flexibility of
being able to work wherever and
whenever they wish and many pursue
distance education (sometimes called
alternative mode delivery) so they can
work full or part-time to finance their
studies.
Athabasca University has specialized in distance education since it was
established in 1971. Today, the university's 12,200 students, most of
whom are over 35 and working full
time, can choose from a number of
programs, including MBA studies and
undergraduate studies in arts, sciences, nursing and commerce programs, as well as various diploma
courses.
Such courses traditionally involve
home study, assignment of a telephone
IRC
GROUP
INDUSTRIAL ROOF CONSULTANTS
(IRC) GROUP INC.
IRC BUILDING SCIENCES GROUP INC.
"SPECIALISTS IN
BUILDING SCIENCES"
• Structural Engineering
• Building Audits
• Building Envelope Engineering
• Concrete Rehabilitation
• Project Management
• Fire & Life Safety
• Inspections
• Roof Condition Analysis
• Thermographic Videotherm
• Design/Specification
• Preventive Maintenance Program
• Safety Roof Anchors
• Air Barriers and Waterproofing
• Budgetary Costing
Offices in Mississauga,
Cambridge & London Ontario
Tel: (905) 607-7244
Fax: (905) 607-7288
"PROVIDING SERVICES ACROSS CANADA"
Members of the Roof Consultants Institute
26
UNIVERSITY MANAGER
FALL 1997
tutor and audio teleconferencing. Athabasca has
gradually added electronic delivery courses and
services. Students are better able to access these
courses
because
of
improved computer technology at home and
work. For instance, they
can now access a university web page from which they can
register for courses on-line and
exchange E-mail with instructors.
Educational technology has already
helped to blur the lines between distance and local education, says
CAUBO executive director Maurice
Cohen. Now the academic community
is bracing itself for more interactive
student participation from remote
locations through the computer
screen. An on-line environment, called
Virtual-U, has been developed through
30 TeleLearning Network Centres of
Excellence located on university and
college campuses across Canada.
Virtual-U allows students to pursue
higher education in courses specifically designed for the World Wide Web.
They can go on-line to access course
lectures, submit assignments, write
Above, Tom Calvert
(right) of Simon Fraser
University discusses
the Virtual U Project
with a student. (Left)
Curtis Nordman,
University of Winnipeg.
examinations and obtain personal
grades from instructors. One of the
most significant aspects of this on-line
environment is that "students become
part of a virtual seminar and can have
discussions with fellow students and
professors on-line," says Tom Calvert,
a professor in computer science at
Simon Fraser University and co-leader
of the Virtual-U project.
Currently, about a dozen post-secondary institutions across Canada
offer access to Virtual-U, including
Simon Fraser, McGill University and
the University of Toronto. Last spring,
700 university and college students
nationwide took advantage of this service, says Calvert. •
Jeff Buckstein is an Ottawa-based
freelance writer
Technologie
De nouvelles
methodes
d'enseignement
transforment
les universites
canadiennes
De nouvelles fagons
d'apprendre
*' •
Malgre les craintes qu'elles ont
inspirees, les nouvelles technologies
permettent d'offrir a de nombreux
etudiants un milieu d'apprentissage
plus riche et personnalise.
Jusqu'a recemment, les etudiants
obtenaient generalement leur materiel
de cours de facon traditionnelle, par le
biais de cours, de travaux diriges, de
groupes d'etude ou la recherche en
bibliotheque. De nos jours, avec le
courrier electronique et autres medias
electroniques, les moyens a leur disposition pour communiquer avec la
communaute universitaire ou le vaste
monde ont considerablement augmented On peut meme avancer que la technologie a permis de pallier une augmentation importante du nombre d'etudiants inscrits au niveau post-secondaire et d'attenuer les effets des
reductions des subventions a l'education, qui ont entraine l'instauration de
classes plus grandes.
Au debut des annees 90, les
amphitheatres contenaient habituelle-
"
par
B u••cr.k L
s>t eoi nt n i n
nor Jeff
l«l( D
ment jusqu'a 400 eleves.
laser, magnetoscope et
En 1993, les gestionautres, dont un ecran
naires de l'Universite de
a retroprojection de
Western Ontario cher20 pieds de hauteur.
chaient de nouvelles
Le professeur Atkinmethodes d'enseigneson met quelque vingt
ment pour les groupes
heures a preparer
importants et ont cree
chaque cours de 90
une «superclasse» pour
minutes, a raison de
les etudiants en premiere
deux fois la semaine.
de psychologic II y a
Q u a t r e techniciens
Ci-dessus, le professeur
quatre ans, 900 eleves Mike Atkinson de Vuniver
aident au montage
participaient a la pretandis que sept etudisite de Western Ontario.
miere superclasse du
ants,
dont
cinq
Ci-haut, Paula Cooke,
professeur Mike Atkindiplomes, agissent en
directeur du programme
son; en 1994, ils etaient
tant qu'aides a l'enAcadia Advantage
1 200. Afin de stimuler
seignement.
les etudiants d'une aussi grande classe,
Selon le professeur Atkinson, une
le professeur Atkinson a decide d'avoir presentation multimedia rehausse l'exrecours au multimedia.
perience d'apprentissage en fourPour ce faire, des renovations de nissant de nouvelles facons de presen500 000 $ ont ete apportees a l'am- ter l'information. II est plus facile, par
phitheatre. Western y a mis le paquet: exemple, de montrer la structure du
nouvel eclairage, systeme de son et de cerveau et le fonctionnement des celprojection video, ordinateur avec lules nerveuses par imagerie tridimenlecteur cederom, lecteur de disque sionnelle informatisee.
UNIVERSITY MANAGER
FALL 1997
27
Depuis quatre ans, le professeur
Atkinson n'a pas perdu trop de
joueurs. Et certains etudiants considered cette classe «plus personnelle et
intime» que des classes beaucoup plus
petites. Le professeur Atkinson considere que l'interet demontre par les
eleves vis-a-vis d'un sujet donne depend
beaucoup plus de la methodologie du
professeur et de sa performance que de
a taille de la classe.
La haute technologie a trouve une
application tout a fait differente a
PUniversite Acadia. Selon la directrice
de projet du programme Acadia
Advantage, Paula Cook, des portables
IBM ont ete remis a 375 des 1 100
eleves en premiere en septembre
dernier. Au cours des q u a t r e
prochaines annees, tous les etudiants
de premiere recevront un portable, ce
qui signifie qu'en l'an 20000, tous les
etudiants de Puniversite de Wolfville,
N.-E. auront acces a un ordinateur.
II en a coute environ 11 millions de
dollars pour ameliorer les sieges et
installer la fibre optique et les prises
necessaires. Les depenses d'investissement seront defrayees par une campagne de levee de fonds, tandis que les
couts d'exploitation seront amortis
par les frais de scolarite et la location
des portables pendant Pete. Les etudiants du programme paient 1 200 $ de
plus et, de souligner Paula Cook, on
prevoit que le projet fera
eventuellement ses frais.
Les etudiants ont acces
au reseau et a PInternet
depuis les classes, les
residences et les espaces
publics comme la bibliotheque, le centre etudiant, la cafeteria et les
salons etudiants. La plupart des etudiants du
programme apprecient
plus leurs cours a cause
de leur ordinateur, de
souligner Paula Cook. Les etudiants
en musique par exemple, ont decouvert que le portable intensifie les sons.
L'usage de diapositives numerisees
rehausse Petude des beaux-arts et le
travail en laboratoire de physique est
28
UNIVERSITY MANAGER
FALL 1997
Le systeme CHAT de I'Universite
Carleton a amene plusieurs
enseignants a enrichir leur
programme.
ameliore car les donnees provenant
d'analyses de caden ce peuvent etre
entrees directement dans le portable
en temps reel.
La directrice du Teaching and
Learning Resource Centre de
PUniversite Carleton, Carole Dence,
souligne que tout etudiant peut participer au systeme CHAT (Carleton
Hotline for Administration and
Teaching). Lance en 1993, le systeme
comprend courrier electronique,
groupes de discussion des cours et
acces a PInternet via des laboratoires
d'informatique sur le campus, ou de
l'exterieur via modem. Plusieurs
enseignants ont cree leur propre site
Web afin d'afficher les travaux et de
creer des liens avec des sites pertinents
a leur cours.
Un enseignant d'anglais langue seconde a Carleton a mis en communication un groupe d'etudiants japonais
avec des etudiants de la culture et de
Phistoire japonaises d'une universite
Technologie
de la Floride. Les etudiants de
Carleton ont servi de personnes
ressources aux etudiants floridiens qui
ont permis aux Japonais de pratiquer
leur anglais et d'ainsi vivre une
«experience de communication
authentique», selon Carole Dence.
Une autre initiative de l'universite
Carleton est le systeme de television
educative, lance en 1978. Avec des
couts d'exploitation annuels d'environ
700 000 $, le service gere un systeme
d'enregistrement et de transmission
d'environ 65 cours d'arts et sciences.
Au cours de l'annee, environ le tiers
des etudiants de Carleton suivent un
cours televise ou plus, enregistre en
direct lors d'un cours donne sur le
Le methodologie de
I'enseignant et sa
performance sont en
grande partie
responsables de
I'interet manifesto
par les etudiants.
campus, de dire Robin Allardyce, le
directeur de la television educative. II
r a p p o r t e q u ' u n recent sondage a
revele que les etudiants les plus satisfaits de leur cours televise consideraient que le cours etait donne par
un professeur dynamique qui stimulait
le processus d'apprentissage et suscitait leur interet.
Les cours televises ont debute en
1993 a l'Universite de Winnipeg.
L'annee derniere, environ 600 etudiants ont suivi des cours retransmis via
cablodistribution. Le doyen de la
Formation permanente et directeur du
Centre for Learning Technologies de
Puniversite de Winnipeg, Curtis
Nordman, considere que les cours
televises donnent a la comrnunaute
«la chance de voir ce qu'une universite peut faire.» II croit que, malgre
les pronostics les plus sombres, la
technologie a cree bien au contraire
de nouvelles occasions de communication interactive entre etudiants et
professeurs.
L'universite Athabasca s'est specialisee en formation a distance depuis sa
fondation en 1971. Ses 12 200 etudiants, dont la plupart ont plus de 35
ans et travaillent a temps plein, ont
acces a une variete de programmes
dont le MBA et des programmes en
arts, en sciences, en sciences infirmieres et en commerce, de meme que
des cours au niveau du diplome.
Athabasca a graduellement ajoute la
diffusion et les services electroniques.
Les etudiants peuvent maintenant visiter le site Web de l'universite, s'inscrire a des cours en ligne et echanger
du courrier electronique avec leurs
enseignants.
La technologie educative a deja permis de gommer les differences entre la
formation a distance et la formation
sur place, selon le directeur executif de
PACPAU, Maurice Cohen. Les professeurs devront maintenant s'habituer
a une participation interactive plus
poussee des etudiants a distance via
Pecran de Pordinateur. Un environnement en ligne baptise Virtual-U a
ete mis au point a travers 30 centres
Ci haut, une
etudiante de
Carleton travail sur
le systeme CHAT.
A droite, Judith
Hughes, directeur
executif des services
etudiants de
L'Universite
Athabasca.
d'excellence du TeleLearning Network
situes sur des campus universitaires et
collegiaux a travers le Canada.
Virtual-U permet aux etudiants de
suivre des cours concus pour le World
Wide Web. lis peuvent acceder aux
cours, soumettre leurs travaux, ecrire
leurs examens et obtenir leur note en
ligne. Une des facettes les plus interessantes de cet environnement est le fait
que «les etudiants participent a un
seminaire virtuel et peuvent echanger
avec leurs collegues et leurs professeurs en ligne», explique Tom
Calvert, professeur en sciences informatiques a l'universite Simon Fraser et
co-responsable du projet Virtual-U.
Environ une douzaine d'etablissements post-secondaires canadiens
offrent actuellement acces a Virtual-U,
dont Simon Fraser, McGill et l'universite de Toronto. Sept cents etudiants se
sont prevalus de ce service au printemps dernier selon Tom Calvert. •
Jeff Buckstein est un journaliste
pigiste I'Ottawa.
UNIVERSITY MANAGER FALL 1997 2 9
Member's Report
Your Bagpipes
Sound
Slightly
by D e x t e r K a u l b a c h
or some 200 years, Nova
Scotians have focused on two
activities — religion and politics and for the past 25 years,
religion has run a poor second. In
June, the province's electors threw out
every sitting Liberal member of the
federal parliament and decided that
Alexa MacDonough and her NDP disciples were the answer to Nova
Scotia's social and economic woes.
Bravely, the governing provincial
Liberals set about selecting a new
leader. Their choice was a middleaged, Cape Breton martial arts expert
who is now busy trying to bury all
remnants of the previous Liberal
administration and rescind its existing
agreements. Of course, all this is
designed to increase the party's credibility so electors will look on it more
favourably the next time around —
which could be quite soon.
How are universities surviving all
the political chaos? First of all, it's not
really chaos — it just appears so to
the uninitiated observer. This is standard fare for Nova Scotia's political
junkies. Secondly, the universities
appear to be following their normal
course. Fortunately, university presidents outnumber NDP members so
there's no need to form a consortium
to practise sharing.
Former education minister Robbie
Harrison has so far survived the new
broom. Whether this is good or bad is
F
30
UNIVERSITY MANAGER
FALL 1997
open to debate but as they say, "better
the devil you know than the one you
don't." He only cut grants this year by
two percent so maybe he's learning to
love universities — at least a little.
The government's deep thinkers are
still developing a new funding formula
for universities. An
early version was
floated for discussion and comment
and the result was
nasty comment and
heated discussion.
The deep thinkers
are back at the
drawing board and
universities
are
establishing their
positions
and
p r e p a r i n g for the
next round. Lots of
typical Nova Scotian
J»
.
behind-the-scenes
activity is underway and the new
Liberal administration's impact on the
process is still unknown. Situation:
normal.
The Dal/TUNS amalgamation is
now history. Given the complexities of
the process, it went quite smoothly.
However, the tabloid press is still trying to stir up a few issues, with president Tom Traves cast in the role of
Attila the Hun. That's an interesting
part for someone who can't ride a
horse, even with a saddle.
Both Saint Mary's and Dalhousie
are in the process of constructing new
academic buildings. It will be novel to
see construction cranes rising over
Nova Scotia campuses once again.
While a crane is not a phoenix, at
least in ornithological terms, it
appears to possess
the same magical
powers. Regardless,
everyone is happy,
especially
unemployed construction
workers.
The important date
on everyone's calendars is November 1.
On that day, the government restriction
on wage increases
will be lifted, following a three-year
freeze that included
a three percent salary
rollback. This was preceded by earlier
freezes so t h a t many university
employees haven't received an increase
in as much as a decade. Talk about
anticipation. It's not unlike the entire
Nova Scotia fishing fleet coming home
after two months at sea! •
A lighthearted
look at whafs
happening in
Nova Scotia
politics
Dexter Kaulback is retiring as special
advisor to the office of the President
of Dalhousie University. He spent 13
years at TUNS and is a past president
ofCAUBO.
Server
Technology...
Technical commitment from Datatel is
consistently offering the latest advanced
information processing solutions. It's
client/server technology. It's multiple
hardware platforms with open systems
architecture. It's Colleague for
Student, Human Resources, Financial,
and Alumni & Development
management. It's Benefactor for
advanced fund-raising management. It's
the Top View Executive Information
Service. It's a leading CASE tool. It's
ensuring the client technological
evolution, not revolution.
Service
Philosophy^
*
Dr. Laird de L Sloan- Director of Product Strategy
Client/server technology and
client/service philosophy ore
the foundations for our success
employees are committed to
in Post-Secondary Education.
research and development.
Twenty-five percent of our
Forty percent to service and
Service and support commitment from
Datatel is 27 years of experience and
expertise. It's being the market leader in
Canada. It's making Post-Secondary
Education our primary business. It's
association memberships with ACCC,
ARUCC, CAUBO and CCAE. It's being a
financially secure, flexible and responsive
company. It's picking up the phone and
talking directly with the heads of product
strategy and client services. It's response
line and users' groups. It's being online
and on time. It's being the industry leader,
year in and year out, in client retention.
support. One hundred percent
////DATATEL
to client satisfaction.
4375 Fair Lakes Court
100 Spear Street, Suite 1410
Fairfax, Virginia 22033
San Francisco, California 94105
703.968.9000
415.957.9002
800.969.4577
800.969.9002
over
last year.
i
^
(That's more than anyone
else in the world.)
No one sells as many textbooks at colleges and
universities as Pollett. We work with the faculty
and staff at over 500 campuses to custo
inventory down to the last textbook. • No matter
what the request, we can find the books your
faculty need. After all, we work with over 20,000
publishers around the world. And to ensure that
every book is in stock and on time, we've
t™>niiw SyStem. In fact, that's just one of our
st to offer
iiilil1irj[#Ks!5^»wteiffiItIffaJM'MW»f;y»MiTt1Pl
to*
FOLLETT
COLLEGE STORES
Call Scott Deaton, Senior Vice President of Marketing, at 800-383-4506. Or visit us on the Internet at http://www.fcs.follett.com