Tuesday reading

Three articles that I read this morning which deserve links.

  1. Phase out freeze – Manitoba is reviewing its tuition structure and all sides will be lobbying for various changes. (In the case of the CFS, they prefer no change) In the Business section of the Winnipeg Sun, Chuck Davidson of the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce calls on the Manitoba government to lift the freeze and allow Manitoba’s universities to improve. He hopes that after Dr. Levin’s report “the focus will be on providing students with a quality education and not just the cheapest one.”

  2. Unis say 18 should be the new 25 – Australian universities want more money, reports The Sydney Morning Herald. That’s not news. All universities wants more money, preferably with less accountably – but that’s not what interests me about this article. The articles notes a few factors hitting Aussie unis which also apply here in Canada. Specifically, governments like to fund new buildings, love to fund research without funds for the infrastructure required to support it, and an expected decrease in enrolment. (It’s worth noting the first two problems are being addressed to some degree in Canada. Ontario just threw $200-million+ into infrastructure renewal this year.)

  3. Number of Scots going to university dropping – What? Free tuition does equal increased enrolment? There are other reasons to explain why people do or do not attend university. Don’t tell this to my friends at corporate headquarters on Metcalfe Street – it doesn’t fit with their mass produced placards.