Championing collective excellence.
Released by the Mount Royal Faculty Association
Contact: Marc Schroeder – MRFA President (403.440.6191 / mschroeder@mtroyal.ca)
Last Updated April 8, 2015
Post-secondary education in Alberta needs champions – citizens and the next generation of policymakers who recognize the great value and strategic importance of a healthy, well-supported PSE system to the future of this province – people who understand that PSE is a core need in the broad public interest, not an individual luxury. If you are seeking public office and care about PSE and about our current and future students, we ask that you consider adopting this platform. If you are a citizen, even if you are not yet eligible to vote, we encourage you to share this model platform and ask each candidate what they are doing, specifically, to help ensure that Alberta’s PSE system is accessible, affordable and of high quality.
An autonomous, diverse, strong and well-supported system of post-secondary education, accomplished through universities, colleges and technical institutes, promotes an enlightened, engaged citizenry and a healthy democracy. It both enhances individual quality of life and has clear benefits to society at large. It drives innovation and economic diversity, while ensuring a skilled, adaptable workforce. Post-secondary institutions play a major role in the cultural and economic lives of their surrounding communities.
Post-secondary education in Alberta shall be accessible, affordable and of high quality.
Accessible: although per-program admission must necessarily be competitive, overall there shall be a sufficient quantity of student seats in Alberta so that no qualified Alberta applicant is denied the opportunity to study in this province.
Affordable: student tuition and fees shall not present a significant barrier to participation by qualified Canadian applicants, regardless of socioeconomic background. It shall be possible for students to earn an education by focusing on their studies full-time, and without needing to accumulate stifling debt loads.
High quality: vibrant curricula shall be developed, delivered and regularly renewed by a well-supported faculty complement. Faculty shall have sufficient time and resources to engage with and mentor students, including individually, to maintain professional and scholarly currency, and to serve their academic and institutional communities. To ensure the integrity of this support, the clear majority of faculty at each institution shall have full-time appointments.
The provision of accessible, affordable, high quality programs requires predictable, stable and sufficient per-institution, per-program and per-student funding. These shall be accomplished as follows: