Dear colleagues,
As the end of the academic year approaches, planning continues apace for a significant return to campus in the Fall 2021 term. While the increasing rate of vaccine roll-out in Ontario gives us reason for optimism, cause for concern remains when we look at the persistence of high COVID-19 case numbers abroad, including in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and other common countries of origin for Brock’s international students. Many of these students have already had to complete their first year of study online, at times dealing with additional challenges posed by differences in time zone. Others who were hoping to begin their study at Brock in the Fall now face the increasing likelihood that they will once again have to study online due to travel restrictions. I think we can all agree how important it is for our students – all of our students – to continue to progress through their programs of study.
For that reason, with the Fall timetable now completed, I am pleased to see a strong mix of online and on-campus instruction through the next academic year. While this mix serves an immediate purpose of maximizing student options as we emerge from the pandemic, there is also an important conversation to be had next academic year about what we want the future of Brock to look like as we seek to apply the lessons we have learned from the pandemic to diversify program delivery options, build on the innovation that has already taken place, and maximize student accessibility.
Let me thank the faculty members, Chairs, Associate Deans, Deans and others for their flexibility as they worked tirelessly to think through their offerings for the next year. I also offer a special word of thanks to the Registrar and her team, who have also had to adapt to shifting expectations and work to very short deadlines throughout this academic year.
New provincial funding for micro-credential development
On April 23, the provincial government announced that it will be providing $15M “to accelerate the development of rapid training programs” such as micro-credentials. Universities and colleges will have eight weeks from the launch of the competition to design micro-credentials “that will prepare Ontarians for the in-demand jobs of today and tomorrow” and submit their proposals for funding under the Ontario Micro-credentials Challenge Fund. Successful applicants will be notified by the summer and will have until December 21 to begin enrolling students. Each micro-credential can apply for up to $50,000 or up to $300,000 for a series of five courses that yield a credential.
As we continue to await the guidelines for the Fund, I will begin discussions with faculty members via the Deans to identify potential opportunities and ideas for the application process. Thanks to Senate’s early engagement on this issue, Brock is well-positioned to propose micro-certificate ideas that might overlap both our academic priorities and government objectives. Key to the identification of eligible ideas will be opportunities for partnership with local businesses, industry groups or NGOs in areas of economic need.
Collection of 2021 performance and overview indicators data
You will recall that last Spring, former Provost Professor Greg Finn worked with Senate to finalize a template for Brock’s annual report of performance indicators related to the Institutional Strategic Plan. The completed report template with the indicators for 2019-20 was then brought to Senate and Board for information last September, before being released to the public.
Work is underway to prepare the report for 2020-21, which will again come to Senate and Board for information in Fall 2021. In so doing, we are also working to define some of the performance indicators that were added last spring as a result of Senate feedback that sought to increase the reporting indicators for the strategic pillar related to fostering a culture of inclusivity, accessibility, reconciliation and decolonization. Specifically, Senate suggested metrics that would consider the extent to which Indigenous and EDI concerns are being integrated into the curriculum. The approved indicators were the percentage of students who have completed a course with Indigenous content, and the percentage of students who have completed a course with equity, diversity and/or inclusion content.
We are investigating ways in which these data might be collected on an annual basis for reporting. I realize that the burden of reporting requirements weighs heavily on some faculty members, and I would invite suggestions from Senate about how these data – both of which relate closely to course content – might be collected without adding significantly to the data collected from instructors.
Consultation on Library Restructuring
In 2018, the Brock Library initiated a process to review and reassess organizational design. The need for this process was first identified in the 2015 external review. This process has culminated in the attached report which details the proposed changes, provides rationale, and includes a description of the organizational renewal process. In the fall of 2020, Senate approved a process by which Library restructuring comes to Senate for consultation under FHB III.C.12.1. The attached report, which follows the prescribed FHB format, has undergone widespread consultation with stakeholders as well as relevant Senate committees. The report, which has my support and endorsement, is now coming to Senate for consultation as per the FHB process.
Update on the search for the Associate Vice-President, Professional and Continuing Studies
Brock continues its search for the inaugural Associate Vice-President, Professional and Continuing Education, who will play a key leadership role as we continue to work towards the launch of an expanded and integrated continuing education operation. We received a strong group of applications from around the country. A first round of interviews has been completed and we will be moving to a second round in the coming weeks. Critical to success in the role will not only be a strong vision for continuing education at Brock, but also the ability to work collegially and cooperatively with stakeholders across the University, including faculty members and those academic units that have existing continuing education operations.
Update on the Brand Steering Committee
As I have reported in the past, Gord Arbeau, Associate Vice-President, Advancement & External Relations and I are co-chairing the steering committee for an ongoing review of Brock’s brand and competitive position in the post-secondary marketplace. The committee includes 25 representatives from across the University, including students and faculty members from each Faculty.
The committee has just completed four months of consultation that included 12 focus groups with different members of the University community, such as current and prospective students, staff, faculty members, senior administrators, and alumni; and over 2,100 responses to an online survey administered to the same stakeholder groups described above. Working with our third-party consultant, the steering committee also received the results of a competitive audit that compared Brock’s branding and positioning to that of 16 other Canadian and international post-secondary institutions.
My sincere thanks go out to the many members of our community who engaged with the consultation process. The very strong response gives us confidence in the results and positions us well to determine a way forward that will be valuable to the institution.
Sincerely,
Professor Lynn Wells
Provost & Vice-President, Academic