President's Newsletter — Issue 5 (May, 2009)
First, I must apologize for the length of this Newsletter and the level of detail it contains. But I remain convinced that people like to know what is going on at Kwantlen, and, when appropriate, to make contributions to the many ongoing discussions in the institution. I think everyone would agree that we have experienced an unprecedented year, full of changes and new challenges. With the end of term comes an opportunity to take a breath and to enjoy what I hope will be a less frenetic pace. This does not mean, however, that work will not continue through the summer months, as we prepare for next fall.
Enrolment Challenges
The last few months have been good ones for enrolment although hardly good for the economy. Summer registration is up substantially as are applications for the fall semester. As of May 4, 2009, Kwantlen had 5,701 individual students registered during summer session, compared to 5064 last summer. Load per student is up slightly, from 2.18 courses per student to 2.20 courses per student. These students are taking 12,555 individual courses compared to 11,048 last year.
At the same time, we need to realize that this increase in student numbers has less to do with Kwantlen and everything to do with the economy. It is well known that post-secondary education is counter-cyclical to the economy. It is to be expected therefore that enrolment would increase during the current period of financial difficulties. While things look healthy for next year, we must not be deceived into believing that everything is good. And indeed these numbers mask a deeper problem for Kwantlen.
In many of our public releases, we bring attention to how Surrey has one of the poorest participation rates in post-secondary education in British Columbia and that recruiting students from Surrey is a major priority for us. We also mention that the South Fraser Region has fewer post-secondary seats than elsewhere in the province, and that Surrey is the only area in British Columbia that will grow over the next few years. Given this situation, one might expect that Kwantlen would be overrun with students. What is surprising is that, with the exception of next year, the very reverse is true, with Kwantlen running at less than 90% capacity. The consequence of this is that Kwantlen did not receive any growth funding in the province's three-year plan for post-secondary education.
We have, of course, done a lot to improve our competitive advantage relative to recruitment and retention. The very successful Open House at Surrey and the equally successful Open House at Cloverdale are excellent examples of what Kwantlen can do, as was the High School Counsellors forum last week on the Richmond campus. The annual Fashion Show, put on by our graduating Fashion Design students, was truly outstanding, not only for how it presented our students and their work, but also for how it positioned Fashion Design as one of the best such programs in the country. As well, we can point to graduating shows by the Department of Fine Arts and Graphic Design.
There are several elements in any strategy to increase and stabilize enrolments:
1. Program Development
The thing that most attracts students is good programs taught by good faculty. While Kwantlen has some outstanding programs in great demand, it is also the case that we cannot rest on our laurels. New program development, especially at the degree level, must be a priority for Kwantlen. A number of Faculties have begun work on new degrees, as well as certificates and diplomas. We have provided resources to assist with this development, which must move forward expeditiously, as we must be able to tell potential students what Kwantlen will offer in the Fall of 2010. This requires that the information be available in September, 2009, the beginning of the yearly recruitment cycle. My understanding is that September has been established as the deadline for most new program proposals getting to Senate, and I encourage everyone to make this deadline.
The following constitutes new degree/certificate/diploma programs in various stages of development:
| Degrees | ||
|---|---|---|
| Science | B.Sc. Integrated Pest Management | Fall, 2010 |
| Science | B.Sc. Health Sciences | Fall, 2010 |
| Science | B.Sc. Sustainability Science | Fall, 2010 |
| Science | B.Tech. Horticulture | Fall, 2010 |
| Social Sciences | B.Sc. Applied Psychology | Fall, 2009 |
| Social Sciences | B.A. Legal Studies | Fall, 2010 |
| Social Sciences | B.A. Asian Studies | Spring, 2011 |
| Design/Com. | B. Product Design | Fall, 2010 |
| Design/Comm | B.A. Minor in Communications | Fall, 2010 |
| Design/Comm | Int. Bachelor of Design | Fall, 2010 |
| Design/Com. | B. J. with minor in Communication | Fall, 2010 |
| Humanities | B.F.A. Visual Arts | Fall, 2009 |
| Humanities | B. Mus. Ed. Studies | Fall, 2010 |
| Humanities | B.A. Narrative Studies | Fall, 2010 |
| Humanities | B.A. Interdisciplinary Exp Arts | Fall, 2010 |
| Trades | B. Tech | Fall, 2011 |
| Post-Bachelor's Diplomas | ||
| Social Sciences | Legal Studies | Fall, 2010 |
| Business | Operations Management | Fall, 2010 |
| Com. Health | Critical Care Nursing | Spring, 2010 |
| Master's Degrees | ||
| Com. Health | Masters in Nursing | Spring, 2011 |
| Business | Masters Finance/Valuation | Spring, 2010 |
| Business | Masters Accountancy | Spring, 2010 |
| Business | Operations Management | Fall, 2011 |
| Diplomas | ||
| Design | Diploma Fashion Marketing | Fall, 2009 |
| ELST | Diploma Revision | Fall, 2010 |
| Business | Diploma Paralegal | Spring, 2010 |
| Trades | Diploma in Trades | Fall, 2009 |
| Professional Studies | ||
| Design | PRLN | Fall 2009 |
| Design | Interior Design | Fall, 2009 |
| Trades | Diploma Construction Management | Fall, 2009 |
2. Recruitment and Retention
We need to get the message of Kwantlen out to potential students and we must try, to the extent possible, to provide the resources that allow us to do so. But recruitment is only one part of the exercise; retention is just as important, if not more so. We have said for some time that the institution needs a comprehensive recruitment and retention strategy, and it is to this end that we are looking to fill a senior position focusing on enrolment management planning.
While Kwantlen has a number of outstanding student support programs, there is a general lack of coordination among these programs, leading to duplication and confusion for students. I have therefore asked the Vice-President, Academic to begin the exercise of developing a comprehensive retention strategy that is implementable and measureable. It is a fact that keeping a student is a lot easier than recruiting one, and that we should be avoiding duplication so that we can offer the very best academic support programs possible.
3. Continuing Education
A secondary issue relating to recruitment and retention is the University's decision to get out of the continuing education business. That continuing education students count towards total FTE's in British Columbia underlines how this was probably not the best decision, and why the University must relaunch its Continuing Education programming. We are fast tracking the search for a Director of Continuing Education, and have put particular emphasis on introducing additional programs at the Langley campus this summer.
4. DQAB Exemption
Crucial, as well, is our application for exemption from DQAB approval. In this regard, I am exceedingly pleased to advise that the Degree Quality Assessment Board has recommended that Kwantlen receive full exemption from the DQAB review process. The review team which visited Kwantlen extended high praise to Kwantlen, and this praise went well beyond the mechanics of Senate operations. Several times the committee referred to the palpable commitment of Kwantlen to institutional change. I would stress that final approval of DQAB exemption rests with the Minister of Advanced Education and Labour Market Development. In this regard, we shall have to wait until after the election before we get this Ministerial approval, which will likely come in the next month. I do not need to emphasize how important this exemption is for legitimizing Kwantlen as a university, and how much it will expedite degree development at Kwantlen.
Mission and Mandate
I sent a letter to the University community a couple of weeks ago outlining the Mission and Mandate process as it is had so far unfolded. The Task Force is making good progress towards completing a draft document, which will then be made available to the University community for comment and feedback. Whatever document the Task Force circulates, it will, of course, contain elements with which some might disagree. We must remember that the process of creating a vision for Kwantlen is one of consensus and agreement.
We shall be sending the Mission and Mandate document to the Board of Governors, the University Senate, the University Foundation, and the Deans' Council for comment. This does not mean other groups cannot submit their views, and indeed we encourage submissions. As well, we shall schedule a series of town hall meetings at each campus so people can discuss the document.
Communication and Related Matters
Several weeks ago, I indicated that the opt-out option for the University Notice Board would be phased out, my argument being that it is the only mechanism that the University has to communicate with everyone on a regular basis. A number of people have taken exception to this decision, claiming that the Notice Board is an irritation which is simply not effective. A major concern is that there are no limitations on what might be placed on the Notice Board and how many times it appears in any one day. The result is that important matters get lost among a host of other sorts of communication. I completely understand these concerns. We will therefore be reviewing the criteria by which items get put on the Notice Board, re-examining how often the Notice Board appears, and considering who should be responsible for it. Our hope is to make the Notice Board a more effective communication instrument and to get rid of those things which appear to be irritating a fair number of people.
Equally important is our ability to communicate with our external community, critical as it is in cementing the University's reputation and positioning Kwantlen in relation to other post-secondary institutions in British Columbia. Here we face a number of challenges. We have over the last few months participated in and hosted a myriad of functions that we have used to tell the Kwantlen story. But these still reach a limited number of people. While we receive excellent coverage from the media in the South Fraser Region, and our various local newspapers are enormously supportive of us, we recognize that Kwantlen must still get wider coverage, both provincially and nationally, and especially in the Metro Vancouver area. We have therefore secured the services of Peak Communication who will over the next couple of months assist us in developing an external communication plan for the institution and in ensuring that Kwantlen is "in the news."
A number of people have approached me about new "branding" for Kwantlen, and about branding for individual faculties and departments. Our response has been that any discussion of branding is premature until the Mission and Mandate document is completed. As we are a fair way along in drafting this document, and as we need to be prepared for the eventuality of having a Mission and Mandate statement, we have begun the process of searching for an advertising consultant. A Request for Proposals was sent out, and we were amazed to received 34 responses, some from as far away as California and New York. We have established a committee to review these responses and to make a recommendation concerning the firm we should use. Members of this committee are as follows:
- Bob Basil, Graphic Design
- Peter Chevrier, Marketing and Communications
- Rick Cuff, Business
- Arthur Coren, Business
- Ross Laird, Creative Writing
- John McKendry, President's Office
- Mary Jane Stenberg, External Affairs (Chair)
- David Atkinson, President.
We have now short-listed to five firms, who will be coming to campus to make presentations to the Committee. The shortlisted firms are
- Publicis Vancouver
- Rethink Communications
- Creative Intelligence
- Seed ideas
- Karacters.
Once a successful firm has been chosen, we shall be establishing a broad-based stakeholders group to provide input on the branding exercise; this is absolutely critical to moving forward effectively and to ensuring that there is broad buy-in to both the process and the outcome.
Capital Expansion
As I suspect everyone knows, the federal government is providing significant funds for infrastructure development at Canadian universities and colleges as part of its economic stimulus package. The first of these stipulates that the federal government provides 50% of the funds, with the remaining 50% coming from the provincial government. The second requires that the 50% match come from the institution.
We have submitted projects under both programs as follows:
| 50% federal government/50% provincial government | |
|---|---|
| Library Renovation – Richmond | $1,215,000 |
| Building Envelope Replacement – Surrey | $5,000,000 |
| Student Affairs Renovation – Langley | $2,745,000 |
| Health Expansion Renovation – Surrey | $1,740,000 |
| 50% Kwantlen/50% federal government | |
| Academic Building – Richmond | $18,000,000 |
| Academic Pods – Surrey | $1,200,000 |
So far, we have only received funding to improve the outer envelopes of our buildings on the Surrey campus. This will not only improve the efficiency of these buildings, but will considerably improve their appearance. We remain optimistic that we will receive additional funding once the provincial election is over. As well, we are meeting with our local MPs in the hope of improving our chances with those projects that will be funded 50/50 by the federal government and the institution. I should note that we shall proceed with several of these projects regardless, as the institution has already budgeted for them. The advantage of getting 50% funding from the federal government is that it will allow the University to pursue other important capital infrastructure projects.
The new research facility on the Langley campus for the Centre for Sustainable Horticulture is all but complete. This building is state of the art, and will contribute enormously to expanding the research capacity of the School of Horticulture. We shall be hosting a formal opening in September to recognize the provincial government and the Canada Foundation for Innovation, each of whom provided 1/3 of the cost of construction. The remaining 1/3 was provided by the University.
Also at Langley, we intend to move forward with the renovation of the west wing, as we need to provide a bright, modern entrance to the campus, which will contain an integrated student services operation. It is also our intention to locate Continuing Education on the Langley campus in the space vacated by the Faculty of Business. John McKendry is bringing the stakeholders together on the Langley campus to determine how we might best move forward.
I am exceedingly happy to see construction on our First Nations Gathering Space get underway. This is long overdue in an institution which calls itself by a First Nations name. While it will be relatively small, the Gathering Space will provide a warm, inviting and exceedingly attractive space for First Nations students, and indeed for all students. I also wish to express thanks to all those who attended the official sod turning a number of weeks ago. That so many attended was an important confirmation of our commitment to our First Nations heritage.
I would like to comment on the ever-pressing issue of academic space. We have, as many know, adopted the concept of a “pod” around which academic departments have space for both faculty and students. A concept I like very much, the notion of the “pod” creates a sense of department community. I realize there is considerable, and quite understandable, impatience among those departments which have not such space. I very much realize that lack of department space impedes their sense of departmental identity. Regrettably, we are limited by funding and by the capacity of Facilities Management, given the many projects currently underway and planned.
I want to stress that providing academic space still remains a priority, and construction of some departmental pods will get underway this summer. As well, it is our intention to convert the space vacated by the senior administration on the Surrey campus to academic space. We hope that this will require very limited renovation. As perhaps everyone knows, the Administration will move into the daycare space at the Langley campus. This space will no longer be available to the general University community after the end of May. While I am concerned that the term daycare might remain attached to the Administration, I do believe that this is a good use of this space, inappropriate as it is for academic purposes.
It has not gone unnoticed that Kwantlen does not have an effective space management plan or any one person responsible for the assignment of space, as is the case on most university campuses. The obvious solution is to create an Office of Space Administration. This, though, will require new resources, which we are not prepared to allocate at this time, given the many financial priorities of the institution that we are already unable to fund.
Policy Matters
I realize that discussing policy matters is not at the top of everyone’s priority list, but it is a fact that good policy is essential to defining how the University operates. We also realize that much institutional policy is properly the responsibility of both the Senate and the Board. Finally, we know that neither body has the resources or time to commit to this task
One of the current challenges we face is the anachronistic policy structure of Kwantlen, which in large measure grew out of an equally anachronistic management structure (e.g. having the Associate Vice-President Finance responsible for student discipline). Nonetheless we know that we need to get on with clarifying policy, a job for which, given everything else going on, we simply do not have the resources. For this reason, we have asked Hans van der Slagt from Hans van der Slagt and Associates, an educational consulting company here on the west coast, to assist us in the development and redrafting of both academic and administrative policy at Kwantlen. Hans is now on board and I ask you, should he be in contact, to give him your assistance during the course of this project.
I know that we seem to be bringing on a number of consultants, and one might legitimately ask from where the money is coming. In answer, I would remind people that we specifically set aside one-time money in the 2009-2010 budget to address transition issues.
Naming and Related Issues
I wish to thank those who attended the “official” opening of the Library and Building C, which was attended by Premier Campbell and Mayor Diane Watts. It is obviously important that we have good attendance on occasions such as these. It was also an opportunity to rename Building C to Surrey Main, which at once recognizes it as the main entrance to the Surrey campus, and also as the major student services building on campus.
I also wish to advise that the Campus Facilities Naming Committee has all but completed its work. While there are some details to be worked out, it is the conclusion of the committee that the buildings on the Surrey campus should be named after trees indigenous to British Columbia.
Departures and Appointments
Many of you will already know that Maxine Mott has decided to retire from her position as Dean of Community and Health Studies. As it is too late for us to launch a major search for her replacement, we have decided to appoint an Acting Dean for the 2009-2010 academic year. The Vice-President, Academic will be consulting with the Faculty of Nursing and Community Health concerning this appointment. In the meantime, however, I wish to thank Maxine for her leadership of the Faculty of Nursing and Community Health, and extend our very best wishes for a happy and productive retirement. There will be an opportunity to thank Maxine publicly before she leaves the institution in June.
I also want to thank Dianne Crisp who will be leaving Kwantlen to take on the position of Dean of Science, Technology, and Nursing at Okanagan College. Dianne did excellent work as Associate Dean for the Faculty of Business, and had returned to teaching this year in the Department of Psychology. We shall very much miss Dianne, who provided particularly important leadership in the creation of our new Senate.
We are in the final stages of search for the positions of Executive Director of Enrolment Planning, Executive Director of Finance, and Executive Director of Research, and we hope to make announcements over the next couple of weeks. We attracted some excellent candidates, and the process itself was a good one for the institution, as we worked very hard to ensure that the search process was an inclusive one. The search for an Executive Director of Continuing Education is also well underway.
We will be losing two important members of the Board of Governors who will be completing their terms at the end of July. Tung Chan and George Melville will both be stepping down from the Board on July 31, 2009. On behalf of the entire Kwantlen community, I want to thank them for their guidance and support. The Board of Governors is the chief governing body of the institution, specifically responsible for the financial and fiduciary affairs of the institution. Board members have substantial responsibility, and serve in their role on the Board as volunteers.
A Final Word
As we proceed into the summer months, there will be more time to do those things that make living in this part of the world so attractive. And certainly I look forward to the experience. As well, though, there is much that needs to be done, and I look forward to working with colleagues over the next few months on any number of important projects.
David W. Atkinson
