Presidents of 2 Manitoba universities wary of funding higher education using certain outcomes

Manitoba's plans to change the way it finances universities and colleges is facing opposition from presidents of some of those institutions.

In separate letters to the government, University of Manitoba presidentMichael Benarrochasked the province to refrain from tying funding to data, while Brandon University president David Docherty warned the metrics contemplated by governmentcould come at the expense of students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

The letters suggestthe Progressive Conservative government may have trouble persuading post-secondary stakeholders to supportits proposedoverhaul in how it fundshigher education.

"We don't want to be driving away students from post-secondaryeducation.We want increased access," Scott Forbes, president of the ManitobaOrganization of Faculty Associations, said in an interview.

The province has repeatedly signalled its intention toexploresome form of performance-based funding, which would be tailored to targetssuch as students' progression, degree/diploma attainment and graduates' incomes. A majority of American states and some Canadian provinces have developed a funding model of this style.

More accountability needed: minister

Manitoba's Advanced Education Minister Jon Reyessaid he wants post-secondary institutions to be accountable for the public dollars they receive. The auditor general said in a 2020 report the amount of government oversight over post-secondary schoolswaslacking.

Reyes has said that consultations, which began in the spring, will inform which metrics are usedlocally.

In their letters, neither BenarrochnorDochertysay thatan outcomes-based model couldn't be achieved, but both raisedobjections to the government'sapproach.

A recent consultation guide from the advanced education department says possible metrics could include student completion, student progression, Indigenous student success, graduate employment, graduate earnings, external partnerships and financial management.

After a June 17 consultation meeting,Benarrochstressed a number of accountability mechanisms are already in place, including regular reporting to the province, according to his letter.

He says any new metrics must recognize the "different strengths and contributions among all Manitoba institutions," and should only consider areas post-secondary institutions have a say in. "Employment and earnings by graduates, for example, are not within the institutions' control," he wrote in his Aug. 2 letter.

He said divvying outfunding based oncertain measures can "come at a cost to other priorities, such as accessibility," sinceinstitutions may thenprioritizestudents and programs most likely to benefit the labour market.

Such a funding arrangementcan"alsohave the effect of punishing institutions for building programs that may not connect directly to these specific metrics, such as those that address equity and social justice."

Skills and success

Elsewhere, Brandon University's Dochertywarned in his letter, dated Oct. 14, the province's measures could "distort [the] true performance" of his university.

He said the university is a hub for the Westman region and attracts students from elsewhere in rural and northern Manitoba.

He said BU prides itself in providing educational opportunities to students who may not come from the traditional background of a post-secondary student. Every person with a Grade 12 degree can enrol.

As such, Docherty said, BU students may take longer to graduate, andsince many return to rural settings post-graduationtheir wages tend to be lower than in urban centres.

The university gets many Indigenous students who hope to gaincertain skill sets, he said, rather than earning a degree.

"If a student, Indigenous or not, comes to BU for a two-year experience, leaves happyand is gainfully employed in their community, why would the province penalize the institution that provided this person with the skills to be successful?" Docherty wrote.

He suggested performance-based measures for BU could assess theuniversity's impacton the community, ranging from the number of musical concertsto the number of kids attending sports camps.

"These are all legitimate measures of our role as a regional university. They are not necessarily measured in alumni earnings some arbitrary number of years post-graduation, but rather on the deep and ongoing impact our studentsmake right here in Brandon, in Westmanand across Manitoba."

While universities and colleges may prefer individualized metrics, Kelly Saunders, a Brandon University professor who attended one of the government's consultations, says it would be difficult for the province todevise such a system since these models usually have a standard set of metrics.

Universities have wide-ranging purpose: professor

Saunders saiduniversities shouldn't be treated as institutions that exist to churnout job-ready graduates.

"We point to the importance ofnot only educating people to be engineers and doctors and lawyers, but also educating people to be critical thinkers, to be able to ask questions when they read something on Facebookand to really ask the bigger questions that a thoughtful, engaged, critical thinking public citizenry should be asking."

Forbes, with the ManitobaOrganization of Faculty Associations, says post-secondary institutions are becoming more accessible. Heworries a new funding model could change that.

"We want everybody in society to have a chance at moving up thesocial ladder that higher education provides."

University College of the North presidentDougLauvstadsaid in an interview he's open to a new funding formulaas long as the distinctiveness of each place of higher learningremains intact.

"We want to make sure that it's done in a way that improves the overall student experience, that recognizes each institution's unique characteristics and strengthens the system."

Reyes was not available for an interview, but his department said consultations will continue into the fall and the new year, including the launch of a new survey on the governmentwebsite.

"A well-developed framework can support greater oversight, in accordance with the auditor general's recommendations, and to improve the department's ability to report and celebrate Manitoba's institutions' positive outcomes to the public," a department spokesperson wrote in an email.

The government says it is only looking at how other Canadian provinces have established accountability metrics, rather than any U.S. or international models.

In 2020, however, former premier Brian Pallister said he was looking to follow the leadof Tennessee, theAmerican state that pioneered this funding model.