2014-17 Strategic Mandate Agreement: Algoma University

Ontario’s Vision for Postsecondary Education

Ontario’s colleges and universities will drive creativity, innovation, knowledge, and community engagement through teaching and research. They will put students first by providing the best possible learning experience for all qualified learners in an affordable and financially sustainable way, ensuring high quality and globally competitive outcomes for students and Ontario’s creative economy.

Algoma University Vision/Mandate

1. We are an institution that has been granted a Charter in order to serve the needs of the Algoma region and, to some extent, Northern Ontario more broadly. We recognize that, in order to do so well, we must be an institution that welcomes students, staff, and faculty from all parts of the province and all parts of the planet.
2. Our Charter confers upon us a "special mission" to focus on teaching and learning, and to be especially dedicated to the pursuit of excellence in undergraduate education.
3. Because of our location on the site of a former Indian residential school, our Charter also confers upon us a special mission to engage in "cross-cultural learning" and to be a valuable resource for Anishinaabe people and peoples.
4. Our aspiration is to be an institution of approximately 3,000 students of whom a significant proportion will be Anishinaabe or international. Though focused primarily on excellence in undergraduate education, we aspire to offer a small selection of Master’s-level programs that are critical for the economic and social development of our region.

Preamble

This Strategic Mandate Agreement between the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities (the Ministry) and Algoma University outlines the role the University currently performs in the postsecondary education system and how it will build on its current strengths to achieve its vision and help drive system-wide objectives articulated by the Ministry’s Differentiation Policy Framework.

The Strategic Mandate Agreement (SMA):

• Identifies the University’s existing institutional strengths;
• Supports the vision, mission, and mandate of the University within the context of the University’s governing legislation and outlines how the University’s priorities align with Ontario’s vision, and Differentiation Policy Framework; and
• Informs Ministry decision making through greater alignment of its policies and processes to further support and guide the University’s areas of strength.

The term of the SMA is from April 1, 2014, to March 31, 2017. The SMA proposal submitted by the University to the Ministry has been used to inform the SMA and is appended to the agreement.

The Ministry acknowledges the University’s autonomy with respect to its academic and internal resource allocation decisions, and the University acknowledges the role of the Ministry as the Province’s steward of Ontario’s postsecondary education system. The agreement may be amended in the event of substantive policy or program changes that would significantly affect commitments made in the SMA. Any such amendment would be mutually agreed to, dated, and signed by both signatories.

Algoma University Key Areas of Differentiation

Algoma’s continued focus on teaching and learning for undergraduate students is helping to develop the talent, skills, and knowledge needed for the Sault Ste. Marie region’s transition to a knowledge-based economy. Algoma supports access to postsecondary education for all students, especially Anishinaabe students, first generation students, and students from small towns. To this end, Algoma has a strong impact on its community and plays a significant role in promoting local economic development.

Alignment with the Differentiation Policy Framework

The following outlines areas of strength agreed upon by the University and the Ministry, and the alignment of these areas of strength with the Ministry’s Differentiation Policy Framework.

1. Jobs, Innovation, and Economic Development

   This component highlights institutions’ collaborative work with employers, community partners, and regions, or at a global level, to establish their role in fostering social and economic development, and serving the needs of the economy and labour market.

   1. Areas of Institutional Strength

      Established to help transition its local region to a more diversified and sustainable economy, Algoma University continues to play a critical role in the region’s transition to a knowledge-based economy.

      Examples include:

      • Algoma is the 8^th largest employer in the region, with a large proportion of its employees recognized as Highly-Qualified Professionals (HQPs).
      • The presence of the University is helping to improve university education attainment rates in the region, and this is important for the transition of the local economy.
      • Algoma works with employers to develop programming that they require. Algoma’s biosciences building hosts the Sault Ste. Marie Innovation Centre (SSMIC), a municipal agency tasked with developing the region’s knowledge-based economy. Algoma and the Centre collaborate to support initiatives to create jobs in alternative energy, information technology, eco-tourism, and other emerging sectors.

   2. Additional Comments

      Institutional Strategies

      • Algoma has made an application to the Ontario Cooperative Education Association (OCEA), in collaboration with Sault College and the SSMIC, to establish a business incubator for college and university students.

   3. Metrics

      Institutional Metrics	System-Wide Metricsfootnote 2[2]
      	Graduate employment rates Number of graduates employed full-time in a related job

2. Teaching and Learning

   This component will capture institutional strength in program delivery methods that expand learning options for students, and improve the learning experience and career preparedness. This may include, but is not limited to, experiential learning, online learning, entrepreneurial learning, work integrated learning, and international exchange opportunities.

   1. Areas of Institutional Strength

      As indicated through its Charter, Algoma is a primarily undergraduate institution with a special mission to focus on teaching and learning. Algoma is designed to be a student-centred institution that delivers programming in select areas that are critical to the region’s needs. Algoma’s distinctive student body leads to a distinctive approach to teaching and learning.

      • Virtually all of Algoma’s instruction is face-to-face, with no large classes, and all evaluation is done by instructors. While this approach differs from other universities, it supports the needs of Algoma’s distinctive student population: Anishinaabe students, first generation students, and students from small towns who find larger institutions intimidating.
      • Algoma places a focus on undergraduate education, enabling Algoma students to participate in research that would typically be reserved for graduate students at other institutions. These opportunities are important both for their academic development and for their preparation for employment after graduation.

   2. Additional Comments

      Institutional Strategies

      • Algoma will leverage the Ontario Online Initiative to introduce more online learning opportunities for students, to support students with the skills they need to be comfortable in a knowledge-based economy.
      • As a modern University in a former Indian Residential School, Algoma aspires to be a nationally-significant centre for education about Canadian residential schools, providing curriculum and instruction for K-12 students, students from other universities and colleges, and the general public.

   3. Metrics

      Institutional Metrics	System-Wide Metrics
      	Student Satisfaction Survey results Graduation rates Retention rates Number of students enrolled in a co-op program at institution Number of online course registrants, programs, and courses at institution

3. Student Population

   This component recognizes the unique institutional missions that improve access, retention, and success for underrepresented groups (Aboriginal, first generation, students with disabilities) and francophones. This component also highlights other important student groups that institutions serve that link to their institutional strength. This may include, but is not limited to, international students, mature students, or indirect entrants.

   1. Areas of Institutional Strength

      Algoma’s student population profile is unique, with a particular focus on Anishinaabe (Indigenous people), first generation students, and students from small communities.

      • Approximately 15% of the institution’s students are Anishinaabe. The proportion of first-generation students enrolled at Algoma increased from 16.3% in 2009-10 to 38.9% in 2012-13 (provincial average was 17.8).

      As university attainment rates in the region have traditionally been low, Algoma quite consciously takes a relatively liberal approach to admission standards.

      • The policy is that admission requirements should be set at a point that welcomes students who have a good chance of benefitting from the education we offer and excludes only those who are unlikely to pass.
      • As a small University in a small city, Algoma finds its natural market for students is in small-town Ontario (whether in the North or in the South) and that the student body is likely the most "small-town" of any university in the province.
      • International students comprise a large proportion of the institution’s student population and are concentrated in a small number of programs.

   2. Additional Comments

      Data from system-wide metrics confirm Algoma’s focus on first generation, Anishinaabe, and international students:

      • As of 2012-13, international students made up 18.3% of Algoma’s student population (provincial average was 9.2%).

   3. Metrics

      Institutional Metrics	System-Wide Metrics
      	Number and proportion of Aboriginal, first generation, students with disabilities, and francophone students at an institution Number and proportion of international students enrolled in Ontario (as reported in annual institutional enrolment reporting) Proportion of an institution’s enrolment that receives OSAP

4. Research

   This component identifies the breadth and depth of institutional research activity (both basic and applied), and will identify institutional research strengths from niche to comprehensive research intensity.

   1. Areas of Institutional Strength

      In the four years that Algoma has been Tri-Council certified, the University has made strides in the following areas of research:

      • Environmental science;
      • Community-based research and Aboriginal issues; and
      • Health informatics.

      Initiatives and outcomes include:

      • External funding in these four areas has totalled almost $9M over the past five years.
      • Algoma’s work in these niche areas has been driven by the creation of specialized research institutes and the appointment of research chairs (invasive species, natural products biochemistry, health informatics) or research directors (community development, Indian residential schools).
      • In July 2011, Algoma opened the Essar Convergence Centre (ECC), which brings together teaching, research, and commercial activities to foster innovation and growth.
      • In terms of research in the area of environmental science, Algoma’s biologists supervise ten graduate students per year from other universities. The Ontario Forest Research Institute and federal Great Lakes Forestry Centre, both located nearby, have considerable research infrastructure, expertise, and the capacity to supervise graduate students (OFRI has sixteen PhD-level researchers and GLFC has about thirty).

   2. Additional Comments

      System-wide metrics reflect Algoma’s very focussed activity in this area.

   3. Metrics

      Institutional Metrics

      System-Wide Metrics

      Research Capacity Total sponsored research Number of research chairs Number of graduate degrees awarded Number of graduate awards/scholarships Research Focus Graduate degrees awarded to undergraduate degrees awarded Graduate to undergraduate ratio PhD degrees awarded to undergraduate degrees awarded Research Impact Normalized Tri-Council funding (total and per fulltime faculty) Number of publications (total and per full-time faculty) Number of citations (total and per full-time faculty) Citation impact (normalized average citation per paper) International Competitiveness Ratio of international to domestic graduates (used by Times Higher Education Rankings) Aggregate of international global rankings

5. Program Offerings

   This component articulates the breadth of programming, enrolment, and credentials offered, along with program areas of institutional strength/specialization, including any vocationally oriented mandates. This component also recognizes institutions that provide bilingual and/or French-language programming for students.

   1. Areas of Institutional Strength

      Current program areas of strength include:

      1. Liberal Arts
      2. Biology
      3. Business Administration
      4. Computer Science
      5. Social Work

      Proposed areas for growth include:

      1. Undergraduate Arts and Science

   2. Additional Comments

      Algoma has an agreement with Carleton University to deliver the first two years of Carleton’s engineering core. This is not a new engineering program; it is a 2 + 2 arrangement for the delivery of part of an existing program. This arrangement is the best hope for getting Aboriginal students into engineering because Algoma has a large Anishinaabe population and provides a welcoming environment for them that is close to home.

      The Ministry notes that a large number of new engineering degree programs are proposed province-wide, which will have an impact on the Ministry’s review of new engineering program proposals.

   3. Metrics

      Institutional Metrics	System-Wide Metrics
      	Institution-specific and provincial Key performance Indicators, including employment rate after two years, percentage of students completing the degree, and OSAP default rates for each area of strength Program enrolment

6. Institutional Collaboration to Support Student Mobility

   This component profiles partnerships between institutions that ensure students have access to a continuum of learning opportunities in a coordinated system. This may include, but is not limited to, credit transfer pathways and collaborative or joint programs between or within sectors.

   1. Areas of Institutional Strength

      Algoma has a strong record of institutional collaboration with several Ontario postsecondary education institutions, with an added focus on its relationship with Sault College. As Algoma was originally located on the campus of Sault College, that early connection has remained a source of strength for Algoma.

      • Algoma has a set of articulation agreements with Sault College and, in some years, as many as 25% of the students graduating from Algoma came from Sault College.
      • Algoma has also been working with Northern College in Timmins to deliver programming in Social Work and Community Development for graduates of Northern College’s diploma programs in related fields, and delivers a degreecompletion program in Business Administration for Greater Toronto Area students who possess a college diploma in a business program.
      • Algoma has a block credit transfer policy for incoming transfer students with a B average, or higher, from any Ontario college, as well as special articulation agreements with a number of other colleges for specific programs, including Cambrian, Seneca, and George Brown.

   2. Additional Comments

      Institutional Strategies

      • Algoma is developing new pathways and intends to develop joint programming with other institutions.

   3. Metrics

      Institutional Metrics	System-Wide Metrics
      	Number of college and university pathways and/or articulation agreements (college-college, collegeuniversity, university-college) Number of transfer applicants and registrants Number of college graduates enrolled in university programs

Aspirations

The Ministry recognizes the importance of supporting institutions to evolve and acknowledges the strategic aspirations of its postsecondary education institutions; the SMA is not intended to capture all decisions and issues in the postsecondary education system, as many will be addressed through the Ministry’s policies and standard processes. The Ministry will not be approving any requests for capital funding or new program approvals, for example, through the SMA process.

Institutional Aspirations

• Algoma has developed a proposal for a degree pathway for engineering with another Ontario university. The Ministry notes that a large number of new engineering degree programs are proposed province-wide, which will have an impact on the Ministry’s review of new engineering program proposals.
• Algoma University does not currently offer graduate programs, but aspires to offer Master’s-level programming in areas that are important for the economic and social development of the region. The Ministry notes that we have not proclaimed the section of Algoma’s current legislation that would permit Algoma to offer Graduate degrees. Algoma will work with the Ministry during the term of this SMA to explore offering a Master’s of Science (MSc) in Environmental Science under a future agreement.
• To ensure the Anishinaabe students and staff feel at home on campus, Algoma plans to build a small Anishinaabe Student Centre. Algoma has already set aside a small capital reserve that would cover approximately 5-10% of the cost of the facility.
• Algoma has aspirations for additional offsite feeder sites.

Enrolment Growth

The strategic enrolment and planning exercise is in the context of a public commitment in the 2011 Budget to increase postsecondary education enrolment by an additional 60,000 students over 2010-11 levels. This government has demonstrated a longstanding commitment to ensuring access to postsecondary education for all qualified students.

Baseline Eligible Full-Time Headcount Projection to 2016-17

Algoma University’s planned enrolment forecast as expressed in this baseline eligible enrolment scenario is considered reasonable and in line with Ministry expectations, based on the current and projected demographic and fiscal environments.

Graduate Allocation

The Province committed to allocate an additional 6,000 graduate spaces in the 2011 Budget. The allocation of the balance of the 6,000 graduate spaces is informed by institutional graduate plans, metrics identified in the differentiation framework, and government priorities.

Algoma University is currently not offering graduate programming.

Financial Sustainability

The Ministry and the University recognize that financial sustainability and accountability are critical to achieving institutional mandates and realizing Ontario’s vision for the postsecondary education system. To this end, it is agreed that:

• It is the responsibility of the governing board and Senior Administrators of the University to identify, track, and address financial pressures and sustainability issues. At the same time, the Ministry has a financial stewardship role. The Ministry and the University agree to work collaboratively to achieve the common goal of financial sustainability and to ensure that Ontarians have access to a full range of affordable, high-quality postsecondary education options, now and in the future; and
• The University remains accountable to the Ministry with respect to effective and efficient use of government resources and student resources covered by policy directives of the Ministry, or decisions impacting upon these, to maximize the value and impact of investments made in the postsecondary education system.

The Ministry commits to engage with the sector in spring 2014 to finalize the financial sustainability metrics to be tracked through the course of the SMAs building on metrics already identified during discussions that took place in the fall of 2013.

Ministry/Government Commitments

Over time, the Ministry commits to aligning many of its policy, process and funding levers with the Differentiation Policy Framework and SMAs to support the strengths of institutions and implement differentiation. To this end, the Ministry will commit to:

• Engage with both the college and university sectors around potential changes to the funding formula, beginning with the university sector in 2014-15;
• Update the college and university program funding approval process to improve transparency and align with institutional strengths as outlined in the SMAs;
• Streamline reporting requirements across Ministry business lines with the goals of (1) creating greater consistency of reporting requirements across separate initiatives, (2) increasing automation of reporting processes, and (3) reducing the amount of data required from institutions without compromising accountability. In the interim, the Multi-Year Accountability Report Backs will be adjusted and used as the annual reporting mechanism for metrics set out in the SMAs;
• Consult on the definition, development, and utilization of metrics;
• Undertake a review of Ontario’s credential options; and
• Continue the work of the Nursing Tripartite Committee.

The Ministry and the University are committed to continuing to work together to:

• Support student access, quality, and success;
• Drive creativity, innovation, knowledge, and community engagement through teaching and research;
• Increase the competitiveness of Ontario’s postsecondary education system;
• Focus the strengths of Ontario’s institutions; and
• Maintain a financially sustainable postsecondary education system.