2014-17 Strategic Mandate Agreement: Fanshawe College of Applied Arts and Technology
Read the agreement between Ontario and Fanshawe College of Applied Arts and Technology to understand its unique role in the province’s post-secondary education system.
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.
Fanshawe College Vision/Mandate
Vision
Unlocking potential.
Mission
We provide pathways to success, an exceptional learning experience, and a global outlook to meet the needs of students and employers.
Preamble
This Strategic Mandate Agreement between the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities (the Ministry) and Fanshawe College of Applied Arts and Technology (the College) outlines the role the College 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 College’s existing institutional strengths;
- Supports the current vision, mission, and mandate of the College within the context of the Ontario Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology Act, 2002, and outlines how the College’s priorities align with Ontario’s vision and Differentiation Policy Framework; and
- Informs Ministry decision making through greater alignment of Ministry policies and processes to further support and guide the College’s areas of strength.
The term of the SMA is from April 1, 2014, to March 31, 2017. The SMA proposal submitted by the College to the Ministry has been used to inform the SMA and is appended to the agreement.
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 in writing, dated, and signed by both signatories.
Fanshawe College Key Areas of Differentiation
Fanshawe is a comprehensive college serving the greater London region. The College provides its students with flexible learning arrangements through a focus on experiential learning opportunities that are responsive to the labour market.
Fanshawe plays an important role in providing re-skilling and skill upgrading opportunities for mature learners, especially those located within Southwestern Ontario. Fanshawe has its main campus located in London and a further three regional campuses located in Simcoe, St. Thomas, and Woodstock .
Alignment with the Differentiation Policy Framework
The following outlines areas of strength agreed upon by the College and the Ministry, and the alignment of these areas of strength with the Ministry’s Differentiation Policy Framework.
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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.
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Areas of Institutional Strength
Fanshawe College focuses on jobs, innovation, and economic development in the areas of:
- Fanshawe works as a partner with the City of London and the London Economic Development Corporation the Chamber of Commerce, and regional labour mark et sectors and communities.
- Fanshawe educates significant numbers of foreign nationals, with a view to many of them settling in the region, and contributing to the local and regional economies
- The College and the Student Union have established entrepreneurial services to help aspiring student entrepreneurs start their own businesses.
- Opportunities for research and innovation are routinely considered during new program development and program reviews.
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Additional Comments
- In 2012- 13, Fanshawe’s graduat e employment rate was 85.8%, (above the sector average of 83.1%), employer satisfaction rate was 91.8% (below the sector average of 93.2%) , and full-time employment rate in a related field was 47.2% (above the sector average of 45.1%).
- Fanshawe has developed a Research and Innovation Strategy that will embed research and innovation into the curriculum of all postsecondary programs within the next five years.
- Fanshawe has set a goal of being among the top colleges in this area by i ncreasing research and innovation activities over the next decade.
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Metrics
Institutional Metrics System-Wide Metrics footnote 1 - Availability of career preparation services and supports
- Increased earnings relative to no or incomplete postsecondary education
- Local and regional income as a result of faculty, staff, and College operations spending (discounted by money withdrawn from the local economy to support the College)
- Local and regional income as a result of student spending
- Tax revenues
- Graduate employment rate
- Employer satisfaction rates
- Number of graduates employed full-time in a related job
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Teaching And Learning
This component captures institutional strengths in program delivery methods that expand learning options for students, and improve their 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.
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Areas of Institutional Strength
Fanshawe College offers programs through a number of delivery methods, including:
Experiential Learning:
- Fanshawe actively supports co -operative education. The College currently has over 30 co-operative education programs.
- The Internationalization Strategy provides domestic students with an applied international experience.
Technology Enabled learning:
- Fanshawe’s eLearning activity in 2012–13 indicates that it has:
- 1,539 eLearning courses.
- 29 programs completely online (10 new in the Faculty of Business).
- 20,870 eLearning registrations.
- 11,800 registrants in blended courses this year.
Flexible Learning Models:
- Pilot of the "Weekend College" – a new program delivery mode that began in 2013. Currently four programs are delivered through this model with an addi tional six programs under consideration for fall 2014.
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Additional Comments
- The Ministry recognizes that Fanshawe’s 2012 -13 graduation rate (69.9%) was above the sector average (64.8%).
- In 2012- 13, Fanshawe’s retention rate was 84.0%, an increase from 76.0% in 2009-10.
- In 2012- 13, Fanshawe had 10,062 students enrolled in a program with a co -op stream. Fanshawe has 34 programs with a co -op stream (in the top quartile among all colleges).
- Ministry data confirms Fanshawe’s strength in technology enabled learning; in 2012 -13 the College had the most eLearning registrations in the sector .
Institutional Strategies
Fanshawe is supporting its eLearning strategy by focusing on faculty development to ensure successful implementation.
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Metrics
Institutional Metrics System-Wide Metrics - Results from Ontario Colleges Quality Assurance service (OCQAS) quality program audits
- Results from OCQAS institution quality audits
- Year- over -year increase of 5% in pure -online offerings
- 100% adoption by faculty of the College’s Learning Management System by Fall 2014
- Availability of non -traditional hours and periods of program delivery by program
- Availability of awards and scholarships
- Number of timetables requiring revisi ons after 1st day of classes
- 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
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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.
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Areas of Institutional Strength
Fanshawe has strengths in this area, including:
- Serving a high proportion of mature students and those who do not come directly from secondary school.
- Educating 342 English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) students per month and 1,311 postsecondary international students (representing 10.3% of total postsecondary enrolment) in 2013.
- Supporting student retention through:
- Development and implementation of a mandatory Writing and Reasoning course.
- Implementation of a student -at-risk reporting protocol.
- An English Language Institute with services for international and ESL students.
- A Counselling and Accessibility Office that supports unique learning needs (e.g., adults, apprentices).
- An On-Line Gateway and a Professional Development Guide provide simplified program descriptions, supports for students, etc.
- A Retention Analyst works with academic areas and student success advisors to track retention and identify interventions.
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Additional Comments
- The Ministry notes that, in 2012-13, 8.6% of Fanshawe’s total enrolment was full -time international students.
- In 2012-13, first generation students made up 26.4% of Fanshawe’s student population (lower than the sector average of 30.3%), 1.8% of its population was Aboriginal (lower than the sector average of 4.2%), and 17.7% of students had a disa bility (higher than the sector average of 15.2%).
Institutional Strategies
- The College reports that mature students make up a high proportion of underrepresented groups at Fanshawe, and the College is embarking on a comprehensive study to determine how to be more responsive to their needs.
- The President’s Multi-Year Action plan calls for year-over-year enrolment increases for Aboriginal, mature, and weekend college students.
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Metrics
Institutional Metrics System-Wide Metrics - Student attrition pre Level 1 by: program, domestic and international status, specific geographic origin, and gender
- Student graduation rate by: program, domestic and international status, specific geographic region, and gender
- Objective measures of the availability and quality of learning supports and services
- 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
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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.
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Areas of Institutional Strength
Current program areas of strength include:
- Horticulture
- Transportation Technology
- Renewable Energies, Environment & Sustainable Technologies
- Information Technology
- Building Technologies
- Digital Media & Entertainment
- Health Sciences
- Personal Services and Human Services
- Business and Management, Leadership and Entrepreneurship
- Hospitality and Recreation Management
Proposed program areas for growth include:
- Public Safety
- Business and Management, Leadership and Entrepreneurship
- Information Security
- Aerospace
- Renewable Energies, Environment & Sustainable Technologies
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Additional Comments
- Fanshawe has strengths in Business/Management, Information Security, and Renewable Energies/Sustainable Technologies, which support the development and implementation of new programming.
- The Ministry notes Fanshawe’s continued provision of apprenticeship programs, which includes 39 different trades occupations in either conventional apprenticeship training models or as a Co-op Diploma Apprenticeship.
- The Ministry notes Fanshawe’s newly developed Stage Gate approach to program development and review to ensure strategic development of curriculum, including its Digital Media and Entertainment, and Health Sciences programming.
- Fanshawe has shared additional information with the Ministry to support its planned program expans ion in Public Safety and Aviation. New Aviation programming will build on existing program strengths and will include non- flight (person training) forms of aviation programming.
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Metrics
Institutional Metrics System-Wide Metrics - No institution-specific metrics currently identified
- Proportion of enrolment at colleges by occupational cluster and by credential
- Institution’s system share of enrolment by occupational cluster and by credential
- Number of apprentices in each trade
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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.
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Areas of Institutional Strength
Fanshawe has provided leadership in working with the Ontario Council on Articulation and Transfer (ONCAT) and participating in ONTransfer by:
- Investigating a technical solution to post Course Information Sheets online to facilitate the transfer of credit within and across institutions.
- Working with the Ministry and ONCAT to develop four diploma transfer agreements for Ontario college students, covering Accou nting, Marketing, Human Resources, and Business programs.
Fanshawe currently has over 700 articulation agreements in place, both formal and informal, with colleges and universities across Canada and the world.
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Additional Comments
The Ministry acknowled ges that between 2009-10 and 2012-13 the number of Fanshawe graduates enrolled in a university program increased from 131 to 243.
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Metrics
Institutional Metrics System-Wide Metrics - Breadth and nature of pathways (e.g., articulations, collaborations, laddering, bridging, etc.) offered at the College by program
- Number of college and university pathways and/or articulation agreements (college-college, college-university, university-college)
- Number of transfer applicants and registrants
- Number of college graduates enrolled in university programs
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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.
- Expanded Credentials
The Ministry has noted Fanshawe College’s aspirations to expand degree -granting activit y and this will be examined as part of the Ministry’s policy review of Ontario’s credential options. The Ministry has also noted the College’s desire to offer a standalone Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing; however, any decision on this issue will be made only following the tripartite work currently underway. - Capital
Requests for capital project funding are outside the scope of the SMA process. However, future capital projects should be aligned with the College’s areas of strength, as highlighted in its SMA. Decisions regarding approval and/or funding for capital projects will be made within the context of the Ministry’s long -term capital planning process and the Major Capacity Expansion Policy Framework, released December 20th, 2013.
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 60,000 additional students over 2010-11 levels. This government has demonstrated a longstanding commitment to ensuring access to postsecondary education for all qualified students.
Fanshawe College’s planned enrolment forecast as expressed in this baseline eligible enrolment scenario is considered reasonable and in line with Ministry expectations, ba sed on the current and projected demographic and fiscal environments.
Basic Projected Eligible Full-Time Headcounts
Level | 2014-15 | 2015-16 | 2016-17 |
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Certificate/Diploma | 12,442 | 12,566 | 12,692 |
Degree | 436 | 438 | 440 |
Fanshawe Total | 12,878 | 13,004 | 13,132 |
Financial Sustainability
The Ministry and the College 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 College 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 College 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 College remains accountable to the Ministry with respect to effective and efficient use of resources to maximize the value and impact of investments made in the postsecondary education system.
The Ministry and the College agree to use the following metrics to assess the financial health and sustainability of the institution:
- Annual Surplus/Deficit
- Accumulated Surplus/Deficit
- Net Assets to Expense Ratio
- Debt Servicing Ratio
- Quick Ratio
- Debt to Asset Ratio
- Net Income to Revenue Ratio
Ministry/Government Commitments
Over time, the Ministry commits to align many of its policy, process, and funding levers with the Differentiation Policy Framework and SMAs in order to support the strengths of institutions and implement differentiation. To this end, the Ministry will:
- 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 College 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.
Signed for and on behalf of the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities by:
Original Signed By:
Deborah Newman
Deputy Minister
Date: April 14, 2014
Signed for on behalf of Fanshawe College of Applied Arts and Technology by:
Original Signed By:
Peter Devlin
President
Date: April 23, 2014
Footnotes
- footnote[1] Back to paragraph Additional system-wide metrics focused on applied research, commercialization, entrepreneurial activity, and community impact will be developed in consultation with the sector.