2014-17 Strategic Mandate Agreement: Ontario College of Arts and Design (OCAD) University

Ontario’s Vision for Post-Secondary 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

OCAD University Vision/Mandate

OCAD University is Canada’s “university of the imagination,” engaged in transformative education, scholarship, research, and innovation. OCAD University makes vital contributions to the fields of art, design, and media through local and global cultural initiatives, while providing knowledge and invention across a wide range of disciplines.

Preamble

This Strategic Mandate Agreement between the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities (the Ministry) and the Ontario College of Art and Design (OCAD) 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.

OCAD University Key Areas of Differentiation

OCAD University shapes imagination through the delivery of excellent art, design, and digital media education at the undergraduate and graduate levels through student- focused learning that integrates studio-based education with historical, critical, aesthetic, scientific, and technological inquiry.

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

      OCAD University brings specialized capacity to creating jobs, stimulating innovation, and contributing to economic development in Ontario. Initiatives and outcomes include:

      • OCAD U trains individuals and teams who develop start-ups across diverse sectors — among them, information and communication technologies (ICT), digital, mobile, health sciences, gallery and exhibition venues, design studios, cultural industries, and consultation services for the public and private sectors.
      • The campus-linked accelerator (CLA), the Imagination Catalyst, focuses on creative entrepreneurship, including niche areas in art, design, and maker cultures. Components of the CLA include the Mobile Experience Innovation Centre (MEIC), the Strategic Innovation Lab (sLab), and the Inclusive Design Research Centre (IDRC).
        • Imagination Catalyst is collaborating with the Method Design Lab (affiliated with Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in London, United Kingdom), and has become part of the Growth Wheel user group, which links it to incubators in 22 countries around the globe.
        • Imagination Catalyst is building key alliances with the Centre for Social Innovation and other youth entrepreneurship (including youth-at-risk) partners.
      • A recent survey of OCAD alumni revealed that:
        • 92% were employed.
        • 86% regarded their OCAD University training as relevant to their current employment, providing the basis for a lifelong connection to the institution.
        • 87% reported operating businesses or working as independent professional contractors at some point in their careers.
        • 17% were or had been a founder of a not-for-profit or for-profit organization, 79% of which are cultural sector organizations/industry (including the digital media industry).
      • OCAD University works in close alliance with its neighbours in the cultural and design corridors, including the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO), the National Film Board of Canada, and the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).
      • OCAD University provides a cultural and economic resource to the larger community through exhibitions and its galleries, laboratories, public facilities, and incubators, and through the dynamic presence of students, faculty, and staff.
      • OCAD University has received Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)-funded commercialization with digital media and information and communication technology (ICT) companies from Brazil and Canada.

      The University has generated a number of start-up companies, new patents, and products. Recent projects have resulted in the creation of a Surgical Training Fetus Model in collaboration with Javelin Technologies; the lifebike (a lightweight, intelligent electric bike) in collaboration with Revelo Bikes; Holo Mobile with STM Holographic Inc., which introduced a holographic interface for mobile immersive gaming; and push (an elite strength and fitness tracking device that was recently awarded a quarter-million dollars from the Ontario Youth Investment Accelerator Fund).

   2. Additional comments

      Institutional strategies

      • Over the next three years, the University will strengthen its galleries and public outreach cultural centres in collaboration with private sector partners such as David Mirvish and Frank Gehry (The Princess of Wales Centre for Visual Arts at OCAD University).
      • The University is currently building an 8,000 square foot gallery and collections space at 199 Richmond Street West – scheduled to open in 2015. This new facility is being leveraged via City of Toronto Section 37 agreements and cultural infrastructure programs at no cost to OCAD University.

   3. Metrics

      Institutional Metrics	System-Wide Metricsfootnote 1[1]
      Increase from 82% to 90% of the most recent alumni cohort indicating their OCAD University training is relevant for their current work (SNAAP) Maintain 83% of alumni satisfied in their current job (SNAAP) Maintain 57% of alumni that are self-employed professionals (SNAAP)	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

      OCAD University’s focus on experiential and studio-based learning provides students with design methods and thinking, combined with the experimentation and interpretive qualities of art, a mastery of technological invention and innovation, as well as cultural, social, and economic entrepreneurship. Initiatives and outcomes include:

      • Digital infrastructure, including initiating the campus digital laptop program, cutting- edge software and hardware, high speed internet, capacity building through supporting skills-upgrading for faculty, and hiring new faculty who are cutting-edge digital leaders and innovators.
      • Each undergraduate program includes courses in Professional Practice, grounding students in project planning and management, innovation, production, marketing, and budgeting, and preparing them for independent and/or leadership roles in their fields.
      • Linked to Imagination Catalyst and providing its incubation pipeline are the Centre for Emerging Artists + Designers (a platform for engaging students in skill and portfolio development, experiential learning, and business acumen) and the Hub for Freelance Professionals (a supportive space to incubate and mentor students entering the creative services industry).

      Other notable aspects of OCAD University’s learning environment include: small class sizes; excellent student-faculty ratio; studio-based learning (most students spend 75% of their classroom time in studio learning); and formal research assistantships and other research opportunities for students.

      OCAD University has international exchange agreements with more than 50 different institutions.

   2. Additional comments

      Institutional strategies

      • OCAD University is investing and expanding student study and lounge space throughout the campus, and will transform 115 McCaul Street into the Experiential Learning Centre.
      • OCAD University has appointed an Associate Vice-President Students with responsibility for the oversight and improvement of the student experience. Improvements to the student experience include the launch of a financial literacy program, a new, centralized, highly visible model for student advising, expansion of the study group program, and increased health and wellness services.
      • OCAD University has also established the Centre for Innovation in Art and Design Education, an entity that encompasses an expanded Writing and Learning Centre, language supports for English as a Second Language students, faculty assistance to develop new curricular approaches, and responsibility for online and blended learning.
      • Over the next three years, OCAD University will create 35 fully online, mobile, and blended-learning course offerings. To support these efforts, the University will enhance its educational technology infrastructure as well as its content experts, instructional designers, training, and staff to support students and faculty. OCAD U will also use its continuing education platform to test and develop online course modules.
      • OCAD University works closely with the OCAD Student Union to identify and address issues, and holds regular Student Forums that engage students in problem solving. Design competitions address and solve challenges within the school, as do student equity initiatives led by the Equity and Diversity office, including a new Student Equity Award.
      • OCAD University has undertaken significant change in its curriculum delivery and assessment since its last National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) evaluation. It has introduced curriculum mapping and completed an outcomes driven learning assessment, as well as an improved system of on-line course evaluation. The Senate has re-evaluated the institutional grading policy to better reflect the university level curriculum, and has introduced new Minors and Specializations that allow students to have a deeper, interdisciplinary experience.
      • The institution has introduced co-curricular and curricular professional practice learning and business training in response to student demands for better preparation for their future, and professionalized and expanded its internship, work-study, and community and service learning opportunities.

   3. Metrics

      Institutional Metrics	System-Wide Metrics
      % of courses making full use of the virtual learning platform % of alumni rating their experience as excellent or good % of classes with less than 30 students	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

      OCAD University focuses on the following student populations: Aboriginal students, first generation students, and students with disabilities. Initiatives and successes include:

      • Conduct admissions presentations with American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation and provide materials in alternate formats.
      • Maintain a consistently high success rate for the First Generation program.
      • Aboriginal student outreach and support, and the Indigenous Visual Culture program.
      • OCAD University announced the launch of a new Bachelor of Fine Arts in Indigenous Visual Culture (INVC).
      • Institution-wide support mechanisms for mental health, focusing on curriculum and pedagogy, policies and procedures, and awareness and training throughout the University, in addition to treatment and accommodation.
      • In recognition of the needs of students with disabilities attending OCAD University, the institution has added a permanent Disability Advisor position, and has restructured health and wellness services to support walk-in crisis support and group counseling specifically for students facing mental health challenges.

   2. Additional comments

      System-wide metrics (2012-13) indicate:

      • Students with disabilities as a percentage of enrolment: 10%.
      • First generation students as a percentage of enrolment: 16.1%.
      • Aboriginal students as a percentage of enrolment: 2%.

   3. Metrics

      Institutional Metrics	System-Wide Metrics
      % of first generation program participants reporting that services made them feel better prepared for academic success	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 and graduate education

   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

      OCAD University bridges fundamental and applied research in art, design, digital media, and related fields, with a special recognized role in research/creation. Initiatives include:

      • The Digital Media Research + Innovation Institute at OCAD University comprises a network of 21 research labs, including:
        • The Inclusive Design Research Centre, which promotes design encompassing the full range of human diversity with partnerships from around the world.
        • The Visual Analytics Laboratory, in partnership with York University, the University of Toronto, health care institutions, not-for-profits, and industries, which develops data discovery, design, and visualization techniques.
        • The Strategic Innovation Lab, which engages in applied research in foresight methodologies for specific economic sectors.

      OCAD University has built substantial capacity in niche areas of research relevant to the innovation and creative economies, such as digital media/ICT and design for health. Its sources of funded research include the Canada Foundation for Innovation, Tri-Council and provincial research funding, domestic and international foundations, and industrial and not-for-profit contract and partnered research.

      Total sponsored research per full-time faculty currently is at $44.8K (Canadian Association of University Business Officers (CAUBO).

      Canada Research Chairs (currently one Tier 1 and one Tier 2 Chair).

      OCAD University ranks 14 out of 19 Ontario Universities in terms of CAUBO research funding by full-time faculty.

   2. Additional comments

      The Ministry acknowledges OCAD University’s focus activity in this area.

      Institutional strategies

      • OCAD University is aiming to maintain a graduate as a percentage of undergraduate total of 5%.
      • OCAD University is leading an initiative to quantify research/creation outputs using models from the United Kingdom/the European Union and Australia, and looks forward to collaborating with the Ministry and the Ministry of Research and Innovation to develop a framework that can be shared with other institutions with Applied and Fine Arts programs. A component of this institutional research includes cultural economics collaboration with the Federal Department of Canadian Heritage (OCAD University’s partner in the Privy Council’s University Champion program).

   3. Metrics

      Institutional Metrics

      System-Wide Metrics

      Total sponsored research per full- time faculty Number of Canada Research Chairs Graduate as a percentage of undergraduate total

      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 full-time 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. Fine Art
      2. Design
      3. Digital Media
      4. Visual and Critical Studies
      5. Digital Futures

      Proposed program areas for growth include:

      1. Fine Art
      2. Design
      3. Digital Futures
      4. Visual and Critical Studies

   2. Additional comments

      OCAD University has a strong base of existing innovative and niche undergraduate and graduate programs in art, design, and digital media, and will focus undergraduate and graduate enrolment growth in the areas listed above.

   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

      OCAD University attracts a high population of students with previous postsecondary education experience, at both the college and university levels.

      • In NSSE 2011, nearly half of final-year students reported that they had previously studied elsewhere.

      OCAD University has a number of articulation agreements with other Ontario postsecondary education institutions, including:

      • Collaborations include York University’s Lassonde School of Engineering to build integrated curriculum, shared hires, possible joint graduate degrees, and strengthen existing powerful research ties; Baycrest to create joint faculty appointments in the field of Design for Health; and the University of Toronto in the fields of Design for Health and Business.

   2. Additional comments

      Institutional strategies

      • In 2011, OCAD University conducted a detailed historical analysis of its transfer student (college and university) successes, measured by academic achievement and graduation rates, and discovered that they fare better than traditional high school entrants.
      • Currently, through an Ontario Council on Articulation and Transfer (ONCAT) grant, OCAD U is exploring low-affinity college-to-university transfer to the Digital Futures program, and has identified four potential institutions and a number of programs within those institutions.
      • OCAD University will continue to build transfer pathways for college students and has added a new articulation agreement with Humber College this year, with six more agreements under development.
      • OCAD University has a planned partnership with George Brown College to create a hub of learning, research, and commercialization capacity in Ontario. It will bring together digital curriculum offerings across both institutions and could lead to other articulations, such as between the Fashion program at George Brown College and Material Art and Design at OCAD University.
      • OCAD University, the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT), and Trent University are in dialogue about a tripartite model for the UOIT and Trent Synergy Project, which will result in shared curriculum and research among two other distinctive Ontario universities.

   3. Metrics

      Institutional Metrics	System-Wide Metrics
      Proportion of final-year students reporting previous postsecondary education experience	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

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.

Institution Specific Aspirations

• OCAD University’s plans for a practice-based PhD with the University College Dublin are subject to the necessary Minister’s consent under the Post-secondary Education Choice and Excellence Act, 2000 , and other necessary legislative and policy approvals, including tuition, graduate targets, and funding.
• During the SMA period, OCAD University will request approval for a new Master’s in Design for Health (MDes).
• OCAD University will acquire additional space to aggregate and to make more visible Imagination Catalyst programming, in support of incubation and acceleration activities.
• OCAD University will initiate a significant shared infrastructure project with the Art Gallery of Ontario, which will result in an art and design library and learning centre, as well as studio space for students, faculty, and community members.
• OCAD University will initiate infrastructure development at the Toronto Waterfront in a long-term collaboration with George Brown College.

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

OCAD University’s planned undergraduate enrolment forecast is based on program areas that have been supported and signed off through the Institutional Quality Assurance Process and the Ministry’s process. OCAD University has invested in Strategic Enrollment Management and articulation planning to reach these objectives. Most of the new growth is planned for new programs, including the Digital Futures Initiative and the Bachelor of Arts.

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. Based on these considerations, the allocation for OCAD University is provided below.

Note: For a detailed breakdown of graduate space allocations, see Appendix.

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:

• 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.