0 September 22, 1992 Mr. Gary MuUins Deputy Minister Ministry of Advanced Education, Training and Technology 3rd Floor 818 Broughton Street Victoria, BC V8V 1X4 Dear Gary, Capilano College has a three year strategic plan which has been approved by the Ministry. Although we are not among those institutions who are slated to review and update their plans this year, we are submitting a major addition to our strategic plan for your consideration and acceptance. The enclosed document, "A Vision For The Future", has been accepted by a resolution of our board. The vision we are proposing is in keeping with our statement of mission and values which, incidentally, we are not modifying. Although this document can be read on its own and stands on its own, the best picture of what we are trying to achieve is seen when it is read in conjunction with our Three Year Plan. Let me introduce the document by claiming that we are not in a recession; we are not in an economic downturn that will turn up when once again we will do more of the things that we used to do. Rather, a fundamental restructuring of the economy is taking place; that is, when "times are better" we will find ourselves in a new economy. More and more, the world of business and industry is realizing this and "the need to restructure how we do business" is the language that is increasingly used. \ Page Two Ministry of Advanced Education, Training and Technology September 22, 1992 The world of post-secondary education cannot avoid being part of the new economy. So in education, we too must restructure how we do business, and we must restructure what business we do. Our Vision document is our description of how we want to restructure what business we do. My instructional colleagues and I are requesting a meeting with you and your colleagues to discuss our vision and to plan together how we can move forward on it. We would like this meeting to be as soon as possible since what we want to do does not seem possible under the guidelines recently published by the Minister. I will contact your office in the near future to see when we might meet. Yours very truly. DOUGLAS K. JARDINE President DKJinn enclosure bcc: F. Gelin G. Lee R. Turner M. Jessup A. Smith G. Holter R. Duke J. Hafey CAPILANO COMMUNITY COLLEGE A VISION FOR THE FUTURE The Mission and Values of Capilano College as adopted by the Board of the College in March 1990 call for the College to be a post-secondary institution of first choice dedicated to excellence in teaching and learning. The ability to accomplish this mission, particularly in times of economic restraint, requires that the College's strategic goals be clearly articulated and that these goals are in keeping with the needs of the community and the values of the mission. The educational dilemma that faces Canada has been outlined many times. In summary, there is a mismatch between the educational qualifications of our population and the educational requirements of the jobs that are going to be available in the next decade. ^ In statistics reported in the discussion guide for the federal initiative Community Talks series it was reported that thirty percent of students drop out of high school before completion and forty percent of the population is functionally unable to read or do simple math calculations well enough to perform common everyday tasks. Yet two thirds of the new jobs in this decade will require more than 12 years education and forty percent will require more than 16 years. Sixty percent of today's work force has a high school graduation certificate or less but most of these people (two thirds) will still be in the labour force in 2005. For the post-secondary system in B.C. this dilemma is both a problem and an opportunity. Certainly there will continue to be high demand for the services provided by the universities, colleges and institutes but the problems that will arise result from the economic reality that only limited levels of service can be sustained by the provincial economy. There are already difficulties becoming apparent as the universities limit the admission of students who meet their published entrance qualifications and begin to limit the transfer of students from the college system. (UBC Budget and Planning Narrative 1991/92 - page 11). The creation of other alternatives to enable students to attain the 1 CAPILANO COMMUNITY COLLEGE A VISION FOR THE FUTURE necessary education must be explored. Building new traditional universities will be very expensive since these institutions will wish to pursue academic research as an equal, if not greater, priority to teaching. Yet the number of spaces needed to educate students so that they may fill the forty percent of jobs requiring at least 16 years of education will be immense. Colleges, and Capilano College in particular, must develop these alternatives so that a large number of students are not disenfranchised. The problem however is not just one of access to degree programs but also one of upgrading and retraining the existing labour force. It is a fact that the existing workers must also be able to attain new educational credentials if they are to remain employed. Many of these people will be unable to return to college for extended periods of time and will be looking for shorter duration and/or part time opportunities to complete their education. The existing colleges are well suited to that end but in large part have not structured their programs to enable easy transfer between the academic university transfer program and the career preparation programs. Consequently students often are forced to start over to attain a different credential. We. cannot ignore the large population who require basic skills before we can begin to enroll them in any program of studies. With a thirty percent high school dropout rate and a forty percent functional illiteracy rate this problem must also be addressed. In a related problem, the empowering of the large number of new citizens who have immigrated to Canada and who in many cases bring education and skills from their former homeland requires that access to English language training be provided. Such training, either as a necessary condition to enter college programs or as an equally necessary adjunct to existing programs, is a cost efficient way of accessing those skills. 2 CAPILANO COMMUNITY COLLEGE A VISION FOR THE FUTURE Organizing our post-secondary system to provide such integrated services will require some rethinking of the current status quo. The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development report Universities Under Scrutiny (OECD. 1987) offers the following analysis in the concluding chapter: page 97 "Until recently, in spite of hierarchies of perceived or real differences of status and quality, universities operated within a shared pattern of definitions and functions understood and accepted both inside and outside the academic world: - Universities provided advanced instruction to full-time students newly graduated from selective secondary schools. Courses of study were primarily in the arts and sciences and emphasized intellectual development, character formation, acculturation and socialization - qualities deemed essential for the grooming of future leadership. Specific career preparation was limited to the academic professions and the traditional liberal professions, among which medicine and law prevailed. Most often universities did not include the training for what were considered to be lower-level occupations, such as management, human services and most technological fields." 3 CAPILANO COMMUNITY COLLEGE A VISION FOR THE FUTURE and page 99 "In addition to the changing nature of the student body, other circumstances also increase the demand for career-oriented courses of study at both the first degree and the post-graduate level: - The nature of the labour market in our *expert society' has caused both governments and employers in most countries to place a premium on technical expertise and occupational competence as an educational outcome, as well as on matching availability ofprogrammes to anticipated employment needs. This pressure has been intensified by the fact that advanced degrees are now expected for many middle-level positions which in the past required only a school-leaving certificate. - A recent, countervailing trend is being triggered by increasing criticism of narrow specialization, not only because of its rapid obsolescence but also because of its inability to deal with complex realities and rapid change. University education in particular must maintain a substantial emphasis on critical inquiry and breadth. - The manpower needs of the 'expert society' have also led in some countries to pressure for shortened first degrees and for a more responsive post-graduate degree structure. 4 CAPILANO COMMUNITY COLLEGE A VISION FOR THE FUTURE All countries, to a greater or lesser extent, are witnessing an increase in adult and part-time students due to several factors: - The number of occupations requiring a tertiary degree is growing; and there are also new educational demands arising from the changing status of women and the assimilation ofminorities and immigrants (growing demandfor 'second chance' degree programmes). - The accelerating obsolescence of knowledge and information due to changes in job content as well as categories of jobs has resulted in a growing need for recurrentformal instruction for the maintenance and adaptation of competence. - Economic necessity, opportunity costs as well as psychological and sociological factors are causing in many countries an increasingly delayed and/or intermittent pattern of attendance as well as more part-time study by young people. Needs for new patterns, as well as different content, are also arising at the postgraduate level: - In a growing number of occupations and professions, there is a need for an intermediate post-graduate degree in between the first degree and the doctorate. 5 CAPILANO COMMUNITY COLLEGE A VISION FOR THE FUTURE - Where such degrees exist - such as, e.g. the terminal master's degree in the United States - the majority of students are employed adults enrolling on a part-time basis, an indication that part-time post-graduate study is becoming the norm. - There exists, as well, an increasing interest on the part of individuals employed in both public and private sectors to pursue policy - and practice-oriented doctoral degrees different from those preparing for an academic career. - Demand for non-degree post-graduate study, such as specialization courses and 'upgrading study', is also increasing. A growing amount of such instruction is sponsored and funded by employers for their employees, or by unions and professional associations for their members. In addition, in many countries a number of licensed and registered professions now make such study a condition for continuing practice. - Overall, there exists a pervasive sense of confusion and uncertainty with regard to the structure and the content of post-graduate education. The diversity of provision has not kept pace with the increasingly differentiated relations between knowledge and society." Capilano College, as with most colleges, cannot be all things to all people. But it should offer some things to all people. The college has a well earned reputation for academic preparation, career and vocational education in selected areas, and for academic university transfer programs. In recent years it has developed innovative postbaccalaureate programs and has collaborated with the Open University to offer unique degree programs. In theory, a student could enter Capilano College with less than a high CAPILANO COMMUNITY COLLEGE A VISION FOR THE FUTURE school diploma and after a period of about five or six years attain a degree from the Open University. If she or he wished they could take one or more years out to work, or could chose a different path and transfer to a university, complete a degree in a traditional discipline and then return for a post-baccalaureate certificate in Asia Pacific Management or an accelerated certificate in Business. This path is currently limited to a few specialized areas but it serves as an example for what might be possible. A STRATEGY FOR CHANGE Capilano College is well positioned to respond to the emerging trends in post-secondary education. Within the College catchment area of the Lower Mainland there will continue to be a large demand for the services that the College already provides and provides well. We should build on our strengths and reputation taking into consideration the postsecondary education needs of that region. In the Howe Sound and Sunshine Coast regions the needs may be different and we should expand our offerings based on those needs and often in conduction with other institutions better suited to provide those services. Hence, a strategic goal will be that: Capilano College will evolve to offer the education and training opportunities demanded by the changing economy and will continue to do so by developing programs in the areas in which it now operates and will develop new programs which are built on our strengths or which meet emergent needs and are consistent with our existing programs. If in any geographical region there are identified programs for which the College is unable to provide needed expertise it will cooperate with other institutions which have those strengths. 7 CAPILANO COMMUNITY COLLEGE A VISION FOR THE FUTURE In recognition of the need for advanced levels of education and training and also recognizing the limitations in opportunity that currently exist: CapUano College will continue to expand employment oriented or applied degrees in appropriate areas, initially in cooperation with other institutions, but with the goal of eventually offering those degrees itself. The degree granting status we will seek is that of a four year college whose values remain those of an institution where teaching is paramount and with the clear understanding that the granting of such degrees is but one of the missions of the institution. The maintenance of quality and high standards for students and faculty will be a priority in the development of these programs. It will not seek to compete with the established universities in offering traditional discipline based degrees in Arts and Science although it may well choose to offer alternative degree programs in liberal studies or with an integrated curriculum. This is a long term goal that will require legislative change and will be developed as the postsecondary system evolves. Many of the traditional degrees do not prepare students for immediate employment and the prospect in the short term is for that not to change. Hence another strategic goal is that: Capilano College will continue to offer specialized certification in areas that are appropriate. These programs may be post diploma or post baccalaureate or may not require any formal educational credential to enter. 8 CAPILANO COMMUNITY COLLEGE A VISION FOR THE FUTURE Since the problem of upgrading existing workers and of coping with a large high school dropout is a continuing concern, another goal is: CapUano CoUege wUl continue to offer courses and programs for students with a wide range of entry qualifications. SpecificaUy CapUano CoUege wUl provide preparatory and support courses for students who are not yet able to enter other programs of study for reasons of academic preparation. In order to encourage high school completion CapUano CoUege wUl explore with the high schools the possibUity of laddered programs which incorporate high school preparation and College diploma programs. In order to provide for the needs of returning workers and to provide future flexibility to all students a goal of the College will be: ^ CapUano CoUege wUl design aU its programs, specificaUy the degree programs, so that students can enter and exit at different points with different credentials including, in particular, the two year Associate degree. Thus CapUano CoUege wUl provide the student with the opportunity to attain an appropriate degree if they so desire. The needs of new Canadians to access the services of the College at all levels will be recognized and thus a goal will be: CapUano CoUege wUl offer support courses in English Language training for students who are not yet able to enter programs of study or who require concurrent support in order to succeed in their studies. 9 CAPILANO COMMUNITY COLLEGE A VISION FOR THE FUTURE The aboriginal peoples of Canada are articulating a variety of educational needs, some of which require that colleges cooperate in the design of new and innovative educational and community services strategies which are initiated and controlled by First Nations themselves. As an educational partner, Capilano College's goal will be to develop programs and services which recognize the unique training and educational needs of First Nations students and the various First Nations organizations within the college region, with the objective of increasing the participation and completion rates of First Nation post-secondary learners. The educational goals outlined are obtainable only if sufficient resources are available. Clearly then, a strategic goal will be: Capilano College will develop its programs in the most efficient and effective manner possible and will seek the support of the public, industry, and all levels of government to provide the resources necessary to attain its educational goals. Such development and support will include the exploration of alternative methods of educational delivery and the continued development of cooperative education programs. ^ 10