For Immediate Release
January 25, 2006
McGuinty Government Improving Quality At St. Lawrence College And Queen's University
$7.6 Million Investment Helps Hire More Instructors, Increase Student Resources
KINGSTON - Students at St. Lawrence College and Queen's University will have more teachers, learning resources and other supports due to $7.6 million in additional funding from the McGuinty government's new Quality Improvement Fund, Chris Bentley, Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities, said today.
"Our students are the most valuable asset we have for strengthening Ontario's economic advantage and ensuring our future prosperity," said Bentley. "This new finding at St. Lawrence and Queen's is providing students in Kingston, Brockville and Cornwall with a higher quality education and improvements that they are benefiting from immediately."
"Today's announcement is great news for our post secondary institutions in Kingston," said John Gerretsen, MPP for Kingston and the Islands. "With this finding our government is ensuring that students in Kingston and Ontario are receiving the highest quality education with the best possible resources for success."
St. Lawrence College is receiving more than $2.5 million to help hire nine new full-time faculty and 12 support staff to give students more contact with professors. Funding will be used to enhance partnerships with local school boards to create more integrated programming and increase awareness of college programs and career destinations.These partnerships are aimed at helping more students complete high school while improving their opportunities to access and successfully complete a college or apprenticeship program.
In addition the college is developing career centres on each of the campuses as part of the student success strategies. The career centres will provide a one-stop-shop for information and advice on career planning, job readiness training, job search and employability skills.
"This quality improvement funding is important for a number of reasons, not the least of which is being able to invest more in our existing students and programs," said Volker Thomsen, president of St. Lawrence College. "New investment in our people and programs, including attracting new students, giving them enhanced support once they are here, and being able to retain them, is critical to ensuring student success."
"Likewise, we are concentrating on creating pathways for all our students, in collaboration with our school boards, that will be both accessible and innovative in ensuring students' future success. This funding will also encourage us to begin some pilot projects on these pathways," he added.
Queen's University will receive almost $5.1 million which has already resulted in four new full-time faculty, additional support staff and will fund an additional 21 faculty for which recruitment is underway. This will allow students to experience smaller classes, improved academic support and student services. Queen's will also introduce new courses and programs, expand interdisciplinary programs and improve professional development programs for faculty.
The funding will be used to support students with increased career and student counselling, an expanded program to train teaching assistants and improved access to information on student awards and financial assistance. The university will also invest in improved classroom equipment and lab facilities, including multimedia technology to create 'smart' classrooms.
"We are always looking for ways of improving the educational experience for our students," said Dr. Karen Hitchcock, principal of Queen's University. "This new money allows us to begin new programs, recruit new faculty and support staff, and obtain new technology that improves the instructional environment in classrooms and laboratories. We are very grateful to the McGuinty government for their new investments and for their continued commitment to advancing quality in higher education."
In 2005-06, Ontario colleges will receive $87.3 million and universities will receive $124.2 million from the Quality Improvement Fund. To qualify for funding, colleges and universities must sign accountability agreements that spell out the improvements to be made and the results to be achieved.
The fund is part of the McGuinty government's Reaching Higher plan, which will invest $6.2 billion more into the province's postsecondary system over the next five years. The goal of the plan is to improve quality, accessibility and accountability in postsecondary education.
"After more than 10 years of under-funding and neglect by previous governments, the McGuinty government is rebuilding the foundations of learning so that our postsecondary students get the very best education possible," said Bentley.
