In late August, McGill Principal Heather Munroe-Blum, along with the heads of four other premiere research-intensive Canadian universities, proposed a new national approach to university funding. According to the proposal, this "big five" would receive a larger portion of research funding and graduate students, while other Canadian universities would shift their focus to undergraduate studies.
The leaders of the newly-christened big five - the universities of Alberta, Montreal, Toronto, B.C., and McGill - are correct that Canadian universities are underfunded and Canadian education is suffering. But their proposal to concentrate graduate studies in an artificial top tier is misguided.
The Tribune believes that the ultimate goal should be to strive for the best overall standard of Canadian research. And the best way to do this is to ensure fair competition between all institutions - not by anointing a big five and guaranteeing them a bigger piece of the pie.
Universities outside the big five can, and do, produce valuable research. Just look at Waterloo - you can thank them for your BlackBerry. It should be the prerogative of each Canadian university - not the government - to determine what sort of institution it will be. Many Canadian schools, such as Queen's University and the University of Western Ontario, try to strike a balance between research and undergraduate studies. They should be allowed to do so, just as McGill should be allowed to focus on graduate studies. A university's focus shouldn't be nationally mandated.
Considering the amount of influence the big five have, it's disheartening that they've chosen to focus on this, instead of seeking to make tuition more affordable and improve undergraduate studies.
The undergraduate experience at many of these universities, including McGill, has already suffered enough. In recent years, McGill has increased undergraduates' access to research. But it's not enough. Increased investment in undergraduate research would serve to improve the undergraduate experience and inspire a new generation of graduate students to continue producing world-class research at McGill.
A choice between improving research and improving undergraduate studies is a false one. While one can argue that Canadian research is underfunded, concentrating more of the limited resources in the graduate programs of only five universities is not the answer.
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