On-going
Way Forward Commitment:
Recognizing that Memorial University and College of the North Atlantic make valuable social and economic contributions to our province, our government will use the Independent Appointments Commission process to appoint a committee of experts to undertake a review of the province’s public post-secondary education system. The committee will explore how our system compares to other jurisdictions and will recommend options to achieve better outcomes in post-secondary education in a more cost-efficient manner. Memorial University and College of the North Atlantic will play key roles in this review.
Further, in 2018-19, the Council on Higher Education, which has a mandate to facilitate collaboration and make recommendations on public post-secondary institutions, will identify opportunities for College of the North Atlantic and Memorial University to pool applied research resources to support the growth of priority sectors. The Council will also identify ways to facilitate and further support the transfer of students between the two institutions, thus supporting academic mobility, non-duplication of effort and cost-efficiency.
What We’ve Accomplished:
- The three-year Activity Plan for September 1, 2017 – August 31, 2020 for the Council on Higher Education was tabled December 2017.
- Advisory Committee and working groups have been established to:
- Determine applied research priorities, and
- Facilitate and further support the transfer of students between the two institutions.
- Following preliminary discussions with members of the leadership and student organizations of the province’s public post-secondary institutions, input on a draft Terms of Reference for a review of the post-secondary education system was sought from Memorial University, College of the North Atlantic and post-secondary student unions. These institutions completed their own consultation processes with their respective communities and provided feedback to further inform the Terms of Reference. The final Terms of Reference for the Independent Review of the Public Post-Secondary Education System were released on March 7, 2019.
- In addition, the Public Service Commission conducted a merit-based recruitment through the Independent Appointments Commission process, for members to an independent Committee of Experts which is leading the review. The committee is chaired by Karen Kennedy and includes Dr. Kevin Keough and Dr. Doreen Neville.
- The committee is guided by the Terms of Reference and will also consider The Way Forward in the development of a strategic vision of public post-secondary education for the next decade.
News Releases:
Minister Hawkins Provides Update on Post-Secondary Education Review