February 23, 2000
To Members of the Trent Community:
As some of you may have heard from media reports, the Ontario Government yesterday began announcing results of the SuperBuild investment program for the postsecondary sector with awards made to GTA institutions. Approximately 50 per cent of the available $660 million was awarded to 14 projects within both categories of the competition-individual institutional submissions and joint submissions. Throughout today and tomorrow further awards will be announced in the four remaining regions of the province. It is my understanding that 35 of 109 projects will be funded in total increasing access for 57,000 additional students in colleges and universities combined. This falls considerably short of forecasted demand.
This is a very important capital program for all universities and, as you know, represents the largest capital infusion seen in the sector for over a decade. More than double the requests for funding available were submitted. We certainly congratulate our sister institutions that have been successful including our partners Sir Sandford Fleming and Durham College, the latter of whom received an award to develop the "Manufacturing and IT Centre & College/University Centre Expansion," facilities that will be helpful in delivering our commitments through the University Centre at Durham.
It is disappointing to have to inform you that Trent was not successful in our bid to secure a share of these funds.
We are not alone in this regard and I believe the government recognizes the importance of ensuring there will be places for the major increase in student numbers who want to attend universities across the entire province. At Trent we have seen the early results of a welcomed 25 per cent increase in the total number of OAC applications for admission in September 2000. The fact that this is the highest increase in the province is not lost on Ministry officials and clearly illustrates demand for Trent among the province's youth.
Minister Eves' remarks yesterday provide a context for our ongoing discussions with Government when he said: "There is still more to do and many colleges and universities across the province face unique circumstances, for example existing space shortages and capital restructuring issues ... I want to take this time to assure those institutions facing significant challenges with respect to facilities renewal that your concerns have not been overlooked in making this announcement today. I will be working with my colleague Dianne Cunningham, the Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities to see that significant additional funding is provided again this year where it is most needed."
We knew that SuperBuild would be a very competitive process going in and that we would be up against many innovative and "mega" projects from larger institutions, many of whom are better positioned to secure private sector funding and partners. From the feedback received during the evaluation process I believe there is confidence in our proposal and that it stands on its merits. It is important that we seek clear and detailed feedback from the Government on our submission and, as a starting point, the Board Chair and I have a meeting with the Minister in the near future. Friday will afford the first opportunity for discussions with the Board of Governors and clearly we will need some time after that to examine implications and a number of alternatives.
The major challenges we hoped to address in part through the integrated Capital Development Strategy are still with us
to eliminate deficits and regain financial stability,
to invest in our academic programs and innovation,
to improve quality in our facilities and equality across services provided to students in our colleges,
to prepare for the double cohort, and grow the size and quality of our student body,
to deal with unmanageable deferred maintenance liabilities and inadequate facilities renewal dollars,
to build the critical mass needed for sustainability on the Symons campus and gain necessary efficiencies in operations and relief from some operating costs.
The list goes on.
We know from the space inventory of all three Peterborough campuses completed recently by Physical Resources that it would be feasible to move forward with the preliminary phase of the Capital Development Strategy and relocate faculty and staff currently at PRC. However, feasible does not necessarily mean accomplishable without inconvenience for faculty, staff and students in a short time frame between now and September 2000. Necessary renovations and further detailed planning that is required would benefit greatly from more time and a more orderly and informed transition supported by additional consultation.
In the absence of clear direction from government on how funding might flow for unfunded SuperBuild proposals that met the criteria (and how they will support space needs to satisfy the remaining unmet demand across the province), it is only prudent at this time to assume that the relocation of people and functions from Peter Robinson College will be delayed. The shift in this timeframe will also allow us to continue recruiting in the current cycle without changes in our residence guarantee for incoming students.
It is critical to our future that we be positioned to grow. This is important for financial solvency and to meet the demands for access to Trent. Our needs are clear if we are to provide modern teaching and research space and "smart," accessible facilities, if we are to attract and retain the highest quality faculty, and if we are to provide office accommodation required for staff and faculty alike. We must deliver outstanding academic programs that successfully attract qualified and motivated students if we are to be competitive. The solutions are not simple or straight-forward.
I would like to thank those of you who have come forward with ideas about the consultation process that we need to undertake and those who have volunteered to participate in or put together reference groups to identify details of our future space needs. Your anticipated involvement is merely on "pause" until we learn more. So too, the role of a Steering Committee, the Site Development Committee's place in the process, and involvement of other special groups, will be fleshed out further once I have something more tangible to report.
Given the critical need for a major investment in our university, I will be devoting the majority of my time in the next few weeks to presenting our case for funding the increased space necessary for balanced growth at Trent and the expeditious renovation and expansion of the science complex. Much is at stake in this latter regard. We remain hopeful that the government appreciates that an investment in Trent is an important investment in this region for many reasons. As we hear more I will keep the community informed.
Sincerely,
Bonnie Patterson
President and Vice-Chancellor
Go to Ontario government's press release.
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