Reform in Higher Education in Canada

Abstract

AbstractReform in higher education is a topic of great interest world‐wide because of the financial pressures facing institutions and the increasing demand for access. Also there is a perceived reluctance to respond to the political will of governments and the forces of the marketplace. Universities and colleges are accused of being complacent, unresponsive, and more concerned about maintaining their autonomy and self‐interests than in providing service to the public.Canadian higher education is not immune from such criticism, but the extent to which it is justified is by no means clear. In order to explore the responsiveness of Canadian universities and colleges to the forces of change, two surveys were recently conducted to obtain an institutional perspective. The findings reveal that higher institutions in Canada are in a ferment of change, but the changes described are more in the nature of responses to forces in the social, financial, and political environment than policy‐driven, sustainable, long‐range, system‐wide reforms.The surveys confirm patterns of change found in other federal nations and reflect a government strategy of self‐regulation blended with fiscal controls. Provincial governments have shown a reluctance to bring about change by legislation, but the threat of legislation is a powerful incentive for reform, without compromising the essentially autonomous nature of the institutions.