Aurora College Foundational Review
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Aurora College Foundational Review PREPARED FOR: GOVERNMENT OF NORTHWEST TERRITORIES PO BOX 1320 YELLOWKNIFE, NT X1A 2L9 PREPARED BY: MNP LLP SUITE 1600, MNP TOWER 10235 101 STREET NW EDMONTON, AB T5J 3G1 DATE: MAY 4, 2018 ACCOUNTING > CONSULTING > TAX MNP.ca TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.0 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ............................................................................................................................ 4 1.1 SUMMARY OF FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ............................................................................ 5 2.0 INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................................... 15 2.1 OBJECTIVES ................................................................................................................................. 15 2.2 PROJECT SCOPE AND APPROACH .................................................................................................. 16 2.3 LIMITATIONS ................................................................................................................................. 16 2.4 REPORT STRUCTURE .................................................................................................................... 17 3.0 GOVERNANCE ...................................................................................................................................... 19 3.1 GOVERNANCE STRUCTURE ........................................................................................................... 19 3.2 AURORA COLLEGE ACT ................................................................................................................. 29 3.3 AURORA RESEARCH INSTITUTE ..................................................................................................... 31 4.0 ACCOUNTABILITY ................................................................................................................................. 34 4.1 PLANNING .................................................................................................................................... 34 4.2 PROGRAM AND SERVICE EVALUATIONS .......................................................................................... 38 4.3 MONITORING AND REPORTING ....................................................................................................... 39 4.4 ACCOUNTABILITY AND COMMUNICATION ......................................................................................... 42 5.0 ACADEMIC PROGRAM MANAGEMENT .................................................................................................... 45 5.1 ACADEMIC PROGRAMMING DECISION MAKING ................................................................................ 46 5.2 INTEGRATION OF ACADEMIC PROGRAMMING WITH STRATEGIC PLANNING ........................................ 60 5.3 STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS ........................................................................................................... 61 5.4 COMMUNITY LEARNING CENTRES .................................................................................................. 63 6.0 OPERATIONS ........................................................................................................................................ 67 6.1 POLICIES AND PROCEDURES ......................................................................................................... 67 6.2 BUSINESS MODEL ......................................................................................................................... 69 6.3 OTHER OPERATIONAL CHALLENGES .............................................................................................. 75 7.0 RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION OF STUDENTS ....................................................................................... 81 7.1 STRATEGIC ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT ....................................................................................... 82 7.2 STUDENT ATTRACTION .................................................................................................................. 82 7.3 STUDENT RETENTION ................................................................................................................... 91 8.0 COMMUNITY CONSULTATIONS ............................................................................................................... 97 8.1 COMMUNITY AND STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT .............................................................................. 97 8.2 ENGAGEMENT WITH INDIGENOUS GOVERNMENTS AND ORGANIZATIONS ........................................... 98 9.0 SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS ........................................................................................................ 99 APPENDIX A – INTERVIEWS AND FOCUS GROUPS ............................................................................................ 110 MNP.ca Page ii APPENDIX B – POLICIES REVIEWED ................................................................................................................ 118 APPENDIX C – JURISDICTIONAL RESEARCH .................................................................................................... 119 APPENDIX D – SURVEY RESULTS.................................................................................................................... 120 APPENDIX E – OVERVIEW DEGREE, DIPLOMA AND CERTIFICATES 2011-2017 .................................................. 127 APPENDIX F – SKILLS 4 SUCCESS – NWT JOBS IN DEMAND 15-YEAR FORECAST ............................................ 128 APPENDIX G – REFERENCES AND DOCUMENTATION REVIEWED ....................................................................... 130 APPENDIX H – NEW UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAM PROPOSAL VIABILITY INDEX – 2016 2017 ACADEMIC YEAR . 135 APPENDIX I – 2016/17 ALBE, ACCESS AND TIOW PROGRAMS ACCOUNTABILITY REPORT .............................. 141 APPENDIX J – PRINCIPLES TO GUIDE BICAMERAL GOVERNANCE AT KPU ........................................................ 142 MNP.ca Page iii 1.0 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Post-secondary education plays a key role in developing people’s potential and cultivating the Government of the Northwest Territories’ (“GNWT”) human infrastructure, both of which are necessary for the successful growth and development in the NWT. The current and future labour market demands require programming designed to respond to the needs of students, employers, industries and local, municipal and Indigenous communities. Aurora College (the “College” or the “Institution”) is the principle Post-secondary Education Institution (“PSI”) in the Northwest Territories (“NWT”). The College delivers programs and services to NWT communities through a network of three campuses and 22 community learning centres (“CLCs”) in a geographic area that spans approximately 1,143,794 square kilometers. In addition, the College offers programs through agreements and partnerships with other technical schools, colleges and universities across Canada. Matching skills and jobs has become a high priority for the GNWT. The GNWT recently commissioned a 15- year forecast for NWT jobs in demand resulting in the Northwest Territories Labour Market Forecast and Needs Assessment report (“Labour Market Forecast”), that projects that there will be 28,500 to 36,700 job openings in the NWT requiring college, apprenticeship training or university education1. The GNWT wants to ensure “NWT residents have the skills, knowledge and attitudes for employment success”2 through the alignment of skills development and post-secondary education with NWT labour market demands. As the College is, for all intents and purposes, the only substantial PSI in the NWT, the GNWT commissioned a Foundational Review of the College’s governance and accountability structure, as well academic programming and supporting operations to ensure programs are managed effectively and efficiently, are meeting the diverse needs of students, and are responsive to changes in the labour market. To determine this, the Foundational Review required an examination of the following five key areas: • Governance • Accountability Measures • Academic Programming • Operations • Recruitment and Retention of Students. MNP LLP (“MNP”) was engaged to conduct the Foundational Review and it took place during the period November 2017 to January 2018 with the compilation of key findings and recommendations contained herein during the months of February and March 2018. In support of this assessment, significant community consultation was completed through a combination of interviews, focus groups, Indigenous government and community consultations and surveys supplemented with a review of background information and jurisdictional research. The Foundational Review was independent and objective in that no member of the review team has been involved, nor linked at any time or in any way with the College or the Department of Education, Culture and Employment (“ECE” or the “Department”). Consideration of the unique challenges pertaining to the NWT including geography, climate, and population dispersion / forecasts ensured that review activities as well as resulting findings and recommendations are suitable to the reality of the NWT. 1 Skills 4 Success, 10-Year Strategic Framework, page 3 2 Vision of the Labour Market Forecast Page 4 1.1 SUMMARY OF FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS The key premise upon which this Foundational Review and resulting Report was built is that a high performing institution requires strong alignment