I was pleased to read the President’s Page in last week’s Silhouette, dealing with the university’s budget-setting priorities. The column by MSU vice-presidents Jeff Doucet (Finance) and Spencer Graham (Education) reminded me of what a genuine pleasure it is to work with students who are so actively engaged in their educational experience.
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The column and various conversations we’ve had over the year show that they appreciate the complexities and dynamics of setting a budget in a large multi-dimensional institution like McMaster. It has been my good fortune as McMaster’s provost to work with MSU leaders who share a passion for improving the quality of the student experience, and approach this with both a short and long term perspective. Collaboration between student leaders and university administration is a fine McMaster tradition, and one that I believe makes a significant contribution to producing the best outcomes for all.
I was pleased to see the headline “McMaster’s Budget Should Be Student-Centred”, because I agree wholeheartedly and because I also believe our budget demonstrably is student-centred. As I read the column, I was reminded of how much agreement there is between those of us charged with setting the university’s budget and the recommendations of the two student vice-presidents.
Certainly McMaster faces a range of challenges and must balance all aspects of what it means to be a “research-focused student-centred” institution. Budgets are naturally constrained by the resources we have from tuition, government grants and other funding sources. However, we have continued to invest in and make major commitments in many areas that are directly aligned with students’ priorities and which address emerging opportunities to improve the quality of education at McMaster.
Here are some of them:
- McMaster will be increasing its contribution to the Student Affairs budget this year.
- The university is quadrupling its funding for deferred maintenance over the next few years.
- We are undertaking a study to determine the kinds of classroom upgrades will best meet the changing demands of modern pedagogy.
- We have increased the library budget, by well over $1 million annually, providing students with greater access to resources and guidance on how to use them.
- We created the McMaster Institute for Innovation and Excellence in Teaching and Learning (MIIETL) with a budget that is over $1.5-million greater than its predecessor (Centre for Leadership in Learning). Amongst other initiatives MIIETL is committed to enhanced pedagogical training for faculty and TAs.
- We have introduced the Learning Portfolio to help students capture and reflect on their own learning experiences.
- In partnership with the province, we are investing in the development of blended learning and online courses, providing student with more flexible pathways.
- Within our capital budget planning, a top priority is a new Living, Learning, Leading building that will add to our undergraduate residence and classroom capacity and add collaboration spaces.
There is not an exhaustive list. Nor am I fully satisfied with what we are able to do. I expect our students to hold us to account, and I am pleased they are actively engaged in advocating for their education. I want to assure them that wherever we have flexibility in our budget processes, improving the quality of teaching and learning is a high priority.
Setting budgets is challenging work – work that is made lighter by the inspiring and thoughtful contributions of our partners. I encourage all our students to take an active interest in our efforts to assure that we are providing the best possible education for McMaster students.
A day that celebrated the achievements of Forward with Integrity initiatives left the overall state of the academy largely undefined.
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David Wilkinson, Provost and Vice-President (Academic), gave his State of the Academy address on Oct. 10 after presentations and receptions of various Forward with Integrity had taken place throughout the day.
"Forward with Integrity," an open letter by McMaster President Patrick Deane in 2011 was turned into an initiative allowing students to apply for funding to complete projects that would make Deane's vision a reality. 78 projects have been funded since, including the Learning Portfolio on Avenue and a psychology project studying how people can be perceived differently when conducting job interviews over Skype.
Beginning at 11:30a.m., presentations of numerous FWI projects filled the schedule at CIBC Hall, leading up to the State of the Academy. Wilkinson called his own address “window dressing” to a day of celebration.
“We decided this year’s State of the Academy Address, as it was originally called, to turn it into a whole day event of celebration,” said Wilkinson.
Wilkinson’s address, to a room filled with faculty and staff, highlighted academic research issues and remained vague regarding the overall state of McMaster University.
The Provost highlighted a few FWI projects with positive fanfare and video presentations. The Learning Portfolio received strong attention and was touted as a growing success.
“It really is an opportunity for students to integrate their learning into one place,” said Wilkinson.
With the address, Wilkinson said that he hoped to develop an identity for McMaster as both a research-intensive and student-centred school.
“Strong linkage between student centered-ness and research focus is really how we intend to define ourselves as an institution," Wilkinson said.
When it came to more technical matters, Wilkinson left a few questions unanswered.
He chose not to speak to the school’s budget in his address, instead referring the audience to the University Factbook for details.
“The State of the Academy can be all about budgets and numbers. I didn't want to do that last year and I’m not going to do it this year either. So we won’t talk a lot of budgetary situations,” said Wilkinson.
“The University Factbook…was released a couple days ago. It has an update of all of the numbers.” The document is available on the Office of Institutional Research and Analysis website.
Wilkinson was also vague with when it came the Ontario government’s push to have post-secondary institutions specialize further.
On the matter, he said “The government pays the freight, and when they want to change something, we have to pay attention to that.”
Wilkinson explained that McMaster will have to negotiate with the provincial government over the course of this academic year.
He was relatively unclear in what the school will be doing to prepare for this, saying, “One of the key things for us to do as an institution is to get our ducks in order and be prepared to state how we wish to be seen as a differentiated organization compared to other universities in the province.”
“I think, actually, we’re in pretty good shape to develop that process.”
With regards to McMaster’s internationalization, Wilkinson said, “This is the one area of Forward with Integrity that hasn't received the attention it deserves.”
The annual State of the Academy address is meant to be an opportunity for the Provost’s office to share information with the rest of the university on the school’s progress over the year. But this time, it was supposed to be different.
The 2012 State of the Academy was promoted for its “new format,” a conversation between university administrators and the greater campus community, rather than a speech. According to current Provost David Wilkinson, it was meant to “engage [McMaster] in a cross-campus dialogue.”
Convocation Hall, equipped with two audience microphones, reflected this change. Wilkinson and university president Patrick Deane, who joined him for the presentation, were seated comfortably in armchairs at the front of the room.
In elaborating on talking points offered by moderator Gord Arbeau, Director of Public and Community Relations, the two administrators made it clear that their impression of McMaster’s current situation was positive.
“When you look at the [McMaster University Factbook], what it would show you is that…as an institution we’re doing very well in difficult times,” said Wilkinson.
“There are lots of great things going on, lots of challenges, but the future really looks rosy at McMaster.”
Although a variety of topics were offered for discussion, the speeches from both Deane and Wilkinson circled back to “Forward with Integrity,” the president’s 2011 letter that offered a set of guiding principles for McMaster as it moves forward.
The emphasis of the presentation, in conjunction with “Forward with Integrity,” was to “rephrase” the goals of McMaster, and to reemphasize the “research-focused, student-centred” nature of Mac.
“We’re at a phase in laying out our sense of the institution’s future in which we need to build on what has been strong historically here and that very close connection between teaching and research, which is part of the Mac culture [and] has been since the beginning,” Deane explained. The president was intent on underlining McMaster’s reputation, reaffirming that “we are an institution devoted to learning through inquiry and discovery.” He encouraged students and faculty to “bring...[the] power of the critical and inquiring mind.”
It was broader ideas like these that made up the bulk of the presentation.
In addition to the university’s culture, Deane and Wilkinson also touched on such initiatives as the “learning portfolio,” a new emphasis on experiential education that was encouraged by “Forward with Integrity.”
“[We want] students [to] actually have a portfolio of experiences that extends beyond what shows up on their transcripts,” said Wilkinson.
The most controversial topic of discussion was the internationalization of McMaster, something the president has admitted to not always being comfortable with.
“I am very much averse to what I regard as an exploitative model of higher internationalized higher education,” Deane said, elaborating further to say that he is “not persuaded, either in terms of the long-term benefits or the ethical compulsions of this model which basically sees the world as a market to be drawn on to subsidize our current operations.”
International students now make up roughly five per cent of McMaster’s student body. The recruitment of these students is seen by many universities to be an economic benefit because of the hefty additional fees they pay. Deane emphasized that true internationalization would involve “being changed by the students who are invited to come here.”
It seemed that the audience, made up primarily of faculty and staff, with only a small representation of students, was not moved by this, or any other topics. When the floor was opened to questions, no one in the audience stepped up. Despite the insistence on dialogue, the new townhall format did not result in the high amount of audience participation that was initially envisioned.
Kacper Niburski
Assistant News Editor
After five years of serving as McMaster’s Provost, Dr. Ilene Busch-Vishniac has decided to leave McMaster and become the ninth president of University of Saskatchewan starting Jul. 1, 2012.
“To leave this office the last time, to leave McMaster, to leave the students; it will be all so hard.”
Her decision may have come as a slight surprise to some. In November Busch-Vishniac decided that she would not complete a second term as Provost at McMaster. She did, however, state that she would spend her leave traversing the halls of JHE, “to help me return to my research and to my teaching.”
Unfortunately for McMaster, this is not the case. Announced early January, Busch-Vishniac confirmed that she would be succeeding the current University of Saskatchewan President, Peter MacKinnon, who has served for 13 years.
She leaves behind a list of notable achievements, including the revitalization of the information systems, reform of the budget model, and fostering student development.
“We’ve been working hard on all fronts. The first of which was to improve information systems, and we are well underway of renewal of them. We have also worked to change the allocation of resources, which is addressed in our new budget model. We have made a lot of progress on that, to the point that we think if there is enough consensus on the model we will be able to start implementation in a year.”
She added that, “We have also generally worked towards the improvement of students’ experience and we are equally responsive to the needs of the student. Most of all, I am proud that we are intentionally responding to the needs of the students.”
But after a successful five-year term with only marginal hiccups, Busch-Vishniac did not wish to add to her list of accolades.
“We have accomplished a lot in the five year term,” she said, “and it might be time for someone with a new perspective to come in to work closely with the President Deane on the objectives he set out in Forward with Integrity.”
She further added that, “I am also in a position now which I wasn’t in earlier November to say it felt like the right time to move up. I didn’t want to put the University into a position where I signed on to a second term I had no intention of serving.”
And move up she did. “As of November, I had yet been offered the position of presidency at the University of Saskatchewan. It looked like I would finish my term at McMaster and join the faculty of Engineering, spending my leave here. I did have other opportunities pending, but I was not in a position to say anything about them at that time.”
Come late November, Busch-Vishniac had yet to even visit Saskatchewan. However at an invitation of the University of Saskatchewan’s search committee, after which she spent touring the University and the city of Saskatoon, discussions materialized and the possibility became much more concrete.
Now without a shred of doubt, Busch-Vishniac has committed to serving the Saskatchewan community. The decision, while being anything but simple, will be eased by the University of Saskatchewan’s strong leadership as well as their widespread community engagement.
In life, things change. People come and go. Institutions rise and fall. Even a paragon moves on. No matter the work they have tirelessly invested in. No matter who they leave behind. No matter the accomplishments that pad their shelves. All doors close one day.
But it is only a matter of time before they are reopened. This case is no different. In response to Busch-Vishniac’s decision to not continue a second term and the subsequent expeditious transfer, a search committee has been appointed by the Senate in late October to begin the process of suggesting a new Provost for McMaster.
At this time, however, Busch-Vishniac’s replacement has not been announced by the University.
Farzeen Foda
Senior News Editor
From the Department of Engineering at the prestigious Johns Hopkins University, Dr. Illene Busch-Vishniac came to McMaster University in 2007 to serve as Provost.
Now in her fifth year on the job, she has declined to pursue a subsequent term in the position. As McMaster president Patrick Deane announced in an Oct. 28 email to McMaster faculty and staff, her term as Provost will end on June 30, 2012.
The Provost will not be leaving the University, but will instead focus on her role as professor and researcher. “One of the other hats I wear is a tenured full professor in the department of Mechanical Engineering,” said a humble Busch-Vishniac.
During her time in the job, Busch-Vishniac worked in collaboration with students and faculty to improve the quality of the educational experience offered at McMaster. Such initiatives include the revitalization of the Centre for Leadership and Learning (CLL), as well as work with UTS (University Technology Services) to ease course registration for students.
“Already, the fine work of the new UTS leadership team has improved the registration experience for students, though we still have a long way to go,” said Busch-Vishniac.
Efforts of behalf of UTS successfully made the process slightly smoother this year compared to previous years, but a more effective and permanent arrangement has yet to be put in place.
After course registration, the issue of study space on campus resurfaced. Student concerns about available study space on campus were relayed to University administration, and as Provost, Busch-Vishniac helped to mobilize funding and resources to increase study space through a collaborative effort with the University’s libraries.
Efforts to increase study space on campus will be ongoing and constantly evolving to meet the needs of the changing classroom.
In his recent letter to the University, Deane outlined three key themes that should direct the course of the University in coming years.
Busch-Vishniac has been a part of the University’s visioning, and would like to leave the letter’s goals to her successor for guidance.
“These themes are improving the undergraduate learning experience in an era of constrained finances, maintaining our research excellence, and engaging the community in our important work,” said Busch-Vishniac.
“Once I complete my term as Provost, I will take a special research leave to help me return to my research and to teaching. In particular, I am very excited that the work my collaborators and I have done since 2005 has led to significant worldwide interest in controlling the noise in hospitals,” she explained.
The hospital noises are disruptive, but their potentially harmful effects have often been dismissed. “It doesn’t kill anyone, so who cares,” has been the prevailing view on the matter according to Busch-Vishniac, noting that, in fact, it has been suggested that patients exposed to noise do not recover as quickly.
Her research in 2005 at Johns Hopkins Hospital sparked some discussion, as it is highly unusual for a hospital to allow research to be published on the potentially harmful effects its practices might be having on patients. Nonetheless, the university supported the research. “Now it is becoming important, and I want to be a part of that,” said Busch-Vishniac.
While focusing on her research, Busch-Vishniac will also continue her role as professor in the department of Mechanical Engineering at McMaster. Prior to her role as Provost at McMaster, she was dean of Engineering at Johns Hopkins University, a very rare position for a woman. “When I was hired as dean of engineering at Johns Hopkins, I was the third woman who was the dean of an accredited engineering school in the United States. I don’t think there were any in Canada at the time,” said Busch-Vishniac.
The search for next year’s Provost is currently underway. But before her term ends, Busch-Vishniac aims to wrap up some of the loose ends and secure some of the projects that are in their beginning phases at the time. “My goals are very simple,” she said, “I would like to ensure that the work we have begun on IT systems renewal is moving along well, that the development of a new budget model is complete … and begin implementation of [Patrick Deane’s] plans for strategic enrolment growth at the undergraduate and graduate level.”
Sporting what she refers to as a “goofy grin,” Busch-Vishniac said, “My home is here, my heart is here, so when I finish being Provost, I will be taking my leave here.”
