McMaster already has a student centered budget

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.