Expanding Access to Postsecondary Education in Brampton and Milton, 2017
Questions and Answers, Technical Information Session, February 15
The ministry hosted a technical information session to provide interested institutions additional details about the Request for Expressions of Interest (REOI) and answer any questions. The REOI will support the creation of two new university-led postsecondary sites in both Brampton and Milton.
Q: Regarding the requirement that the sites must accommodate 1,000 net new FTEs. Could that include college and university enrolments combined?
A: Yes, both university and college degrees can count towards the 1,000 net new full-time funding-eligible enrolment requirement. However, the majority of this requirement should be university focused. The ministry is open to enrolment in college certificates and diplomas but this would not count towards the enrolment target.
The ministry is also open to considering enrolments related to innovative program pathways towards this target, where students who initially enrol into a college certificate/diploma are on a path to attain a college or university degree.
These enrolments must also be net new to the institution(s).
Q: What if an institution partnered with a college which had another partner that didn’t require funding from the government, but the other partner had students of its own? Would those students count towards the 1,000 net new FTE requirement?
A: Only funding eligible university and college degree students count towards the 1,000 net new full-time enrolment requirement, however, the net new enrolment should predominantly be university focused.
Any enrolments related to college certificates and diplomas would be in addition to this minimum requirement. Colleges proposing enrolment in certificate and diploma programs at the new site(s) may be expected to manage these enrolments through their Strategic Mandate Agreement (SMA) negotiated corridor. Addendums to the College Partner’s SMA to recognize the new partnership may include an enrolment adjustment for certificate and diploma programs should this be deemed a critical and beneficial component of the proposed site.
These degree students must be net new to the institution(s), including all partnering colleges.
Q: Does the requirement that the sites accommodate 1,000 net new FTEs include graduate students? And would these students be funded?
A : No, the 1,000 net new FTEs must be undergraduate focused. Graduate student funding would continue to be limited by the graduate enrolment caps.
Institutions proposing graduate growth at their proposed site should discuss this as part of their SMA negotiations. Graduate expansion proposals should be referenced in the context of existing institutional graduate caps and current graduate enrolment.
Q: Is there a maximum enrolment number at the new sites?
A: While the ministry is not placing limits on the total number of students at these new sites, institutions should propose realistic enrolment targets cognizant of the ministry’s target of 1,000 new undergraduate students as well as discussions underway through the SMA negotiation process to establish midpoints for funded enrolment. Enrolment targets for the new sites will be discussed through the negotiation period, and SMA Addendums will be created for successful proponents outlining the enrolment targets and programming associated with the new site.
As noted above, graduate enrolment will remain constrained by the ministry’s graduate enrolment caps.
Q: Do all four years of an undergraduate degree need to be located at these site(s)? Or, could there be an option for students to study for the first 2 years in Brampton and/or Milton and complete their degrees at another location, such as the main campus (or vice versa)?
A: Some components of the degree program can be delivered off-site. As this will not be a traditional campus-based institution, the ministry expects proposals to offer dynamic, innovative and flexible education.
Institutions will be evaluated on their ability to provide clear and convincing evidence of how the approach(es) they intend to put forward address the needs of students and the economy.
As part of the evaluation of the Request for Expressions of Interest (REOI), we are looking for institutions to provide details of their intended credential delivery, while recognizing the ministry’s vision for these sites.
Q: The evaluation criterion asks institutions to provide financial information. As part of the funding available, are land costs eligible?
A: Yes, land costs are eligible to be covered by the provincial contribution. However, recognizing the contribution is $180 million for the two sites combined, the ministry is encouraging proponents leverage private, public and community resources to support their proposals. Institutions must also ensure that a clear methodology has been outlined in determining your project costs (e.g., feasibility studies, benchmarking – comparison to other buildings of a similar size and scope).
Q: Has the ministry considered how operating funding will flow for programs and sites proposed?
A: The ministry recognizes that Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) programs tend to be more expensive. As such, these types of programs are already funded at a higher weight.
As part of this process, the ministry will have more detailed conversations around ongoing operating funding with successful proponent(s), and expects the final agreements with successful proponent to include both capital and operating funding.
As noted above, addendums to the SMAs of successful proponents will address the enrolment and programming of the new site.
Q: Is the ministry supportive of international partnerships?
A: Yes, the ministry is open to proposals leveraging international partnerships.
Q: To submit the REOI, is there an expectation that universities have agreement(s) or MOUs in place with partners?
A: No, at this stage, there is not an expectation that universities have signed agreement(s) or MOUs with partners.
However, the ministry will expect signed agreements among all partners and municipalities before proposals are submitted to the second and final evaluation phase.
Q: Will responses to the REOI be made public?
A: No, responses to the REOI, such as the templates, will not be made public. However, any university that responded to the REOI and their contact information will be made available on the ministry website.