Strategic Mandate Agreement 3

With the new year, Ontario universities begin the final year of the second phase of the province`s strategic mandate agreement. This second phase, sMA2, will run from 2017 to 2020 and is part of a three-step process, which began with the implementation of Phase 1 (2014-2017). The initiative is supported by the Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Development and has been agreed upon by 21 Ontario universities with the stated goal of “promoting student success and institutional excellence.” The agreements aim to “encourage institutions to cooperate with the government to help create a highly skilled workforce and to focus on cooperation and openness. They focus on each institution`s strengths in improving quality and results, as well as expected enrollment growth and financial sustainability. Laurentian University is conducting extensive consultation to share information on the SMA3 process and to ensure that decisions made under this agreement reflect and advance Laurentian University`s goals, strengths, values and strategic outcomes. It is important that our SMA3 agreement is compatible with the strategic plan, academic plan, research plan and budget and multi-year plan. Ontario universities have successfully negotiated individual agreements with the Ministry of Advanced Education, Qualifications and Development (MAESD). These agreements demonstrate the breadth of everything Ontario universities achieve, including improving the student experience, preparing students for the workforce, leading research, local and global economic and social development, community contacts, and the development of pathways between institutions, including Aboriginal colleges and institutes. During the third phase of the agreement, SMA3, which runs from 2020 to 2025, the actual funding allocations in universities will be linked to their performance due to the extremely insufficient indicators of the agreement.

The development of Lakeheads SMA3 included a consultation process that spanned the fall of 2019 and the winter of 2020 and included faculties and senators. Feedback from the university community was included in the final draft of the SMA 3 agreement. Strategic Mandate Agreement (SMA) is a bilateral agreement between the ministry and the university that the ministry believes is a key component of the accounting framework for post-secondary education in Ontario. Bilateral discussions on ADM3 will focus on a new funding mechanism based on the results announced in Ontario`s 2019 budget. Under ADM3, the ministry will confirm our defined benefit funding and core funding on the basis of crossing points. The ADM agreement must demonstrate how Laurentian`s mission supports the Ontario government`s priority areas and how our plans and strategies will support improved performance in key areas: (i) addressing the evolving needs of the labour market, (ii) improving the skills and skills of our students, and (iii) supporting a post-secondary education system that strengthens Ontario`s economic competitiveness. The agreement aims to collect quantitative information aggregated on several main themes, including: (a) the experience of students; b) innovation in teaching and learning; (c) access and justice; (d) the excellence and impact of research; and (e) innovation, economic development and community engagement. Some examples could be considered on student employment levels, graduation rates, the share of spending on student services and employment rates for higher education graduates. Lakehead University`s ADM proposal (2014) submitted to the ministry was used to inform the Strategic Mandate Agreement and was the culmination of two years of academic development.

The proposal was guided by the requirements of the ministry and its differentiation policy framework and was developed on the basis of consultations with the university community, including students, teachers and staff, senators and members of the Governing Council.