Now that members of the university community in Ontario have had time to digest the throne speech I expect that we will see an adjustment in strategy by some schools and new initiatives by others. Competition for international students is sure to heat up though as Premier McGuinty hopes to see a 50% increase in the number of international students over the next five years.
Recently, Western President, Amit Chakma, set a new standard for UWO to reach in a speech at London's Rotary Club. The London Free Press article about the speech highlights that Chakma wants to "open up" Western to the rest of the world and he intends to do this, in part, by bringing international student enrollment in line with some of Canada's top schools. Chakma stated that 6% of the students at Western are from outside Canada and he would like that number to increase to 10%, which is where the University of Toronto currently sits. McGill's international student population is about 20%.
A greater number of international students will bring opportunities and challenges. Doug Owram, in a University Affairs article, points out that "universities need to invest in the students’ success after they arrive on campus. Most universities have created some level of support, and international centres and special orientation programs are common. However, these programs vary considerably in length, resources and substance. All too often, support for international students seems to exist outside the main academic mission of the institutions."
The Premier set the stage and now the players are jockeying for position. Student Affairs is in a strong position to do well in this "race" too.
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