President McCauley statement in response to system review

The University of Calgary supports the goals stated in the Alberta 2030 strategy. Improving access and student experience, developing in-demand skills and supporting innovation have long been among the stated objectives of our university. We appreciate the Government of Alberta’s willingness to engage us and other institutions — and listen to our feedback — throughout the drafting process.

We also applaud common-sense accounting and governance changes (deconsolidation) that put us on a level playing field with major research universities in other provinces. These changes will allow us to be more flexible, innovative and accountable to our community.

The University of Calgary student experience, as measured by the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), is among the highest in the country. Post-graduation employment has long been an important metric for our university. We are the entrepreneurial university — and when compared to our peers, create an incredible number of spinoff companies. We do this while having among the lowest administrative costs in the U15.

While the goals of Alberta 2030 are consistent with our strategy, the details around implementation will be important. In the coming days and weeks, we will be looking through the strategy more closely and look forward to learning more from the Ministry of Advanced Education.

Dr. Ed McCauley
President and Vice-Chancellor