Rethink on PSE in Quebec must go beyond funding, says Concordia president

Writing for the Montreal Gazette, Concordia University president Alan Shepard says his hope is that at the education summit in February, and in the following months, "we apply Quebec’s characteristically progressive approach to social policy and come together to articulate viable, long-term solutions." He notes Quebec's university funding situation is part of a global phenomenon, as fiscal pressures on universities and governments are mounting worldwide. "Our collective rethink has to go beyond questions of funding," Shepard writes. "We need to determine how we can best adapt to the rapidly changing global dynamics in higher education, while ensuring that our universities remain socially relevant, financially sustainable and accessible to the majority of the Quebec population." One priority "is to modernize the 19th-century university model to sync up better with the academic, economic and demographic forces of the 21st century." Shepard says this means creating space for interdisciplinary study and zone-based education where students can explore entrepreneurship and innovation and test their ideas while still in school. Montreal Gazette