Created 23 April 2007 18:04

VANCOUVER – The organization representing BC’s public university professors gave its support to several key recommendations of the Campus 2020 report released today by its author, Geoff Plant.

“Mr. Plant has taken bold steps in this report by recommending hard targets for increasing post-secondary participation rates and improving educational equity,” said Chris Petter, President of the Confederation of University Faculty Associations of BC (CUFA/BC). “By setting targets and deadlines, Mr. Plant is issuing a challenge to this and future governments that they would be wise to take up.”

The Campus 2020 report notes in particular the need to create strategies to ensure that Aboriginal students and students lacking family experience with post-secondary education are given the encouragement and support they need to participate and succeed in higher education.

“The Campus 2020 report grapples with the fact that we, as a province, haven’t done enough to ensure that Aboriginal students and so-called First Generation students complete high school, make the decision to attend a college or university, and then succeed in achieving their educational goals.” Petter said. “Mr. Plant’s report recognizes the moral and economic imperative of ensuring the success of these students and the need to establish concrete plans to make it happen.”

The Campus 2020 report also emphasizes the critical role universities play in transforming BC’s economic and social infrastructures and the need for more public financial support for their research missions.

“A great deal has been said about the importance of university research to BC’s social and economic prosperity,” Petter said, “but Mr. Plant makes it clear that it’s time for the provincial government to invest more in this vital activity if we are to catch up to the rest of the country and make the best use our intellectual resources.”

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CUFA/BC represents the professional interests of 4,200 professors, lecturers, instructors, professional librarians and other academic staff at five BC public universities-University of British Columbia (Vancouver and Okanagan campuses), Simon Fraser University (Burnaby, Vancouver and Surrey campuses), University of Victoria, University of Northern British Columbia (Prince George, Terrace, Fort St. John and Quesnel campuses), and Royal Roads University.

For further information please contact Robert Clift at (604) 817-1649