Provostial Committee on Graduate Student Financial Support: Report to the Provost (2014)

 

The University of Toronto is committed to recruiting the best and brightest students, and to ensuring that all students have an outstanding educational experience during their time here. A robust approach to graduate student funding is critical to meeting both of these commitments.

In February 2012, the University formed the Provostial Committee on Graduate Student Financial Support. The Committee’s Report to the Provost (January 2014) focuses on:

  • The balance of employment and stipend income as part of the funding package;
  • Financial support for students who are beyond the funding commitment period.

Funding arrangements are a highly complex matter, thus the University’s approach to Report’s recommendations must be nuanced. For example, we must take into account existing supports for graduate students; the variability of funding sources for students across divisions; the need to support high-quality education in programs with very different content, formats and goals; and the need to support students’ timely completion of their degrees.

Professor Sandy Welsh has been appointed Provostial Advisor on Graduate Funding to bring together Vice-Deans and Associate Deans, Graduate from across the University to consider the Report’s recommendations, assess their feasibility, develop guidelines for practice and establish local approaches to graduate funding. In the course of this work, the Provostial Advisor will communicate regularly with graduate student groups.

 

Report to the Provost

Submitted on behalf of the Committee by
Luc De Nil, Vice-Dean Students, School of Graduate Studies
Committee Chair

January 30, 2014

Terms of Reference

The Provostial Committee on Graduate Student Financial Support (PCGSFS) came about from the Collective Agreement between the Governing Council at the University of Toronto and CUPE 3902 Unit 1, which was entered into as of February 24, 2012. The Letter of Intent, which was included in the Collective Agreement, states that “All graduates students have an interest in issues pertaining to financial support, by whatever means, and to this end the University agrees to establish a Provostial Committee on Graduate Student Financial Support.” The letter outlined issues to be addressed by the Committee including, but not limited to:

  • Graduate student financial support, including sources of funding
  • Advocacy for federal and provincial graduate student support
  • International graduate student support
  • University Advancement strategies in support of graduate students

The first task for the committee is “to provide advice to the Provost on the balance of the various components of Graduate Student Funding, with special focus on employment income.” It concluded that the “Recommendations from the Committee will be forwarded to the Provost.” The Letter of Intent is included as Appendix A.

Membership

As per the Letter of Intent the membership of the PCGSFS will consist of six University representatives and six graduate students. It states that the University members will include Vice-Deans/Associate Deans with responsibility for Graduate Students and or/Graduate Coordinators or designates from a range of Divisions across the campuses. The graduate student members will include three representatives from the Graduate Students Union, one from the Graduate Education Council and two representatives from CUPE 3902, Unit 1.

The Committee was formed as follows:

  • Luc De Nil (Chair), Vice Dean, Students, School of Graduate Studies
  • Markus Bussmann, Vice Dean Graduate Studies, Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering
    • Replaced Grant Allen, Chair, Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry (October 2012 to November 2013)
  • Sandy Welsh, Vice-Dean, Graduate Education & Program Reviews, Faculty of Arts & Science
    • Replaced Rob Baker, Vice-Dean, Research and Infrastructure, Faculty of Arts & Science (October 2012 to June 2013)
  • Roberta Fulthorpe, Graduate Chair, Physical and Environmental Sciences, UTSC
  • Avrum Gotlieb, Interim Vice-Dean of Graduate & Life Sciences Education, Faculty of Medicine
  • Jeanne Watson, Associate Dean, Programs, OISE
  • Jason Dumelie, Academic and Funding Commissioner Divisions III & IV, Graduate Students Union
  • Jaby Mathew, Academic and Funding Commissioner Divisions I & II, Graduate Students Union
    • Replaced Bahram Farzady, Graduate Students Union (October 2012 to May 2013)
  • Stephanie Shaw, Chair of International Student Caucus, Graduate Students Union
  • Ryan Culpepper, CUPE 3902 Internal Liaison Officer
    • Replaced Wayne Dealy, CUPE 3902 (October 2012 to June 2013)
  • Valentina Fulginiti, CUPE 3902
  • Mohamed Soliman, Graduate Education Council student representative

Meetings & Agenda: Overview of Work

The Letter of Intent outlined that the committee will meet up to three times per year and that the report to the Provost must be completed no later than three months from the date of the establishment of the Committee. To date it has met 10 times in total: six during the 2012-2013 academic year (October 11 2012, November 27 2012, January 31 2013, March 7 2013, May 13 2013, and June 6 2013) and four during the 2013-2014 academic year (October 8, October 23, November 27 and December 12 2013).

The Letter of Intent identified the balance of sources of funding as the main issue to be addressed in this report. While much discussion was devoted to this balance the committee decided to not neglect some of the other pressing issues during their discussions in order to acknowledge the complexity and interrelatedness of the funding issues.

On March 12, 2013 a letter was sent to the Vice-President and Provost outlining the progress to date and advising the Provost that the Committee had agreed to continue meeting more frequently than specified in the terms of reference because further discussion on the issues was required before a report could be finalized. On April 12, 2013 the Provost approved the plan to extend the deadline to July 2013. Following further discussion, it was recommended by the Provost Office to continue the deliberation into the 2013-14 academic year with a focus on the following two questions:

  1. The balance of employment and stipend income as part of the funding package.
  2. Financial support for students who are beyond the funding commitment period.

Recommendations

A. The Balance of Employment & Stipend Income

The committee recognizes the fact that the objective of the graduate funding commitment, initiated at the University of Toronto following the Final Report of the Task Force on Graduate Financial Support in May 2000, is to provide students with financial support during their doctoral-stream and doctoral studies in order to assist them in the completion of their graduate degrees in a timely manner.

The committee also recognizes that graduate student funding often consists of a blend of stipend (e.g., UTF and other internal or external funding sources) and employment income (e.g., teaching and research or graduate assistantships), especially where the amount of a student’s stipendiary funding is less than the minimum funding commitment, which currently is tuition plus $15,000.

The committee agrees that it is necessary to have an appropriate balance of stipendiary and employment income in the total funding package. Failure to do so may result in an excessive reliance on employment income, which could be detrimental to a student’s timely progression towards degree completion.

At the same time, the committee recognizes that there is wide variability across the University with regard to access to research funding sources (e.g., tri-council funding), the average amount of research funding provided to supervisors, as well as the availability of teaching assistantship positions and other employment opportunities.

The committee spent considerable amount of time discussing what the most appropriate stipend-employment ratio would be, but could not come to an agreed-upon single value that would be appropriate for all sectors of the University. The committee, however, did agree on a number of recommendations that should inform further policies on graduate student funding at the University.

It is recommended that:

  1. The amount of employment income (T4 income, including teaching assistantship, research assistantship, graduate assistantship) that can be included in the graduate student funding
    commitment be limited by University policy.
  2. That the tuition portion of the funding package be covered by stipend-only funding and that the University direct academic units to exclude employment income from covering tuition during the minimum funding period.
  3. That the University commits to implement the recommendation included in the Final Report of the Task Force on Graduate Student Financial Support (May 2000) that “units should strive to achieve equity between students with respect to the ratio between direct grants such as U of T Fellowships and awards that may require work, such as TA and RA positions.”
  4. That the fellowship portion of the funding package also include a stipend-only amount protected from employment income; that the Provost consult with the University’s union partners (in particular, CUPE 3902), students (including GSU), and Faculties, in establishing policies regarding a protected portion of the funding package.
  5. Recognizing that a one-size-fits-all ratio of employment-stipend income may not be easily attainable given the significant differences in funding resources across academic units at the University, that the University direct academic units to establish clear, transparent and published policies on employment-stipend ratios that meet the need for equity among students and are cognizant of the impact of employment hours on available academic and research time; that copies of these policies be sent to CUPE 3902.
  6. That the Provost directs each department not to increase the amount of employment income already currently included in the funding packages of students working in that department during the 2013-2014 academic term while considering policies referred to in recommendation 5.
  7. That the University encourage departments where possible to decrease the amount of employment income included in students’ funding packages to protect time for academic work, even if this decrease must happen gradually over a period of years.
  8. That the University collects annual data of funding practices across its academic units so that a regular picture of the diversity of funding practices is available to the University, unions and student groups.
  9. That the University, through its academic programs, establish a process by which each graduate student is provided with a letter, on an annual basis, outlining the total level and various components (i.e., stipend vs. employment) of his or her total funding package.
  10. That all Faculties institute a transparent student funding complaint resolution process that provides a fair and timely review for those students who are concerned that their funding package does not conform to Faculty or University policies and guidelines.
  11. That the Complaint Resolution process at the Faculty level includes representation from students, normally selected from students elected to the Faculty Council.
  12. That any complaints regarding the funding package, which may involve issues related to existing collective agreements, be brought to the attention of the Vice-President Human Resources for consideration.
  13. That the above recommendations be developed and implemented no later than the 2015-2016 academic year.
B. Post-Funding Commitment Financial Support

The committee recognizes that across the University, average time to completion for PhD programs is 5 to 6 years, with some students taking even longer. As such, the committee also recognizes that many students do not complete their doctoral degrees within the time limits of the minimum funding commitment by the University for varied reason that need further investigation. While a number of these students may receive financial support beyond the minimum funding period, either from their supervisor, program or other internal or external funding sources, this is not the case for all students for a number of reasons, including the availability of funding from the academic unit or supervisor.

Students who do not receive further financial support may experience financial pressures that can negatively affect their timely completion of the degree. At the same time, the committee recognizes that the University and academic programs have an obligation to create conditions that allow for timely degree completion for its graduate students.

Given these considerations, the committee has agreed on the following recommendations:

  1. That the University continue examining options for financial support provided to students beyond the funding commitment.
  2. The committee recommends that in examining its options, the University should consider tuition relief (partial or full) or stipendiary funding, or a combination of both.
  3. That the University establish a task force, representing the various stakeholders, to examine ways in which academic units might adjust their program requirements and/or available graduate funding leading to shorter time to completion for doctoral degree programs.
C. Next Steps

The committee has agreed to continue its discussions around various aspects of graduate student funding, in particular focused on level of funding, as well as other ways in which the University can strengthen the funding of graduate students, including fund raising and government lobbying.

Appendix

A. Letter of Intent: Provostial Committee on Graduate Student Financial Support

The University provides funding for its graduate students through a variety of means including employment, scholarships, grants and bursaries. In addition, many students receive funds from external sources to support them during their period of study. All graduate students have an interest in issues pertaining to financial support, by whatever means, and to this end the University agrees to establish a Provostial Committee on Graduate Student Financial Support.

The Committee will discuss such matters as:

  • Graduate student financial support, including sources of funding
  • Advocacy for federal and provincial graduate student support
  • International graduate student support
  • University Advance strategies in support of graduate students

The Committee, which will consist of six (6) University representatives and six (6) graduate students, will meet up to three (3) times per year. The University representatives will include Vice-Deans/Associate Deans with responsibility for Graduate Students and/or Graduate Coordinators or designates. These representatives will reflect a range of Divisions across the campuses. The graduate student members will include three (3) selected by the Graduate Student Union, one of whom will be an International Student; a Graduate Student member of the Graduate Education Council; and two (2) students representing CUPE 3902, Unit 1. The Committee will be chaired by the Vice-Dean, Students, Graduate Studies. Secretariat support will be provided by SGS.

The Committee shall commence meeting within thirty (30) days of the ratification of the renewal collective agreement. The first task of this Committee will be to consider the  balance among the components of funding referred to above, with a specific focus on employment income. The Committee’s report on this task will be completed no later than three (3) months from the date of the establishment of the Committee.

Recommendations from the Committee will be forwarded to the Provost.

Angela Hildyard, Vice-President,
Human Resources & Equity
University of Toronto