The provincial government announced the process to develop a White Paper to examine aspects of post-secondary education in Newfoundland and Labrador. The announcement was made June 29 by John Ottenheimer, the province’s minister of education. The minister appointed Dr. Wayne Ludlow, the former dean of students at Memorial University, to the position of commissioner, and Cyril Farrell as advisor to the commissioner. For a full text copy of the announcement, see www.gov.nf.ca/releases/2004/edu/0629n01.htm.

Dr. Axel Meisen, president of Memorial University, attended the news conference and says that the plan to study post-secondary education in Newfoundland and Labrador is both welcome and timely.

“The commission’s mandate is appropriate and comprehensive in that it will examine affordability, accessibility and quality,” said Dr. Meisen. “We would hope that it would also take into consideration the issue of competitiveness. Our post-secondary educational programs and our graduates should be able to compete globally. We would anticipate that the commissioner and advisor will examine other jurisdictions with a view to ensuring that our post-secondary system is globally competitive.”

Dr. Meisen said he looks forward to collaborating with the commission.

“We are ready to answer the questions of the commission and to provide information on issues that we feel should be addressed in a White Paper,” he said. “The time-frame is tight, with consultations proposed throughout the summer and early fall. We think that this is manageable and necessary to influence the university’s budget for next year [2005-06].”