The Council of Ontario Universities has released two reports authored by David Smith.

Smith, a respected economist, is a former principal of Queen's University, and former chair of the government-appointed Advisory Panel on Future Directions for Post-secondary Education.

The first report “Will there be enough excellent profs?” examines the prospective demand and supply conditions for university faculty in Ontario.

The second report “How will I know if there is quality?” reviews the issues and experiences with quality indicators and quality
enhancement programs within Ontario universities and those of other
jurisdictions.

Paul Davenport, chair of COU and president of the University of Western Ontario, in a press release, talks about the importance of these two reports. “In his reports, Dr. Smith notes that Ontario universities are at a critical juncture in their history as
they face the challenges of accommodating a large surge in enrolment, finding and funding first-rate faculty who will be needed to teach the increased number of students and replace an unusually large wave of anticipated retirements, while fulfilling their basic responsibilities to students and society at large.”

To view the reports, visit the COU Web site below.(Note: The reports are in Adobe Acrobat Reader and visitors may download the free program via a link from the COU site.)