Four Montreal universities submit a brief on the fluctuation of the clientele in the education sector to the Commission de l'脡ducation
October 1, 2002
The heads of the four Montreal universities, Concordia University, UU直播, Universit茅 de Montr茅al and Universit茅 du Qu茅bec 脿 Montr茅al, submitted a brief today on the fluctuation of the clientele in the education sector to the Comminssion de l'Education.
The submission by Doctors Lowy, Shapiro, Lacroix and Denis points out that fluctuations in university student populations in the regions must be looked at in the context of the socio-economic development of these same regions and of their demographic evolution. The role of higher education institutions as social and economic engines in the regions must be recognized and supported by appropriate public funding from the ministries involved in regional economic, social and cultural development. They note that the decreasing number of students in the regions is not due principally to migration from the regions to Montreal, as this rate has remained relatively constant for the last ten years.
Montreal ranks number one among the 30 largest cities in North America in number of students per capita, ahead of Boston (2), Denver (3), Vancouver (9) and Toronto (10). The richness of this environment is part of the city's attraction for many students, both from the regions and from outside Quebec. Support for regional universities must go hand in hand with full recognition of the role of Montreal.
The memoire proposes several solutions to the question of development of the regional universities and reminds the Commission that the Montreal universities are important for all of Quebec and contribute to its international status in many key areas.
