The “Big Five” Proposal for Canadian Universities

I have an opinion piece out on the so-called “Big Five” proposal for Canadian universities.  The plan, first articulated in MacLean’s magazine just over a year ago, would entail two main things: 1) more research money concentrated at five major Canadian universities; and 2) lower undergraduate-to-graduate student ratios for those same five universities.  The universities in question are Toronto, McGill, UBC, Alberta and Montreal.

In a nutshell, the plan argues that those five Canadian universities should focus more on research, and that the rest of Canada’s universities should focus on undergraduate teaching. 

Well, someone once said that whatever can be summed up in a nutshell ought to stay in one, and I tend to agree with that point here.  I argue in my opinion piece that the plan―if acted on―has the potential to result in researchers at “The Big Five” universities winning more Nobel prizes.  That said, it’s not the way to encourage good research.