York University Hails Ontario Gov't Announcement Of $29 Million As Important Step; "Historic Change In Funding Will Bring Better Educational Opportunities To Students, Greater Equity Among Universities," Says York University President Lorna Marsden

TORONTO, November 24, 1998 -- Today's announcement of new provincial funding for universities will mean better educational opportunities for students and greater equity within the system, said York University President Dr. Lorna Marsden.

Marsden said York University's students, faculty and staff are particularly well-served by today's announcement, which over the next three years will increase York's annual funding by $12.5 million. The government first announced this funding in the spring budget; today's details delineate the distribution of that funding and the regulations governing its use.

Marsden said this important public investment recognizes the contribution of Ontario universities, like York, which increased students' access to high quality, post-secondary education over the years -- without receiving full government funding promised for that enrolment growth.

"York University has fought long and hard to secure more equitable funding so that our faculty and staff can be better equipped to provide the excellent education our students demand and deserve," said Marsden. "On behalf of the York community, I want to thank the government for taking this significant step which will result in greater equity among Ontario universities and therefore better educational opportunities to all students,"she said.

Marsden added her personal praise for Education Minister Dave Johnson: "This minister not only listened to our case, he acted on it quickly and fairly. I salute his willingness to respond to a longstanding inequity," she said.

This catch-up funding is an important step, Marsden said, in helping to address a historical inequity that has persisted over the decades. That inequity meant that some universities received more money per student than others: for example. York University, Ontario's second largest university, received .94 cents on every dollar while others received $1.06. This arose in part because universities like York were committed to expanding access and introducing the high quality programs students wanted even though previous governments did not fund them fully.

The university will apply the new funding to the enrichment of academic programs by hiring new professors, reducing student-faculty ratios, and undertaking other initiatives to improve the quality of instruction. York will be submitting a five-year plan to the government outlining how it will do that.

York University, Canada's third largest university, is respected internationally for its innovative research and teaching. With its combination of dedicated and award-winning faculty, bright and ambitious students, dynamic curriculum and modern campuses in the heart of one of North America's most influential urban centres, York University is setting the modern standard in academic excellence.

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For more information, please contact:

Sine MacKinnon
Senior Advisor, Media Relations
York University
(416) 736-2100, ext. 22087
YU/087/98