Greetings, Leaders in business and education think Ontario gov't has gone too far in bashing liberal education. available on-line with on-site 7 day search using "High-tech CEOs" http://www.theglobeandmail.com Steve The Globe and Mail, Apr. 8: High-tech CEOs voice support for financing liberal-arts studies Universities happy with 'balanced' message from technology industry JOHN PARTRIDGE With a report from Richard Mackie.; The Globe and Mail Saturday, April 8, 2000 A growing fixation with technology instead of the arts in higher-education financing, most notably by the Ontario government, has run into an unexpected challenge from the very industries it is supposed to benefit. The chief executive officers of 30 mostly high-tech companies -- ranging from Jean Monty at BCE Inc.to Kevin Francis at Xerox Canada Inc. -- allied themselves yesterday with university leaders by issuing a statement calling for a "balanced approach" to the issue and strongly endorsing the continued need for a liberal-arts education. "Funding of higher education in this country needn't be an either-or proposition between technology or liberal arts and sciences," the CEOs say, adding that it is "critical that all universities in Canada receive sufficient funding to ensure a well-educated workforce and a new generation of leadership." The statement comes a little more than a month after Ontario Premier Mike Harris warned universities and colleges that they must do more to ensure that the province has a workforce trained to fill high-tech jobs. He also unveiled a $660-million financing package for these institutions, with most of the money earmarked for buildings and equipment geared to practical, technical education rather than the liberal arts. Other provincial governments, notably those of Alberta and British Columbia, have also adopted measures over the past couple of years that critics say show a bias against the liberal arts and sciences and in favour of technology. Although agreeing that Canada needs more technology graduates, the CEOs said it is impossible to operate an effective corporation by employing these people alone. "We have an equally strong need for those with a broader background who can work in tandem with technical specialists, helping create and manage the corporate environment," the statement says. They also note that many of their technology workers began their higher education in the humanities and are stronger for it, saying: "This was time well spent, not squandered. They have increased their value to our companies, our economy, our culture and themselves, by acquiring the level of cultural and civic literacy that the humanities offer." The statement's signatories include the CEOs of many well-known computer and other high-tech-oriented companies. Among them: IBM Canada Ltd.'s John Wetmore, Peter Ciceri at Compaq Canada Ltd., Micheline Bouchard of Motorola Canada Co., Sheelagh Whittaker of EDS Canada Inc. and Cisco Systems Canada Co.'s Pierre-Paul Allard. Mr. Harris's campaign for more practical education led to a joint communiqué last month by the chancellors of Ontario's 17 universities saying, among other things, that "the liberal arts and sciences must continue to be a seminal part of Ontario's higher education." In their statement yesterday, the high-tech CEOs specifically ally themselves with the chancellors' demands. Apparently fearful, however, of sparking some sort of retaliation against the universities by the Ontario government, the executives who spearheaded yesterday's initiative -- who were among those who signed the statement -- sought to play down the notion that it was triggered solely by Mr. Harris's actions. "The purpose of the statement is not to criticize any government but rather to initiate a broad public discussion on this issue," said author and cyberspace consultant Don Tapscott, CEO of New Paradigm Learning Corp. of Toronto. "Our goal is to break down some of the myths that exist." The other prime mover, David Ticoll, CEO of Alliance for Converging Technologies Corp., a Toronto-based international e-commerce consulting and research firm, said the Ontario government's actions are just part of a broader development in society. "People appear to be setting public priorities for investing in a very focused way on science and technology, which we believe is absolutely critical for our economy to be competitive," he said, "but to the point that it seemed these other areas were being minimized or excluded." The high-tech CEOs' entry into the debate pleased the universities. "It's very exciting that the message is coming from the technology sector itself, because they are the people who best understand the underlying value of what we . . . call the liberal arts," said veteran broadcaster Peter Gzowksi, chancellor of Trent University in Peterborough, Ont. "It's a crucial issue, and I'm delighted that [they] have put their weight behind it, because that's the segment of society that may very well have the most impact." Mr. Ticoll said that only one or two of the CEOs he approached refused to endorse the statement. Those who did sign said they had no qualms about doing so. "I didn't have any hesitation at all," Motorola's Ms. Bouchard said. "It was obvious to me it was the right thing to do for the company." Yves Thibodeau, president of the Montreal-based Canadian division of DMR Consulting Inc., said that that, as well as sparking debate, the statement is designed to say to government: "Please, guys, don't shut down the taps to other faculties than just the polytechnics and the technological degrees, because that would be a mistake for our society." Dianne Cunningham, Ontario's Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities, did not dispute the CEOs' message. "People need, definitely, the humanities and the arts, programs that allow them the opportunities to be able to communicate," she said. "Building a career is not just a matter of sitting at your computer, it's getting along with people." *************************************************************************
