The Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario (HEQCO) is an independent advisory agency funded by the Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges, and Universities

Ministry of Education (Ontario)

The Ministry of Education is the agency of the Ontario government in the Canadian province of Ontario responsible for government policy, funding, curriculum planning and direction in all levels of public education, including elementary and secondary schools.This Ministry is responsible for...

 (TCU) to provide recommendations for improving quality, accessibility, inter-institutional transfer, system planning, and effectiveness in higher education in Ontario

Higher education in Ontario

Higher education in Ontario includes postsecondary education and skills training regulated by the Ministry of Training, Colleges, and Universities and provided by universities, colleges of applied arts and technology, and private career colleges. The current minister is Glen Murray who assumed the...

. In 2005, the provincial government established the Council through the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario Act and appointed Frank Iacobucci

Frank Iacobucci

Frank Iacobucci, CC was a Puisne Justice on the Supreme Court of Canada from 1991 to 2004 when he retired from the bench. He is an expert in business and tax law.-Early career:...

 as its Chair

Chair (official)

The chairman is the highest officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office is typically elected or appointed by the members of the group. The chairman presides over meetings of the assembled group and conducts its business in an...

.

Background

In 2005, Bob Rae

Bob Rae

Robert Keith "Bob" Rae, PC, OC, OOnt, QC, MP is a Canadian politician. He is the Member of Parliament for Toronto Centre and interim leader of the Liberal Party of Canada....

 released a comprehensive review of postsecondary education entitled Ontario: A leader in learning or more commonly known as the Rae Report

Rae Report

The Rae Report was the result of a provincial review of post-secondary education led by former Ontario Premier Bob Rae. After the Liberal government of Dalton McGuinty brought in a fully funded tuition fee freeze at public colleges and universities in April 2004, it announced a sweeping review of...

 or Rae Review. The report included a recommendation to change the structure of higher education in Ontario by adding an independent and objective Council on Higher Education to monitor the dynamic changes of post-secondary institutions in order to provide advice to government on the overall system. The provincial government acted on this recommendation and created an independent advisory agency to provide assessment and advice to improve higher education in Ontario. In 2005, the provincial government established the Council through the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario Act as part of the provincial government's Reaching Higher six-year plan for higher education. In January 2007, the Council announced the appointment of James Downey

James Downey (academic)

James Downey, OC is a Canadian academic.Born in Winterton, Newfoundland, Downey was a graduate of Memorial University of Newfoundland and of the University of London where, as a Rothermere Fellow, he earned a PhD in English literature in 1966.At Carleton University, where he began his career, he...

as its first president. During its first year of operation ending in March 2007, the Ministry of Training, Colleges, and Universities approved a budget of $1.1 million for operations and $700,000 for purchasing initial assets. The Council's 2011 operating budget is $5 million. Dr. Harvey P. Weingarten became President and CEO of the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario on July 1, 2010.

Research

The Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario employs a multifaceted research approach with a view to developing meaningful policy recommendations and publishing reports and other publications that inform the postsecondary education community in Ontario, Canada and around the world. To date, more than 100 research papers and reports have been produced, with approximately 40 additional papers in development. The Council's research publications are available on their website at www.heqco.ca under the "Research" heading.

Hosted events

The Council regularly hosts workshops, conferences and other events to advance its broad research agenda. These events offer researchers from across the sector valuable opportunities to share knowledge, develop new approaches and support the ongoing improvement of Ontario’s postsecondary education system. HEQCO has organized 13 events to date, with more planned in the coming year. Information on upcoming HEQCO events can be found at www.heqco.ca in the "Events" section.

Further reading

• Iacobucci, F. & Tuohy, C. (2005), Taking public universities seriously. Toronto, ON: University of Toronto Press.