Leah Myers, president of Durham College, and Wayne Arthurs, MPP Ajax-Pickering-Uxbridge (at right), look on as the Honourable Chris Bentley, minister of Training Colleges and Universities announces funding for Durham College.
The McGuinty government announced on Monday that is awarding an additional $3.9 million in funding to Durham College. The news came via the Honourable Chris Bentley, minister of Training Colleges and Universities, and Wayne Arthurs, MPP Pickering-Ajax-Uxbridge at an event held at the Campus Library.
"I am delighted that the provincial government has made this significant investment in the critical capital needs of colleges," said Leah Myers, president of Durham College. "These funds will go a long way to improving the infrastructure that supports the exceptional learning experience we offer to students, ensuring our graduates have the market-ready skills needed to contribute to Ontario's workforce and future prosperity in a significant way."
The funding is part of the $365 million allocation for colleges and universities in the 2007 budget and is being used to renew facilities and cover existing building maintenance costs, along with supporting capital projects.
"Our investments in Durham Region will help grow its knowledge-based economy and help Ontario thrive well into the future," said Bentley.
The goal of the province-wide investment is to make post-secondary education more accessible by increasing full-time enrolment; doubling student assistance by the 2009-2010 academic year; re-introducing upfront grants; limiting student debt to $7,000 per completed year of study; limiting average tuition increases to an average of five per cent annually or $100 for 90 per cent of college students; and helping community organizations and post-secondary institutions deliver programs that improve access for francophones, Aboriginal peoples, persons with disabilities and those who would be first in their families to attend college.
The funding is also intended to improve quality for new faculty, library acquisitions and student services; expand graduate spaces; support innovative research; monitor quality through a new Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario; and establish three-year agreements with colleges and universities to identify and measure quality improvements.
"These improvements to the student learning experience will help establish Durham as an important seat of higher education and help launch its students into strong careers," said Arthurs.