Welcome to the website of the Canadian Association for Graduate Studies, the national organization that represents those who are most actively engaged in promoting and overseeing graduate instruction in Canada. These are challenging times. The context in which we operate is constantly changing: two years ago most of us were in the growth mode. We are now coping with the impact of the recession and its direct and indirect impact on our students and on our programs. Funding has become much more constrained whether it is directly aimed at students and postdoctoral fellows or used to build and support the faculty and infrastructure necessary to assist them in completing their programs, employment opportunities for those who finish their programs are far less certain than they were even eighteen months ago. We just recently were told by the Conference Board of Canada that when compared to other industrialized countries, Canada is not doing a good job at producing doctoral students. In fact, we were given a D grade. The basis upon which the Conference Board have made their comparisons can be easily and should be forcefully challenged, but their report nevertheless exposes some of the problems we face and also highlights the increasing attention that graduate education is receiving in Canada.
CAGS is well prepared and positioned to respond to these challenges as well as any opportunities that arise by virtue of our mandate and our membership. Our members include graduate schools, funding agencies, and student associations and we work collectively to advance the cause of graduate education in Canada. Recently we have taken up the cause of postdoctoral fellows. We do all this by creating fora through which common concerns can be identified, best practices shared, and opportunities identified.
Less obvious but vital nonetheless is the advocacy work that we undertake, particularly with regards to the federal government and its agencies over such matters as graduate funding, tax policies, intellectual property, research ethics, immigration, student mobility, and professional/transferable skills. Meetings with politicians and senior civil servants in Ottawa are scheduled which give us the chance to lobby on behalf of our students and our programs. Before each budget we prepare a submission to the Finance Committee and follow up with members of all political parties. We also meet regularly with representatives of the funding councils.
The increasing international interconnections and interdependencies that mark academic life are another factor which impinges upon graduate education in Canada. Members of CAGS participate in a number of international organizations. Recently a number of us participated in the Strategic Leaders Forum hosted by the US Council of Graduate Schools and several of us are working with our counterparts in India and AUCC to develop frameworks and guidelines intended to expand and enhance mobility opportunities for students and postdoctoral fellows in Canada and India.
The highlight of the year is without question the annual meeting to be held in early November in Toronto. Our annual meetings are quite different from those of our counterparts in other countries as we encourage the widest possible participation from all those engaged with graduate and postdoctoral studies. Students and postdoctoral fellows, deans and staff members, and officers of granting agencies, all contribute to the planning and organization of our annual meeting with the result that the program includes sessions intended for everyone, and sessions aimed at particular communities.
Recent reports commissioned by CAGS can be found on our website as well as other items and links we hope you will find useful. You will also find the contact details of members of the CAGS Board, and I encourage you to contact us with any concerns or suggestions that you have.
