Fourth Report of the CFC Board of Visitors
Canadian Forces College Board of Visitors
Meeting of the Board, Toronto, 15-16 November 2004
Fourth Report to the Commandant
10 December 2004
The Board of Visitors (BoV) convened at the CFC on 15-16 November 2004 to meet with the new Commandant and Directing Staff, and review the latest developments. The Board was very favourably impressed with the changes that are underway and the energy that was conveyed in our meeting with BGen JPYD Gosselin. In particular, the stronger integration of the academics into course planning, through the establishment of Uniformed and Academic staff as Co-Chairs, was welcome news.
After listening to a number of briefings, the following two key areas were highlighted by the BoV in its closed session.
On-Going Issues in the Academic Development of the CFC
The BoV discussed a number of issues related to the development of the acadmic component of the CFC, including the number of qualified academics, ie, those with PhDs, problems of continuity of corporate memory with the CFC as it relates to the development of programs, the lack of serving military in the professoriate, syndicate size, and participation by other governmental agencies in the academic program. The Board recognizes that the MDS is a “professional”, rather than a purely academic, degree, and its ultimate purpose is to prepare officers for leadership roles in operational as well as other contexts. At the same time, there is a need to balance the requirement for professional training with the development of analytical skills that are conducive to the kinds of thinking -- both critical and creative -- that are so essential if the armed forces are to be effective in the multi-faceted roles that they are being asked to perform in the new international environment.
With this in mind, the BoV is concerned about the following:
The slow growth of the academic component. The Commandant reported that he had asked for funding to add one new qualified academic per year over the next five years. The BoV feels that this pace of growth in the academic department is much too slow. The BoV stands by its recommendation in its Third Report that the academic wing needs to grow quickly in order to meet the immediate needs of the CFC programs, especially to ensure that each of the 11 syndicates has a dedicated in-house academic co-chair.
Problems of continuity within CFC programs. The BoV is concerned that change in CFC programs is not always based on sound pedagogy and seems to result from frequent changes in the military Directing Staff. A larger academic component, composed of civilians with PhDs on permanent staff, would help provide stability and continuity in the development of programs. This is one reason why the BoV feels that the academic component needs to grow quicker than is currently planned.
Syndicate size. As experienced academics, the members of BoV are conscious of the pedagogical limits imposed on effective teaching by increases in syndicate size beyond the 10-15 range, should this option be adopted as a way of coping with too small an academic component. The number of academics therefore needs to increase quickly to ensure a high standard of instruction in all syndicates, and to ensure that syndicate size does not grow beyond that in which effective learning through good interaction is possible.
Diversification in the learning experience. The BoV feels strongly that steps need to be taken to enhance the learning environment at the CFC and within the CF in a number of other ways. The CF ought to establish, for example, an MOC for a small number of “Military Professorships”: serving officers who are sponsored to complete PhDs and who will then serve their final years in the CFC or other areas of the CDA. The CFC or the CDA also should think about a named “Chair” in strategic studies or issues of Canadian defence, and a program for visiting academics who could join the college for several weeks or months. A process of diversification should be contemplated for the future, taking into account the necessity of developing a competitive academic pool of resources based on merit, which could attract both civilian and military people.
In addition, the CFC should strive to attract other governmental clientele to the CSC, such as Foreign Service Officers. Some of them might be seconded to CFC staff for short intervals from time to time, thereby contributing to the breadth of the intellectual life of the College.
The Ontario Council on Graduate Studies Review
The Board discussed the forthcoming Ontario Council on Graduate Studies (OCGS) review of the MDS degree. The OCGS will measure the MDS program against the original proposal on the basis of which CFC was allowed to proceed with the degree. It will look at content of the MDS, progress in expanding the academic faculty, the success rate and the admissions policies. On this latter point we were concerned about the “post-requisite” approach, whereby students who do not meet the admissions requirement, normally an Honours BA with high enough marks, may be required to take additional courses after their CFC year and completion of the MDS requirements. The BoV felt that this might not sit well with the OCGS. The BoV also suggested that discussion of the admission requirements might usefully take place with the OCGS before or during the review process. In addition to the RMC Dean of Graduate Studies and Research, Dr. Fugère, the RMC Dean of Engineering, Dr. Stewart, is involved with the OCGS and might look into the matter as well. While it was recognized that RMC has a policy of requiring Honours degrees for admission to its other graduate programs, is the MDS in a somewhat different category? As a professional degree, where the profession is that of a military officer, should more credit be given to previous years of military service and previous professional courses in making admission requirements? While an undergraduate degree is a requirement, need it always be an Honours degree and should so much weight be placed on a student’s undergraduate academic performance ten or more years in the past? The BoV believes these questions need to be examined further. It might be helpful if the BoV were given an opportunity to see the final draft prepared for the OCGS before it is submitted.
The BoV has expressed its desire to coordinate its next meeting in line with the Security and Defence Forum meeting, due to be held sometime in April 2005.
Dr Albert Legault
Chair of the Board of Visitors
Members:
- Peter Foot, Joint Services Command and Staff College
- Brian Job, University of British Columbia
- Marc Milner, University of New Brunswick
- Stéphane Roussel, Université du Québec à Montreal (absence justified)
- Joel Sokolsky, Royal Military College of Canada
- Denis Stairs, Dalhousie University
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