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DESPITE THE HOST OF ISSUES confronting their institutions, as the decade began the mood among the leaders of the Ontario university community was one of quiet confidence. When the collectivity was established in 1962, these leaders had been sometimes suspicious of one another, and cautious. The presidents were hesitant, their initial joint decisions sometimes halting. Co-operation among Ontario universities was a new concept, one that seemed to contradict the cherished principle of institutional autonomy. The presidents , however, had recognized their mutual interest in facing collectively the problems generated by the projected unprecedented expansion in enrolment and the prospect of increased pressure from the government —pressure that inevitably would arrive conjointly with the large increases in public funding that all of them considered essential to fuel the expansion of their institutions. They realized that, unless checked and balanced, at the extreme such pressures could lead to a loss of autonomy and ultimately to government control—an unwanted and feared prospect. By 1970, much had changed. Ontario now had an interdependent system of universities. University revenues, largely derived from government grants, had increased to match enrolment growth; an operating grants formula was in place; graduate planning had begun; and a buffer body containing academic representation was in place. The Committee of Presidents of the Universities of Ontario (cpuo) was a strong, vibrant organization composed of two representatives from each member institution —the executive head and an academic colleague, a fact shortly to be officially recognized by a constitutional amendment that changed the name of the organization to the Council of Ontario Universities (cou). Council was assisted by a large number of committees and affiliated groups: in 1970, twenty-four committees and councils, and thirteen affiliates. With an annual budget of some one million dollars, threequarters of which was contributed by the member institutions, its activities were supported by a secretariat staffed by some thirty-five persons. The Winds Shift: Dark Clouds Begin to Form chapter 2 Notes to chapter 2 are on pp. 216–220 57 A number of co-operative enterprises had been undertaken; co-ordination of university activities was increasing. The recent establishment within the secretariat of a research division had significantly improved the analytical and planning capacity of the collectivity. In the year 1970, a total of forty-three studies either had been completed or were in progress. This included Ring of Iron, whose publication marked the first major exercise in province-wide academic discipline planning. A positive relationship had been established between the Committee of Presidents, representing the collectivity of universities, and the Committee on University Affairs, the buffer body standing between the universities and the government. This structure was said to constitute “the unique strength of the Ontario system.” cua, advisory to the government , was balanced by cpuo, which represented the interests of the universities . Together these bodies served to maintain the “delicate balance” between institutional autonomy and the well-being of the system, a necessary condition (it was judged) for the creation of confidence in the system by the university community, the government and the public. The interface was dynamic, although sparks could and sometimes did fly. The resulting decisions, however, usually reflected both sensitivity to essential academic considerations and genuine concern for sound public policy. This unique pattern of system co-ordination, while subject to further refinement and improvement, was said to represent “an advanced model of the new kind of government-university machinery which is rapidly becoming the design of the future.”1 Still, this was not a time for complacency. More needed to be done to improve quality and to expand system planning, particularly in the area of graduate studies, where the universities were under pressure from both cua and the Department of University Affairs to rationalize this expensive area of academic programming. Uncertainties existed over enrolment, and adjustments would need to be made to deal with slower growth. There were indications of coming reductions in government grants, and some issues affecting the structure of the system remained unresolved. The draft report of the Commission on Post-Secondary Education in Ontario (Wright Commission), which would address many of these issues, was expected soon. This mood of quiet optimism soon proved misplaced. The universities were not as strong or as popular as their leaders thought. The ground was beginning to shift under them. The period of rapid enrolment growth, which some still thought would continue intermittently for a protracted period, was coming to an end. Those universities that had achieved their enrolment objectives...

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