Advanced Education

My Alma Mater, the University College of the Fraser Valley (UCFV) had a press release today stating they wish to ascend to full university status, much like the former University College of the Cariboo is now Thompson River University. The full text of the press release is here.

There is one part of the press release that irked me, namely the statement from Skip Bassford, president of UCFV, that “changing the name would increase the credibility of degrees earned by our graduates, [emphasis mine] enhance our reputation nationally and internationally, and simply make it easier for people to understand what we do.”

Now hang on a minute. What exactly is being said here? Is the implication that somehow I wasted my tuition money and school time by not going to a “real” university? Good thing I’m getting a masters degree at Simon Fraser University! Who knows what would have happened to my education if I’d attended a school that wasn’t “credible”.

Ok, I am engaging in a bit of hyperbole here, but the point remains. I went to UCFV for many reasons, not the least of which being that they were a degree granting institution covered under the University Act. The importance in attending a recognized institution is to ensure yourself and others that you didn’t get involved with some fly-by-night organization that may not give you a worthwhile education.

A Ministry of Education website says, “Students in British Columbia have many institutions and programs to choose from. Whether you decide on a public institution or a private institution, it is your responsibility as a student to ensure the program and institution you choose is a good fit with your educational priorities and expectations.” [emphasis mine]

I agree wholeheartedly with this. Apart from getting the education you want in the first place, I don’t see why college vs. university-college vs. university should be a make or break issue.

A former professor of mine at UCFV also puts this spin on it, “While I do think that there is modest attention paid to the place in which one studies, in my opinion, the real value in becoming a degreed person in our society has more to do with the qualities of the person one becomes through the process, than does the name of the institution that one attended, or, for that matter, with whom one studies. It is not that these latter things are of no consequence. But attending a 'recognized' institution or program is often a 'sufficient' condition for one's future, but a more 'necessary' condition is the judgment about who that person became through the process. Some of you who have been with me in class may recognize my distinction between ‘getting a degree’ and ‘becoming degreed’.” [emphasis mine]

Of course, I’m probably getting irked for nothing. UCFV is trying to become a full-fledged university with all its attendant trappings. The comment that somehow this will make their degree more “credible” is just marketing spin, plain and simple. Still, they could have at least tried to spin it without demeaning the alumni and the institution!

UCFV is a great place, really. I enjoyed my time there even if the commute from Vancouver was sometimes tedious, and the quality of instruction was fabulous. I wish them every success in continuing to serve the needs of BC students.