The Observatory on Success in Higher Education (ORES) marked the official launch of its activities on March 22, 2023, in an event that brought together more than 300 actors and stakeholders from higher education and university environments, in person and virtually, in particular managers, professionals and researchers. The Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Higher Education, Paule De Blois, and the President of the University of Quebec, Alexandre Cloutier, addressed a few words to the audience on the occasion, recalling the importance of the mission of this new observatory, which aims to be a place of convergence to be where we share the most relevant and up-to-date knowledge that will help redefine our college and university environments to better serve the needs of our student population.
“In a society where the problems to be solved are becoming increasingly complex and require in-depth knowledge, we need to encourage our young people to study more than ever. I invite us to continue together this important work around accessibility, perseverance and academic success to support them in their success at the peak of their ambitions,” said the President of UQ, Alexandre Cloutier.
The creation of the observatory is part of the continuity of the Consortium d’animation sur la persistence et lasuccess en enseignement supérieur (CAPRES), an initiative started more than 20 years ago by a network team that could count on the University of Quebec as host institution. The quality of the work done since then and the niche expertise that has been developed have prompted the Quebec government to entrust them with this new mandate. UQ also responded by allowing the observatory to grow within the main office.
“ORES therefore wants to participate in the mission of higher education by serving the whole environment: to contribute to a world where everyone can learn, develop and realize themselves,” explained Julie Gagné, Director of the Observatory for Success in Higher Education.
This was followed by a round table where the panelists could share their own experiences, difficulties and successes during their study trip, as well as their ideas to improve our teaching environments, the comments of which are consistent with the latest thematic file prepared by the Observatory: Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI): at the core of student success. Hosted by Françoise Guénette, we were able to hear Florence Khoriaty (Florence K), Adrian Monthony, Aly Ndiaye (Webster) and Anna-Corine St-Gelais Awashish.
Source:
Observatory for Academic Success, March 23, 2023