Reply from BC Government

—— Forwarded Message
From: “Henderson, Kim N PREM:EX” <Kim.Henderson@gov.bc.ca>
Date: Fri, 3 Apr 2009 09:52:54 -0700
To: Justin Longo <jlongo@uvic.ca>
Cc: “Fraser-Ramirez, Karla Maria ALMD:EX” <Karla.Maria.FraserRamirez@gov.bc.ca>
Subject: FW: Questions re Pacific Leaders Graduate Fellowship Program

Hi Justin, I am writing to provide you with some of the details of the Pacific Leaders Graduate Fellowship Program as per your request.

As was indicated in the letter you received, the program has been suspended for a period of time as we review how best to attract students into the program and ensure the program benefits have the desired outcomes for both the students and for the government. We do expect that the program will resume.  Some participants in the fellowship program have already been placed in positions and all current participants in the program will continue as planned. The review only effects the intake originally scheduled for 2009.

The goal of the fellowship program is to attract top-quality graduate students to careers in the BC Public Service while also supporting research that is of value to the provincial government. The calibre of applicants, their research and subsequent performance as employees of the BC Public Service are all factors that will define the success of the program.

The decision to review the program was made by the Deputy Ministers’ Committee on the Public Service which oversees the strategic direction on the public service initiative.  The decision was a result of feedback provided by all of our partner institutions that indicated there were a number of improvements that should be made to the program and that to date all of the scholarships available had not been awarded. In light of this feedback the committee opted to suspend new intake into the program while we reviewed how best to deliver the program to meet the desired goals.

This reflects the obligation of the government to ensure all programs are being delivered as effectively as possible, which is all the more important during challenging economic and fiscal times.

You asked about the role of StudentAid BC in the program. StudentAid BC administers the fellowship program on behalf of the BC Public Service. The StudentAid BC budget has no direct impact on the program.

Funding for the fellowship program comes from a corporate fund contributed to by all government ministries. The cost of the program in 2007 was $342,221 and in 2008 was $434,908. This fund provides for the scholarship amounts; once students are placed into positions their salaries are paid for by the sponsoring ministry. While 40 scholarships had been available, there were 15 fellowships awarded in 2007/08 and 10 in 2008/09 based on an evaluation of the applications submitted and their suitability for the program.

Thank you for your questions about the program, I hope that this note has helped to clarify some points.

Kim Henderson
Head, Workforce Planning and Leadership Secretariat

________________________________

From: Justin Longo [mailto:jlongo@uvic.ca]
Sent: Wed 18/03/2009 8:16 AM
To: Fraser-Ramirez, Karla Maria ALMD:EX
Subject: Questions re Pacific Leaders Graduate Fellowship Program

Hi Karla Maria -

I received a letter from Victoria Thibeau, Executive Director StudentAid BC yesterday (dated March 10 2009) that followed up on the phone call I received on March 10, officially advising me that the Pacific Leaders Graduate Fellowship Program had been terminated.

Ms. Thibeau noted that I could contact you if I had any questions. I will follow up today by telephone, but wanted to advise you in advance and provide the questions I have in advance. My questions relate to the second paragraph in Ms. Thibeau’s letter:

“The Pacific Leaders Graduate Fellowship program is facing a change in direction. A decision has been made to suspend the program for a year. In light of the economic challenges that the province is facing, the program will be under review to ensure the investment the province is making is generating the expected results.”

The specific questions I have are:

* “a change in direction” implies the program still exists. Does it? Do the other components of the program (Loan Forgiveness, Scholarships for Public Servants, Scholarships for Children of Public Servants) still exist?
* “A decision has been made” raises the question of whether this was a Ministerial decision, or divisional. Was the decision made by Ms. Thibeau, the Deputy Minister, or Minister? Ultimately, the Minister is responsible for the decision, but the answer should identify some of the rationale for the decision. * What were the performance measures (“expected results”) for the program that are now being used to measure program success?
* Would the program review be taking place even if the “economic challenges that the Province is facing  did not exist?
* How much was the StudentAid BC budget increased / decreased in the 2009/2010 Budget? * How much did the fellowship program cost in 2007/2008? 2008/2009?
* How many fellowships were awarded in 2007/2008? 2008/2009?
* Were members of the 2007/2008 class placed in career positions in the BC public service? Are 2008/2009 awardees going to be placed?
* Were the costs of career placement and their ongoing salary costs paid by the StudentAid BC program, or by the departments in which the fellows were placed?

I may have more questions, but that’s a start. Please also note that the answers will be posted to http://pacificleaders.wordpress.com

Thanks.

Best regards,

Justin Longo
Ph.D. Candidate
University of Victoria
—— End of Forwarded Message

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