Pierre G Piché
University of Toronto, Finance, Department Member
- Pierre Gilles Piché is a Chartered Professional Accountant and is currently the Controller and Director of Financial ... morePierre Gilles Piché is a Chartered Professional Accountant and is currently the Controller and Director of Financial Services at the University of Toronto. He is an active member of the Council of Ontario Finance Officers where he chaired a number of committees including the Financial Reporting Committee and the Working Group on Financial Health Indicators. He was also a member of the Canadian Association of University Business Officers Financial Reporting Committee and is currently the Chair of the Strategic Task Force on Financial Information of Universities and Colleges.edit
The fiscal climate of restraint in the Canadian province of Ontario has led to increased calls for a more diversified higher education system. Significant diversity in the university sector in Ontario has not been achieved that... more
The fiscal climate of restraint in the Canadian province of Ontario has led to increased calls for a more diversified higher education system. Significant diversity in the university sector in Ontario has not been achieved that underscores the importance of understanding government policy and its related influences on institutional diversity. This study used policy and descriptive analysis and drew on mutually related theoretical perspectives from organisational theory as its conceptual framework to examine the factors that promoted or hindered processes of diversity in the sector. The study suggests that the lack of diversity objectives in provincial funding policies combined with the existing egalitarian operating funding model contributed to the continued lack of diversity in the university sector in Ontario while federal funding programmes distributed on the basis of a peer review, competitive process increased the potential for diversification. Structural policy directions to enhance diversity in the university sector are also considered.
Research Interests:
This article proposes a methodology for measuring institutional diversity and applies it to Ontario’s university sector. This study first used hierarchical cluster analysis, which suggested there has been very little change in diversity... more
This article proposes a methodology for measuring institutional diversity and applies it to Ontario’s university sector. This study first used hierarchical cluster analysis, which suggested there has been very little change in diversity between 1994 and 2010 as universities were clustered in three groups for both years. However, by adapting Birnbaum’s (1983) diversity matrix methodology to Ontario’s university sector, the author appears to have found a decrease in systemic diversity (differences in the type of institution and size of institution; Birnbaum, 1983) and climate diversity (differences in campus environment and culture; Birnbaum, 1983) between 1994 and 2010. Policy implications resulting from this study are also considered.
Research Interests:
In order to meet the demands in a cost-effective manner of an emerging knowledge society that is global in scope, structural higher education policy changes have been introduced in many countries with a focus on systemic and programmatic... more
In order to meet the demands in a cost-effective manner of an emerging knowledge society that is global in scope, structural higher education policy changes have been introduced in many countries with a focus on systemic and programmatic diversity. There has been an ongoing debate about institutional diversity in Ontario higher education, especially within the university sector, for at least five decades. This paper will provide insight into issues of quality, accessibility, and funding through the lens of the current policy debate about institutional diversity by using document and policy analysis, and by drawing on a number of semi-structured interviews with senior university and system-level administrators.
Research Interests:
Over the last 15 years, the government of Ontario, Canada began seeking ways to deliver and expand higher education in a more cost effective and sustainable manner through the introduction of two major policy goals: greater institutional... more
Over the last 15 years, the government of Ontario, Canada began seeking ways to deliver and expand higher education in a more cost effective and sustainable manner through the introduction of two major policy goals: greater institutional differentiation and the expansion of student pathways. This paper will attempt to determine the compatibility of these two policy goals through a review of the relevant literature to determine if the policies are aligned from an efficiency and effectiveness, and public policy perspective. It will also identify a number of policy levers used in Ontario that may affect the extent of diversity and student pathways through document analysis, to assess their compatibility by making a limited use of the field of organisational theory as a lens to place the policies into context. It will also examine the extent to which various institutional types in Ontario have been engaged in student mobility and will compare and contrast the various strategies used to satisfy these public policy goals through textual analysis to highlight current successful institutional strategies that can be used by other jurisdictions. It will conclude with some key observations that the authors feel are necessary for either policy goal to succeed.
Research Interests:
This article proposes a methodology for measuring institutional diversity and applies it to Ontario’s university sector. This study first used hierarchical cluster analysis, which suggested there has been very little change in diversity... more
This article proposes a methodology for measuring institutional diversity and applies it to Ontario’s university sector. This study first used hierarchical cluster analysis, which suggested there has been very little change in diversity between 1994 and 2010 as universities were clustered in three groups for both years. However, by adapting Birnbaum’s (1983) diversity matrix methodology to Ontario’s university sector, the author appears to have found a decrease in systemic diversity (differences in the type of institution and size of institution; Birnbaum, 1983) and climate diversity (differences in campus environment and culture; Birnbaum, 1983) between 1994 and 2010. Policy implications resulting from this study are also considered.
Research Interests:
The fiscal climate of restraint in the Canadian province of Ontario has led to increased calls for a more diversified higher education system. Significant diversity in the university sector in Ontario has not been achieved that... more
The fiscal climate of restraint in the Canadian province of Ontario has led to increased calls for a more diversified higher education system. Significant diversity in the university sector in Ontario has not been achieved that underscores the importance of understanding government policy and its related influences on institutional diversity. This study used policy and descriptive analysis and drew on mutually related theoretical perspectives from organisational theory as its conceptual framework to examine the factors that promoted or hindered processes of diversity in the sector. The study suggests that the lack of diversity objectives in provincial funding policies combined with the existing egalitarian operating funding model contributed to the continued lack of diversity in the university sector in Ontario while federal funding programmes distributed on the basis of a peer review, competitive process increased the potential for diversification. Structural policy directions to enhance diversity in the university sector are also considered.