Report of the RMC Board of Governors By the Withers' Study Group
Balanced Excellence Leading Canada's Armed Forces In The New Millenium
4500-240 (ADM (HR-Mil))
24 September 1998
Cross-reference p. 55 of 63 of official printed copy of report
Bringing it together: RMC in the 21st Century
A great deal of improvement can be achieved by implementing the individual recommendations contained in this report in each of RMC's four pillars. However, the Study Group believes that a dramatically greater improvement will result if a substantially new model for the structure and functioning of the undergraduate program at RMC is put in place (The Balanced Excellence Model). The recommended model addresses the problem holistically, incorporating the integration of all four pillars, and the relationship between RMC and the CF as a whole. In this new paradigm, RMC is "nested" within the Canadian Forces, making each element mutually responsive to the needs of the other. It will produce new graduates who are genuine professionals when they march off the square, with undergraduate education and MOC training completed.
In essence, the model requires that the highest quality candidate must be recruited into RMC direct from secondary school level. After a short period of familiarisation and indoctrination, the cadet pursues two years of academic education within the context of a revitalised military pillar at RMC. The cadet chooses his/her MOC in the second academic year and proceeds to MOC training for 16 months between second and third academic years. On completion of this training, which in the majority of cases includes MOC qualification, the cadet returns to RMC to complete his/her degree. In this model, cadets are commissioned at the end of third year. This rank will be probationary with provisions for backdating seniority upon successful completion of RMC. With existing infrastructure expansion plans of one more dormitory, the attendance at RMC could go up to approximately 1500 students because of those cadets away on 16 months training.
The full program including timings, SLT and professional and academic anomalies is as follows: (see visual of model on page 58)
a. Cadets are recruited in the spring and undergo BOTC1 in the summer before the first academic year. This includes language testing;
b. During the first academic year, which consists of a largely common curriculum, approximately 17 days of BOTC2 is completed. This includes an extra week of BOTC2 training at the end of first year, between the end of exams and graduation parade. This represents about one half of the BOTC2 program;
c. The first summer training period consists of eight weeks of SLT, four weeks of military familiarisation training, and two weeks leave. For SLT, all Francophones receive language training at RMC. Anglophones receive their training at St-Jean or, preferably at another university such as Laval. Familiarisation training consists of introducing all cadets to the three services of the CF and their constituent MOCs. This will be done through an on-campus program together with a schedule of trips/briefings as determined by the three Services;
d. Cadets will complete BOTC2 during the second academic year. A portion of this training might be done through self-study. Cadets select their MOC after Christmas. This timing allows for the convergence on the required academic standard of those students who may have required remedial academic tutoring and courses when they first arrived at RMC. At the end of the second academic year, cadets proceed on 16 months of MOC training. Cadets proceeding on MOC training are committed to obligatory service henceforth. Academic failures and those cadets who wish to quit leave the Forces with no penalty at this point. For those individuals who leave, it has cost the Forces two years but it eliminates a huge number who would drop out at the end, or after a few years service due to unhappiness with the choice made. The 16 month MOC training period ends on 01 Sepxx. At this point, depending on the urgent requirement of the CF a few select candidates may be allowed to accept a commission and remain with an operational unit. The strict condition governing this career path is that the candidate in question must return for third and fourth year at RMC no later than four years later. The great majority of cadets will return to RMC to complete their degree immediately after this 16 month MOC training period;
e. The process outlined in d. above is consistent with other officer entry programs, especially civilian ROTP which also is based on September to May academic years;
f. The 16 month MOC training period is done in one block and is spread over one full year. It is long enough to qualify the vast majority of cadets in their chosen MOC. In terms of any risk of the cadets losing the continuity of their education, it is no worse than the traditional taking a year off to go to Europe. That seems to improve things for many students, rather than to make them worse students;
g. Third year cadets become the senior cadets. Upon completion of all requirements in all four pillars, they are provisionally commissioned at the end of third year in May;
h. In the summer between third and fourth academic years, engineering students remain at RMC to take a number of their courses. This activity will be viewed as training as well as education. The "engineering summer" is designed to accommodate the accreditation requirement of an engineering degree, while at the same time, liberating a number of academic hours over the four conventional academic years for "core" curriculum subjects. All non-engineering students return to their MOCs for further training and/or OJT, but as commissioned officers;
i. Fourth year students are commissioned and are so paid. They could live on campus and would be charged full cost for quarters. They then assume positions in the squadrons as counsellors for five to ten cadets - helping them with career decisions, military training, academics and generally acting as junior officers under the guidance of the squadron commander.
Balanced Excellence Model
(this table was altered from printed report for reasons of accuracy and clarity)
| Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| + | + | + | ^ | + | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Yr 0: | T1 | RT | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Yr 1: | Academic yr 1 (+17 days of BOTC2) | T2 | SLT | T3 | Lv | |||||||||||||||||||
| Yr 2: | Academic yr 2 | MOC | T4 (MOC trg) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Yr 3: | T4 cont'd, MOC training of 16 months, incl leave | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Yr 4: | Academic yr 3 | T5 or extra term | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Yr 5: | Academic yr 4 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Graduation Parade | ^ | |||||||||||||||||||||||
- T1 = language training and BOTC1
- T2 = between exams and parade, one more week of BOTC1 is inserted
- SLT = summer second language training, duration 7-8 weeks, but with as many or more contact hours as in the present 10-week version
- T3 = exposure to the range of MOCs within the selected environment
- Lv = leave
- MOC = Feb of 2nd year: Date at which MOC selection is made, on a competitive basis, into those slots assigned to RMC by the CF
- T4 = MOC training of 16 months, including leaves, beginning before the graduation parade, and thus Yr 2 misses this parade
- T5 = Post MOC contact or additional training, except for engineering students, for whom it is an extra academic term
- RT = Recruit term