Monthly Archives: November 2020

Spotlight on ARUCC

1.What is the mission and vision of ARUCC?

The Association of Registrars of the Universities and Colleges of Canada (ARUCC) provides leadership in the post-secondary education field and service to its member institutions nationally and internationally, helping foster the advancement of registrarial practices in Canada. ARUCC strives to meet the needs of its members by adopting proactive measures reflecting changes in our professional environment.

Member institutions consist of universities, colleges and polytechnics that are recognized through either Universities Canada or the Colleges and Institutes Canada.

2. Why is trustworthy digital identity critical for existing and emerging markets?

The need for online solutions increased with the COVID-19 pandemic. These solutions will become the norm as Canada and the global economy adapt to consumer expectations. As members of the post-secondary education field in Canada, we are not unfamiliar with the need for trustworthy digital identity given the increased demand for sending/receiving electronic documents.

3. How will digital identity transform the Canadian and global economy? How does ARUCC address challenges associated with this transformation?

Digital identity is most often managed as a gate to individual businesses through methods such as confidential passwords, PINs, and security questions. With each business having its own requirements (i.e., variations of password length and structure) it becomes nearly impossible for people to remember them all. Businesses and post-secondary institutions are forming allegiances to minimize the impact on the individual while maintaining trustworthy digital identity. An example of this is with CRA and banking passwords.

ARUCC also recognizes the need for trustworthy digital identity and is leading the implementation of a National Network with the core objective of improving permission-based, trusted access and portability of learner documents (i.e., transcripts, confirmation letters) across Canada and with trusted international partners for students, graduates, participating post-secondary institutions, provincial application centres and member 3rd party organizations.

4. What role does Canada have to play as a leader in this space?

Canada is in the global arena and is recognized as being trustworthy and reliable. From the post-secondary perspective, Canada has over 2.5 million students including more than 642 thousand international students[1] (based on 2019 statistics). As a destination for higher education it is imperative that trusted networks be established for identity management. The formation of the ARUCC National Network allows us to establish a ‘made for Canada’ solution that can also be tied to other trusted networks (i.e., My eQuals, CHESICC).

In 2018 Canada ratified the Lisbon Recognition Convention which demonstrates our commitment to the recognition of academic credentials, which need to be portable, as learners and alumni move to work and live around the globe. This inspires the work of ARUCC to enhance trusted document exchange and provide learner credential wallets.

5. Why did ARUCC join the DIACC?

ARUCC believes in working together to achieve common goals. We feel the purpose of ARUCC and the creation of the National Network to support learner mobility aligns well with DIACC’s principals.

6. What else should we know about ARUCC?

ARUCC was formed in 1964 and became incorporated in 2018. It includes over 150 member institutions representing over 2.5 million current learners and millions of alumni from within Canada and around the globe.