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The University of Toronto campus in Toronto, photographed Monday Oct. 1, 2012Kevin Van Paassen/The Globe and Mail

This October, the Globe and Mail begins an in-depth examination of an issue that is critical to Canada's future: post-secondary education.

Almost a million undergraduates and approximately 200,000 graduate students are enrolled at campuses across the country this fall. They hope for access to top-quality instruction, cutting-edge research and a degree that will lead to a relevant job in their field. The reality they have found there has often not matched up to their expectations.

During the course of our series, Globe and Mail reporters will show you why. The problems range from overcrowded lecture halls to outdated teaching methods, from underfunded institutions to underemployed graduates.

We will explore some of these challenges and present some of the best ideas about how to address these problems.

  • What role can the private sector play in getting students ready for the job market?
  • How can our universities design courses that open doors in an ever-shifting world?
  • How can students meet professors from around the world and how can the world come to us?
  • And how will we pay for it all?

To find the best solutions for these challenges, The Globe and Mail convened an advisory panel of leaders in post-secondary education who all shared their thoughts and asked questions of their own.

Now we ask you to tell us what university education means to you and how it can stay relevant in the future.

We invite you to join the debate and come up with solutions that ensure that the universities and colleges students enter today can serve the needs of tomorrow.

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