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The Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport announced Friday the results of blood tests and 2 sanctions resulting from doping control tests conducted on the University of Waterloo football team. One of the blood samples has returned an adverse analytical finding, and is related to one of the 9 previous reported anti-doping rule violation cases. A third-year linebacker admitted to using a steroid prior to the testing, and has accepted a one-year sanction and waived his right to a hearing. A first-year linebacker admitted to steroid use at the time of the testing, and has accepted a 2-year sanction and waived his right to a hearing. uWaterloo announced last month a one-year suspension of the football program in light of the test results. CCES News Release

Postscript:  Sep 9, 2010
Yesterday the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sports announced that one of the University of Waterloo football players tested this spring had his urine and blood samples return adverse analytical findings for testosterone and human growth hormone (HGH), respectively. The first-year running-back is the first athlete to test positive for HGH in North America. The player has been suspended from participation in sport for 3 years. The CCES also announced sanctions for 3 other uWaterloo football players who were found with anabolic steroids in their samples. CCES News Release | Globe and Mail

Beyond funding constraints, there are 2 key factors driving the current difficulties in university hiring in Canada, according to a new report titled "Courting Success in Senior Hiring at Canadian Universities." One factor is the increasing professionalization of universities themselves, as senior positions require more specialized skill sets. The other is shrinking candidate pools, which have necessitated increased recruitment from outside academia at all levels of senior hiring, with mixed results. The basic remedy, the report states, is to work actively at widening the talent pool. This involves 2 tasks -- being prepared to open certain jobs to people from positions outside universities, and finding ways to actively provide experience and training to those on campus who may some day become interested in joining the administrative ranks. Read the report

According to the BC government's Executive Compensation Disclosure list, University of British Columbia president Stephen Toope is the highest-paid university president in the province, with a total compensation of $579,332 in the 2009-10 fiscal year. British Columbia Institute of Technology president Don Wright received the highest compensation of provincial college and institute presidents, earning $301,290. The BC government requires compensation disclosure of public sector organizations' CEOs and the next 4 highest-ranking/paid executives where such positions hold an annual base salary of $125,000 or more. BC 2009-2010 Executive Compensation Disclosure

Science and Technology Minister Gary Goodyear announced last Thursday $13 million in funding for 12 universities to undertake 31 new research projects to improve health services for Canadians as well as economic development in the health sector. Ottawa will provide funding for the projects through the Collaborative Health Research Projects program, an initiative of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. The recipient institutions are McGill, uOttawa, uWaterloo, uToronto, uMontréal, Queen's, UBC, uSherbrooke, Dal, SFU, uCalgary, and McMaster. NSERC News Release

The Newfoundland and Labrador government is seeking input from current students and graduates of private training institutions on the Private Training Institutions Act and Regulations, with a series of public sessions scheduled this month. The province will also meet with private training schools, funding agencies, and professional licensing bodies. NL's education minister says the province wants to ensure that the legislation allows for progress in the private college sector, while supporting quality programs and an appropriate level of protection for students' investments. NL News Release

Quebec universities and colleges have partnered to create the Accueil Plus Service, which provides personal assistance to facilitate international students' integration at their arrival at Montréal-Trudeau Airport between August 6 and September 6, 2010. Foreign students who come to attend a Quebec institution can forward their travel information to be passed on to the Accueil Plus Service associate partners. The collected data will be used to facilitate the process with customs services and shorten the waiting time at the border for international students who are provided with a study permit at their arrival at the airport. CREPUQ News Release (in French) | Accueil Plus Service website

Grande Prairie Regional College has signed the Association of Canadian Community Colleges' Pan-Canadian Protocol for Sustainability in a formal acknowledgement of its commitment to a sustainable future. GPRC president Don Gnatiuk has long held that it is the responsibility of the institution to demonstrate leadership in environmental, economic, and social sustainability. There are a number of initiatives taking place at GPRC, one of which is the Environment Committee, which is developing an environmental action plan and working toward large-scale changes building upon what has already been achieved. GPRC News

This fall, Alberta-based Lakeland College will introduce a new soccer program to its athletic repertoire. Lakeland's athletic director says the college has not added a program for a number of years, and feels soccer would be a very good fit. Men's and women's outdoor teams will be represented in the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference next year. While the teams will be based out of Lloydminster, the program will also be open to students at the Vermilion campus. Vermilion Standard

Kwantlen Polytechnic University is recognized as a 2010 Progressive Employer of Canada, the only post-secondary school among the 28 workplaces selected as "mom-friendly" employers. Described as "a very family friendly environment," Kwantlen was chosen for offering a generous maternity benefits package as well as the flexibility to go on leaves of absence. The list says the university also allows people to move from full-time to part-time status as their parenting responsibilities demand. Kwantlen News Release | 2010 Progressive Employers of Canada List

Compared to the same month a year earlier, employment among students aged 20 to 24 increased by 63,000 in June 2010. This increase pushed their unemployment rate down 3.7 percentage points to 10.3%. Despite the improvement, the unemployment rate for 20- to 24-year-old students remains above the 9.2% recorded in June 2008, a summer when student employment was particularly strong. For 17- to 19-year-old students, their employment edged up 11,000 from June 2009. Their unemployment rate dropped 2.1 percentage points to 16% last month, but remains well above the rate of 11.7% observed in June 2008. Statistics Canada