Top Ten

Europe Copes with Labour Shortage

As the faculty retirement wave approaches Canada, Europe is faced with an aging workforce and a smaller body of labourers. Observers estimate drastic population shrinkages, with Germany potentially dropping from its current 80 million down to just 25 million by 2100. There are currently more than a million jobs unfilled in German and Britain, and although employers are complaining, voters remain opposed to relaxing immigration laws. Europe will play a smaller role on the international stage as China, India and the US continue to grow. International Herald Tribune 

Tuition Fees Rise with Inflation at uAlberta

The University of Alberta has announced a 3.3% increase in tuition for next year, 10% increase in residence, and 9% increase in parking costs. Parking will go up a further 9% in 2008 and 14% in 2009. Alberta tuition increases, which had been as much as 7%, are now capped to the rate of inflation by legislation passed in November. Student representatives agree with matching costs to cost of living, but want the base cost rolled back to $3,000 first. The increases in residence cost are expected to hit rural students the hardest, as they rely on campus housing for affordable accommodation. The parking increases are meant to encourage green transportation. Edmonton Journal

Cabinet Member Censures uOttawa Prof

Lawrence Martin writes in Saturday's Globe & Mail that Marjory LeBreton, Leader of the Government in the Senate, is demanding an apology from Prof. Michael Behiels for an Ottawa Citizen article published last November. He wrote that LeBreton and former prime minister Brian Mulroney influenced Steven Harper's decision to recognize the Quebecois people as a nation within Canada. LeBreton demanded a retraction from the Citizen, and wrote the uOttawa chancellor, mentioning in passing the "major scholarship" at the institution funded in the names of her late daughter and grandson. Globe & Mail (subscription required)

New Ivey EMBA Campus in Toronto

The University of Western Ontario's Richard Ivey School of Business will officially launch its downtown Toronto campus for executive MBA programs on February 8. The facility is located in downtown Toronto's Exchange tower, directly on the former stock exchange floor. The drama of its location is echoed by the energy students, faculty and alumni are expressing towards the move from Mississauga to downtown Toronto. The pressure to stay fresh and connected is high, with fierce competition from other nearby business schools such as Queen's, York and uToronto. The average Ivey EMBA costs $80,000, and there have been 1,300 graduates from the Toronto program so far. Western News 

PR May Be 2007's Hot Career

: According to the coordinator of Kwantlen University College's Public Relations program, PR is the field to be in right now. Kwantlen has seen the number of jobs in PR take a huge leap in BC, and the trend is seen all over North America as well. Money magazine and Salary.com rated public relations at number 20 out of the 50 best jobs in North America. Kwantlen reports that its students are securing positions before graduation. Kwantlen media release 

Survey says PEI Students Use More Tobacco

A recent survey of 700 PEI students released by the Canadian Cancer Society found that 50% of Holland College students, and 37% of UPEI students, use tobacco products, and they do so more frequently than the general population of Prince Edward Island. Many of these students do not consider themselves "smokers" because they use alternative products such as cigars, and often only indulge socially or on a non-daily basis. CBC 

LaSalle to Launch First Canadian Second Life Classroom

Montreal's LaSalle College hopes to have virtual, 3-D classrooms running online by September 2007, making it the first school in Canada to open shop on Second Life. It will offer distance education for students across the province and beyond, from the comfort of their own homes. They will use avatars to attend classes taught by instructor avatars. There are 300 students enrolled in LaSalle's online ACS program, which will be transferred to the Second Life site ilasallecampus.com if technology permits. LaSalle media release | ilasallecampus.com

Michigan's Ban on Affirmative Action Disrupts Recruitment

Michigan's public colleges are spinning in an effort to preserve diversity under a new ban on affirmative action. Wayne State University Law School has put forth a new admissions policy that considers factors such as living on a reservation, or in "mostly black Detroit" (NYT), or having overcome discrimination -- without directly referring to race. Similar legislation is on the table for many other US states. Private schools, outside of the state's power, will still be able to directly pursue diversity and may become the most welcoming institutions for minorities. Critics observe that racial inequalities in academic achievement start in primary and secondary school. New York Times 

Vermont Students Banned from Wikiverse

Students of Middlebury College's History department are no longer allowed to cite articles from the online open-source encyclopaedia, Wikipedia. Faculty will be explaining the change in policy, paired with the rationale on why Wikipedia is convenient but not credible as an academic source. Instructors from several institutions have noticed incorrect information sourced to Wiki pages. A spokesperson from Wikipedia agrees that the policy is logical and that while an ideal place to start researching, the site is not an authoritative body. Inside Higher Education  

Teen Author Recommends Job Shadowing

At 17, Sondra Clark has written 6 books -- one of them entitled "Cool Careers in Recreation." While colleges and parents are accusing kids of naively basing their career hopes on prime time TV shows, Sondra has been thorough. She job shadowed 55 different professionals across the country in a variety of positions from Sea World trainers, to shoe designers, and far beyond. National Job Shadow Day is February 2 and more than a million US high school students will participate. Skilled co-op placements are often too extreme when one only wants to sample a field, making job shadowing days ideal for curious teens. Press Release | Sondra Clark.com