February 22, 2007
Canadian PSE stands to lose 100,000 students in the next ten years, according to a new study by the Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation. It is also expected that at the same time, 70% of jobs will require a diploma or degree. Several recent reports caution Canadian schools against getting comfortable in the current swell of students, and recommend targeting currently under-represented groups to offset the expected decline.
The Globe & Mail |
CMSF News ReleaseThe last month has been a cross-Canada tuition blame game between students and politicians . Yesterday, CAUT reported that provincial spending on PSE decreased to 1.05% of GDP in 2004-2005, from 1.54% in 1992-1993. Provincial transfers per full-time student also decreased substantially. The Canadian Association of University Teachers Almanac of Post-Secondary Education also found that Canadian students are slipping in several academic areas.
EmbassyA public health campaign will target 65,000 PSE students in Ottawa to encourage pandemic awareness. Students are considered at high risk during an outbreak since they tend not to get the flu shot. The Spanish Flu of 1918 and its successor, the Avian Flu, both appear to be attracted to university-age victims -- 90% of those diagnosed with the Avian Flu have been under 40 years of age (World Health Organization), and people aged 18 to 24 have the highest rate of mortality during a pandemic. "Nobody thinks of university students as vulnerable. They themselves think they're immune and they don't worry about influenza in particular."
The Ottawa Citizen uWaterloo is considering setting up operations in both the
United Arab Emirates and
Nanjing , China . A first class of 250 students is expected to be studying in
Abu Dhabi by Fall 2008, in chemical and civil engineering, mathematics and business. The co-op programs will see students study two years in Abu Dhabi (UAE) and then two years in
Waterloo . Classrooms, labs, etc will be built by the school's partner, the Center for Excellence in Research & Training. 44 new professors are expected to be hired.
Embassy Dr. Michael Persinger was voted
Ontario's best lecturer by students and TVO viewers. As Persinger's school, Laurentian University will receive a $10,000 scholarship from the award's sponsor, TD Meloche. More than 250 nominations were received this year; Dr. Persinger is the only instructor to be nominated consecutively for the award. TVOntario News Release A lack of time is cited as the primary reason that many institutions turn down media coverage opportunities. A strong persistent media kit can go a long way to getting your message to everyone that approaches.
University Business also recommends revamping a school's Media Relations site to incorporate RSS feeds. A survey found that 51% of journalists consult blogs as sources, both for fact-checking and to uncover breaking news.
University BusinessAccording to a recent study by the Vanier Institute of the Family, behavioural problems are dramatically on the rise amongst Canadian teens. As many as 1 in 5 Canadian youth are currently demonstrating "severe problematic behaviour," intentionally hurting others -- compared to 1 in 20 about 30 years ago. The report cites many potential causes for the shift, including decreased parental supervision, less community and social strength in schools, increased use of media, and an increase in single-parent households. The misbehaviour of
Hollywood "party girls" is also seen as negatively influential on young girls.
The Globe & MailComic books are popping up in the curriculum across
North America . A UBC professor suggests that we are seeing the medium more frequently in a scholarly context because today's young professors were comic-readers at a time when comics became particularly provoking. Comics are also an effective way of making material more attractive or accessible to students. A popular professor in UWO's Media, Information & Technoculture program engages first-year students in the study of culture via several comics and graphic products each year. Some university librarians are seeking to expand their school's holdings of graphic novels.
University Affairs A healthy-options cafeteria on campus at the
University of North Texas is finding success with students. "Mean Greens" is apparently faring better than the other two traditional-menu dining spots at the school. Thought for food is often not on a student's priority list, and poor eating habits can be easily formed if on-campus options tend to be unhealthy. UNT hopes that by creating a healthy option, students will be swayed in the opposite direction.
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