Top Ten
June 4, 2007
Algoma University to be Ontario's newest public university:
Last Thursday, MTCU minister Chris Bentley announced that Algoma University College, in Sault Ste. Marie, will become an independent Algoma University, although the timing is to be determined. (Previously, the school has operated as an affiliated college of Laurentian University in Sudbury.) AU will be built around a very focused curriculum, tailored to the regional economy and population. Rosario Marchese, NDP critic, accuses Bentley of electioneering, promising to introduce legislation after the next provincial election. Maclean’s | Joey Coleman's BloguManitoba offers to buy golf & country club:
uManitoba has offered $10 million for a golf and country club that borders on its Fort Garry campus. If the deal goes through, the space would be developed to improve campus life, and possibly create a new source of revenue for the school through condo developments. The club would lease the 120-acre plot back from the university for three years, until their new site is ready. Green space and additional residences are on the school’s list of priorities, since uMan has the "smallest number of dorms of any Western Canada university." The Winnipeg SunCanadian campuses get into the condo business:
It feels like condos are popping up on campuses nation-wide. Private companies are being enlisted to create housing developments on campuses across Canada. Adding condominiums to a campus is seen to boost community and revenue. UBC got into housing as a shift towards becoming a 24-hour lifecycle community, rather than a commuter campus. UBC and Simon Fraser University are credited with starting the wave of campus-condos that is gradually heading east. Business EdgeFormer NB premier hired by McGill for health policy research:
Bernard Lord, the former premier of New Brunswick, has been hired to oversee the McGill University Health Centre’s new institute. Lord will act as a scholar-in-residence, offering strategy on health care policy. The institute will be funded through both public and private sources, and will consider approaches to building a sustainable health-care system. Lord retired from politics this past December. Canadian PressMSVU announces tuition freeze and discounts:
Mount Saint Vincent University has joined the list of east coast schools that will be freezing tuition for 2007-08. Students from Nova Scotia will see their fees go down 12%, yielding $750 in savings, thanks to provincial funding. Out-of-province and international student fees will be frozen. In 2006-07 the average tuition paid by undergrads in the province was $2,224 more than the national average, and 35% higher than in 2001-02. MSVU News ReleaseColleges Ontario launches new newsletter:
Colleges Ontario (formerly ACAATO) is in the process of revamping its communication pieces, and late last week announced a new look for its College Voice newsletter. The newsletter covers contributions made to the province by its community colleges, as well as other provincial college-related news. Loyalist College is featured in the Spring 2007 issue (available online) for its innovative use of Second Life technology. College VoiceStudy of distance ed effectiveness with Aboriginal nursing students
Aboriginal nursing students in rural northern Manitoba are happy with the web-based course options offered by uManitoba, but require more support, and need to be better equipped for distance technologies. Offering web-based options allows students to study who normally would not be accommodated by on-campus class schedules, or who are unable to relocate closer to an institution. Aboriginal students benefit from increased face-to-face opportunities, requiring visits by faculty to rural areas. Instructors need to be available for one-on-one via online and phone outside of class times. Web presentations need to be interactive and visually stimulating to be effective. uManitoba News Release
