June 6, 2007
uToronto Mississauga has officially opened its new Hazel McCallion Academic Learning Centre. The $34 million library and “information complex” is named for the “dynamic Mississauga mayor known for her devotion both to the city of Mississauga and the pursuit of education.” The facility is completely digital, and includes an adaptive technology centre for persons with disabilities, as well as study environments and lounges. Print materials are stored on moveable, sliding units to reduce use of floor space. UT News 90 Dalhousie students are being disciplined for accessing answers to online assignments. A glitch in software provided by Blackboard Learning Systems allowed students to gain access to protected information. Once the glitch became apparent, Blackboard provided a program that was able to identify which students had previewed answers before submitting solutions to the assignments – these students were assigned grades of zero and will be required to take a course on engineering integrity and professionalism in the fall. The News The Maritime Provinces Higher Education Commission has released a report that finds 87% of students are staying east for a minimum of 2 years after graduating. Nova Scotia retained 75% of its graduates, New Brunswick retained 70% and PEI 61%. The population of 18-24 year olds in the region is in decline and many young Maritimers are relocating to the West, but “not those with degrees.” CBC | Halifax News | The Guardian | NS News Release | PEI News Release This morning, PEI ’s new premier-elect announced tax incentives for post-secondary graduates who work in PEI, at the CCAE keynote speech sponsored by Academica . Grads who work in the province for five years after completing their studies will be eligible for a $2,000 break on their income tax each year, to a maximum of $10,000. Students from all over Canada are eligible for the program and similar offers are available in New Brunswick and Saskatchewan . $2,000 bursaries for first year students at UPEI and Holland College were also announced. CBC Starting on June 11, International PSE students studying in Newfoundland & Labrador will be eligible for provincial health coverage. Each year approximately 1,000 international students study in the province, and represent a contribution between $18,000 and $25,000 to the economy. The offer of health coverage is meant as a support to these students as well as an incentive for prospective students to consider Newfoundland ’s colleges and universities. NL News Release The Mayor of Orillia has put rumours regarding the permanent home of Lakehead University to rest. It has been suggested that Lakehead’s satellite campus in Orillia was only temporary, but according to Mayor Stevens, the campus is in town to stay. Lakehead’s interim location in Orillia will only meet the school’s space needs until 2008-09 at which time the school hopes to build a 5,000 student facility on Lake Simcoe. The Orillia Packet & Times
77% of employers check out job candidates online via Google and, as its member population continues to swell, Facebook is becoming an often-used second source for online background information as well. Given that 33% of employers report rejecting a candidate based on something found online, students and grads are cautioned to monitor the content listed on and linked to their Facebook profiles. Ontario ’s privacy commissioner also warns against posting personal and contact information. Facebook profiles can now be found on Google unless each user disables the “public search” function buried in their privacy settings. The Ottawa Citizen While there are as many as 50 Aboriginal languages in Canada , many of these tongues are disappearing. In the last 100 years, 10 formerly active languages have vanished from our culture completely and currently only 25% of Canada ’s Aboriginal population are able to speak an Aboriginal language (2001). That being said, an increasing number of English or French Canadians are picking up an Aboriginal language as a second tongue, giving some hope that Canadians are actively keeping this aspect of our culture alive. Statistics Canada
A new report, “Demography is not Destiny: Increasing the graduation rates of low-income college students at large public universities,” offers strategies to improve completion rates of low-income students (as its lengthy title suggests). The report asserts that it is what an institution does for its students that determines the students’ success. Institutions that rated as “high-performing” succeeded with programs that personalized the undergraduate experience, offered guidance, emphasized teaching, and promoted campus involvement. The Chronicle of Higher Education (Subscription Required) Today’s teenagers are the first Canadian generation who are spending their money based on pleasure. As a nation, we have taken quite happily to shopping, but the enjoyment of parting with money comes incredibly naturally to our young adults. Although today’s teens might spend more, a recent study reports that they are better informed. 58% of teenagers received financial counsel from their parents before entering their teens about how to shop smart. Despite the culture of brands that surrounds them, Canadians in their late teens and early twenties start to see cost-cutting as a path to independence and empowerment as an adult. The Montreal Gazette
