November 6, 2007
A $10 million gift, the largest ever received by the University of Regina, has resulted in the naming of the Paul J. Hill School of Business. Hill's gift includes a $2.5 million "relationship" with UWO's Richard Ivey School of Business, which will include support for about 8 students transferring from Hill to Ivey each year, and the development of case studies, workshops, support and advice for the Hill School.
Management and administrative staff at the University of Regina are mopping floors and cleaning toilets to keep the school open during a support staff strike affecting both uRegina and uSaskatchewan. Keeping facilities and classrooms clean so that students can continue their studies is the focus of the managers' efforts. The uRegina library and bookstore are operating with reduced hours, and are closed on the weekend. Student residences are showing wear and tear after a weekend of partying with no janitorial services.
Acadia University's faculty association has announced a tentative deal with the school's administration after 60 hours of mediated negotiations. The faculty strike at Acadia is in its fourth week. The agreement will be voted on by faculty as soon as possible, and then must be ratified by the board of governors. More than half of Acadia's 3,400 full-time students are thought to have left town; now they need to return, and Senate needs to decide how to handle a term that has been shortened by more than three weeks.
7 Canadian colleges are seeking to set themselves apart from other institutions with an expanded mandate under the banner of Polytechnics Canada, formed 3 years ago. Membership includes BCIT and SAIT Polytechnic, which officially changed its name. Ontario's Humber, Sheridan, Conestoga, George Brown and Seneca Colleges are lobbying the provincial government for official name changes, but in the meantime several are using the term in marketing materials.
A wave of college and university pairings have cropped up across Canada over the past decade, says the
Globe & Mail. The line between university and college is blurring, as many offer hybrid or joint degree programs. Articulation agreements establish credit transfers, while other agreements set up a 2+2 model for transfer from college to university degree programs. In a recent ACCC survey, 42% of college students viewed college as a stepping stone to university.
Academica Group is offering a sneak peek at data from the 2007
University Applicant Survey™ in the first of a series of Research Fact Sheets, "What Information Sources Work?" 96% of Canadian university applicants used university websites in making their decision, but about 85% also made use of print viewbooks and brochures. Almost two-thirds of applicants reported using
the
Maclean's Guide to Universities, and more than half used alumni magazines.
Another year and another National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE, or "Nessie") finds that helicopter parents might be more helpful than disruptive. 30% percent of first year students and 29% of upper-year students have parents who "intervene on their behalf," and those students are also more active and satisfied with their college or university experience. NSSE also found that making courses exclusive to program participants negatively affects learning, while undergrad research opportunities can lead to "deep learning."
In Alberta, students and employers are both seeking academic credentials combined with practical skills, says the
Globe & Mail, citing a number of examples from NAIT, SAIT, and Olds College. NAIT's Bachelor of Technology in Technology Management program lets students earn a degree in a hands-on, industry-minded environment.
Alberta Health hopes to immunize 470,000 young adults against the mumps, but first must figure out how to rope in this problem demographic. Students are notoriously hard to reach when it comes to vaccinations. Health often takes a back seat to papers, parties and jobs that pay the bills. The province is looking for innovative ways to reach young people, including campaigning through Facebook and possibly even holding clinics at local pubs (an approach rejected in Atlantic Canada last year).
Thanks to a new civic holiday proclaimed by the Ontario government, students at York University will enjoy an extra-long reading week this year. The third Monday of February has been designated "Family Day," and York is the only school whose reading week falls adjacent to (rather than concurrent with) the new holiday, giving students a sixth day off from their studies. York is bringing students in for an extra day of class on April 4th to make up the shortfall.
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