November 17, 2007
The government of BC has announced $23 million in new funding for Okanagan College, to build the new Centre for Learning building, and to increase accessibility at the Kelowna campus. Okanagan College is considered a "huge success story" for the area, and serves almost 6,000 students. The new building will include 22 new classrooms with 685 seats, a larger library, and a media lab with 36 workstations.
A two-year, $43.6 million investment in Newfoundland & Labrador's apprenticeship, science and technology has meant 9% more registered apprentices this year, more individuals writing inter-provincial exams, and 60% more tradespeople being certified. There are also more workers earning Red Seals, which are recognized regardless of province or territory. New programs have been added at the College of the North Atlantic, and the number of seats has double in the province.
Fanshawe College, in London Ontario, celebrated its 40th anniversary this weekend with celebrity impersonators, dance performances and a fashion show. The "Success 2007" anniversary is being used to showcase the College's more than 100,000 graduates. Although the school is best known for its skilled trades and technology programs, the anniversary will single out arts and culture work to create an event that is "fun, celebratory and entertaining."
More than 2,000 students, staff, dignitaries and business leaders attended the grand opening of Nova Scotia Community College's waterfront campus last week. A member of the Millbrook First Nation read Mi’kmaq poetry accompanied by drums during the celebrations, to acknowledge that the new campus was built in an area that used to be Mi’kmaq land.
A rally against tuition increases in Montreal last week saw a much smaller than expected turnout -- perhaps due in part to inclement weather. 60,000 Quebec students -- mostly from French-language institutions -- voted to take action to protest tuition hikes, but English-speaking students did not agree. Students at both McGill and Concordia universities rejected the move to strike.
A professor at Queen's University has sparked controversy by suggesting the university introduce a JD degree, "Juris Doctor," for its law students. In the 1960s, US colleges introduced the JD for law students who had previously earned an undergraduate degree, while Canadian students earn an LLB regardless. British students also earn an LLB,
but are able to do so without first pursuing an undergrad. Although possessing equivalent education, US JD graduates often earn higher salaries than Canadian LLBs. Queen's alumni protest what they perceive as "Americanization." Queen's University is credited with contributing $1 billion a year to the economy of Kingston, Ontario. One restauranteur says 90% of his customers are students, and the other 10% are university faculty and staff. He even closes his restaurant according to student schedules -- over Thanksgiving and the winter holidays. Queen's students are considered more visible in the city than those of Royal Military College or St. Lawrence College. Students alone spend about $207 million per year in the city.
Simon Fraser University's Burnaby campus has been awarded the Prix du XXe siècle by the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada. The award recognizes enduringly excellent and nationally significant architecture. SFU was among 5 national winners of the 2007 award.
New research by the Sprott School of Business at Carleton University finds that half of Canadians are postponing or forgoing children because of work-related stress. "Family-friendly" support policies are disappearing as employers shift the responsibility of work-life balance onto employees -- resulting in employees losing sleep, working harder, sacrificing social lives, and having fewer children. Employees who took advantage of family-friendly policies were less likely to advance.
"Get the Shot. Not the Mumps," suggests the uCalgary homepage in bright red text, followed by a series of information and vaccine links. uLethbridge has released a statement, "Mumps Facts, Fiction and (strangely) Humour," that answers common mumps-related questions and concludes with a link to a student-produced YouTube video on the mumps.
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