September 15, 2009
Thompson Rivers University's board of governors announced Monday that the university's president and vice-chancellor, Kathleen Scherf, has been released from her duties, one year after she was installed as president. Board chair Ron Olynyk told the Canadian Press that "the board had lost confidence in her leadership abilities and her judgment abilities regarding the president's position." Scherf is free to teach at the university if she wants to. The board has appointed former TRU president Roger Barnsley as the head of the institution until a replacement is chosen. Canadian Press
Postscript: Sep 17,2009
In a media statement on her being dismissed from her position as president of Thompson Rivers University, Kathleen Scherf says that although she was surprised by the decision, she respects that the university's board of governors has the right to terminate without just cause. In her statement, Scherf points to the "highlights" of her 12-month tenure, including a 342% increase in fundraising activities and the announcement of a new law school. Scherf says she remains "a TRU supporter and will watch with great interest as the university continues to grow and to succeed."
A Cenntenial College student is the owner of a van containing a pipe-shaped object that led to a bomb scare and evacuation in Scarborough on Monday. Refuting earlier reports that the device was a school project, a Centennial spokeswoman says the 27-year-old man involved in the incident had been a student for just 8 days. "We are not exactly sure but it was nothing relating to the college at all. It was his personal car and he was using some kind of alternative fuel." Toronto Star
On Monday, Brescia University College, an affiliate of the University of Western Ontario, unveiled its new brand identity. The school's new tagline is "Brescia Bold: Choose to Lead," and its 4 guiding attributes are "invigorating," "student-centred," "compassionate," and "empowering." The new brand is showcased on the institution's website, which features testimonials from students, alumnae, faculty, and staff about what it means to be bold.
Brescia websiteConestoga College officials recently presented plans for the $50-million first phase of the
Cambridge campus to the city's councillors. The first campus buildings include a 260,000-square-foot mix of 3-to-5 storey classroom blocks and high-ceiling workshops for the college's engineering courses. The facilities will be designed for energy efficiency, including water conservation and grassy "green roofs." Construction of the first phase is expected to start by the end of this year, with a completion date set for spring 2011.
Waterloo Region RecordDue to the shortage of medical isotopes used for imaging tests, the University of Saskatchewan's Veterinary Teaching Hospital has had to delay the opening of a new diagnostic suite. The $500,000 suite was supposed to start operation this summer. The hospital's director says that in the meantime, uSask's vet college can rely on other tests, such as MRIs, CT scans, X-rays, and ultrasound.
CBCGraduate enrolment at Memorial University has increased by 13.8%. Many of the students registered for graduate programs come from the Atlantic provinces and Ontario, but there is also a sizeable international contingent. The enrolment growth is being attributed to the global recession, MUN's competitive tuition, and the efforts of the recruitment team at the university's School of Graduate Studies.
MUN NewsOn Monday, the Canada West University Athletics Association announced that Simon Fraser University's membership has been recategorized to that of full member with probationary status for the 2009-10 season. Acting on the advisement of its membership, Canada West's board of directors began the transition of SFU from the association, as the university has been granted conditional acceptance into the
National Collegiate Athletic Association starting in the 2011-12 season. While the probationary status does not affect to university's ability to fully compete this season, SFU will not be eligible to vote in conference matters.
CIS News ReleaseAccording to the Classical Association of Canada, enrolment in college- and university-level Latin is up across the nation. An introductory Latin class at the Université de Montréal was so popular last year that students had to be turned away, and this year's enrolment has grown to 60 students. Next year, York University, which doubled its number of introductory Latin courses a few years ago, will offer a course to train high-school Latin teachers. Educators say blockbuster films such as
Gladiator and
Troy and the HBO series
Rome have prompted renewed interest in the ancient language.
Globe and Mail Like uSask, Ryerson University and the University of Toronto at Mississauga have launched smartphone applications designed for students. Ryerson students using the apps can access a campus map, the staff directory, their timetable, and the library catalogue. At UTM, students can use the apps to check their timetable and exam schedule, browse through course descriptions, record important dates and contact numbers, and consult a campus map.
Toronto Star On Monday, 5 leading American institutions -- MIT, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, Harvard, and University of California at Berkeley -- announced a new "Compact for Open Access Publishing Equity" in which they pledge to develop systems to pay open access journals for the articles they publish by the schools' scholars. In doing so, the universities are attempting to put an end to the notion that only the traditional publication models -- paid and/or print -- can support rigorous peer review and quality assurance. The 5 institutions are inviting others to sign the pledge, so that more and more schools are clearly behind the open access movement.
Inside Higher Ed |
Compact for Open Access Publishing Equity
