October 28, 2009
According to a survey by the University of Alberta School of Business, salaries for new female business graduates at the school have exceeded those of their male peers for the first time. Female bachelor of commerce students had an average starting salary of $43,077, compared to $41,214 for males. 93% of business co-op graduates surveyed were employed, down from 100% in 2008. 74% of students whose degree did not have a co-op component secured work. In total, 82% of respondents in 2009 were working by the time of the survey, down from 95% last year.
uAlberta School of Business News ReleaseAccording to Statistics Canada data released yesterday, between 2001 and 2006, the proportion of First Nations women aged 25 to 64 obtaining college credentials rose from 17% to 21%, and the proportion obtaining a university degree increased from 7% to 9%. The proportion of Aboriginal women obtaining trades credentials dropped from 12% to 9%. Although overall PSE attainment among First Nations women is on the rise, the gap when compared to women overall has widened at the university level. In 2001, 7% of Aboriginal women had a university degree, compared to 19% for women in the overall population. By 2006, the gap increased to 14% (9% versus 23%). In 2006, 44% of Aboriginal women had completed some form of PSE.
Statistics CanadaBeginning November 1, illegal private career colleges in Ontario will face fines of up to $250,000 for taking advantage of students. The fines will be levied on businesses that misrepresent themselves as colleges, and on private colleges that offer unapproved programs and fail to comply with the province's
Private Career Colleges Act. To further protect students, the Ontario government is also appointing new provincial offences officers to inspect private career colleges, and launching a student awareness campaign to help students choose a government-approved private career college program before enrolling.
Ontario News ReleaseAt its meeting Tuesday night, the University of Windsor's board of governors approved a 5-year deferred maintenance strategy that will see improvements to classrooms, laboratories, campus buildings, and campus accessibility. uWindsor is embarking on a $17-million plan that will address upgrades to teaching and learning spaces, as well as include energy efficiency upgrades such as new piping, controls, and pump replacement.
uWindsor Daily NewsYork University has set up an Exam/Mid-Term Disruption Task Force in an effort to diminish the
disruption of midterms due to false fire alarms and bomb threats. The task force will work to develop a better understanding of the nature, number, and cause of these kinds of disruption and related response strategies, as well as define pan-university strategic and operational recommendations. Several incidents have occurred during the current midterm period at York, including one Tuesday that led to the evacuation of Vari Hall and the Ross Building, as well as the closure of the Common to buses for part of the afternoon.
Y-FileDalhousie University and the University of Toronto are listed among the top 10 international academic institutions in
The Scientist's annual Best Places to Work in Academia rankings. Dal came in at 5th place, and uToronto ranked 10th. Institutions were ranked based on unweighted average scores for 8 categories of statements included in the survey: job satisfaction, peers, infrastructure and environment, research resources, pay, management and policies, teaching and mentoring, and tenure and promotion.
Best Places to Work in Academia 2009TVO announced yesterday that it has scored a record-breaking number of nominations for the 2010 Big Ideas Best Lecturer Competition. At the end of the nomination period, the network received over 970 submissions nominating 692 professors from 37 post-secondary institutions across Ontario. Of the 692 nominees, 332 have accepted the nominations. The top 10 lectures will air on TV in March, and the winner will be announced in mid-April.
TVO News Release |
List of NomineesUniversity Studies in Quebec, an initiative of the Subcommittee on International Recruitment of the Conference of Rectors and Principals of Quebec Universities, has launched the first "Experience the Difference" video competition for university students across the provinces. Eligible students are invited to produce a 60- to 150-second video of their university experience, presenting their unique vision of student life in Quebec, their particular institution, and the city or town where it is located. Finalists' work will be shown online from December 15, 2009 to February 15, 2010, during which time visitors to the site can vote on their favourite video. The winner will be announced February 16, and will receive a $500 Apple Store gift card.
CREPUQ News Release |
"Experience the Difference" video competition (in French)
We've recently noticed that Collège Boréal has a new-look website. The redesigned homepage promotes the new "
Mon Choix Smart" campaign, and includes an
award-winning TV spot on the campaign featuring a Smart Car. Visitors to the homepage will find an interactive map displaying Boréal's campuses and access centres across Ontario.
Boréal websiteOn Tuesday, Apollo Group Inc., the parent company of the University of Phoenix and Fredericton-based
Meritus University, announced that its fourth-quarter revenue for the 2009 fiscal year increased 29.4% from the fourth quarter the year before, jumping from $831 million to over $1 billion. The company reports that total degree enrolment at uPhoenix grew by 22.3% in the fourth quarter to 443,000. Selling and promotional expenses increased 17.6% to $262.5 million. Apollo also reports that it has taken an $80.5-million charge against its fourth-quarter earnings to cover the costs of a possible settlement in a federal whistle-blower lawsuit the company is in negotiations to settle.
Apollo Group News Release |
Inside Higher Ed |
The Chronicle of Higher Education (free access)
rtraction