Top Ten
November 9, 2009
Toronto's successful bid for the 2015 Pan American Games will result in major new sport and recreational facilities at the University of Toronto. Set to host the aquatics and fencing events, the university's Scarborough campus will be the home of a $170-million complex that will feature 2 Olympic-sized pools, a 10-metre diving tank, and a state-of-the-art multi-sport field house. uToronto's downtown campus, which will host field hockey, futsal and soccer competitions, as well as the opening and closing ceremonies, will benefit from a new world-class double artificial turf field on its back campus and turf upgrades at Varsity Stadium. uToronto News Philanthropist Harley Hotchkiss and his wife Rebecca have donated $39 million to the University of Calgary for a major endowment fund. The endowment will support the ongoing neurological and mental health research and education initiatives of the Hotchkiss Brain Institute. In 2004, the Hotchkiss family provided the initial lead gift of $10 million to establish the institute at uCalgary. Along with a $25-million bequest last year by US entrepreneur Boone Pickens, the fund, when fully realized, will top $64 million, making it the largest endowment program in uCalgary's history. uCalgary News Canadore College held a grand opening ceremony last Friday for its new School of Recreation and Leisure Services building, which allows for more flexible delivery modes for its students. Housed in the college's former daycare centre, the facility's main classroom is set up as an electronic classroom. This term, 2 faculty members have made all of their classes available to students either in traditional face-to-face format or by using technology to participate in class through the Contact North network. Canadore News Release Last Friday, the Universities of Waterloo and Western Ontario signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate on teaching, research, and professional efforts at uWaterloo's soon-to-be-established Stratford campus. The institutions will look to collaborate on research and professional activities, particularly in the area of digital media, and jointly promote Canada's digital media sector. The 2 universities will also explore opportunities to co-operate on the development of the Stratford Institute, with the possibility of UWO becoming an active participant. uWaterloo News Release Mount Allison University announced yesterday that Peter Mansbridge, chief correspondent and anchor of CBC's The National, has been appointed the university's next chancellor. Since first visiting Mount Allison in the 1980s, Mansbridge has been actively associated with the institution, delivering the inaugural Canadian Studies lecture in 1997, accepting an honorary doctorate in 1999, and serving on the university's National Advisory Council. Mansbridge's term will run from January 2010 to December 2013. Mount Allison News Release According to a new Canada-US study, grade 12 students whose families received help completing student financial aid forms were 29% more likely to enrol in college and university than students who received only pamphlets outlining the benefits of PSE and the financial aid process. Another group of people who received information about aid eligibility and tuition rates without direct assistance experienced no significant impact on their enrolment rates, suggesting that a combination of providing direct help with financial aid applications and better information about the aid process could be an effective way to improve PSE participation rates among low-income youth. University Affairs | Read the study We've recently noticed that the University of Lethbridge has a new-look website. The homepage is dominated by a large graphic banner, which links to profiles on a recent graduate, professor, and researcher. The homepage includes news headlines, event listings, and links to uLethbridge's prospective student portal and student blogs. uLethbridge website Mohawk College is running a contest in which current students are invited to produce 3-minute videos explaining why they chose to attend the institution. Entries must be submitted by December 3, after which a voting process will determine the winners. The first-place winner will receive $1,000, and second- and third-place winners will each get $500. Mohawk College Video Contest A report released last Friday states that the National Survey of Student Engagement "fails to meet basic standards for validity and reliability." In his paper, the study's author gathers evidence from other researchers that suggests NSSE's basic approach to asking questions of students is flawed. One key issue the author raises is that students do not necessarily know what it means when they are asked if certain practices or experiences are frequent or rare. The paper's author argues for additional validity testing to see whether there are notable patterns on how students respond to questions, and for much more detailed questions and instructions. Inside Higher Ed | The Chronicle of Higher Education (free access) | Read the report New research from the US shows that college students still view e-mail as a critical medium for messages. In a recent survey, 26% of responding American college students reported that e-mail was the activity they were least likely to give up for a week, and another 26% said they same thing about texting. Only 9% of respondents said they couldn't live without social networks. On average, students surveyed spend 33 hours per month on social networking sites, compared to 31 hours with e-mail. Nearly half of respondents reported sending and receiving 500 text messages a month. eMarketer
rtraction