April 8, 2010
A reported 25 casual and temporary workers at the First Nations University of Canada were laid off Wednesday as part of efforts at the institution to address an estimated $300,000 monthly deficit. More layoffs are expected; up to a third of the university's faculty could be let go, says the chair of FNUC's academic council. Meanwhile, the Canadian Association of University Teachers is encouraging people to sign an open letter to Prime Minister Stephen Harper demanding that
federal funding be restored to FNUC.
Regina Leader-Post |
CBC |
Read the letterA University of Ottawa student barred from campus used yesterday's on-campus appearance by a free-speech advocate to highlight his own battle to finish his degree. Mark Kelly e-mailed students Wednesday encouraging them to hear him speak at the same time the guest speaker was set to talk about freedom of expression on Canadian university campuses. Kelly was a research assistant to physics professor Denis Rancourt, who was
fired last year over a grading dispute. Around the time of Rancourt's suspension and dismissal, Kelly was arrested at a university senate meeting while attempting to videotape the proceedings. He was
arrested on campus in February and charged with trespassing. Kelly says he needs to complete 3 more courses to finish his degree.
Ottawa Citizen Alberta's advanced education minister announced Wednesday one-time tuition fee adjustments for 6 professional programs at the Universities of Alberta and Calgary. The accepted proposals are for Engineering, Pharmacy, Bachelor of Commerce, and Graduate Studies programs at uAlberta, and Bachelor of Commerce and MBA programs at uCalgary. Increases of between $800 and $3,300 per year were approved based on an anomaly existing in 2004, support from student governments, and keeping costs comparable to other programs in Canada. The ministry received a total of 24 proposals, rejecting 7 others from both uCalgary and uAlberta, and those from Bow Valley College, the University of Lethbridge, and Olds College.
Alberta News ReleaseWednesday marked the official opening of the Waterloo Regional Campus of McMaster University's Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine, located at the Downtown Kitchener Health Sciences Campus of the University of Waterloo. Located next to uWaterloo's School of Pharmacy, the $23-million facility integrates learning and health care with a family medicine teaching centre and an eye-care clinic.
McMaster Daily News |
uWaterloo News ReleaseKingston city council has approved a $6-million contribution towards Queen's University's Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts. The municipal investment was crucial to obtaining
$30 million in funding from the federal and Ontario governments for the $63-million centre, which will enhance the teaching of the creative arts, foster collaborations among the university and Kingston-area arts groups, and encourage regional cultural tourism.
Queen's News CentreThe Ontario government announced Wednesday over $2.6 million to be used for capital development costs associated with completing the first phase of Sault College's
$45-million campus redevelopment project. Part of the funding will go towards specialized equipment and machinery for use in labs and classrooms. The college and Algoma University are also receiving combined funding of nearly $1 million to help pay for costs associated with increasing enrolment numbers.
David Orazietti MPP News Release |
Sault StarYesterday the Manitoba government announced the new
Tuition Rebate Advance will come into effect on August 31. At that time, the province's 60% Tuition Fee Income Tax Rebate will be enhanced to allow students who are Manitoba residents to claim up to 5% of their tuition each year before they graduate. The maximum annual advance limit is $250 in 2010, increasing to $500 in 2011 and all subsequent years, with a lifetime maximum advanced limit of $5,000.
Manitoba News ReleaseAccording to a new report released yesterday by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, Aboriginal women with a university degree earn more, on average, than their non-Aboriginal counterparts. An Aboriginal woman with a bachelor's degree makes $2,471 a year more than a non-native woman with the same level of education, the study states, while the gap grows to $4,521 a year for those with a master's degree. One of the report's authors says there are 3 hypotheses that could explain this trend. Aboriginal women tend to enrol in university later in life, and as a result are often more focused once they start their studies. They also tend to enter the health, education, and social-service fields, where jobs are more often unionized and pay relatively high salaries. Affirmative action, especially in the public sector, may also be a factor.
CCPA News Release |
Globe and Mail |
Read the reportAccording to new 2006 Census maps, over 13 million adults aged 15 and over had a PSE credential in 2006, up 32% from 2001. The census found that the majority of university graduates lived in urban areas, and a higher proportion of the population had trades certificates in rural areas than in urban. Most Canadians completed their PSE in their home province. The higher the level of education, the more likely an individual was to have earned their highest PSE credential outside of Canada. The most common country of study outside Canada was the US, followed by the UK, India, the Philippines, and China.
2006 Census Map (highest level of educational attainment) |
2006 Census Map (location of study)
Over the next 3 weeks, the University of Calgary community is invited to take part in a contest to name the institution's new
600-bed residence, scheduled to welcome its first students in the fall of 2011. The individual whose submission is chosen will receive $150 on a campus ONEcard, a $40 gift certificate to Bistro Alma, and a one-night stay at
Hotel Alma. The name of the new building and winner will be announced this September.
UToday
rtraction