Top Ten
September 17, 2010
In his report on his assessment of Nova Scotia's university system, economist Tim O'Neill does not recommend large-scale restructuring of post-secondary institutions. However, the report does propose modest, strategic restructuring. For example, NSCAD should explore a merger and internal restructuring options, NSAC should consider integrating into Dal, and MSVU should explore a merger or significant affiliation with Dal or SMU. The report also proposes administrative integration to maximize savings. Other recommendations include restructuring student assistance, raising tuition fees, increasing research and commercialization, addressing infrastructure needs, and monitoring university performance and accountability through a report card. NS News Release | Report highlights | Read the full report Last Friday marked the official renaming of William and Catherine Booth College, a Winnipeg-based theological institution and seminary affiliated with the Salvation Army, as Booth University College. The school's president says the new designation "expresses more effectively to our audience the type of education we provide and clarifies that the mission of Booth is to offer university-level programs." Booth's new tagline is "Education for a Better World," signifying that the institution "is preparing its students to think beyond themselves to imagine a world in which hope, justice and mercy become more common." The institution has also launched a redesigned website in conjunction with the new name. Booth News Release | Booth website The University of Toronto has placed first overall in Maclean's fourth annual rankings of Canadian common law schools. uToronto also ranked first in the categories of elite firm hiring and faculty hiring. York U's Osgoode Hall Law School, which tied with UWO for first place in the national reach indicator, was also the top school in the faculty journal citations category. McGill placed first in the Supreme Court clerkships category. McGill was also the top law school overall in the civil law schools ranking, placing first in each indicator with the exception of national reach, in which uMontréal was the top school. Maclean's OnCampus According to preliminary enrolment numbers, a record-setting 12,350 full-time students began classes this month at Mohawk College, representing a 4.4% increase in overall enrolment from last fall. With final enrolment figures to still be confirmed, 6,280 students are currently registered in first semester classes at the institution. This follows a 13% increase in the number of incoming students in fall 2009. Mohawk Matters In its pre-budget submission, the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations recommends the federal government lift the 2% cap on spending increases to the Post-Secondary Student Support Program for Aboriginal students, and ensure the program is provided with adequate levels of funding in order to provide financial assistance for all eligible Aboriginal learners based on actual costs incurred for tuition, travel, and living expenses. CASA also calls for the government to increase the Canada Student Loan Program student loan limit starting in the 2011-12 academic year to ensure that all financial needs are covered. With regard to rising textbook prices, CASA recommends the government amend the Book Importation Regulations to allow parallel importation of books by retail book sellers in Canada. Read the pre-budget submission Last week, Nicola Valley Institute of Technology, a BC-based Aboriginal public PSE institution, celebrated the opening of its new $2.7-million facility that houses a child-care centre and a lecture theatre that will also be used for larger events. The 7,600-square-foot building includes a 144-seat, state-of-the-art lecture theatre that doubles as a site for events such as convocation, and is available for use by community groups in the region. The child-care centre features an outdoor playground and is licensed to care for 28 preschool-aged children. BC News Release In an effort to encourage enrolment among Aboriginal students, Simon Fraser University has launched the Aboriginal Undergraduate Admission Policy, which now allows First Nations, Métis, and Inuit students who lack the high-school average needed to enter individual SFU faculties and schools to request a special review of their application. Under the new policy, an applicant's educational history, cultural knowledge, educational goals, and other achievements will also be considered. There are 500 First Nations students attending SFU this year, up from 350 the year before. SFU News Release The Ontario government announced last Thursday a $3.6-million investment in 8 bridge training programs in London, Ottawa, and Toronto that help internationally trained individuals adapt their education, experience, and skills to the Ontario job market, without having to duplicate their previous education or training. Since 2003, the province has helped approximately 40,000 skilled newcomers in over 100 different professions get licensed and find work in their field through bridge training programs. Ontario News Release The Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario will provide the University of Ontario Institute of Technology with up to $2 million to carry out a feasibility study examining the economic benefits for the institution's plan to grow. UOIT's business plan projects the number of students in downtown Oshawa could grow to 5,500 by 2015. To prepare for this growth, the study will assess student accommodation, transportation, parking, accessibility, environmental sustainability, and economic and social impact. FedDev Ontario News Release According to new research, Internet users in the US are spending more time on Facebook than searching with Google. The data shows that people spent 41.1 million minutes on Facebook, or nearly 10% of their Web-surfing minutes for the month. That just exceeded the 39.8 million minutes, or 9.6%, people spent on all Google sites combined, including Gmail and YouTube. Yahoo! placed third in terms of time spent browsing, with users having spent 37.7 million minutes, or 9.1% of their time, on Yahoo! sites. Associated Press
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