Top Ten
September 23, 2010
Yesterday the University of Guelph unveiled The BetterPlanet Project, a $200-million fundraising campaign UoGuelph president Alastair Summerlee describes as "a call to action for the University and concerned citizens everywhere to work together to improve life on this planet." With nearly $88 million raised so far, the campaign will fund student programs, campus infrastructure, faculty positions, scholarships and bursaries, travel grants, and learning initiatives. The campaign was launched via a website, advertisements in national media, and videos detailing the vision and fundraising effort. UoGuelph News Release | BetterPlanet Project Simon Fraser University announced yesterday a $10-million gift from Goldcorp that will help the institution contribute to the social, economic, and cultural revitalization of Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. In recognition of the donation, SFU's new arts complex in the Woodward's redevelopment will be named the Goldcorp Centre for the Arts. Half of the donation will support the university's capital campaign, while the other half will be placed in the Goldcorp Centre for the Arts Community Endowment to support programs aimed at community engagement in the Downtown Eastside. SFU News Release Savvas Chamberlain, the founder of DALSA Corp., an global leader in high-performance digital imaging and semiconductors, has donated $3 million to the University of Warterloo engineering faculty's Vision 2010 campaign. In honour of the gift, the electrical and computer engineering wing in the new Engineering 5 building will be named the Savvas Chamberlain Family Floor. The gift will support the faculty's infrastructure program and provide scholarships for undergraduate and graduate students. uWaterloo News Release Yesterday Lakehead University celebrated the opening of its new $43-million academic building in Orillia, which represents the first phase in the development of Canada's first LEED Platinum university campus. Lakehead's Orillia campus first opened in 2006 in the city's downtown with approximately 120 students. Today, nearly 1,000 students are enrolled and attend classes downtown, and now at the new location at 500 University Avenue. The next phase of development includes the completion of a 271-bed residence and construction of a cafeteria, both slated to open next September. Lakehead News Release Laurentian University's board of governors announced Wednesday that Aline Chrétien, wife of former prime minister Jean Chrétien, has been unanimously approved as the institution's first-ever chancellor. Chrétien has over 4 decades of experience fostering relationships with parliamentarians, national and provincial leaders, corporate stakeholders, and world dignitaries. Fluent in French, English, Italian, and Spanish, Chrétien received her first honorary degree in 2003 from Laurentian. She will be installed as chancellor on October 30. Laurentian News Release Facing the prospect of a 0% increase in funding over the next 2 years, University of Calgary will have to make difficult changes within the next year to deal with its fiscal reality, says president Elizabeth Cannon, who took the helm at uCalgary in July. Cannon is launching a strategic plan that will re-examine academic priorities. Some programs may be amalgamated or scaled back, while others may expand to meet changing student demand. While the institution is internationally renowned for its expertise in research, commitments within the strategic plan will be equally focused on undergraduate education, Cannon says. Calgary Herald Demand for Humber College's diploma and degree programs has remained strong this fall, with over 20,800 full-time post-secondary students studying in more than 150 different programs. Full-time enrolment has risen by over 10% this fall, leading to the largest enrolment ever at the institution. Humber president John Davies says new and anticipated bachelor degree programs will help the college "meet the skyrocketing demand for undergraduate degree spaces in Ontario." Humber News Release According to a new survey from BMO Financial Group, 64% of Canadian respondents believe the cost of a higher education is too expensive. Just 21% of parents with children under 18 feel confident they would be able to cover the cost of a 4-year program at a Canadian university. Three-fifths of students between the ages of 18 and 24 echo their parents' concerns, with 28% believing they will struggle to pay off PSE costs, and 32% expecting to be in debt for years to come. 52% of parents with children under 18 report contributing to an RESP. Among those who are not investing in an RESP, half do not contribute because they say cannot afford it, and another 16% say they are either unfamiliar with RESPs or do not have time to set one up. BMO Financial Group News Release Lakeland College has been awarded accreditation for its Bachelor of Science: Environment Management program from the Environmental Careers Organization Canada and its Canadian Environmental Accreditation Commission (CEAC). The college began the process to earn accreditation in 2009 as part of a country-wide pilot project run by the CEAC. Lakeland was one of 6 Canadian PSE institutions chosen to participate in the project. The program head says the accreditation signals to government and industry employers that graduates are acquiring the knowledge, skills, and abilities from a program that meets national standards and criteria. Lakeland News Release A new committee will be struck in 2011 to deal with the rowdy behaviour of college and university students in Kingston. At a meeting Tuesday, one city councillor tried to amend the motion to adopt a bylaw intending to crack down on property owners he referred to as "slumlords," renting their property out as student housing. Council rejected the amendment, approving the committee that will be formed next spring. The committee will comprise politicians, police, university and college officials, student representatives, landlords, and property owners. Kingston Whig-Standard
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