Top Ten
March 14, 2011
Nipissing senate loses confidence in president
At a senate meeting Friday, Nipissing University faculty members passed a motion of non-confidence in president Lesley Lovett-Doust. The motion outlined several concerns about the president, including her making changes to committee reports before passing them along to faculty, and appointing people to interim positions without consulting with faculty. In a statement, Nipissing's board of governors "expressed their unanimous endorsement of the new strategic directions and dedicated leadership" of Lovett-Doust. The statement says Nipissing encourages free expression, but notes the senate's role is "limited to recommendations on academic matters." North Bay Nugget | Read the statement
McGill fined $2 million for raising MBA tuition fees
Quebec's education minister announced yesterday the province has imposed a financial penalty of more than $2 million against McGill University, which has raised tuition fees for its MBA program by nearly 900%, to $29,500 a year. The province says McGill's move broke government rules and lowered accessibility to the program. The fine will be applied until the university reduces its MBA fees. Quebec News Release | Canadian Press
Dal med school to sell seats to Saudi Arabia
Under a deal close to being finalized, Dalhousie University's medical school will sell 10 first-year seats to students from Saudi Arabia at a cost of $75,000 per student per year. The seats became available as a result of a deal with New Brunswick that sees Dal educating New Brunswick medical students in their home province via videoconferencing. The seats were not available to Nova Scotia students because the province is limiting the number of seats to Nova Scotia students at 63. In an internal memo, Dal's medical school dean says the new revenue is "critically important" following the loss of "significant funding from the Nova Scotia government" and rising costs due to an accreditation issue. Halifax Chronicle-Herald
HEQCO report evaluates tuition fee policy options for Ontario
Intended to inform the discussion on what Ontario's new tuition policy framework might look like (the current framework is set to expire in 2012-13), a new Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario report states the key challenges for the new framework are improving access for traditionally under-represented groups and ensuring the financial sustainability of the PSE system. The report discusses the pros and cons of 4 tuition policy framework options: capped tuition fees; government/student shares; constrained deregulation; and full deregulation. Each option is evaluated in the context of accessibility, institutional revenue needs, and public funds available. HEQCO News Release | Read the report
More undergrad applicants indicating Queen's as first-choice university
Figures released by the Ontario Universities' Application Centre reveal a 3% increase in first-choice applications to Queen's University, as well as a 5% increase in total applications compared to last year. Applications from students not currently attending an Ontario secondary school have risen by 12%, as has the number of visa student applicants. Several Queen's programs have seen an increase in application numbers compared to last year, such as Commerce (up 12%) and the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science (up 11%). Queen's News Centre
uWaterloo interim president gets permanent appointment
The University of Waterloo's senate and board of governors approved Friday the appointment of Feridun Hamdullahpur as the institution's sixth president. Hamdullahpur had been interim president since October 2010, following the departure of David Johnston, who is now the Governor General of Canada. During his tenure as uWaterloo's vice-president academic and provost, Hamdullahpur instigated several initiatives focused on students, which have spurred organizational changes and development of plans designed to lead to excellence in student success and experience at the institution. uWaterloo News Release | Waterloo Region Record
UVic student voters reject athletics complex levy
University of Victoria students who participated in a fee referendum as part of the UVic Students' Society's annual election voted against paying an additional $55 per term to help fund a new athletics and recreation facility adjacent to the McKinnon Building. The chairman of the students' society says student support was part of the funding plan for the facility, so the negative results cast doubt on what will happen next. Victoria Times-Colonist
Langara announces winners in sports logo design contest
After 54 submissions and much deliberation, Langara College's athletics department has chosen 2 co-winners in its Falcons logo design contest. One of the winning entries was chosen for its bird in flight imagery and fierce competitive look, and the other for its collegiate word mark and flexibility. The BC-based college will now work with both winners to revise and design the final logo. Langara News
Saskatchewan works to increase Aboriginal labour force participation
On Friday, the Saskatchewan government and 5 Tribal Councils, which represent more than half of Saskatchewan's 70 First Nations people, signed an MOU agreeing to collaborate to increase labour force participation for First Nations people in the province. The MOU identifies several priority areas, including youth career planning and skills development, and strategies to address barriers to training and employment. Saskatchewan News Release
China keen to host more foreign campuses
The deputy director general of the Chinese education ministry's Department of International Cooperation and Exchange made such a remark at the British Council's Going Global conference in Hong Kong this weekend, where he also acknowledged that China "want(s) your students as well." The country is aiming to host half a million foreign students by 2020, up from the current level of 260,000. The official said China hopes to attract more degree and long-term study students; doing so would involve not only teaching more courses in English, but also providing better services to international students. Times Higher Education
