Top Ten
May 24, 2011
Ontario pledges $21 million for Laurentian architecture school
The Ontario government announced yesterday a $21-million investment over 3 years in the new Northern Ontario School of Architecture at Laurentian University -- Canada's first new school of architecture in 40 years. Laurentian president Dominic Giroux says the school should be launched in 2013, with a full enrolment of 400 students anticipated by 2018. Ontario News Release | Laurentian News
uAlberta board launches grievance against faculty association
The University of Alberta's board of governors has filed a grievance against the Association of Academic Staff (AASUA), claiming it played an improper role in an external investigation at the university's medical school last winter. The board alleges AASUA breached the terms of its collective agreement when it did not attempt to stop an independent inquiry by the Canadian Association of University Teachers. CAUT runs independently, outside the control of any faculty association, says the head of AASUA, who notes the association "will not suppress an independent investigation into academic freedom." CAUT began investigating after several dozen medical school faculty members complained the new dean was changing employment conditions. The report on the investigation is expected to be ready shortly. Edmonton Journal
Capilano faculty protest proposed budget cuts
Capilano University's faculty association is protesting proposed budget cuts at the institution, saying roll-backs will eliminate about 1,100 spaces for adult learners. The cuts will slash funding to the university's student services and developmental studies department, which helps mature students enter PSE, upgrade their skills, or complete a certificate, diploma, or apprenticeship, says the faculty association's president, who is urging MLAs to support the faculty in opposing the cuts. Vancouver Sun | North Shore News
Dal recommended implementing 3.5% budget cut
Released to the Dalhousie University community last week, the Budget Advisory Committee's operating budget plan makes a number of recommendations to address the institution's $7-million shortfall, among them instituting a 3.5% budget reduction for all faculties and other budget units. Other recommendations include budgeting for an enrolment increase of 175 students, which would bring in $800,000 in tuition, and identifying $450,000 in areas traditionally exempt from budget reductions, such as water, insurance, and certain campus services. Dal News
Niagara College celebrates Welland campus redevelopment
Niagara College held a grand opening celebration Friday to recognize the donors and supporters who have contributed to the $80-million transformation of the institution's Welland campus. Among the new facilities are an athletic centre, student centre, learning commons, academic wing, technology expansion, and the $40-million Applied Health Institute. The Welland campus redevelopment is part of Niagara College's $90-million master plan, which also includes new facilities at the Niagara-on-the-Lake campus. Niagara College News Release
Mount Allison library gets temporary protected status
The New Brunswick government has granted temporary protected status to Mount Allison University's Memorial Library following an application by the Tantramar Heritage Trust. Mount Allison plans to demolish the library, save for its brick entrance, and build a $30-million fine and performing arts centre. The president of the heritage trust group says the main concerns of those opposed to the demolition involve the building's architectural significance and its status as a cenotaph that commemorates the war dead in the 20th century. Saving the library to incorporate it into the new arts centre would cost an extra $5 million, which Mount Allison would have to cover with future tuition fee increases, says university president Robert Campbell. Times & Transcript
Ontario invests in UoGuelph Ridgetown campus
The University of Guelph's Ridgetown campus has received over $1.4 million from the Ontario government for a new student service and recruitment centre. The facility will double as a careers centre and as a welcome venue for prospective students and their parents. Enrolment at the campus has risen by unprecedented levels -- 30% in the past 3 years alone. The campus will see its largest-ever graduating class next month, and the trend is expected to continue. Ontario News Release | UoGuelph News Release
uManitoba law school adopts JD designation
The University of Manitoba's senate has approved the change of Robson Hall Faculty of Law's degree from a Bachelor of Law (LLB) to a Juris Doctor (JD), a shift in designation that has occurred at many other Canadian law schools. Students graduating this June and all students entering the program this September and thereafter will receive a JD. uManitoba News Release
uWinnipeg's socially responsible food service popular with students, community
Having taken over the University of Winnipeg's presidency in 2004, Lloyd Axworthy grew tired of the harsh reviews of the food at the institution. "We were at the very bottom. We were being hung in effigy," he says. In recent years uWinnipeg has overhauled its food-services divisions, establishing its own arm's-length culinary company, Diversity Foods, whose mandate is to serve organic, locally grown food of an ethnically diverse variety. The food is so popular that the institution's executive chef is the most in-demand caterer in Winnipeg. This summer, uWinnipeg will open Elements, a licensed, full-service, 75-seat restaurant. Globe and Mail
US report analyzes economic value of different college majors
According to a new report from the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce, science, engineering, and business majors tend to be better-off financially than majors in liberal arts and humanities, education, and counselling. For workers whose highest degree is a bachelor's, median incomes ranged from $29,000 for counselling-psychology majors to $120,000 for petroleum-engineering majors. The report found that white men are concentrated in the highest-earning majors, while women tend to be concentrated in the lowest-earning majors. The Chronicle of Higher Education (free access) | Inside Higher Ed | Read the report
