Top Ten
June 1, 2011
Tyndale raises $52 million in capital campaign
Toronto-based Tyndale University College & Seminary has raised $52 million to date toward the purchase of its new Bayview campus and new programs. Launched in 2007, Tyndale's "Uncommon Ground" capital campaign has raised more than $44 million or 76% of its $58-million goal in just 4 years, as well as an additional $8 million for endowed chairs and facility upgrades. Tyndale News
SJU completes 5-year strategic vision
University of Waterloo affiliate St. Jerome's University has launched a new strategic vision that will guide the institution as it moves toward its 150th anniversary in 2015. The strategic vision is guided by 2 principles: continue to deliver on what SJU says it is as a primarily undergraduate Catholic liberal arts university federated with uWaterloo; and graduate students who have the skills to meet the ethical and moral challenges of modern life, foresee challenges and opportunity within the communities to which they belong, and anticipate the global impact of decisions made today that will influence the shape of the future. Read the strategic vision
Mohawk College aims to be Ontario's best college for health and technology education
To earn a reputation for leadership and excellence in health and technology, Mohawk College is developing a plan to chart its academic directions and priorities for the next decade. To develop the academic plan, the college is consulting throughout the spring and summer with business, industry, education, and community partners, as well as students, faculty, staff, and alumni. A draft academic plan will be presented to the college's board of governors by the end of the year. Mohawk Matters
Woodstock mayor's plan combines art gallery, Fanshawe campus
Woodstock's mayor hopes city council will support a plan that would see a downtown building used for both an art gallery and a Fanshawe college campus. The mayor's plan would see Woodstock sell the site to Fanshawe and then lease back the first floor for the Woodstock Art Gallery to use as exhibition space. The plan is contingent on council's support today, along with the approval of Fanshawe and the federal and Ontario governments that provided a $3.3-million Build Canada Fund grant to renovate the location. Woodstock Sentinel-Review
Brandon U aims for fall start for construction of Healthy Living Centre
Brandon University officials are confident that construction of the institution's Healthy Living Centre will begin by September. While Brandon U does not yet have the final contributions agreements signed with the federal, provincial, and municipal governments for the joint $12.5 million in promised funding, it has been fully authorized to start lining up for the construction phase. A capital campaign to raise a further $7 million on top of the $6.3 million the institution has already raised for the project is set to launch in the coming weeks. Brandon Sun
Labatt donates multimillion-dollar archive to UWO
Labatt Breweries of Canada has donated its entire archival collection -- valued at over $8.3 million -- to the University of Western Ontario and Museum London. The donated material includes the original deed for the brewery on the Thames River, a variety of beer bottles, coasters, brewing equipment, and a collection of classic print, radio, and television advertising. Labatt has also donated $200,000 to UWO to support converting documents into a digital format. The Labatt Brewing Company Archival Collection is now stored and managed within UWO's Archives and Research Collection Centre. UWO News Release | London Free Press
WTC motosport technician program earns provincial accreditation
Winnipeg Technical College's motosport technician program has earned the Level 1 Certificate of Accreditation in the Marine and Outdoor Power Equipment Technician trade from Apprenticeship Manitoba, WTC is the first education institution in the province to have its pre-employment program in this trade accredited by Apprenticeship Manitoba. WTC News Release
Queen's forms new Department of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences
5 basic science departments at Queen's University have been amalgamated into a single Department of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences. The university says merging the Departments of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, Pharmacology and Toxicology, and Physiology encourages a better use of resources and helps to create stronger research groups. Queen's News Centre
Oxford, Cambridge groups vote no confidence in Britain's PSE reforms
A group of academics and students at the University of Oxford have launched a campaign for a nationwide vote of "no confidence" in the British government's higher education reforms. At the University of Cambridge, nearly 150 dons have signed their own "grace" of no confidence in the policies of David Willets, the universities and science minister. A statement on the campaign's website claims the government's PSE policy is "financially chaotic and unsustainable." The statement adds that cuts of 80% to the teaching grant in England will leave institutions "systematically underfunded," even after higher tuition fees are taken into account. Times Higher Education
US survey reveals digital dependence among college students
In a US survey of 500 college students, 27% of respondents listed their laptop as the most important item in their backpack, compared to 10% of students who cited textbooks. Nearly all the students surveyed -- 98% -- said they own a digital device, and 38% of respondents said they could not go more than 10 minutes without checking their device. Nearly three-quarters of students said they would not be able to study without using some form of technology. Outside of everyday reading and studying, students use digital devices for many tasks -- writing papers (82%), research (81%), taking class notes (70%), and preparing class presentations (65%). CourseSmart News Release
