Top Ten
August 29, 2011
uManitoba profs' study alleges "sexism" regarding faculty salaries at university
3 University of Manitoba professors are criticizing their institution for employing far more male than female faculty members and for allegedly paying women less than men. In a study published last month, the professors compared uManitoba faculty in 1993 and 2003. Despite the data being 8 years old, one of the researchers argues that the study shows the need for uManitoba to track and publish each professor's starting salary and record of promotion, so that up-to-date comparisons are possible. The university says there are a lot of problems with the study, not least of which is using data from 2003. "We have concerns with the methodology of the study," says uManitoba's associate director of communications and marketing. "Our commitment is clear to employment equity," she says. "To us, (the study) doesn't give the complete picture." The faculty association hopes the study's results will convince administration that a committee to "identify and remedy current salary inequities based on sex" at uManitoba is necessary. Winnipeg Free Press
Ontario universities to welcome largest first-year undergrad class ever
Ontario universities will see more first-year undergraduate students this fall than ever before, reports the Council of Ontario Universities. More than 90,000 students have confirmed their university acceptances letters, which is nearly 2,000 more than the double cohort year, when Grade 12 and 13 students graduated at the same time. COU has launched a website called MyEducationHasValue.ca to provide students with resources that can help them access financial aid and take advantage of emerging employment trends. The site also invites students to submit videos about why they value their education for the chance to win a BlackBerry PlayBook. COU News Release | MyEducationHasValue.ca
How Canadian universities are helping commuter students engage in campus life
Unlike in the US, where so many students leave home after their final year of high school, the reality in Canada is that most universities do not have the advantage of having most of their students living in campus residences and have to work a little harder to engage commuter students. "We recognize it as an issue of student success," says McGill University's director of student services. "How are we supporting the group that has to go home at 6 p.m.?" McGill operates associations that work around the more limited hours of commuter students. On Sunday the institution held an information session specifically for parents of commuter students, offering tips on how to engage such students in student life. This year the University of Toronto, where about 80% of its 75,000 students are commuters, has begun offering commuter lounges, where commuter students can gather and get advice from more senior commuter "dons". In summer 2009 the University of British Columbia's Okanagan campus opened its $33-million University Centre, which features 3 collegia -- spaces serving as a home-away-from-home for commuter students. Montreal Gazette
Direct-entry confirmations up 7% at Boréal
Collège Boréal reports that confirmed registrations from students coming directly from high school have increased 7.1% over last year. Since 2005, the Sudbury-based college has had a 23% increase in registrations for its entire campus network, which serves North and Central-Southwestern Ontario. Boréal president Denis Hubert-Dutrisac credits the quality of the institution's programs and the excellence demonstrated by staff for the rise in confirmations. Boréal News Release
St. Clair opens Centre for Applied Health Sciences
Friday marked the grand opening of St. Clair College's $32-million Centre for Applied Health Sciences. Based at the college's main campus in Windsor, the 100,000-square-foot facility will house a dozen college health programs, including 3 new specialized offerings -- cardiovascular technologist, diagnostic medial sonography, and respiratory therapy. Each new program has 28 seats and are "already oversubscribed" with over 200 applicants, says the chairman of St. Clair's School of Health Sciences. Windsor Star
Sault College unveils new academic wing
On Friday Sault College held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its new 75,000-square-foot academic wing, which supports teaching and learning activities related to the college's aviation program. The facility includes a new gateway entrance that doubles as space to celebrate student achievements and work, learning commons on all 3 floors, a 120-seat multi-media lecture theatre, 19 flexible classrooms, and a dedicated justice studies room with a combat training centre and forensic science lab. Planning of the complex incorporated a local flavour, featuring indigenous plants, wood roofing, steel cladding, and copper, the latter having historical significance to First Nations people, who account for 20% of Sault College students. Sault College News Release
Dal med program in NB announces Moncton location
On Friday the New Brunswick government announced that The Moncton Hospital will serve as the Moncton location of the Dalhousie Medicine New Brunswick (DMNB)'s Distributed Education Program, one of 4 sites under the program. Each year DMNB admits 30 New Brunswick students, who attend classes for their first 2 years in Saint John, and in their final 2 years have the option of completing clerkships in Fredericton, Miramichi, Moncton, or Saint John. NB News Release | Times & Transcript
Olds College business school earns CIM accreditation
The Canadian Institute of Management (CIM) has awarded program accreditation to Olds College's School of Business. As of September 1, the Alberta-based institution's business program students will be eligible for CIM professional designations, giving them an added credential to offer future employers to demonstrate competency and dedication. CIM is the only national organization charted to designate management professionals. Olds College News Release
Canada West launches Web-based broadcasting for university sports
Last week the Canada West Universities Athletic Association announced the launch of CanadaWest.TV, the official home of Web-based broadcasting for Canada West's 14 member institutions during the 2011-12 season and beyond. The network will be the exclusive live home of all Canada West volleyball and basketball games, along with selected games in other sports, such as football, soccer, and hockey. Live video for all streamed games will be available online, on all Flash 10.1-enable mobile devices, and on all iPhone OS devices. Canada West News
US college presidents, public differ on online courses' educational value
According to new survey data released by the Pew Research Center, in association with The Chronicle of Higher Education, delivering courses online has gained broad acceptance among top US college leaders, but the public is not as convinced of the quality of online education. 51% of the 1,055 college presidents surveyed say an online course provides an equal education value to one taken in a classroom, while just 29% of 2,142 American adults queried agree. 77% of college presidents report that their schools now offer online courses. 15% of college leaders say most of their current undergraduates have taken a class online, and 50% predict that a decade from now most of their students will take classes online. The Chronicle of Higher Education (free access) | Pew Research Center
