Top Ten
June 5, 2012
Royal Roads unveils new brand
Yesterday Royal Roads University revealed its new brand, which speaks to the university's unique points of difference. The new logo rebuilds the image of the famous Hatley Castle Turret using colourful pixels, which then shift into a bold foundation. The new tagline -- Life.Changing -- speaks to the Royal Roads experience. The university will roll out a multimedia advertising campaign over the next 2 months. Royal Roads News Release
Concordia distributes sanction letters
Concordia University students who blocked others from going to class or otherwise disrupted campus life during the class boycott are facing sanctions that include anything from community service to expulsion. Letters from Concordia went out last Friday to students who face charges under the institution's code of conduct. Students say the timing is unfair as many have already dispersed for the summer, and the student union is in transition. They will ask to have the sanctions dropped, says Concordia Student Union's president. Montreal Gazette
Documents show different admissions process for UBC's northern medical program
Documents show that students in UBC's northern medical program do not have to meet the same admissions requirements for the rest of UBC's medical programs in Vancouver, Victoria, and Kelowna. The documents show a student's suitability for living in northern BC far outweighs academic achievement when it comes to filling spots in the northern medical program in Prince George. "The people of BC, especially the unsuccessful MD applicants and their parents, need to know that an unfair selection process has been in place," says the person who leaked the documents to the CBC. A UBC medical school official says the process is not unfair. He says the school looks beyond grades, choosing students most likely to practice where BC needs them most. CBC
Loyalist launches fundraising campaign for Skills Centre
Now that construction of Loyalist College's Sustainable Skills, Technology and Life Sciences Centre is complete, the institution's next goal is to fill it with the latest equipment. The college kicked off yesterday "The Campaign for Loyalist College," whose goal is to raise $5 million for needed equipment and $1 million in endowment and awards for student aid. The Campaign for Loyalist College
CCAE awards recognize marketing excellence
The Canada Council for the Advancement of Education has announced the winners of its 2012 Prix D'Excellence awards. UBC leads the pack with 9 awards, followed by UoGuelph, McMaster, and WLU with 6 each. Dal and McGill each picked up 5 awards, and uManitoba, UQAM, and uToronto all earned 4. Branksome Hall and MUN each received 3 awards, and UPEI and uSask both picked up 2. Other award winners include the Banff Centre, BVC, uCalgary, uLaval, Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, NSCC, uOttawa, Queen's, SAIT, SFU, UVic, Western, and York U. Prix d'Excellence Winners 2012
Canada needs to do more to attract, retain students in science programs
More needs to be done to attract and retain students in science programs from secondary school right through to PSE if Canada is to fill the jobs of the future, states a new report from Amgen Canada and Let's Talk Science. The report identifies 11 benchmarks that must be tracked in order to properly monitor Canadian progress in STEM learning. The key indicators include youth attitudes, student performance, participation in optional secondary school courses, enrolment in and graduation from PSE programs at all levels, apprenticeships, labour forecasts, and employment shortages. Among the report's recommendations is to assess the factors that affect the capacity of PSE institutions to support and maintain STEM studies. Amgen Canada News Release | Report
GMAT adds integrated reasoning section
The Graduate Management Admission Council launched yesterday the integrated reasoning section of the GMAT. Under the GMAT's computerized format, the new section of the exam introduces innovative question types that measure data-analysis skills and the ability to evaluate information from different sources and formats. The integrated reasoning section was developed over 2 years and was the result of collaboration with 740 business school faculty worldwide. GMAC News Release
India approves regulations for collaborations with top-ranked foreign universities
The Indian government has approved new guidelines under which the world's top ranked PSE institutions would be allowed to offer dual degrees or twinning programs with Indian universities. The foreign universities must be among the top 500 institutions, as measured by rankings from Times Higher Education and Shanghai Jiao Tong University. The new regulations will cover existing partnerships, with the Indian universities given 6 months to meet the new eligibility criteria. The Chronicle of Higher Education (free access)
UK's "safety" an increased attraction for international students
More international students report safety as a factor in their decision to study in the UK than was the case 5 years ago, despite worldwide coverage of the riots in England last August, according to a report by the British Council. When students were asked this year what made the UK their first-choice destination, the fifth most popular answer was that it was a safe nation to live in, compared to 17th in 2007. Overseas students who came to the UK ranked safety as a higher factor in their decision than those who went to study in Australia, New Zealand, and the US. The consideration was equally important for students who went to Canada. Times Higher Education
International declaration to boost OERs
UNESCO is asking governments and education organizations around the world to sign a declaration enhancing their commitment to developing, promoting, and making available open educational resources (OERs). The declaration will be presented at the World Open Educational Resources Congress in Paris later this month. Those who sign the declaration will foster research on the development, use, and reuse of OERs, as well as on OERs' impact on the quality and cost-efficiency of teaching and learning. University World News
