Top Ten
October 14, 2015
uToronto’s Asian Institute benefits from $5 M anonymous donation
The Asian Institute at the University of Toronto has received an anonymous $5 M donation to expand and enhance the institute's undergraduate education and innovative research opportunities. The donation will be used to launch the Asian Pathways Research Lab and endow the Richard Charles Lee Directorship. “Students in our undergraduate major will benefit from a newly enhanced curriculum with a significant experiential component [and] graduate students will be integrated into a community of interdisciplinary scholars working on Asia, and will get new support for their Asia research endeavours,” said Professor Joseph Barker. uToronto
Six Canadian business schools make top 20 in 2015 Better World MBA Ranking
Corporate Knights has released its 2015 Better World MBA Ranking, an annual guide that aims to determine which MBA programs are best positioned to help graduates take on the social and environmental challenges of the 21st century. The Schulich School of Business at York University was the top-ranked program this year. McGill University’s Desautels Faculty of Management ranked second, while the University of Calgary’s Haskayne School of Business ranked fifth overall. Other schools in the top 20 included the Sauder School of Business at UBC (#11), the John Molson School of Business at Concordia University (#12), and the Sobey School of Business at Saint Mary’s University (#13). Corporate Knights | Full Rankings
McMaster alumna donates $500 K to life-saving research
McMaster University alumna Elva Carrol has left $500 K to the Faculty of Health Sciences at her alma mater. The gift is designated for non-malignant hematology research to help understand and treat disorders like hemochromatosis, which causes the body to absorb too much iron. According to a life-long friend, McMaster’s blood disorders clinic helped extend Carrol’s life by 30 years. “[This gift is] going to help us research how to better diagnose complex hematological diseases. And it will be sustainable,” said Director of the McMaster Centre for Transfusion Research Donald Arnold. “This is just an incredible gift. She was a remarkable woman.” McMaster
Algonquin first college in ON to take NACCE President's Pledge
Algonquin College has reportedly become the first college in Ontario to take the National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship (NACCE) President’s Pledge. The pledge was signed yesterday by Algonquin President Cheryl Jensen, who said, “our goal is to instill in every student, and embed in every program, a culture of entrepreneurship and innovation. … This pledge is a reaffirmation of all that we are doing to train tomorrow’s leaders.” The Entrepreneurship Pledge is a program designed to help colleges formally commit to advancing entrepreneurship and creating jobs across Canada. Algonquin
Georgian receives $400 K for expanded international centre
Georgian College has received $400 K from guard.me International Insurance to expand its international centre. As international enrolment at Georgian continues to grow, the existing centre has reached its capacity. The new centre will be 5,000 square feet and will house advising and counselling services, recruitment, housing, insurance, study visa/work permit support and the English for Academic Purposes program, as well as a student lounge and information sessions. “[This] investment will help us create a multi-purpose, student-centric space to welcome and support more international students, while also informing the global perspective of our domestic students. Internationalization is an essential part of the overall postsecondary experience,” said Georgian President MaryLynn West-Moynes. Georgian
Working with student activists requires open communication
Writing in University Affairs, Associate Vice-President of Students at Trent University Nona Robinson discusses the best practices for dealing with student activist groups. Activists want change, Robinson explains, and may draw attention to the issue through “publicity, controversy, media attention and at times negative responses” to introduce new people to the issue and encourage its resolution. Institution administrators, however, “want to resolve the issue quickly and quietly, and to manage the story in a way that doesn’t hurt their institutional reputation.” To appease all stakeholders, Robinson affirms the importance of honest and open communication about activist and institution interests, encouraging both sides of a debate to engage in problem-solving and to cultivate a safe space for open dialogue on campus. University Affairs
Canadian parents twice as likely to advocate for trades education, says study
A new study has highlighted a number of the ways that Canadian parents differ from their international counterparts. When it came to school, the study found that Canadian parents are 10% less likely to have a specific job or career path in mind for their kids than the global average; it also found these parents were are twice as likely to advocate for a future in skilled trades. “It used to be that parents didn’t think the trades were a good option,” says Associate Dean of the School of Skilled Trades, Apprenticeship, and Renewable Technology at Durham College Pam Stoneham, “but now they are realizing they can be very challenging and rewarding. And there is demand for these skills.” Guelph Tribute
How a business degree can help you land a job in technology
While technology is rapidly replacing jobs in sectors like manufacturing and agriculture, it is creating a broad range of new positions for those with postgraduate business degrees, writes Brenda Bouw for the Globe and Mail. The author adds that in a competitive market, a specialization in technology can make a significant impact on those who graduate with an executive MBA or similar degree. “If you have relevant technology experience, combined with business experience, and then you tack on an MBA or an EMBA—I think that’s a very potent combination,” said Adam Nanjee, head of financial technology at the MaRS Discovery District, a Toronto-based innovation hub that connects companies, investors and entrepreneurs. Globe and Mail
US task force ramps up efforts to regulate for-profit colleges
The US Federal Trade Commission has stepped up its investigations into how for-profit colleges market and advertise their services, writes Inside Higher Education. This trend has been occurring ever since the US convened an inter-agency task force last year to oversee these institutions. Since that time, several notable for-profit colleges have been subject to public scrutiny and investigation, a trend that has some industry representatives concerned about the motives and transparency of the task force. Noah Black, VP of Public Affairs for the Association of Private Sector Colleges and Universities, said, “if you're going to convene seven or eight different agencies and tell them to find things, they're going to find things and issue subpoenas. … It's questionable if this is the right and proper use of time and resources." Inside Higher Ed
Proliferation of academic social networks wastes time
The proliferation of academic social networks is wasting academics’ time, according to a recent conference presentation in the Netherlands. The presentation highlighted more than 23 separate social networks currently available to scholars. “Academics do not want to have to populate lots of different types of research profiles,” said Chantelle Rijs, who is herself a project lead for an academic network. “We agree that it should be one centralised profile.” While mainstream social networks have seen consolidation in recent years, it remains unclear which academic network, if any, will eventually win out. Times Higher Education
