Top Ten
November 6, 2015
YorkU researchers get $7.3 M to breed hardier honeybees
Researchers at York University have received $7.3 M in joint government-industry funding to breed honeybees that are more tolerant of harsh Canadian winters and more resistant to disease. Current estimates suggest that honey bees contribute more than $4.6 B to the Canadian economy each year through honey production and pollination. “It is very clear that we have to develop innovative solutions for bee health because bee declines will have serious consequences for Canada’s economy and food security,” said Amro Zayed, a biology professor and researcher in the Faculty of Science at YorkU. YorkU | EurekaAlert!
Yukon College to be renamed Yukon University
The Yukon has announced that Yukon College will be renamed Yukon University when the college completes its transition into a university. According to Yukon College President Karen Barnes, “having a name for the future institution will help Yukon College staff with planning for and developing the next iteration of postsecondary education in the territory.” The college's Board Chair Paul Flaherty further explained that “this is more of a signal step to make it clear to the public that the transition is underway.” As part of its application process to Universities Canada, the college is currently preparing for a site visit from the organization to take place in the 2016–17 academic year. Yukon College
uManitoba cuts ribbon on George & Fay Yee Centre for Healthcare Innovation
The University of Manitoba hosted the official opening of new space for The George and Fay Yee Centre for Healthcare Innovation yesterday on its Bannatyne Campus. The Centre was first established in 2008 through a partnership between uManitoba and the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority following a $2.5 M donation by the late uManitoba alumnus George Yee. The Centre’s mission is to improve knowledge translation, research collaboration, and patient outcomes in a healthcare setting. uManitoba
Five Canadian universities make North America top ten for business incubation
UBI Global has released its 2015 top ten rankings for North America’s best business incubation and acceleration centres. Ryerson University’s DMZ incubator placed first among North America’s incubators, while Université Laval’s Entrepreneuriat Laval placed first among accelerators. Other incubators featured in the North American top ten were Innovate Calgary at the University of Calgary (#3), TEC Edmonton at the University of Alberta (#4), Western Research Parks at Western University (#5), and Lead to Win at Carleton University (#7). The York Entrepreneurship Development Institute at York University placed third overall among business accelerators. Marketwired | Ottawa Business Journal | Carleton | DMZ
Thousands of students participate in QC anti-austerity protest
Thousands of CEGEP and university students took part in a province-wide protest against tuition fees yesterday. The 20 student associations united under the Association pour une Solidarité Syndicale Étudiante (ASSÉ) reportedly represent over 50,000 students. The ASSÉ is protesting the lack of increased spending in education, the “pillaging of public services” by the provincial government, and the alleged possibility that Quebec will privatize health care and education in the province. These students will be joined by public sector workers, including teachers, in denouncing education cuts and stalled salary negotiations. This protest followed other budget cut protests and votes for strikes from local institutions. CBC | CTV
Three QC universities team up to create regional university centre
Université du Québec à Montreal, Université de Montréal, and Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières have collaborated with Éducation Lanaudière to form a new regional university centre. The new Centre, named the Centre régional universitaire de Lanaudière (CRUL), will work to expand the PSE opportunities available to students from the Lanaudière region of Quebec. Recent research has found that approximately 80% of students from the area go on to pursue PSE locally if the desired courses and programs are available. UQAM (French)
Sask Polytech's Prince Albert campus opens expanded nursing, health sciences simulation centre
Saskatchewan Polytechnic has opened a new expanded Simulation Centre at its Prince Albert campus. The centre provides students in nursing and health sciences programs with the opportunity to practice their skills in a hands-on learning environment. The centre will offer both low-fidelity and high-fidelity simulation areas; the low-fidelity area will provide students the opportunity to acquire specific patient care skills. The high-fidelity area will challenge students to work in situations where their skills and knowledge can be pulled together to determine appropriate care decisions. The new centre is reportedly part of SaskPolytech’s goal to become “the first-choice polytechnic in Canada by 2020.” SaskPolytech
Trudeau merges industry and science in new cabinet
Justin Trudeau has chosen to absorb Canada’s Industry Ministry portfolio into the new ministerial post of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, and the decision clearly shows his intention to push Canadian business away from traditional industry and more toward a tech-based knowledge economy, writes Geoffrey Morgan for the Financial Post. On the surface, the move also hints toward increasing investments in R&D and innovation, and several representatives from Canada’s PSE sector have already applauded the move. “To the extent that governments can help, we need to help transform Canada’s manufacturing sector from low-end processing to higher-end value added activities,” said Walid Hejazi, Professor of Competitiveness at the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management. Financial Post
Tuition fees should be based on projected future earnings
UK universities in a financial pinch should consider charging tuition fees based on the projected earnings of students, writes Dean Machin for Times Higher Education. To do so, these institutions would have to follow the American example of publishing data based on the earnings of their alumni. This data would work to determine what earnings students of specific programs could expect to make before entering those programs, thus making their investment in higher education a much more informed decision. Machin further argues that this shift could help universities significantly increase their revenue without unfairly placing the burden of an across-the-board tuition increase on students whose educational pathways might lead to lower earnings. Times Higher Education
FL college board member suggests teaching applicants bid for salaries
A member of the board of State College of Florida at Manatee-Sarasota has allegedly recommended that teaching applicants “place salary ‘bids’ along with their applications” that could ultimately determine hiring decisions. According to Robyn Bell, Assistant Professor at SCF and President of State College’s Faculty Senate, job candidates are currently asked to give an expected salary on their application, but they may write a nonnumeric response like “typical with salary schedule.” Greg Scholtz, Director of Tenure, Academic Freedom, and Governance for the American Association of University Professors, says that “this proposal is not about the best it can afford, but the cheapest it can buy. Unfortunately, in education as in everything else, you tend to get what you pay for.” Inside Higher Ed | Slate