Top Ten
February 16, 2016
Feds to double Canada Summer Jobs program, creating additional 34 K positions
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Friday that the government will commit an additional $113 M over three years to the Canada Summer Jobs program, creating more than 34,000 new spots for youths between 15 and 30 years old. Under the program, part of the federal Youth Employment Strategy, the government subsidizes summer wages for full-time students during the previous academic year intending to return to full-time schooling in the fall. “We know that summer jobs are critical for young people,” said Trudeau. “Not only is this good for them, it’s good for the broader economy now and in the years to come. Great things happen when young people are given an opportunity to shine. I believe it because I’ve seen it.” Toronto Star (CP) | Toronto Star
Canada, mining company launch $2 M award program for Indigenous students
The mining and metals company Rio Tinto has contributed $1 M, to be matched by the federal government, to create the $2 M Rio Tinto Award for Indigenous Students. The award will be administered by Indspire and is designed to provide financial support to Indigenous students who are currently enrolled in PSE, or would like to enrol in the future. The award gives priority to students in STEM fields, but is also available more broadly, including in the trades—students of all ages are eligible. “Through our partnership with Indspire, we aim to provide the chance to all Indigenous youth in the areas we operate to pursue further training and/or studies after high school so that they are equipped for leadership positions in the future,” said Rio Tinto’s Alf Barrios. Rio Tinto
uManitoba education program dedicates 45% of seats to diversity
The Faculty of Education at University of Manitoba will select 45% of its students from five diversity categories for its September 2017 program. Indigenous students, LGBT people, racialized students including non-Canadian Indigenous students, students living with disabilities, and disadvantaged students will each be allotted a specific percentage of space in the Bachelor of Education program. “The policy attempts to address the social and historic inequities faced by marginalized groups,” said uManitoba Associate Dean of Undergraduate Programs Melanie Janzen. “As the faculty of education, we need to be making a more concerted effort to ensure that our teachers reflect [Manitoba's] diversity.” CBC | Global News | uManitoba
Universities lobby feds for research funding, experiential learning opportunities
In advance of the federal budget, Canadian universities are lobbying the government for increased untargeted research funding, a share of infrastructure funding, and more experiential learning opportunities for students, reports Simona Chiose of the Globe and Mail. “Over the last decade, we’ve moved from third to eighth in OECD [rankings] in research intensity, which measures investments as a portion of GDP,” said Universities Canada President Paul Davidson. While 55% of students currently benefit from experiential learning, according to Davidson, the barrier to growth is in “getting employers to step up.” Universities could also benefit from federal infrastructure funding, according to Elizabeth Cannon, President of the University of Calgary and Chair of Universities Canada. Globe & Mail
uBishop's ranked as top university for future entrepreneurs
UniversityHub has released its university rankings, and Huffington Post has compiled a list of the top ten schools for future entrepreneurs. According to the students surveyed, Bishop’s University, which was the second highest ranked school overall, is the top school for future entrepreneurs, with Wilfrid Laurier University and Queen’s University taking second and third place, respectively. uBishop's Dobson-Lagassé Entrepreneurship Centre was noted in the article for its variety of offered services and resources. A list of universities included in the rankings can be found on UniversityHub’s website. Huffington Post | UniversityHub (School List)
Algonquin college opens Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Algonquin College has launched IgniteAC, its new Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. The centre offers a variety of resources to help students start their own businesses, including office and meeting spaces and access to events, education, and programming. “We believe that college is the best place to start your business, and in the coming years you will hear us talking more about how we are building that entrepreneurial culture internally with our students and employees,” said Algonquin President Cheryl Jensen. The centre is part of the Capital Entrepreneurs program, a partnership between Algonquin, Carleton University, and the University of Ottawa. Algonquin
BCIT announces investigation into voyeurism case
The British Columbia Institute of Technology has announced an investigation into a BCIT student’s off-campus activities, after the arrest of a student on accounts of alleged voyeurism on BCIT’s Burnaby campus was announced last week. “BCIT should have done a better job of notifying our campus community when we became aware of the voyeurism complaint and subsequent arrest late last year,” said BCIT President Kathy Kinloch in a video released last week. “All BCIT students are entitled to a healthy, safe, secure and respectful learning environment where the highest levels of academic integrity and behavioural ethics are reflected in our student's finishing credentials,” stated BCIT Associate President of Student Services Bill Dow. BCIT is reportedly reaching out to students who may have been affected. CBC | CBC (Arrest) | CKNW | Video (1) | Video (2)
Discomfort a mark of success in transnational curriculums
In a transnational curriculum for higher education, “a heightened sense of unease and discomfort will be a mark of success” writes Martin Hall in Times Higher Education. A transnational education would reflect the “endemically unstable world” defined by “economic booms and busts; a different and uncertain world of work; rapid and disruptive innovation; unprecedented levels of migrancy and displacement; extreme and unpredictable violence." Reflecting on this and the variety of opinions, counter-current ideas, and conclusions that came from marginalized student discussions at a conference. Connecting these ideas, Hall concludes that a transnational education may turn out to be “less a United Nations-style debating chamber; more a cauldron of new and often contradictory ideas.” Times Higher Education
Male students overrate abilities of other males, females show no such bias, study says
Male students seem to consistently overestimate the abilities of their male peers, while female students show no such bias, according to a new study published in PLoS ONE. The study surveyed over 1,700 students in introductory biology classes, asking them to nominate students they thought were performing “exceptionally well” in the class. The results showed that for a female student to be nominated at the same rate as a male student, her GPA would need to be three-quarters of a point higher. The study suggests that this favouring of males by their peers could have an effect on their self-confidence, and thus their likelihood to persist in STEM disciplines. Inside Higher Ed | Full Study
