Top Ten
October 13, 2016
“We before me”: Algonquin to open Indigenous entrepreneurship centre
Algonquin College has officially begun a $44.9M building and renovation project that will include the creation of what is reportedly the first Indigenous entrepreneurship centre in the Ontario college system. Housed within the Algonquin College Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Learning Centre, the Institute for Indigenous Entrepreneurship will look to attract students from Indigenous communities in Eastern Ontario, Cree communities in Quebec, and Ottawa’s 3,000-plus urban Inuit population. Executive Director of Indigenous Initiatives Ron McLester tells the Ottawa Citizen that a major component of the new centre will be to incorporate Indigenous perspectives into the teaching of entrepreneurship. “We don’t want to teach aboriginal students to do work in a non-aboriginal way. In the traditional model, it’s ‘we before me,'” he says. “We hope to get to the point where indigenous entrepreneurship is not just with the students, but the community.” Ottawa Citizen | Algonquin
George Brown launches Black Student Success Network
George Brown College has created a network aimed at improving the academic success and wellbeing of black students at the school. Launched last week, the Black Student Success Network seeks to provide academic tutoring, mentoring, information and referrals, and social engagement opportunities. The college states that the network was created with significant input from students, and that it comes in part as a response to previous retention research showing that a significant number of black students at the School of Social and Community Services were leaving their programs early. “The Black Student Success Network is not only a place to support our academic aspirations and overall well-being at George Brown College, it's also a network where we can pull from our experiences and common needs in a safe space and collectively find, create and share solutions,” said Segal Suleiman, a second-year student in George Brown's Assaulted Women's and Children's Counsellor and Advocate program. GBC
Seneca to expand King Campus with help from largest private gift in college’s history
A planned $104M expansion at Seneca College’s King Campus has received a $3M contribution from Magna International, which marks the largest philanthropic gift ever made to the college. The gift will support the construction of a new 200,000 square-foot building at King Campus to be named Magna Hall. This expansion will provide space to welcome an additional 1,500 students each year, increasing the King Campus’s population from 3,500 to 5,000 full-time students. “This contribution will help us welcome more students to King, where they will receive the education to become leaders in sectors like health sciences, public safety, social services and early childhood education,” said Seneca President David Agnew. Construction of the new building is scheduled for completion in September 2018. Seneca
uLethbridge Faculty Association questions professor’s suspension, calls for further investigation
The University of Lethbridge Faculty Association has criticized the university’s decision to suspend a professor accused of denying the Holocaust, arguing that it violates provincial law and contravenes the professor’s faculty contract. Faculty Association President Andrea Amelinckx tells the CBC that the decision to suspend Anthony Hall was made before the university completed a formal complaint investigation provided for in its faculty contracts. “The University of Lethbridge Faculty Association does not condone violations of the Alberta Human Rights Act in any form. We also protest the actions on the part of president (Michael) Mahon and the board in violation of the Post Secondary Learning Act,” Amelinckx said in an emailed statement. CBC | Calgary Herald | Times Colonist
Conference Board releases report on state of e-learning in Canada
E-learning is becoming a popular method for delivering education because it appeals to learners, it is attractive to learning providers, and the technologies and practices supporting it are always improving, according to a new report from the Conference Board of Canada. However, the report finds that the adoption of e-learning remains highly variable among Canadian PSE institutions, and several barriers still keep institutions from realizing the technology’s full benefits. The report highlights three key barriers and makes recommendations on how to address them. Conference Board
UCalgary faculty’s relationship with university should not be “unnecessarily disturbed,” writes professor
The Alberta Government should seriously reconsider its proposal to transfer the University of Calgary’s faculty bargaining unit from governance under the province’s Post-Secondary Learning Act to the Labour Act, writes Barry Cooper for the Calgary Herald. The UCalgary Political Science Professor notes that a minor amendment to the province’s Post-Secondary Learning Act could fulfill the same goals cited by the province as justification for the proposed change. “After 35 years of more or less harmonious relations between the association and the university administration, a complex web of protocols, traditions and agreements has developed that would be unnecessarily disturbed,” Cooper argues, concluding with a discussion of the different contexts in which public and private sector unions operate. Calgary Herald
Queen’s highlights connections between innovation, wellness with new centre
Queen’s University is set to bring together the worlds of innovation and wellness through the creation of its new Innovation and Wellness Centre. The centre’s construction will be supported in part by a recently announced $31M investment from Canada and $4.9M investment from Ontario. Combining innovation and wellness services in a single centre is a decision that stems from the findings of the university’s Principal’s Commission on Mental Health. The centre will strive to blend academic, recreational, and other student life activities in order to emphasize the relationships between mental health, physical wellbeing, and academic success. The federal and provincial funds will also support the revitalization of on-campus biomedical research facilities at Queen’s. Queen’s Gazette | CKWSTV
Former UBC faculty members donate $3.3M for scholarships
Two of the first-ever appointees to UBC’s Faculty of Medicine are now responsible for a new $3.3M donation that will support scholarships for students studying in the health fields. The funds come from the Constance Livingstone Friedman and Sydney Friedman Foundation, whose namesakes began working as professors at UBC in 1950 and established the university’s department of anatomy. Constance Friedman passed away in June 2011 and Sydney Friedman in February 2015. “The Friedmans were instrumental in making the UBC Faculty of Medicine the exceptional medical school that it is today,” said UBC President Santa Ono. “The university is grateful for everything they did and the endowment that allows that good work to continue.” UBC
Trent to transform section of iconic Bata Library into Research and Innovation Cluster
Trent has announced that it will transform two floors of its Bata Library into the Bata Research and Innovation Cluster with the support of $8.1M in funding from the federal and Ontario governments. The new environment will feature a number of centres focused on research and innovation, as well as interactive student spaces and an overall design geared toward environmental sustainability. “This significant investment in the infrastructure of our Symon’s Campus will build on Trent’s renowned interactive learning and research model through state-of-the-art infrastructure and environmentally-sound design,” said Trent President Leo Groarke. “The funding … will revolutionize the research and collaborations that take place at the Bata Library as it becomes a third millennium research, innovation, and entrepreneurship hub.” Trent
Maclean’s releases enrolment statistics for country’s MBA programs
Maclean’s has published a set of statistics highlighting the average GMAT scores, program lengths, and gender makeup of Canada’s MBA and Executive MBA programs, among other factors. The Ivey School of Business at Western University and Desautels School of Management at McGill University tied for having the highest average GMAT scores for incoming MBA students, while Toronto’s Rotman School of Management came in third. Seven of Canada’s MBA programs are listed as having a female student population that is 50% or higher, while six programs have an international student population that makes up 60% or more of enrolments. Maclean’s
