Top Ten
June 28, 2017
Humber partners with Harley-Davidson Canada on motorcycle program
Humber College has partnered with Harley-Davidson Canada to offer its motorcycle training program with the exclusive use of Harley-Davidson motorcycles by January 2020. As part of the partnership, the motorcycle training program will be re-launched as the Humber/Harley-Davidson Training Centre. “We are excited to partner with Harley-Davidson Canada to offer our students a truly unique experience in motorcycle rider training,” says Andy Hertel, program manager of motorcycle rider training at Humber. “Our riders will learn on Harley-Davidson Street® 500 cc bikes, which are perfectly suited to real-life street riding." Humber
Anderson College under fire for work permit claims
Anderson College, a private career college in Toronto, has come under fire for allegedly stating that graduates can apply for postgraduate work permits after completing their studies. Anderson Director Heather Yang says that the allegations are untrue, and that graduates are informed that “anything related to immigration matters, study permits or anything,” must go to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. CBC reports, however, that the college’s website formerly included the statement that “international students are automatically eligible to work while studying, and can possibly work after graduation with a permit.” The article examines some of the potential causes of the confusion, including a lack of clarity from the federal government around work permits. CBC
Midwifery students irate at RBC after loan program nixed
Incoming Ryerson University midwifery students are reportedly incensed at the Royal Bank of Canada after it cancelled a specialized loan program, despite continuing to offer professional loans for counterparts in other programs. The Star reports that students studying midwifery could previously borrow up to $80K against their projected earnings, but RBC will no longer considers students’ future earning potential in its calculations. “It’s just one more barrier for people who don’t have a lot of financial means to enter into the profession and it saddens me,” said Nicole Bennett, the director of Ryerson’s Midwifery Education Program. An RBC spokesperson explained that the change was made to ensure that students only take on manageable loans while pursuing their career. Toronto Star
Algoma seeks to internationalize campus
Algoma University wants to encourage more domestic students to pursue exchanges, and would like to see international students pursue more diverse programs, reports the Sault Star. The university states that it wants 3% of its students to go on exchange, and Algoma Director of Marketing, Communications, and Student Recruitment Brent Krmpotich adds that the university would like to diversify the majors international students take on campus. “We've got a big push on to get more of our students doing exchange programs overseas,” said Algoma Acting President Celia Ross, who also noted that the university has new directions for international efforts. Sault Star
Changes to labour regulations leave UCalgary faculty feeling unprepared for possible strike
The bargaining round between the University of Calgary Faculty Association and UCalgary has reportedly been made more difficult by changes to the province’s labour regulations. The passing of Bill 7: An Act to Enhance Post-Secondary Bargaining at the beginning of May, amid negotiations between the university and faculty association, removed compulsory arbitration for labour disputes. Without a transition period, Metro News reports that the association will need to set up a strike fund and new rules if their negotiations fail, and that the struggle to adapt has drawn perceived criticism from AB Advanced Education Minister Marlin Schmidt. “He told us there would be a transition period, and there wasn’t,” said TUCFA President Sandra Hoenle. “We were somewhat upset that he was blaming our lack of preparedness on us, when in fact it was the ministry’s actions that caused the issues.” Metro News | The Gauntlet
NAIT unveils Melton Crane and Hoisting Building
Northern Alberta Institute of Technology has formally unveiled its Melton Crane and Hoisting Building on its Spruce Grove Campus, which will house the expanded Crane and Hoisting program. The site and building were developed by Melcor Developments, which along with the Melton family donated $1M to the construction and building technology programs at the institution. The campus houses three crane simulators, three mobile cranes, and three boom trucks, and has been able to increase capacity to its Crane and Hoisting program by 80%. “The state-of-the-art facility integrates hands-on learning on advanced simulators and on a variety of real cranes,” stated NAIT President Glenn Feltham. “There simply is no better crane and hoisting facility anywhere!” NAIT
Holland, Acadia sign music pathway agreement
Holland College and Acadia University have signed an articulation agreement that will create a pathway between the two institutions’ music programs. Specifically, graduates of Holland’s two-year Music Performance program will be able to receive advanced standing in Acadia’s Bachelor of Music, Bachelor of Music Therapy, or Bachelor of Arts in Music four-year programs. “This agreement enables our Music Performance graduates to pursue their educational aspirations in a cost-effective, timely manner at one of the top five universities in the country,” said Holland School of Performing Arts Director Gaylene Carragher. Holland
Too many required courses can lead to unintended consequences
Many stakeholder groups—from alumni to current students to campus administrators—may push for new or additional required courses as a solution to cultural pressures and perceived knowledge deficits. “Unhappily, however, taking a course does not guarantee a student will learn what the course purports to teach,” writes Donal O’Shea of Inside Higher Ed. “Worse, requirements have unintended consequences,” such as removing the incentive for instructors to put in the effort to make a course attractive for enrollment purposes. Instead, O’Shea recommends focusing on regulations that are unobtrusive and improve student learning, making sure that the desired outcomes are hard to miss by offering them in multiple courses, and developing trust and a sharing of resources and knowledge between department members and administrators. Inside Higher Ed
Halifax’s Springboard program turns academics into entrepreneurs
A not-for-profit organization in Atlantic Canada is helping postsecondary schools turn university research into commercialized products and businesses. “These universities create IP [intellectual property] on a daily basis,” says Springboard CEO Chris Mathis. “We help these educational institutions decide which ideas can best be commercialized, and then help them connect with the people and partnerships that can bring them to fruition.” Mathis explains that Springboard came about after a group of Atlantic universities noted the frustrations stemming from academic isolation and a lack of business contacts. The article examines a number of situations where Springboard has helped institutions and businesses to connect and to develop products. Globe and Mail
Advice for how to nurture your career network
“As with the plants in your garden, the people in your network need nurturing to thrive,” writes Joseph Barber of Inside Higher Ed in a gardener’s perspective on how best to nurture a professional networking. Barber notes that, as with plants, over-attention and under-attention can be equally destructive to network contacts. With this in mind, the author recommends valuing your contacts for who they are, not what they can give you; focusing on growing your professional network so that you are not over-reliant on a small number of contacts; and finding a way to professionally support people in your network. Inside Higher Ed
