Top Ten
July 31, 2017
Acadia receives $10.5M bailout from NS, avoids “more difficult decisions”
Newly released documents show that Acadia University has received a $10.5M bailout from the Nova Scotia government to avoid making cuts to its budget. Last Thursday, the province tabled the final fiscal numbers for 2016-17, which showed that Acadia requested and received a $3.5M increase in its operating grants, in addition to the forgiveness of a $7M provincial loan. Acadia President Peter Ricketts told media that the university has put in a lot of work to bring its finances back from “a very dire financial situation” that included significant budget cuts at a time when student enrolment was also declining. He added that without the help, Acadia would have been faced with “many more difficult decisions.” Ricketts noted that the school's finances are now in good condition. CBC
Record-breaking swimmer marks a win for Canadian university sports: CBC
Kylie Masse's landmark swim in the 100-metre backstroke at the world aquatics championships in Budapest, Hungary, is a win for all of Canadian university sports, report CBC. Masse, a current kinesiology student at the University of Toronto, is part of the cohort of Canadian university athletes who comprise a full 25% of the current Canadian senior swim team competing in Budapest, a list that also includes Yuri Kisil of the University of British Columbia. “One of the special things about Kylie, to me, is that she is home grown,” said one of her coaches, Byron MacDonald, who heads up the University of Toronto swimming team. “She remained in Canada for university and made her giant strides on the world stage because of the swim program at the University of Toronto. While receiving less glamour than their NCAA counterparts, the Canadian university swim program constantly produces top athletes.” CBC
Atlantic Canadian youth are more educated but have fewer jobs, less pay: report
Atlantic Canadian youth are more educated than a generation ago, but face fewer job prospects and lower pay, according to a new report from the Atlantic Provinces Economic Council. The report focused on 25- to 29-year-olds living in the Atlantic provinces, and found that 72% of the youth in this age group had a PSE credential compared to 50% IN 1990. The report notes that this shift was driven mostly by a significant increase in the number of university graduates, which has more than doubled to 31% for the age group since 1990. With the exception of Prince Edward Island, the Atlantic provinces had the lowest employment rates in the country for this age group. With the exception of Newfoundland and Labrador, youth also earned an average of $20.49 per hour compared to the national rate of $23.55. Global News
SFU career services developing job-seeking guide for transgender students
The career services team at Simon Fraser University has begun work on creating a guide to assist transgender students in their search for employment. According to Edna Batengas, a a co-op student who is developing the guide, the resource is designed to address specific concerns and experiences faced by transgender job-seekers and cover tips for resumes, interviews, and references. The Peak reports that the guide will be made available to the community online this fall and act as a resource for advisors at career services when offering guidance to transgender students. The career services office hosted a discussion group last week for transgender students to share their feedback on the topics covered by the guide. The Peak
Keyano, GPRC partner to community faced with intense economic hardship
Keyano College and Grande Prairie Regional College have partnered to support community members of Grande Cache, Alberta, which has seen nearly a third of its jobs disappear following to closure of Grande Cache Coal in 2015. A Keyano release reports that since that time, the town and many of its people have suffered serious economic hardship. In response to the circumstances, Keyano partnered with GPRC to bring Keyano's mobile simulators to the town this month to teach the college’s 6-week Heavy Equipment Operator course. GPRC representatives say the opportunity to train for new jobs is giving hope back to the community. Keyano
Survey finds growing number of US business officers think PSE faces financial crisis
Chief business officers working in American PSE institutions are showing growing agreement with the notion that higher education is facing a financial crisis, according to a 2017 survey. Based on responses from 217 business officers from public institutions, 184 from private institutions and eight from for-profit institutions, the survey found that 71% of chief business officers agreed with the statement that media reports saying higher education is in the midst of a financial crisis are accurate, compared to 63% in 2016 and 56% in 2015. Further, only 56% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that their institutions will be financially stable over the next five years, down from 64% a year ago. Only 48% agreed or strongly agreed their institutions will be financially stable over the next 10 years, down from 54% last year. Inside Higher Ed
ACC partners with Sioux Valley to for residential framing program
Manitoba’s Assiniboine Community College has partnered with the Sioux Valley Dakota Nation to run a 12-week Residential Framing program that will help students frame new homes in Sioux Valley. The program includes eight weeks of classroom learning combined with four weeks of on-the-job training. “Graduates will be able to put their new skills to work in a way that will be felt and seen by the community,” said Tannis James, Director of Continuing Studies at Assiniboine. “Like much of the hands-on education we deliver, this training will have an immediate impact.” NationTalk
Huron, King’s, Western team up to launch Canadian-first Public History minor
Huron University College, King’s University College, and Western University have collaborated to launch a Minor in Public History that is reportedly the first of its kind in Canada at the undergraduate level. A King’s release notes that Public History “explores how history is understood by and communicated to the public, whether at museums, archives, historical sites and national parks, in films, fiction, or on the web, in policy making, historical consulting, and in academic teaching and research.” The program will require students to take courses from each of the three schools, and will work to prepare students for postgraduate studies or careers that focus on bringing history to life for the community. King’s
CNA hoping to align its transportation program with shift to green energy
An instructor at College of the North Atlantic on Newfoundland’s west coast says that the college’s Motive Power Centre of Excellence can play a key role in the shift toward green energy that is occurring in the transportation sector. The $18.5M centre is currently under construction in Stephenville, NL, where CNA Instructor Greg Ryan told attendees at an event last Thursday that the college is discussing the use of machinery that uses alternative power sources and technological advancements. “There’s a lot happening in the industry and we’re hoping with this new building to partner with industry on research and development relating to advancements in the industry when it comes to technology,” said Ryan. Western Star
BrandonU launches one of Canada’s first drone certification courses
Students and members of the public who are interested in operating drones can now apply to a for-credit course at Brandon University. A BrandonU release states that the course will teach students the technical and legal knowledge necessary to fly drones safely and within the bounds of new Transport Canada regulations. The new regulations will reportedly require everyone at the controls of a drone to have completed a ground school course like the one being offered at BrandonU. “This is an industry that is getting huge. Real estate, photography and videography are some of the more obvious applications, but all of the major industries including mining, construction and agriculture are turning to drones, and they’re all around us here on the Prairies,” said Course Instructor Matthew Johnson. BrandonU
