Top Ten
December 14, 2017
Preliminary numbers say 10% of ON college students have dropped out post-strike
A preliminary analysis has found that over one in ten full-time college students in Ontario withdrew from their studies during or immediately after the faculty strike, reports the National Post, a percentage that represents over 25,000 students. “The withdraw numbers released today are proof this option was necessary for thousands of students,” said College Student Alliance Communications Manager Emmaline Scharbach. “Students didn't sign up for an extended semester, or condensed courses.” ON Advanced Education Minister Deb Matthews expressed hope that students who took advantage of the tuition refund will return to their studies in the future. National Post | Globe and Mail
URegina honoured with eagle staff for efforts toward reconciliation
The University of Regina has received an Eagle Staff created by Elder Roy Bison and his son Teddy Bison for the institution’s efforts towards reconciliation. “In contemporary times, the Eagle Staff represents the ideals and values of the owner. It may represent a history,” explained Elder Roy Bison. “In this case, the Eagle Staff is a powerful symbol of the relationship with the indigenous people of this territory.” Students and executives, as well as chiefs from Nekaneet First Nation, White Bear First Nation, and Starblanket Cree Nation were present for the ceremony. “By accepting it, we have to fight to ensure the education of all students, in particular our Indigenous students,” said URegina President Vianne Timmons. CBC | URegina
Carleton creates Helmut Kallmann Chair for Music in Canada with donation from professor
Thanks to a $2M donation from Distinguished Research Professor Elaine Keillor, Carleton University has announced the creation of the Helmut Kallmann Chair for Music in Canada. The chair will work with undergraduate and graduate students and will research topics related to Canadian research. “Endowed Chairs are a powerful way to ensure that research into and public engagement with a particular area of study continues well into the future,” said Carleton Interim President Alastair Summerlee. “On behalf of the university, I want to offer my deepest thanks to Elaine and the Koerner Foundation for creating this position.” Carleton | Ottawa Citizen
Loyalist, Belleville Police expand partnership
Loyalist College and the Belleville Police have expanded their partnerships in order to create more opportunities for students. “When someone is going to leave their home, from other parts of Canada or internationally, safety is a big factor,” said Loyalist President Ann Vaughan, who stressed the value of the police’s goal of making Belleville the safest city in Ontario. “So our work with Belleville police service goes way beyond the direct opportunities for students.” Police Chief Ron Gignac noted that the force hopes to see students from an expanded set of disciplines—including communications and human resources—participate in the partnership. Intelligencer | Inquinte
HEC receives largest bequest in institutional history to support social entrepreneurs
HEC Montréal has announced that alumnus Raymond Langlois has made a bequest of $5M to the school, the largest ever received by the institution, to support the viability and growth of social enterprises. “The people who run these businesses make their companies’ survival and profitability a tool for social development and a way of improving their communities’ standard of living,” said Langlois, who hopes to support entrepreneurs who sought to serve the public through economic efficiency. Langlois also made an outright gift of $250K over five years that will go towards a program that will support students from HEC, Polytechnique Montréal, and Université de Montréal who are starting up a social enterprise. HEC
Saskatoon partners with Indigenous education sector
The City of Saskatoon has forged closer relationships with the Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies and the Gabriel Dumont Institute of Native Studies and Applied Research in order to achieve its goals of a more diverse workforce. City council unanimously endorsed the MOU that will see the city offer recruitment information and labour forecasts to the two institutions on city jobs, with the goal of having Indigenous people make up 14% of the city’s workforce. In 2012, 6.4% of the city’s workforce was Indigenous. Warren Isbister-Bear, director of planning and development at SIIT, added that he believes the move will help improve Indigenous people’s quality of life. Saskatoon StarPhoenix
TRU opens first genomics lab in BC Interior
Thompson Rivers University has opened the first high-throughput genomics lab in the British Columbia Interior, named TRUGen. “All of this new equipment provides us with capacity for making more genomic sequencing libraries, along with increased quality control and automation,” said microbiology faculty member Jonathan Van Hamme. “This has taken our hands-on time in the lab from 12 hours down to 30 minutes.” The lab is already being used by postdoctoral researchers, as well as graduate and undergraduate students, for a wide variety of research projects. TRU notes that the lab’s construction and equipment was funded by nearly $750K in federal and provincial funding. TRU
Avoiding common pitfalls on community-wide letters
“Dear Community” letters that are issued in response to sexual misconduct, racist incidents, and other campus issues are typically intended to unite the community, but Carole McFall notes that “they can sometimes fuel further disruption and dissatisfaction.” McFall explores the most common pitfalls that campus-wide communications can fall into. To avoid these pitfalls, McFall advises leaders to provide thoughtful engagement with the issue instead of a robotic response, ensuring quality and clarity are not lost in the rush to provide a response, and taking advantage of the available opportunities to take a leadership role in responding to on-campus issues. Inside Higher Ed
UCalgary to pilot space in residence for sobering up
The University of Calgary will reportedly pilot a program in January that will see residence space repurposed to provide drunk students with a safe place to sober up. The space will have six beds, water, first-aid equipment, and a nurse on hand, and will be open on Thursdays and special occasions. Students will be free to come and go, and visits will not be documented. “In fact, we've gone to great lengths to make sure there are no repercussions,” said UCalgary’s senior director of student wellness, Debbie Bruckner. “We wanted to provide a safe place, with a certain amount of medical monitoring as well, so they're not going somewhere where they're isolated or risking travelling.” CBC
TELUQ, UQAM launch certificate preparing students for CPA designation
Université TÉLUQ and Université du Quebec à Montréal’s business program have partnered on a new Certificate program that will help prepare students for their CPA designation. The program was developed for students with bachelor degrees in a field other than accounting sciences. Students take part in courses on financial accounting, management accounting, finance, taxation, and other relevant topics. Graduates of the program will then be eligible to apply for the second cycle leading into the national CPA program or the provincial DESS-CPA programs. UQuébec
