Top Ten
June 20, 2018
NWCC officially becomes Coast Mountain College
Northwest Community College is now Coast Mountain College. According to a release, the name change follows two and a half years of research, community engagement, and a strategic planning process that involved staff, faculty, students, alumni and community members. It is an exciting and historic day for us,” said Coast Mountain President Ken Burt. “We are thrilled to have a new, unique name that reflects our goal of becoming the college of choice for experiential place-based learning.” The release adds that the college will continue to focus on field schools, trades, and business programs. NWCC | Northern View
Inuvik residents express concerns about Aurora report
Caroline Cochrane, the Northwest Territories’ Minister of Education, Culture and Employment recently told concerned residents that Inuvik’s campus will not be overlooked amidst recommendations that Aurora College be redesignated as a polytechnic university, CBC reports. “In the past, the government has made a policy of decentralizing out of Yellowknife, and getting more going on in the smaller communities,” said Inuvik Town Councillor Clarence Wood. “If you live in an economically depressed area like Inuvik, something like [a university] would be a real boom to the community.” After Fort Smith residents expressed concerns about a proposal to move the main campus to Yellowknife, Cochrane stated that although all of Aurora’s programs are being evaluated, all three campuses will remain open. CBC
Brescia breaks ground on Academic Pavilion
Brescia University College has celebrated the groundbreaking of a new $14M Academic Pavilion, the London Free Press reports. The 2,800 square-metre facility will feature food nutrition labs, an active learning classroom, community gathering space, and student lounge. Brescia Principal Susan Mumm said that the new building will incorporate the university college’s heritage. “We did not want to break new ground, pull up sod and take down trees, so we decided to take a building that’s at the end of its life (the Merici wing of the St. James building) and build a new one in exactly the same spot,” she said. The Free Press states that the pavilion will open in 2019 to coincide with Brescia’s centennial. London Free Press
Lambton expands hands-on learning for students and graduates
Lambton College has received funding from the Ontario government to expand two streams of experiential learning for its students and graduates. According to a release, the first stream, Employer and Regional Partnerships, develops and expands work-integrated learning opportunities. Students will write proposals, implement project management techniques, and deliver presentation skills during weekly workshops in a work simulated environment. In the second stream, New Grad Career Bridge, Lambton states that recent graduates will have the opportunity for placements in the fields of Information Technology and and Instrumentation, Control and Chemical Engineering. Lambton
UPEI Student Union calls Freedom of Information amendments “long overdue”
Amendments to the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act will bring the University of Prince Edward Island under the Act’s regulations, reports CBC. The university’s student union has been lobbying for the amendment since 2014. “UPEI currently receives over, approximately, half its revenue from the government, which is taxpayers' money. And I think it's also important to note that Prince Edward Island is actually the only province in Canada where FOIPP didn't apply to post-secondary institutions,” said William McGuigan, President of the UPEI Student Union. According to CBC, the amendments will come into effect in April 2019. Only documents created after this date will be subject to FOI requests. CBC
SMU unveils plans for Dauphinee Centre
Saint Mary’s University has unveiled the design for its proposed on-campus arena, the Dauphinee Centre. The centre is named in honour of the late Bob Dauphinee, who donated $2M toward the arena through his estate. “For 50 years, the Saint Mary’s Alumni Arena served as a community gathering space. A place where students who are new to Canada experience what it’s like to strap on skates for the first time and where young children learn to love skating and Canada’s game,” said President Robert Summerby-Murray. “Today, we look forward to the next 50 years.” SMU states that the facility will cost $14.8M overall, and is expected to open in time for the 2019 varsity hockey season. SMU
Great higher ed leaders must be great communicators: Perlmutter
Strong communicators must focus not just on the “what,” but the “how” of their message, writes David Perlmutter. The author goes on to explain that the fundamentals of strong communication for leaders in higher education reside in good listening skills, precise language, and writing down the details. A strong listener, Perlmutter states, lets people fully express their thoughts before responding. This establishes a dynamic of trust and can facilitate a response that attends to the nuances at hand. Perlmutter adds that because institutional leaders speak from a position of power, they need to avoid vague language so as not to be misinterpreted. Finally, keeping a record of what was said at meetings can avoid confusion later on. Chronicle of Higher Education
Recommendation letters biased against women: study
A recent study has found that letters of recommendation for women academics include more “doubt raising” phrases than letters of recommendation for men, Colleen Flaherty writes. “People should be aware that they may be shortchanging women by inadvertently using doubt raisers in their letters of recommendations for them,” stated Michelle R Hebl, a co-author on the new study. Hebl also told Flaherty that she hopes the study makes letter writers more mindful of their word choices to ensure that letters for women are just as strong as those for men. Inside Higher Ed
Yukon program facilitates Indigenous engagement for Carleton journalism students
The MasterCard Foundation has contributed $250K to support Stories North, a one-month program that connects Carleton University journalism students with the Yukon’s Indigenous communities, reports NationTalk. The program introduces students to Indigenous cultures and histories while highlighting colonization, reconciliation, traditional knowledge, climate change, resource development, self-governance, and the arts. “Stories North takes its mandate from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action 84, 85 and 86, and will foster a greater understanding of the challenges and possibilities that Canada’s national reconciliation process represents,” said Jennifer Brennan, Associate Director of Canadian Programs at the Mastercard Foundation. NationTalk
UMontréal, UCL sign pathway agreement for two Masters’ programs
l’Université de Montréal and l’Université catholique de Louvain have signed a new degree pathway agreement. The new pathway will bridge UMontréal’s Faculty of Arts and Science’s with UCL’s Faculty of Economic, Social, Political and Communication Sciences to establish two inter-university programs, a Master’s of European Studies and Master’s in Applied Demography. Both faculties plan to welcome their first cohorts in September of 2019. UMontréal
