Top Ten
September 11, 2018
Okanagan receives $1M for trades training
Okanagan College has received $1M for the Kelowna Trades Training Complex from the Jacobsen family in honour of Ron Jacobsen. The donation will go towards curriculum and training development, start-up and training equipment, financial support for students, and more. In honour of the donation, the college will name its study area the Ron Jacobsen Pathway to Excellence. “This gift gets to the heart of what we set out to do in revitalizing and expanding our trades training facilities at the Kelowna campus – providing our students with a world-class learning environment, helping to address the skills gap and needs of employers, and elevating the skilled trades as a career path, something Ron championed through his leadership and commitment to excellence,” said Okanagan President Jim Hamilton. Okanagan
CAUT survey finds that contract faculty are underpaid, overworked
A nationwide study conducted by the Canadian Association of University Teachers has found that contract faculty are underpaid, overworked, and on the brink of unemployment. The survey found that 48% of the 2,606 surveyed contract faculty have side jobs outside academia and another 16% work at multiple universities. The Star reports that contract faculty are paid about a third as much as tenured professors per course. CAUT president James Compton stated that academia views contract faculty as “happy moonlighters” that make the bulk of their income elsewhere, but that the survey found that most contract faculty want a tenure-track job. The Star
GPRC National Bee Diagnostic Centre Laboratory completes expansion, construction
Grande Prairie Regional College has completed construction on the National Bee Diagnostic Centre laboratory. The expanded NBDC features additional workstations, diagnostic equipment, and office spaces. “The laboratory will not only give us more space; it will allow us to increase our capacity,” said Patricia Wolf Veiga, Acting Manager at NBDC. “With our previous equipment and lab set-up, we were able to conduct around 20,000 diagnostic tests per year. Our estimation is that the expansion will increase that number to around 60,000.” The new building will house both NBDC and the Honey Bee Research Program operated by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, allowing the two groups to collaborate more easily. GPRC
Federal government to invest $9.5M in UOIT automotive program
The federal government has announced that it will invest up to $9.5M in funding for the Automotive Centre for Excellence at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology. According to a UOIT release, the funding will nearly double the number of full-time jobs at the facility, generate new training opportunities, promote research and development, and encourage the advancement of cleaner and safer technologies. “The Government of Canada’s investment in this new advanced research infrastructure will drive commercialization of transformative vehicle technologies tied to energy efficiency and greenhouse gas reduction,” stated UOIT President Steven Murphy. UOIT
Sheridan, TIFF, Monday Night at the Movies establish cinematic partnership
Monday Night at the Movies, Sheridan College, and the Toronto International Film Festival have established a partnership. Through the partnership, Monday Night at the Movies provides unique access to the festival’s recent releases. Each feature film will begin with an animation short from the graduating class from Sheridan College’s Computer Animation. “We're an independent, volunteer-run group that works with TIFF to bring great movies from Canada, Great Britain and all around the world to our local community, and at an affordable price,” said Monday Night at the Movies chairperson Clare Henderson. In Halton | Sheridan
Olds launches cannabis course
Olds College has launched a new Introduction to Cannabis Retail course that it developed in partnership with 420 Clinic. The course uses a scientific and biological framework for understanding cannabis as well as the regulations required to run a cannabis retail store. “We recognized that cannabis is a dynamic new industry here in Alberta and across the country and Olds College has always been a career-focused institution, so our responsibility is to provide really great career opportunities for students,” said Olds Vice-president of Development and Strategy Patrick Machacek. Olds experienced a strong demand for its course offerings in cannabis so far, and expects to see continual growth for its cannabis programs. Red Deer Advocate | Calgary Herald
UNB, OSCO partner to establish Centre for Off-site Construction, Research Chair
The University of New Brunswick has received $2M from the OSCO Construction Group to establish a new research chair and Centre for Off-site Construction. UNB explains that off-site construction consists of planning, designing, and fabricating building elements in a factory-controlled environment that are later rapidly assembled at the jobsite in a “plug-and-play” fashion. “The University of New Brunswick and OSCO Construction Group share a vision to make New Brunswick a global leader in modular manufacturing and off-site construction,” says UNB President Eddy Campbell. “This partnership will bring UNB to the forefront of innovation in the world and increase product export opportunities for New Brunswick manufacturing companies.” UNB
Niagara celebrates new Student Commons
Niagara College has officially opened its new Student Commons at its Welland Campus. The new facilities are part of a $15M addition and renovation that includes six food vendors, seating for 550 people, and a collaborative study space. The space also features a new student activity room with glass pivot doors and a standalone sound and projection system. “Providing state-of-the-art learning spaces at both our campuses is one way Niagara College delivers an exceptional learning experience for our students,” said Niagara President Dan Patterson. “Through our Campus Redevelopment projects, we’re excited to offer our growing student body new facilities that not only enhance their experience here at NC, but also support our growth as a college.” Niagara
Students' union calls on UManitoba to fund sexual violence support, prevention centre
As three faculty members remain under investigation for sexual misconduct, the University of Manitoba Students’ Union is pushing the university to fund a permanent sexual violence support and prevention centre, reports the Winnipeg Free Press. "Ideally this would be something we see as a hub for training, for students and for staff and faculty," said UMSU VP Sarah Bonner. According to the Free Press, UManitoba’s Counselling Centre has enlisted a Klinic Community Health counsellor to visit the university once a week. The university is conducting five separate investigations that involve allegations of sexual assault, sexual harassment, personal harassment, and breaches of human rights. Winnipeg Free Press
UAlberta partners with cannabis grower to research fibre waste
Atlas Growers, an Edmonton-based cannabis company, has partnered with the University of Alberta to research the potential uses of cannabis waste, reports CBC. Jim Hole, VP of Cultivation for Atlas Growers, told CBC that cannabis cultivators only use the plant’s buds. The research project will look at the "harvesting of the whole plant and using pretty much everything except for the roots," he added. CBC states that the company will have accumulated enough fibre waste to begin research in early 2019. According to Hole, hemp’s versatility suggests that the waste will have myriad uses. CBC
