Top Ten
January 22, 2019
BC Colleges partners with Vietnamese institutions
British Columbia Colleges has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Vietnam Association of Community Colleges. According to a release from the BC Council for International Education, the three-year MOU will help facilitate the cultural, academic, and business exchange of educational institutions and foster bi-lateral student and teacher mobility programs. “Our colleges are delighted to enter into a bi-lateral partnership with the extensive system of Community Colleges in Vietnam, represented by the Vietnam Association of Community Colleges (VACC). The agreement will benefit all parties through greater understanding, collaboration and exchange between our institutions,” said Chair of BC Colleges and North Island College President John Bowman. BCCIE (BC)
Students of Lakeland, AU may enrol in both school as part of new expansion in degree options
Alberta's Lakeland College and Athabasca University have expanded their existing partnership to offer 12 additional joint degree options. According to a Lakeland release, applicants may enrol as both Lakeland and AU students at the start of their chosen degree programs. “Our mission is to remove barriers that restrict access to and success in university-level education,” stated Matthew Prineas, AU Provost and VP Academic. “Partnerships like this are crucial for community leaders who want to build their community without having to leave it and for the learners who want the ability to personalize and optimize their chosen educational pathway.” Lakeland| AU (AB)
Concordia launches public research and innovation hub
Concordia University has launched 4TH SPACE, an interdisciplinary research and innovation hub that brings together researchers, students, and the public. “4TH SPACE takes Concordia’s reputation as one of Canada’s most open and connected universities a big step further,” said Concordia President Alan Shepard. “Agile and responsive, it expands the blueprint of what a university can be and represents what knowledge creation and outreach will look like in the future. ”A Concordia release states that the hub will feature art installations, rotating residencies, special events, idea labs, lectures, performances, consultations, hack-a-thons, conferences, and more. Concordia (QC)
Holland College revamps and reintroduces Golf Management, Photography programs
CBC reports that Holland College will reintroduce its Golf Management and Photography and Digital imaging programs in Fall 2019. Both programs will consist of a one-year certificate—formerly, both were offered for two years—and allow graduates to move into other programs. “We reached a position where we are able to revisit both of those programs and offer both this coming fall,” said Holland VP of Academic and Applied Research Natalie Mitton. Mitton added that the Golf Management program will focus on running facilities, groundskeeping, and operating pro shops, while the Photography program will focus on foundational skills as well as editing. Holland College suspended both programs in 2018. CBC (PEI)
Tips for dealing with career uncertainty
“The thing about career uncertainty is that it actually exists no matter what choice you make,” writes Joseph Barber. “And while that may sound a little scary, if we flip the narrative around, it means that there aren’t really any wrong choices.” After providing several tips for recent graduates entering the job market, the author adds that people will make different choices throughout their careers—some will be strategic moves to meet a career goals. Others might be based on meeting an immediate financial need, while still others might be focused on personal or family well-being. As long as those choices are made thoughtfully, Barber concludes, they can act as leverage for future career moves. Inside Higher Ed (International)
UQAM refreshes graduate bursaries, introduces universal doctoral support scholarship
University du Québec à Montréal has announced that it has reshaped its graduate bursary system and launched a new universal doctoral support scholarship for UQAM students. A UQAM release states that the university will infuse an additional $1M annually starting in the 2019-20 school year, plus an additional $1.5M starting in 2020-21. No application will be required for students to receive the award, with the exception of those who began their studies before September 1, 2018, as the university will check their eligibility on a quarterly basis. UQAM adds that it will also implement a new Master’s scholarship program in Fall 2019. UQAM (QC)
Students dissatisfied with U of T's handling of sexual violence: Report
A report by Silence is Violence, a campus advocacy group, has found that victims of sexual violence at the University of Toronto say they are still struggling to get adequate help from the institution, reports CBC. Although Ontario’s provincial government mandated that all post-secondary institutions implement prevention policies in 2017, SiV’s report says that U of T’s on-the-ground services are lacking. Angela Treglia, Director of U of T’s Sexual Violence Prevention & Support Centre, said that many students do not yet know about the service because it is relatively new. The Centre is currently working on awareness initiatives that include workshops on campus and campaigns around consent, Treglia added. CBC (ON)
Western invests in expanded mental health supports
Western University will invest $800K to expand on-campus mental-health supports. According to a Western release, the initiative consists of $400K from students, which the university offered to match through its base-budget, pending student buy-in. “Students have been asking for more investment in student support for some time,” said Jennie Massey, Associate VP of Student Experience. “All of us are committed to being part of the solution to student wellbeing.” Western adds that the money will support improvements such as faster access to mental health services, expanded sexual- and gender-based violence prevention programming, and a doubling of case-management capacity. Western (ON)
UCalgary law school to pre-admit U of King’s College students through partnership
Canadian Lawyer reports that the University of Calgary’s Faculty of Law will pre-admit students who complete the Foundation Year Program at the University of King’s College in Halifax, an intensive course of study that focuses on classic texts by Homer, Dante, and Shakespeare. “The thing that the Foundation Year Program does for students and the students that it attracts, is precisely to build in them a confidence in their ability to read, understand, digest, analyze and make arguments about difficult material that you actually are having to master in a fairly fast-moving world,” said FYP Director Neil Robertson. Canadian Lawyer adds that FYP students will be admitted to UCalgary depending on their LSAT scores, extracurriculars, and GPA. Canadian Lawyer (NS | AB)
Ryerson partners with MLSE on incubator for sports technology startups
Ryerson University and Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment are jointly sponsoring several sports technology startups, reports the Canadian Press. The Future of Sport Lab Incubator will provide qualifying start-ups with four months of guidance, access to resources at the university, and potential opportunities with MLSE teams and venues. “We are going to help them expand out into the larger, global, North American sports and entertainment ecosystem,” said Humza Teherany, MLSE’s Chief Technology and Digital Officer. “We have relationships with all the other teams and all the other leagues, all the way into e-sports so we want to help those Canadian entrepreneurs grow and feed some of that talent here in Toronto.” Windsor Star(CP)
