Top Ten
February 5, 2019
Brock’s Goodman School of Business makes statement with $24M transformation
Brock University has moved to seize a place at the forefront of Canada’s business school market with a $24M transformation of its Goodman School of Business. “Our new building gives the School not only a world-class teaching and research facility, but it also becomes a hub for Goodman’s interaction with the community around us,” said Goodman Dean Andrew Gaudes. A Brock release notes that community engagement plays a key role in the business school’s mandate, enabling students to get hands-on training through experiential learning opportunities, including co-op education. The building also features six new and nine refreshed classrooms, a new Bloomberg financial research lab, graduate student study space, faculty research space, new offices and a two-storey atrium. Brock (ON)
Acadia launches African Heritage Month with creation of first Black Student Advisor position
“The time has come for us to make a deliberate investment in the success of our students of African descent,” said Acadia University President Peter Ricketts last week as he announced the addition of the school’s first Black Student Advisor to its student services team. Ricketts added that the role grew out of conversations between the school’s administration and its Black Students’ Association. An Acadia release notes that the advisor’s responsibilities will include leading the school’s Black Students Working Group to identify specific challenges faced by students of African descent on campus, create information portals they can easily access, and build academic career-path plans for success, among others. Acadia (NS)
40% of Ontario students relied on canceled tuition waiver: CBC
CBC has learned that the previous Ontario government issued non-repayable tuition grants to more than 234,000 postsecondary students in 2017 and 2018, 40% of the province’s total student population. According to CBC, Ontario colleges—which tend to enrol more mature students looking to upgrade their skills—tended to have more students who qualified for the waiver than did universities. College administrators told CBC that it is too early to predict what sort of impact the province’snew tuition system—which consists of a 10% tuition cut—will have on their student populations. Ontario’s current government says it axed the free tuition program because it cost the province $1.4B in its first year. CBC (ON)
Canada's smallest university to offer debt-free degrees
The New Brunswick-based St Stephen University has announced that it will pay off the living expenses and loans for students who meet its academic criteria. CBC reports that the private institution requires students to pay its $18K annual tuition up front, with an option to apply to have these loans and expenses reimbursed six months after graduation. “We are very committed to working with our graduates to adapt the program so that they end up with minimal debt,” said St Stephen Interim President Jeremy Barham. The new debt-free program will reportedly be funded by a private donor. According to CBC, SSU bills itself as the smallest university in Canada, with an annual intake of 30 students from around the world. CBC (NB)
Concordia Student Union opens daycare
CBC reports that Concordia University's student union has opened a daycare for students with children. The facility accommodates 52 preschoolers, with space for 10 babies. “Quite a few parents tell me that they were getting ready to abandon their studies or delay them,” said Angela Meo, the daycare’s Manager. CBC adds that the daycare is not yet part of Quebec’s network of early childhood education centres, but that it is working on earning accreditation. Organizers told CBC that they will consider opening an additional daycare at Concordia’s Loyola campus if they see sufficient demand. CBC (QC)
St Paul's to launch Indigenous entrepreneurship program
St Paul’s University College at the University of Waterloo plans to introduce a Bachelor of Indigenous Entrepreneurship program that the school reports is the first of its kind in Canada. Lori Campbell, Director of St Paul’s Indigenous Student Centre, told CBC that the program aims to teach Indigenous and non-Indigenous students business management skills from an Indigenous perspective. It will also focus on breaking down the misconception that Indigenous people have little experience in business. CBC adds that the program is being assembled by an advisory group made up of the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business (CCAB), as well as Indigenous and non-Indigenous businesses and stakeholders from across the county. CBC (ON)
UBCO plans modular building for Engineering student boom
UBC Okanagan will erect a modular building to accommodate an ongoing influx of Engineering students, reports the Vancouver Sun. “We are a very unique faculty,” said Rehan Sadiq, Associate Dean for UBCO’s School of Engineering. “In 2005, when this campus became UBC, the School of Engineering was one of the new programs. At that stage we only had 67 students. In the last 14 years our growth has been exponential because of the huge engineering demand in the province.” The Sun states that the faculty now houses over 1,700 undergraduate and graduate students, and that a larger, permanent facility is in the works. Vancouver Sun (BC)
St Clair breaks ground on sports park
St Clair College has started construction on its long-anticipated sports park. Laura Walker, President of the college’s Student Athletic Association, told the Windsor Starthat students have been asking for upgraded recreational facilities for the last decade, and that they recently approved a fee protocol that will contribute $13M to the project. Additionally, the Student Athletic Association will chip in $1M, with the remaining funds coming from private donors. The Windsor Star reports that the $21.5M facility will feature a soccer stadium with seating capacity for 1,500 spectators, press box, and jumbotron; an outdoor sand volleyball complex; ladies softball diamond with capacity for 400 spectators; and indoor tennis courts. Windsor Star (ON)
Partnership with Niagara provides MBA pathway for Conestoga students
Conestoga College has signed a pathway agreement that will enable students in Conestoga’s Bachelor of Business Administration - Accounting, Audit and Information Technology (Honours) and Bachelor of Business Administration - International Business Management (Honours) programs to pursue an MBA at Niagara University. “The students from Conestoga's School of Business are well-prepared for the rigors of our master of business administration degree program,” said Niagara Provost Timothy Ireland. “We are happy to facilitate their matriculation into Niagara University's AACSB-accredited College of Business Administration programs.” A release adds that the agreement will also allow eligible Conestoga faculty and staff to complete a PhD in Leadership and Policy at Niagara. Conestoga (ON)
McMurtrie: What big data can reveal about pedagogy
Beth McMurtrie investigates how researchers at several US universities and colleges are using big data analytics to produce new insights into teaching and learning. According to advocates of this approach, interventions begin with showing instructors the potential of big data in the context of classroom learning. One Vice-Provost told McMurtrie that analytics can shed new light on how and why students switch majors, or how grades can influence their undergraduate careers. The article goes on to explore an array of big data approaches to interpret student behaviour, the efficacy of prerequisites, and flipped classrooms. Chronicle(Subscription required) (International)
