Top Ten
October 15, 2019
Law society at UNB petitions university to remove Ludlow name from building
The University of New Brunswick’s Law Students’ Society has passed a resolution asking the institution to remove the name of a historical figure who is alleged to have had ties with slavery and settler colonial policies from UNB’s faculty of law building. Located on the Fredericton campus, Ludlow Hall is named after George Duncan Ludlow, the province’s first chief justice who also supported slavery and a precursor for the residential school system for Indigenous children. In an email statement to CBC News, UNB president and vice-chancellor Paul Mazerolle confirmed the university has received the society's request. CBC (NB)
NS releases new postsecondary guidelines for sexual violence response, prevention
The Nova Scotia government has released new sexual violence response and prevention guidelines for postsecondary institutions. The document aims to ensure that all NS universities and Nova Scotia Community College maintain current sexual violence policies that are survivor-centric in order to ensure that students can work and learn in environments that are free from sexual violence. “Nova Scotia’s universities are working together and with students and community partners, to ensure that our approaches are trauma-informed and survivor-centric,” said Provincial Sexual Violence Prevention Committee co-chair Paula Barry. NS (NS)
PhD students should avoid betting their professional future “on the fickle academic job market”: Report
“PhD students must take their own initiative to prepare for diverse career outcomes,” write Jonathan Malloy and Loleen Berdahi. Although universities are aware that the amount of annual PhD graduates exceeds the amount of tenure-track academic positions, the authors argue that universities have been slow to respond to this trend due to institutional decentralization and a lack of incentives to close admissions. The authors propose that students prepare for diverse career opportunities by informing themselves about the reality of the academic job market, resisting an ‘academia first’ culture, and pursuing professional development opportunities, especially those in non-academic fields. The Conversation (National)
UWindsor launches non-animal biomedical research lab
The University of Windsor has launched the new Canadian Centre for Alternatives to Animal Methods (CCAAM), a lab committed to develop and promoting non-animal, human biology-based platforms in biomedical research. Established with a $1M donation from Eric S. Margolis Family Foundation, the centre’s main research and training lab will study human biology in health and disease using human cell and tissue-based models. Executive Director of CCAAM Charu Chandrasekera told the Windsor Star that there is a global shift away from animal testing and Canada lags behind in that movement. “We need to join 21st century science and use human-based biology methods,” said Chandrasekera. UWindsor | Windsor Star (ON)
How do higher ed institutions deal with the enrolment crisis?: Opinion
For some time now, higher education in the US has been experiencing an enrolment crisis. To better understand what institutions might need to do to stay afloat, the Chronicle of Higher Education reached out to five American leaders in the field of enrolment. They received five related but distinct answers. One respondent argued that institutions need to be less self-interested and take innovative risks in the name of society at large, while another suggested that postsecondary institutions be prepared to radically reimagine their business models. Another noted that institutions need to be more attentive to the middle-class student, while one highlighted the importance of recognizing that most families understand postsecondary education as a transaction, not a transformation. Chronicle (International)
Michener opens new UHN Institute, focus on healthcare education
The Michener Institute of Applied Health Sciences has launched The Institute for Education Research (TIER) in order to advance healthcare education. The seventh institute at University Health Network, TIER aims to further the health sciences professions through education research that emphasizes quality education and care. TIER also seeks to bridge the gap between education, research, and practice by fostering opportunities for experts to collaborate. “Achieving our vision of leading the world in transforming health care education through experimentation, creativity and curiosity will take time and an unwavering commitment - a commitment the Co-Directors are prepared and eager to make,” said Michener Senior Director of Learning, Innovation, and Research Ann Russell. Michener (ON)
Cambrian to offer five new programs to meet local community needs
Cambrian College has announced that it will be offering five new programs in the health sciences, occupational therapy, computer science, and business to meet community needs. The five programs, which will begin in the fall of 2020, include diploma programs in massage therapy, occupational therapist assistant and physiotherapist assistant, and computer programming; and graduate certificates in addictions/mental health and supply chain management. “They [the programs] allow people with prior post-secondary experience to come back to college,” said Cambrian VP of Academics Paula Gouveia. “We’ll combine the theory-focused education they received before with practical hands-on experience and a placement in industry they can use to transform into careers.” Sudbury Star (ON)
TRU launches $50M fundraising campaign for student support, innovation, community collaboration
Thompson Rivers University has launched its largest fundraising campaign, aiming to raise $50M by December 2020. Called Limitless, $41M has already been raised through the campaign’s “quiet phase.” Limitless consists of four pillars: student support, future innovation, capacity building, and community collaboration. “The power of education to change lives is limitless,” said TRU President Brett Fairbairn. “Education empowers our students on their way to greater futures, opens new worlds through research and builds better communities.” TRU (BC)
MPHEC release persistence, graduation rates for students at Maritime universities
The Maritime Provinces Higher Education Commission has released the persistence and graduation rates for over 150,000 students who started their postsecondary studies directly after high school at a Maritime university between 2001 and 2016. The study examined the rates of 16 cohorts by gender, field of study, and origin province; and found that persistence after one year was slightly higher for the 2016 cohort than the 2001 cohort, while both sported similar two-year persistence rates. Graduation rates also tended to be similar or slightly higher for the more recent cohorts. MPHEC (Maritimes)
No, you don’t get free tuition if you’re hit by campus transit: Palmer
A persistent myth circulating on North American campuses is that students who are struck by campus transit vehicles will be awarded free tuition for their troubles, writes Kathryn Palmer. The rumour was put to the test when a University of Illinois student was recently struck by a bus on campus, but did not receive free tuition after asking for it. Despite the falsity behind such tales, Folklorist Elizabeth Tucker states that there is often a “kernel of truth” behind campus myths: “colleges and universities truly do care about the well-being of their students. So if something difficult or tragic happens, then certainly university administrators would do the very best they can to help students feel better.” Chronicle (Subscription required) (International)
