September 14, 2020
Carleton University and the First Nation of Na-Cho Nyak Dun (NND) have signed a seven-year MOU that will see the two parties collaborate on Indigenous and Northern studies, postsecondary education, research, and access for learners. NND will lead the choice of areas of research and researchers, involve local people, and be a repository for the research results. The partnership will draw on both traditional Indigenous knowledge and non-Indigenous knowledge to inform and enrich research and teaching. “Today, we celebrate a partnership that will promote the advancement of higher education, research, and training in ways that are beneficial to us, our students and the university,” said NND Chief Simon Mervyn. “Together, we will build educational and training opportunities that reflect our culture, language and knowledge.”
Carleton (ON)
Concordia University’s John Molson School of Business is now home to the Jonathan Wener Centre for Real Estate. The centre is aimed at training the next generation of real estate professionals, driving innovation through knowledge creation, and providing members of the real estate industry with the training and tools required for a changing market. Concordia President Graham Carr noted that the centre will “add great momentum for Concordia because of its uniqueness and because of its relevance.” The creation of the centre was funded by Concordia Chancellor Jonathan Wener. “We are grateful that our chancellor made his transformative gift to allow generations of students to make a dynamic contribution to Canadian society, to Canadian business and to the world in which we live,” continued Carr.
Concordia (QC)
The University of Windsor’s Ron W Ianni Faculty of Law building has received a $3M gift from the Don Rodzik Foundation in support of the Transforming Windsor Law building project. The project, which will begin in January 2021, will see the current building developed to provide better spaces for teaching, learning, and collaboration. It will also be updated to better serve the accessibility needs of the population. The gift will go towards the new Don Rodzik Moot Court, the Don & Gail Rodzik Law Library, and the Don Rodzik Family chair in Law and Entrepreneurship.
UWindsor (ON)
The Université Sainte-Anne has expelled a student who failed to comply with public health instructions, as well as the university’s COVID-19 Code of Conduct and Student Code of Conduct. The university’s disciplinary committee met to determine if the student’s actions were considered unacceptable behaviour. The committee found that the student had not complied with the conditions for self-isolation and violated the code of conduct for students, which forbids creating situations that could endanger the health or safety of others.
USainte-Anne (NS)
Changing the way office hours work can help students to benefit more from office hours, says Andrea Eidinger. In this article, Eidinger says that students are not fully benefitting from office hours because they might not “understand what office hours are and why they are important,” and suggests two changes to help students maximize office hours. First, office hours should be reframed or rebranded so that students are aware of how speaking to instructors one-on-one can answer their questions and help them solve their problems. Second, instructors need to ensure that office hours are flexible enough that students can attend them, which may mean that office hours change form or are held online.
University Affairs (National)
The University of Ottawa has joined the conversation around
the University of Alberta’s Campus Saint-Jean, issuing a statement of solidarity about the campus. Paula Simons, an independent senator from Alberta, says that UOttawa is “now seriously considering adopting Campus Saint-Jean as its satellite campus in Alberta.” While enrollment has almost doubled in the last 20 years, the Saint-Jean campus has not had proper upkeep, and now needs around $20M in renovations. Reflecting on a past relationship between the two institutions, Simons speculates that UOttawa may turn the campus into an Alberta-based satellite campus. Edmonton Journal | UOttawa (AB | ON)
Strengthening Connections (SC), an Indigenous postsecondary recruitment initiative in British Columbia, has made the shift to online for the Fall Semester. The initiative typically involves in-person visits from SC members to high schools and Indigenous communities to increase awareness of employment and postsecondary opportunities. “Indigenous community members will be able to connect directly with our recruiters through virtual chat sessions, and download any information they need on a specific institution to better inform them on their opportunities,” explained Jewell Gillies, SC’s Executive Board Chair. This year’s main event will be a virtual recruitment tour and career fair featuring 24 institutions and employers.
Okanagan (BC)
Fanshawe is launching a new Window and Door Installer training program with funding from the Ontario Ministry of Labour, Training and Skill Development’s Skills Catalyst Fund. This 150-hour program will provide participants with industry knowledge through online and face-to-face training. It aims to help vulnerable people and underrepresented groups access industry training that will enable them to find gainful employment. “We are very proud of how the program consortium has collaborated to develop industry specific curriculum and experiential training opportunities, providing an exceptional program to our community, while pivoting to adapt to the changes of COVID-19,” said Fanshawe Corporate Training Solutions Project Lead Christine Spicer.
Fanshawe (ON)
New Brunswick Community College and Cape Breton University have signed agreements that will provide college graduates with new degree pathways. Through the pathway, eligible graduates of select programs at NBCC – Criminal Justice: Corrections, Criminal Justice: Police Foundations, Child and Youth Care Worker, and Early Childhood Education – will be able to transfer their credits to CBU’s Bachelor of Arts Community Studies programs. CBU President David Dingwall and NBCC President Mary Butler stated that the pathways will provide new opportunities for both the students and the institutions.
NBCC (NB | NS)
Algonquin College has announced that it is the first Canadian institution to give its students access to the ALIBI Music Library music and sound effects platform through a special educational license. The ALIBI platform, which contains over 200,000 professionally created audio files, will give Algonquin students the opportunity to use professional resources in their projects. “The use of this extensive library will only better prepare students to thrive in the screen-based industries,” said Robyn Heaton, Algonquin’s Dean of the School of Media and Design.
Algonquin |
Creative Planet Network (ON)
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