September 17, 2020
Thompson Rivers University has opened its Chappell Family Building for Nursing and Population Health facility. This facility is equipped with state-of-the-art computerized mannequins and four realistic simulation labs designed to reflect real-life health-care settings. This facility will prepare students for a wide range of working conditions after they have completed the program. “By investing in advanced health care technology and education, we are equipping the next generation of health professionals with the skills needed to provide British Columbians with the highest standard of health care services,” said BC Minister of Advanced Education, Skills and Training Melanie Mark.
TRU (BC)
Université Laval and Fairmont Le Château Frontenac have announced a partnership that is aimed at promoting sustainable development. Through the agreement, Fairmont Le Château Frontenac will become the first historical hotel in Canada to become a carbon neutral hotel. The agreement will also allow for the continuation of tree planting in Laval’s teaching and research forest, enhance training and research around climate change, create a master’s scholarship at the university, and support innovative projects that promote sustainable development.
Laval (QC)
Simon Fraser University’s Pivot 2020 program will receive up to $11.6M from the Government of Canada to enable youth to access training and employment opportunities. Pivot 2020, led collaboratively by the Morris J Wosk Centre for Dialogue and other organizations, is a research program that focuses on understanding the needs and vision of local youth. It will also provide training and employment to more than 1,400 youth who are facing barriers to employment in 27 cities across Canada. “We heard loud and clear from young Canadians that they wanted jobs this summer,” said Carla Qualtrough, Canada’s Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion. “They didn’t want the pandemic to prevent them from kickstarting their careers and gaining valuable experience while earning money.”
Canada (English) |
Canada (French) |
Business In Vancouver (BC)
Guy Chamberland, Mery Martínez Garcia, and Jason Lepjarvi, faculty members at Laurentian University and Thorneloe University, have written an open letter warning against “cancel culture” in academia. The call follows Laurentian Professor David LesBarrères’ decision to step down from his position as dean of graduate studies after he used the #AllLivesMatter hashtag in a tweet without understanding the cultural context of the hashtag, and endorses a student-led petition for his reinstatement. “When there is genuine racism on campuses and communities that we proactively could and should be combatting together,” write the authors, “to go after innocent scapegoats like this comes across as a diversion, a mockery of justice, and is painfully divisive.”
Sudbury Star (Editorial) |
CBC (ON)
The University of Manitoba’s Mario Tenuta has been named the new Industrial Research Chair in 4R Nutrient Stewardship for the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. This new chair’s combined funding of $2.93M over five years will enable Tenuta to continue his 4R nutrient research, which is focused on “Right fertilizer at the Right rate, at the Right time and in the Right place.” UManitoba says that this research will help to boost sustainability and lower greenhouse gas emissions. “This is truly a first of its kind initiative and we believe that Fertilizer Canada’s strengthened collaboration with Dr. Tenuta and our partners will significantly enhance efforts on the science-based knowledge of 4R Nutrient Stewardship, on the field and in our advocacy efforts moving forward,” said Garth Whyte, President and CEO at Fertilizer Canada.
UManitoba (MB)
St Lawrence College has received funding from the provincial government to support training in the skilled trades, advanced manufacturing, and logistics sectors. Part of the $774K will go towards mobile learning labs that will provide technology-enabled experiential learning opportunities in the skilled trades. Participants will also learn independent living skills through a Personal Wellness Lab. The rest of the funds will be used toward the launch of 12 micro-credentials in fields such as inventory and fleet optimization, supply chain software, cloud computing, and cyber security. “The college plays a key role in educating, training and supporting career transition,” said SLC President Glenn Vollebregt. “This funding will allow us to pursue important initiatives that will reach an even wider pool of students which will in turn benefit our communities, and the local economy.”
SLC (ON)
The Business + Higher Education Roundtable (BHER) is launching the
Canada Comeback Challenge, a completely online national competition that will create work-integrated learning (WIL) opportunities for postsecondary students and recent graduates across Canada. This competition will allow students to collaborate with other participants from across the country to solve challenges faced by the public, private, and not-for-profit sectors and receive mentorship and advice from experienced professionals. BHER says that this competition has the potential to create 10,000 WIL experiences for students who have lost work placements due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
BHER (1) |
BHER (2) (National)
Sheridan College and the Schlegel-UW Research Institute for Aging have announced a five-year extension of their partnership. This partnership supports work on the arts and aging, and the extension will allow Sheridan Professor and Schlegal Innovation Leader in Arts and Aging Kate Dubuis to continue her research on how participation in the arts can improve quality of life for older adults and their caregivers. “RIA is home to many world-class leaders in aging research and we are happy to support the innovative work being done by Dr. Dupuis,” said RIA Executive Director Josie d’Avernas. “Her research highlights the value of artistic expression as we age, and the role of the arts in connecting generations. We look forward to five more years of collaboration.”
Sheridan (ON)
Burnout poses an especially urgent threat to academics during COVID-19, writes Colleen Flaherty. The author says that academic life often includes burnout, but that the normal causes of burnout are now exacerbated by the challenges posed by COVID-19. The article notes that academics are often balancing childcare and duties at home with learning new technologies, meeting publication expectations, and preparing classes in multiple formats. Flaherty gives tips on how to avoid or manage burnout, and emphasizes the importance of institutions supporting their instructors. “If you’re running an organization that burns people to the ground, then I don’t think you can anticipate that your outcomes are going to be met,” said higher ed commentator Kevin McClure.
Inside Higher Ed (International)
The University of St Michael’s College will be offering two new courses designed to take on issues pertaining to evil and the Catholic Church.
Theology of Radical Evil and Suffering looks at the experience and testimony of Jewish, African American and Indigenous individuals and communities, and examines a range of literature including that of Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel and Indigenous author Thomas King.
(Sexual) Abuse and the Catholic Church examines data about sexual abuse, systemic issues around sexual abuse, and what the church should actually be, while starting each class with survivor testimonies. “We are talking about Church in a responsible, methodological way,” says Associate Professor Michael Attridge.
St Mike’s (ON)
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