June 22, 2021
The Government of Quebec has announced that over the next 10 years it will be freezing enrolment in Anglophone cégeps while expanding capacity in Francophone cégeps. Space in French-language cégeps will expand by almost 22,000 over the next decade, while enrolment at English-language cégeps will remain at the 2019 level and be tied to the growth of the Anglophone population. The decision was reportedly made in response to Francophone institutions requesting more space. “Our francophone establishments are in great need of space to offer diversified training and respond adequately to the needs of Quebec students,” said QC Higher Education Minister Danielle McCann. “[T]his announcement is just the first step in a process that will greatly increase the accessibility and attractiveness of our establishments.”
Montreal Gazette |
Journal de Montréal (QC)
MacEwan University’s new digital learning environment has been gifted a new name: paskwâwi-mostos mêskanâs, which means “plains Cree buffalo trails” in Cree. The name was chosen through a process that involved input from Information Technology, faculty members, library staff, the kihêw waciston Indigenous Centre, and the president of MacEwan’s Indigenous Students Club. The name is intended to welcome students and support a more inclusive educational experience for Indigenous students, while also recognizing the way roaming buffalo left trails that others could use as guidance. “Like the buffalo, our pursuit for knowledge can lead us down many paths, each path rich with information,” said MacEwan's Knowledge Keeper Roxanne Tootoosis. “This new system will act as our lead and protection like the buffalo, guiding us through new pathways of knowledge.”
MacEwan (AB)
Concordia University’s Board of Governors has approved the creation of a new Concordia School of Health. The school will house six transdisciplinary clusters (Biomedical Fundamentals, Preventive Health, Health and Technology, Health Policy and Governance, Health and Wellbeing, and Health Interventions) under three hubs: the Community Health Hub, the Clinical Research and Prevention Hub, and the Biomedical Science and Engineering Research Hub. “The School of Health is an opportunity to make a profound and distinctive contribution in addressing important needs of society,” said Concordia President Graham Carr. “This proposal lays the groundwork that will allow us to define and deliver an exciting new mission for health at Concordia.”
Concordia |
Montreal Gazette (QC)
Brock University has announced that it will be trialing a Work-From-Home Guideline in order to support a flexible work environment. The guidelines were created through feedback from focus group sessions and a survey. The program will be introduced for one-year, and Brock will evaluate the program’s effectiveness with the goal of establishing a more permanent flexible work policy and program. “[T]he past 15 months of remote work for many faculty and staff have allowed the University to consider how these sorts of work environments may factor into the future design of work at Brock and how they may be used to generate higher job satisfaction, create better access, improve productivity and aid recruitment and retention efforts,” reads the release.
Brock (ON)
Postsecondary institutions in Manitoba are not ready to return to in-person classes in September, and instead plan to operate via blended models. CBC says postsecondary institutions understand that students need to know what to expect in the fall semester, and that there are too many unknowns to plan for fully in-person classes. Additionally, social distancing could still be required in the Fall semester, which reduces the amount of students allowed on campus. The University College of the North and University of Winnipeg have planned for 42% in-person courses, while Université de Saint-Boniface has planned for 35% of its students to be on campus. The University of Manitoba and Brandon University have set caps of 20 and 25 respectively on the number of students in class.
CBC (MB)
Royal Roads University and Memorial University have launched new graduate programs. Royal Roads’ Master of Arts in Climate Action Leadership (MACAL) program will train students to take leadership roles and make change in social, political, environmental, and economic areas. Students in the program will learn about topics such as climate science, climate adaptation and resilience, systems thinking, and climate communication. MUN’s Faculty of Education has launched an online, flexibly delivered Master of Education (reading development and instruction) program. The program will prepare students to work with diverse learners and will include an experiential learning component to provide student with hands-on learning.
MUN |
Royal Roads (NL | BC)
Six Canadian postsecondary institutions have struck partnerships or agreements with organizations, resulting in new fellowships and scholarships. Saint Mary’s University has partnered with Tribe Network to support BIPOC youth in Nova Scotia. Through the Brilliant Creators Fellowship, 15 participants will participate in workshops, events, projects, and experiential learning opportunities; with graduates receiving a $12K scholarship toward their studies at SMU. Brescia University College and Indspire have partnered to provide Indigenous students with access to more scholarships, bursaries, and awards. Centennial College and Hyundai Auto Canada have announced scholarships and employment opportunities for Black students in order to foster diversity and equity in the automotive sector. The BC Oil and Gas Commission has provided a combined $140K to Northern Lights College, Vancouver Island University, and the University of Northern British Columbia to create endowment funds and to support the institutions’ Indigenous initiatives and education offices.
SMU |
Brescia UC |
Centennial |
NationTalk (BC) (National)
Regis College and the University of St Michael’s College will be developing a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) that will guide their federation. The Steering Committee will be working with a legal team on the MoA, which they aim to have ready for examination and approval by September or October 2021. The proposal will be created with a focus on forging a world-class centre of Catholic theological study, consulting stakeholders, cultivating a positive relationship with the Archdiocese, and orienting Regis and St Mike’s leadership toward a deepening union.
St Mike’s (ON)
Brandon University has launched the “Every Shot is a Winning Shot” campaign, which will offer over $10K in prizes to students and staff who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Students can win prizes such as $5K towards tuition or other fees, campus gift cards, and BrandonU gear, while faculty and staff can win prizes such as Bobcats season tickets or a year’s parking pass. Prizes will be drawn all summer to encourage the community to get vaccinated as soon as possible. “Science has done the incredible work of creating safe and effective vaccines, and now it’s up to all of us to roll up our sleeves and put the vaccines to work against Covid,” said BrandonU President David Docherty.
Brandon Sun |
BrandonU (MB)
The Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK) has partnered with NSERC on implementing the National Inuit Strategy on Research. The partnership will see ITK and NSERC working together to “promote equitable research outcomes for Inuit in Canada, improve Inuit governance in research and support Inuit research training and capacity” through a work plan that will be co-developed. “The National Inuit Strategy on Research is a priority area and the foundation for a strong relationship between Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami and with the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council,” said ITK President Natan Obed. “Together, we are committed to changing the research paradigm in Inuit Nunangat through advancement of a shared vision and roadmap to action.”
NSERC (National)
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