September 3, 2021
Concordia University Psychology Associate Professor Dr Nadia Chaudhri has pledged to “Shuffle” down the hallway of the palliative care unit at McGill University Health Centre every day in order to raise money for students who face systemic barriers. Chaudhri, who has publicly shared her journey with metastatic ovarian cancer since her diagnosis in 2020, created the Nadia Chaudhri Wingspan Award to support students grappling with the systemic barriers that she faced during her career. “Despite all the challenges of her diagnosis and treatment, Nadia has continued to be an inspiration to so many,” said Psychology Professor Krista Byers-Heinlein, who co-launched PsycHacks with Chaudri. The fundraiser met its original goal and has since raised its goal to $300K.
Montréal Gazette |
Concordia |
Global News |
Concordia (Fundraiser) (QC)
The Government of Ontario has announced that postsecondary capacity and distancing requirements in indoor classrooms will be lifted. ON will be amending current legislation which caps capacity at 50% or 1,000 students on September 7th. No changes will be made to the requirements for outdoor instructional spaces. Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA) has expressed concern over the move, saying that lifting capacity and distancing requirements will create riskier circumstances for students and instructors. “As cases of the Delta variant continue to rise, mandating vaccination policies is only one of many safeguards needed to ensure a safer return to campus,” OCUFA said in a statement.
The Star |
CBC (ON)
Co-operative Education and Work-Integrated Learning (CEWIL) Canada has released new resources that will help employers and community partners to better support and work with the university and college students that complete placements with them. The resources, which were created in partnership with Magnet, describe nine forms of work-integrated learning opportunities that CEWIL recognizes. They are written to clarify expectations, articulate deliverables, frame timelines for opportunities, and provide examples and best practices. “These resources are meant to act as a starting point — an internal brainstorming session — of what can be possible through student talent,” said Dan Lonergan, CEWIL’s Associate Director of Partnerships. “They are tools to begin the conversation internally, and then reach out to institutions to ask about opportunities and possibilities.”
CEWIL (National)
Times Higher Education has released its World University Rankings 2022. The University of Oxford, California Institute of Technology, and Harvard University were the top three in the world. In Canada, three universities ranked among the top fifty: The University of Toronto (18), University of British Columbia (37), and McGill University (44).
Times Higher Education reports that there has been an increase in the rankings of some institutions in mainland China, as well as one in Taiwan and one in Hong Kong due to a rise in citation impact score that was influenced by medical papers relating to COVID-19. This is reportedly the first evidence that research related to COVID-19 is having an impact on rankings.
Times Higher Education |
Times Higher Education (Rankings) (Editorial)
The Government of Northwest Territories has launched an Achievement in Business Competencies (Blue Seal) Program. NWT residents who hold a Journeyperson Certificate or a recognized trade certificate and would like to develop their business skills can apply for the program. The program includes 150 hours of business education, and students can choose from 18 approved business subject areas. “The launch of the Blue Seal Program will increase opportunities for Northwest Territories residents to advance in their careers in the trades,” said RJ Simpson, NWT Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. “This certification will recognize the professionalism and transferable business skills of our tradespeople.”
NWT (NWT)
York University’s School of Continuing Studies has announced the launch of a Certificate in Product Management. Through part-time courses and an experiential capstone experience, the program will teach professionals knowledge and skills that will prepare them for careers in product management. “The [certificate] has been meticulously designed by product leaders from the industry to enable learners with the right tools, frameworks and knowledge to effectively launch, manage and scale products in this marketplace,” said Adarsha Datta, program advisory council member. The certificate program is reportedly the first in its field to be offered in Canada.
News Wire (ON)
Université Sainte-Anne has announced the establishment of a research office, called the Bureau de la research. The creation of the Bureau was a key objective in USainte-Anne's Strategic Research Plan. The office has been set up to provide structured research services, and will support funding applications, the development of research partnerships, and various outreach initiatives. Vice-recteur à l'enseignement et à la recherche Valérie Lalande will work with university researchers, governments, community organizations, and industry to offer support for research activities at the Bureau de la research.
USainte-Anne (NS)
University of British Columbia professor Bernie Garrett, who has recently published a book on health scams, has found himself at the centre of a scam in which counterfeit versions of his book are being sold through Amazon. The fake books are distinguishable by a fake author name that has been photoshopped over Garrett’s name and an ISBN that is different from the original. Garrett and his publisher have requested that Amazon address the issue, but Amazon has reportedly not resolved it. “What surprised me the most is how easy it is to do this, to basically sell someone else’s product as your own,” said Garrett, who questioned whether the subject material may have motivated the fraudster.
CBC (BC)
The HEC Montréal Library and the Research and Knowledge Transfer Office have launched the Réflexion Institutional Repository. The new platform will allow the general public to access HEC’s scientific publications for free, with the goal of supporting broader distribution of research results and knowledge transfer. The repository will ensure that federally funded research is available online at no cost, and will house a wide array of publications such as journal articles, edited books, book chapters, research papers, and theses and dissertations. The platform already contains a variety of journal articles, master’s theses, and PhD dissertations, and more will be added as they are released.
HEC (QC)
Algoma University and the University of Windsor have both announced that they have made their campuses smoke-free. AlgomaU will not allow smoking or vaping, but CBC reports that the university will make an exception for pre-approved ceremonial smudging. UWindsor has made its campus smoke-free to ensure that the environment is healthy and safe for those on campus. “We know the health implications associated with smoking and second-hand smoke, so today’s move to an entirely smoke-free campus environment is a vital step forward in the University of Windsor’s efforts to provide an environment that better protects the health of our entire campus community,” said UWindsor VP, Human Resources Rita LaCivita.
UWindsor |
AlgomaU (ON)
rtraction