October 5, 2021
In a recent article from CTV News, McGill University PhD student John Robert Silliboy and supervisor Dr Janine Metallic shared their experience discussing research in the Mi’kmaq language. Silliboy shared how, when searching for a supervisor, he had hoped to find an Indigenous supervisor. However, when he found Metallic, he did not realize that she spoke Mi’kmaq until they met in Fall 2018. Silliboy and Metallic recently conducted an hour-long meeting about Silliboy’s research in Mi’kmaq, which allowed them to discuss concepts that could not be translated easily into English. “Getting off of our online meeting yesterday… I thought, ‘I wish all interactions could be like this,’” said Metallic. “I wish they could all be so easy.”
CTV News (QC)
St Lawrence College has launched a new visual identity for its continuing education and corporate training offerings called SLC+. The visual identity will provide information to the community about SLC’s continuing educational offerings, which now include micro-credentials and corporate training opportunities. The new platform will emphasize that the programs are flexible, improve the user experience, and improve the organization and search functionality of the website. “We’re so pleased to launch SLC+, which will reinforce to our communities that SLC is here for them, whether their goal is to upskill, reskill, pursue a new interest, or drive business innovation,” said SLC’s Senior VPA Eileen De Courcy.
SLC (ON)
The First Nations University of Canada has launched a new journalism and communications program that is designed with remote learners in mind. The Indigenous Journalism and Communication program takes one year to complete, and prepares students to enter entry-level jobs in the industry. Students will be able to move from the program into the pre-journalism Indigenous Communication Arts diploma before continuing their education at the University of Regina if desired. “This gives students who … aren’t going to come away from their community to come to Regina … a taste of the university,” said FNU Assistant professor Shannon Avison.
CBC (SK)
Okanagan College has opened a new state-of-the-art Health Sciences Centre to train health-care workers at its Kelowna campus. The new facility includes student-centred labs, classrooms, and office spaces, as well as learning environments equipped with cutting-edge education technology. The design of the facility is aligned with CleanBC’s goals for energy-efficient buildings. The building will be able to support 591 students who are studying for jobs such as certified dental assistant, health-care assistant, and pharmacy technician. “This new facility will provide Okanagan College students with a world-class learning environment that will only further enhance the already outstanding education and training they are receiving at the college,” said Okanagan President Neil Fassina.
BC |
The Daily Courier |
Kelowna Now (BC)
Memorial University’s Indigenous Student Resource Centre (ISRC) has opened a new Indigenous student services and programming centre called Juniper House. Juniper House contains multifunctional gathering and study spaces, a computer lab, kitchen, Elders’ space, multimedia room, and office space. Students, Elders, and knowledge keepers provided input on the design. “The ISRC is a crucial space where Indigenous students, especially those from rural areas, can connect, build upon their sense of identity and find a place where they are represented and belong,” said MUN alumnus Lindsay Batt, who helped in the visioning of the centre. “The numbers of students and services have grown, and finally so has our ‘home away from home.’”
MUN |
NTV (NL)
The University of Saskatchewan has announced that it will be designing and constructing the USask Insect Research Facility (USIRF). The USIRF, which will be led by USask entomologist Dr Sean Prager, will focus on research on arthropod plant pests and beneficial insects as well as new, sustainable pest management strategies for crops in Western Canada. The facility will be located in USask’s Agriculture Building and will be funded by over $1M in contributions from a variety of sources. “This new facility will add substantial research capacity to the University of Saskatchewan,” said Prager. “It will allow us to work with … plant breeders to identify problematic resistance traits to pests that are yet to be established.”
USask (SK)
A large gathering in the Sandy Hill neighbourhood after the University of Ottawa’s Gee-Gees defeated Carleton University’s Ravens at the annual Panda Game has been condemned by the universities, officials, and police. On Saturday evening, large crowds gathered on Russell Avenue. During the ensuing riot, a vehicle was flipped and damaged, seven people were reportedly taken to the hospital with injuries, and public property was damaged.
Journal de Montréal says that police will be working with UOttawa and Carleton staff to identify students involved in incidents occurring during the party. “If you were part of the crowds that were responsible for the damage and disrespect last night, then you must do better,” said UOttawa President Jacques Frémont.
Journal de Montréal |
CBC (ON)
The University of Regina has received over $2M from alumnus Nevan Krogan and his colleagues and collaborators to support 10 students affected by the 2010 Haiti earthquake. Selected students from the Children of Haiti Project school will have their tuition, housing, immigration, and living expenses covered by the scholarship. “We are honoured that our University and its students will have this tremendous support from such a distinguished alumnus,” said URegina President Dr Jeff Keshen. “The gift Dr. Krogan and his partners are providing will be transformational, and we are fully prepared to assume the responsibility of helping these 10 students achieve their dreams.”
CBC |
URegina (SK)
New Brunswick Community College has signed a MOU with the Excellence in Manufacturing Consortium (EMC). The partnership will see NBCC and EMC partnering on joint training and certification initiatives that will provide new learning opportunities while meeting the manufacturing sector’s skill and labour market needs. The MOU references courses related to the manufacturing sector, a referral system from NBCC to EMC, and the establishment of work-integrated learning opportunities. “[S]trategic partnerships with industry are important to ensuring NBCC provides training that is relevant to the needs of employees and employers,” said Ann Drennan, NBCC’s Vice President Academic and Research. “The broad nature of this MOU presents lots of opportunities for us to work with the manufacturing sector.”
NBCC (NB)
Canadian academic Stephen Toope, who was named the first non-Briton vice-chancellor of the University of Cambridge in 2017, has announced his retirement from the role two years before the end of his expected tenure citing personal reasons. Adrian Humphreys of the
National Post reports that Toope arrived at the university during the beginning of a period “of profound unease” with the mission to bring the 800-year-old university into the modern era. Humphreys describes how Toope’s decisions and initiatives were often met by criticism from faculty, students, and the British press. Humphreys concludes by nodding to the difficulty of steering an “orthodox institution through emotionally taut times.”
National Post |
Varsity News |
MSN (WalesOnline) (National)
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