October 25, 2021
The University of the Fraser Valley has announced that its Mission campus at Heritage Park Centre will be transformed into a new Centre of Excellence for Children, Youth, and Families. The centre will feature academic programming, research, scholarly activity, and outreach programs that relate to children, youth, and families. Local Indigenous leaders will guide the process of creating meaningful programming in the space, which will be redesigned to meet international standards for an age-friendly campus. The centre will house the Bachelor and Master of Education programs offered by UFV’s Teacher Education Department, as well as academic programming in areas such as Early Childhood Education, Upgrading, and Continuing Education.
UFV (BC)
The Université du Québec à Chicoutimi (UQAC) and Rio Tinto have renewed their research and development partnership for the next three years. The company will be investing $2M over the next three years to continue their work in bauxite and tailings processing technologies. “Tomorrow’s issues are the challenges of today’s students and researchers,” said UQAC researcher and project scientific director Guy Smiard. “The close ties we have forged with Rio Tinto over the years have enabled us to work on research projects involving the reclamation of tailings, thus allowing us to immerse our students in the academic and industrial reality, while ensuring that we train a highly qualified new generation of researchers, in support of tomorrow's aluminium industry.”
Newswire (QC)
The University of Northern British Columbia’s Timberwolves are debuting an alternate logo and jersey designed by Gitxsan artist Trevor Angus. The reinterpreted soccer and basketball uniforms include an additional wolf design under the main logo, Indigenous piping, and the university’s motto in Dakelh on the shoulders. The UNBC Timberwolves is reportedly the first Canadian institution to have their university athletic program use a completely Indigenous-designed logo. “The sense of pride that I hope every student-athlete feels when they put on this uniform is something that they will remember forever,” said Loralyn Murdoch, UNBC’s director of athletics and recreation.
Times Colonist |
CBC (BC)
Long COVID has created a new consideration for disabilities services professionals and student supports in the academy, write Elizabeth Redden and Francie Diep. The two authors highlight the difficulties with diagnosing long COVID, as well as a lack of awareness among students that these symptoms constitute a disability that can be addressed through accommodations. They argue that disabilities services professionals should also be prepared for an increase in students who do not have long COVID, but who are experiencing pandemic-related mental and physical health effects. Redden and Diep discuss a new workbook that is designed to help disabilities services professionals navigate assisting students with long COVID.
The Chronicle of Higher Ed |
Inside Higher Ed (Editorial)
The University of Regina has opened a new nurse practitioner-led healthcare centre that will provide students with primary healthcare services. The centre will provide a variety of services to students and their families, including helping people manage chronic diseases, augmenting mental health services, and hosting COVID-19 vaccination clinics. Practicum students may also work with professionals in the clinic. “We’re creating a space where people can thrive, whether that’s through creating a healing space or whether that’s helping them achieve their academic dreams,” said Dr Cheryl Pollard, Dean of URegina’s Faculty of Nursing. “The U of R really has some powerful demonstrations of that commitment, and the Student Wellness Centre is one of them.”
URegina (SK)
Library and Archives Canada (LAC) has undergone service cuts, including limiting access to the archival reading room, reports the
Times Colonist, and historians and researchers say that this has created access issues. In a letter to LAC, the Canadian Historical Association says that researchers from across Canada are scrambling to sign up for “coveted” appointments to view resources in the Ottawa reading room. Historians have raised concerns about how the changes are affecting researchers who live outside of Ottawa or graduate students on a limited budget. “Researchers are desperate to get back to the Archives,” reads the letter. “The complete closure of the reading room in the summer of 2021, and the retrenchment rather than expansion of its services since then ... is going too far.”
Times Colonist (National)
In a response to
a recent article in Inside Higher Ed discussing concerns about the quality of OER resources, Matt Reed argues that even the best resources are not useful if students do not acquire or use them. Reed argues that OER resources may not be as high quality as commercial textbooks, but they are free, which means that students are more likely to actually read them and learn the material. The author says that for many students, the cost of the textbook prevents them from buying it and the material goes unread. Additionally, OERs are available electronically and are easier to read on phones at times when students are taking a break from other work. “It’s not just about the material,” writes Reed. “It’s about what students do with it, or if they encounter it at all.”
Inside Higher Ed (Editorial)
Three postsecondary institutions – the University College of the North, First Nations University of Canada, and Dalhousie University – have announced the launch of new programs in partnership with industry organizations. UCN has partnered with the Northern Manitoba Sector Council and Workplace Education Manitoba to offer an Office Administration CO-OP Program. The program will provide students with skills training and two co-ops to expand their work experience and prepare them for employment. FNU has partnered with Reconciliation Education and RBC to offer a new Indigenous cultural awareness program called 4 Seasons of Reconciliation that will be available for all Canadians. The program is offered online, and includes self-paced interactive learning modules on Truth and Reconciliation. At Dal, the Nova Scotia Career Development Association has sponsored ten seats in the re-designed Certificate of Professional and Leadership Studies for Career Practitioners for those who are African Nova Scotian, Indigenous, or newcomers to Canada.
UCN |
Nation Talk |
Dal (National)
Queen’s University has received a $1M endowment that will support the STEM:InA program. The program aims to create a strong community for Indigenous students in STEM undergraduate degree programs. The gift will provide additional support and community-building for students. “This endowment from the Lovelands will truly help us create a strong and successful community of Indigenous STEM students here at Queen’s,” says Karen Bertrand, Vice-Principal, Advancement at Queen’s. “This initiative provides Indigenous students with the social and academic foundation they need to thrive and make a positive impact on the world, and this endowment makes that possible.”
Queen’s (ON)
Three cégeps in Quebec - Cégep de l'Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Cégep de Lévis, and Cégep de Sept-Îles - have partnered to offer an AEC program focused on smart industry for industrial workers. The 15-month program is focused on the Industrial Revolution 4.0. Those already working in fields such as electrical engineering and information technology will learn how to respond to the needs of companies facing rapid technological change and move towards automation and smart technologies. The program will launch in March 2022.
Journal de Montréal (QC)
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