November 15, 2021
Collège de l'Île has announced that it is considering closing its Wellington campus and opening one in Summerside in order to be closer to more amenities in a more urban environment. Collège de l'Île President Donald DesRoches said that students are facing challenges finding housing and jobs in Wellington, and that the Charlottetown campus is at capacity. DesRoches said that the college is considering a rental or new build in Summerside, which has a growing Francophone population and is a popular choice in student surveys. “If we were to have a full campus in Summerside, that would allow all of the students to participate,” said DesRoches. “It is a much more dynamic environment when you have all of the students together in one space where they’re learning, they’re sharing.”
CBC (PE)
40 Canadian postsecondary institutions will be signing the Scarborough Charter later this month in an effort to take meaningful action to address anti-Black racism and promote inclusion. After a two-day forum in October 2020, institutions from across Canada collaborated to develop a national plan that will help institutions fight structural anti-Black racism and to promote inclusion. “This charter follows through on a promise we made last year, as a sector, to move from rhetoric to meaningful action in addressing anti-Black racism and to promote Black inclusion,” said Wisdom Tettey, University of Toronto VP and Principal of U of T Scarborough. The charter identifies key barriers to Black inclusion and identifies concrete actions that postsecondary institutions can take to end systemic racism. The charter also includes accountability measures to ensure that institutions take meaningful action.
UTSC (National)
Two postsecondary institutions have recently renewed long-standing relationships with their local municipalities. Cégep Limoilou and Québec City received a ten-year, $1M investment from the Government of Quebec to renew an agreement that has been in place since 1991. The partnership allows students to take advantage of recreational facilities near the Cégep’s Charlesbourg campus, including a pool, a gymnasium, and an ice rink. The University of Guelph and City of Guelph have renewed a partnership agreement focused on The Guelph Lab, which was launched in 2014. The Guelph Lab connects experts in public policy and research with community stakeholders to resolve issues such as food security, road safety, and diversity.
Cégep Limoilou |
UoGuelph (QC | ON)
The 2021 Corporate Knights Better World MBA top-40 ranking has been released, and eight Canadian business schools have ranked among the top 40. The ranking considers seven metrics focused on sustainability. The top three institutions were Griffiths Business School in Australia, Maastricht University – School of Business and Economics in the Netherlands, and Warwick Business School in the UK. The top Canadian institutions were York University’s Schulich School of Business (#4), University of Guelph’s Gordon S Lang School of Business and Economics (#5), Ryerson University’s Ted Rogers School of Management (#11), Saint Mary’s University’s Sobey School of Business (#13), the University of Victoria’s Peter B Gustavson School of Business (#18), McGill University’s Desautels Faculty of Management (#25), University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management (#28), and Carleton University’s Sprott School of Business (#35).
Corporate Knights (National)
Huron University and Scotiabank have partnered to create two new programs through a $1.5M investment from Scotiabank. The Scotiabank Scholars Program will support students from marginalized backgrounds and newcomers by providing them with skills acquisition opportunities and scholarship opportunities. Scholarship recipients will also automatically be enrolled in the Scotiabank Career Accelerator Program. “This donation will have a tremendous impact on our students by setting them up for success after graduation, and on high school students by giving them the confidence and exposure to a post-secondary education that will open up countless doors,” said Huron President Dr Barry Craig.
Huron (ON)
The University of Victoria will be launching a buoy near Trial Islands of Victoria as part of a research project that aims to create an alternate to diesel power for off-grid communities. The five-and-a-half-tonne buoy has equipment such as a wind turbine and data-gathering instruments to allow it to measure offshore winds and collect oceanographic and meteorological data. It will be placed near Trial Islands for six months. “The data is critical in helping address a significant knowledge gap that has prevented offshore wind energy produced by floating turbines from being used more widely,” said UVic’s Pacific Regional Institute for Marine Energy Discovery co-leader Brad Buckham.
UVic |
CTV News |
Times Colonist (BC)
Postsecondary institutions in the US have seen an increase in students who want to bring their pets with them to live in residence, says Maria Carrasco. Carrasco says that allowing pets to come with students as they transition to postsecondary life can decrease stress and anxiety. In response, institutions have put a variety of policies in place to ensure that residences that allow pets have a positive experience. Rules include restrictions on the number, type, and size of pets allowed in select accommodations or residences. Several institutions report that their pet-friendly accommodations have been popular with students, and some institutions have also seen an increase in students registering emotional support animals to help them manage their stress levels.
Inside Higher Ed (Editorial)
Kwantlen Polytechnic University and YELL Canada have signed an agreement that will award postsecondary-level credits to high school students who complete the YELL program in grades 10-12. Students who have completed the YELL program will receive credit for an introduction to entrepreneurship course at KPU. “Students who successfully complete the YELL program are uniquely prepared for the university level business school and we want to recognize their efforts,” said Dean of KPU’s Melville School of Business Stephanie Howes. “We look forward to welcoming them to our business school.”
KPU (BC)
Postsecondary institutions across Canada are announcing that they are expanding class sizes for the winter 2022 semester. Memorial University has announced that it will be lifting its 100-person classroom cap and plans for classes to be delivered more in person than online. Carleton University will be adding more in-person courses and on-campus activities while continuing to offer online options in the new year. Fleming College will be resuming in-person offerings, with on-campus residences operating at 100% capacity. The University of Winnipeg will be offering about 70% of its classes in person for the winter semester, while continuing to implement proof of vaccine and masking requirements. The University of Regina will be returning to “near-normal” programming in the winter semester, with approximately 80% of its classes being delivered in person.
CBC (MUN) |
Carleton |
Fleming |
UWinnipeg (National)
Professors need to carefully consider the words they choose to describe the lives and work of former students who take up jobs outside the academy, writes Jennifer Polk. Polk describes how “throw-away” descriptors, such as “unfortunately,” or “it’s such a shame,” when talking about the industry jobs of former PhD students send a message of lament rather than celebration to those who are listening. The author advises instructors to instead speak carefully about their former students, potentially noting their frustration that a brilliant scholar was not able to find work within academia, but also being supportive of the individual’s new career. “[I]t’s possible your students might make an even bigger impact outside academi[a] than they ever would have within i[t],” writes Polk. “That’s definitely something to celebrate.”
From PhD to Life (Editorial)
rtraction