Our Work

Let's Solve it Together

Postsecondary education is a sector dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge, so questions are no stranger to sector professionals. Answers, however, can be hard to find without a little outside help. That's where we come in.

Research

The data insights you need to form a foundation for your next program, plan, or decision.

Consulting

Expert guidance to help you understand your current situation, form your next evidence-based plan, and achieve your goals.

Hear From Our Past Clients

View Case Studies

Read the latest edition of…

Today's Top Ten

March 19, 2024

Saskatchewan Polytechnic has received a $15M donation from Nutrien to support the construction of a new campus in Saskatoon. In recognition of this gift–which Sask Polytech says is the largest gift it has ever received from a corporate donor–the polytechnic has renamed one of its schools the Nutrien School of Mining, Manufacturing and Engineering Technologies. “Thank you to Nutrien for helping pave the way for state-of-the-art facilities, cutting-edge resources and an environment that inspires success in every learning journey,” said Sask Polytech President Dr Larry Rosia. The investment will also support further student training collaboration between Nutrien and Sask Polytech.
Mount Saint Vincent University recently celebrated the opening of Vincent’s Restaurant, a teaching restaurant where tourism and hospitality students will gain hands-on experience. The restaurant will be used as a learning space for two required courses in MSVU’s Bachelor of Tourism and Hospitality Management Program. In these courses, students will develop the skills they need to run a restaurant, including kitchen management, serving, and food safety. The restaurant is open to the public and its 2024 menu includes dishes like chicken korma, shahi paneer, shrimp linguini, and falafel.
Trent University and the University of Manitoba have shared some of the ways that they are using technology to remove barriers and promote accessible student learning. Trent has helped instructors to foster accessibility in the classroom with a dedicated fund through its Centre for Teaching and Learning. Over 20 instructors have drawn on the fund to make their courses more inclusive by implementing lectures designed to engage neurodivergent and hearing-impaired learners, high-contrast laboratory glassware, PPE for service animals, and more. At UManitoba, instructors are using virtual reality (VR) to help health students practice their skills. UManitoba Rady Faculty of Health Sciences Fean Dr Peter Nickerson expressed his excitement about the “RadyVerse,” which he said “will revolutionize the education of health practitioners through the use of virtual reality, artificial intelligence and augmented reality.” Nickerson explained that technologies like this allow students to develop their skills without risk to real patients.
Elizabeth Tenney (University of Utah), Jacqueline M Chen (UofUtah), and McKenzie Preston (University of Pennsylvania) have created a checklist to help early career researchers (ECRs) decide on which projects to pursue. ECRs are pulled in many directions at the beginning stages of their careers, the writers explain, and so they often struggle to determine which projects are worth their time, energy, and resources. To resolve this, the writers put forth a framework they call the ‘3 Ps’–people, passion, and publishable—and assert that ECRs should prioritize “projects that involve people you like, as well as those that you are passionate about and that have strong potential to provide good, publishable results.”
The University of Prince Edward Island plans to establish the Atlantic Zero-Emission Energy System Laboratory, which will produce clean and sustainable fuels and materials from biowaste. UPEI Assistant Professor Dr Yulin Hu will lead the development of the new laboratory, which will be housed in the university’s Faculty of Sustainable Design Engineering building. “This will help PEI and the other Atlantic provinces reduce their dependence on fossil fuels, improve energy security and diversification, and reduce carbon dioxide emissions,” said Hu, “which will accelerate the transition towards a clean, low carbon footprint and sustainable economy.” This project is supported through funding from the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, Innovation PEI, and the Canada Foundation for Innovation.
Huron University College will introduce a new undergraduate degree in animal ethics and sustainability leadership this Fall. The program is designed for students who are interested in tackling the climate crisis and issues of animal ethics. Students will be required to take courses in law, policy, business, philosophy, animal ethics, nature, and technology, and will have the opportunity to take elective courses. “The degree is designed to really allow students to customize [their program] based on their own particular goals,” said program co-ordinator Kendra Coulter. According to the university, this degree will be the first of its kind in the world.
Cape Breton University’s social work department has partnered with a community group called Town House to pair seniors with students who are looking for a place to live. Students in the program will pay for accommodations and also help their host with housework. CBU’s social work department will study the program’s impact on its participants, including how home sharing affects seniors’ feelings of isolation, depression and/or anxiety, and financial stability. The department will also assess how students feel about participating in the program, including their perspective on their responsibilities with the housework. CBU aims to match 12 seniors with 12 students and intends to start the program this spring.
Sources such as <em>City News</em> report that a man has been arrested in connection with acts of voyeurism at the University of Toronto. Between January and March 2024, police say they received reports of voyeurism from female students who noticed a cell phone pointed at them while they were changing or using the shower at the Wilson Hall Residence. According to <em>CP24</em>, the phone appeared to capture images of the victims before the suspect fled the washroom. An international student has been arrested in connection with the incidents and has been charged with one count of voyeurism and one count of mischief.
While progress has clearly been made to promote gender equality in higher ed, the experiences of many women in leadership positions reveal that it is “still too soon to take women’s path to academic leadership for granted,” write Efthalia Chatzigianni (University of the Peloponnese) and Bryony Whitmarsh (University of Southampton). The writers share reflections from women in senior leadership positions from around the world, demonstrating that many still experience professional and personal marginalization based on their gender. Chatzigianni and Whitmarsh argue that there is a clear opportunity to create support and mentorship networks in the future. They also highlight the commitment of many women in leadership to drive institutional change and transform policy to improve fairness for the next generation.
McGill University, Nova Scotia Community College, and the University of Winnipeg have each released updates on their ongoing labour negotiations. The Association of Graduate Students Employed by McGill have voted in favour of a strike mandate after negotiations reportedly failed with the university. More than 2,300 McGill teaching assistants are now preparing to strike and have warned students and professors of a “major disruption.” NSCC and the Atlantic Academic Union–which represents more than 1,000 staff members–have reached a tentative agreement, averting a strike that was expected to start yesterday. The agreement’s ratification vote is scheduled for later this week. UWinnipeg and the UWinnipeg Faculty Association have successfully ratified a new collective agreement, which will be in effect until March 2027.

Indigenous Top 10

March 6, 2024

The Okanagan Indian Band (OKIB) has officially broken ground on a new Okanagan Indian Band Cultural Immersion Elementary School. Once constructed, the school will replace the aging Cultural Immersion School building it has outgrown. OKIB will be able to offer a more culturally appropriate learning environment for the community’s students, who in turn will be able to learn the Squilxw language and culture in a safe, inclusive learning environment. “Schooling hasn’t been very good for our people. Residential schools and day schools were places where our own knowledge was not allowed,” said OKIB member Bill Cohen. “With our own school, we can change that, where our kids have a place to speak our language and learn our own knowledge that has been here for thousands of years. They will have access to all of the world knowledge too.” The school is supported by $19.3M from the Government of Canada and $2.85M from OKIB.
The Government of Canada has announced two significant investments into Indigenous students and teachers. The Rideau Hall Foundation (RHF) will be directing a $13.2M investment to seven Indigenous-led and community-driven programs. These programs will support the training and empowerment of 10,000 new Indigenous teachers. RHF will partner with Gabriel Dumont Institute ($1.28M); McGill University (1.98M); Mi’kmaq Wolastoqey Centre – University of New Brunswick ($2M); Seven Generations Education Institute ($2M); Blue Quills University ($2M); University College of the North ($2M); and Yukon University, Yukon First Nation Education Directorate, and First Nation School Board ($2M) to work towards this goal. “We know Canada is facing national teacher shortages and Indigenous communities are struggling enormously to recruit and retain teachers,” said RHF Director of the Indigenous Teacher Education Initiative Rachel Mishenene. “The grants support community-driven, committed education teams across Canada building robust, culturally responsive Indigenous teacher education programs.” The federal government has also announced an additional $6M in funding for Indspire’s Building Brighter Futures: Bursaries, Scholarships and Awards program. Indspire will use these funds to offer financial supports to 2,400 Indigenous students.
The Government of Canada is investing $1.8M into the revitalization of the Kaska language in the Liard First Nation over the next five years. The funding will support a variety of educational and cultural initiatives, such as online and community classes, summer Kaska language and cultural immersion camps, and staff professional development and language training. The First Nation will also use the funds to develop linguistic resources, such as a Kaska grammar guide, verb reference, and illustrated language book for children. The community also plans to enhance the Kaska cards language app; process, translate, and transcribe Kaska recordings; and digitize and archive Kaska language materials.
The University of Calgary recently shared a piece in which Sessional Instructor Chantel Large discussed how her teaching has been shaped by Indigenous knowledge. When she first began to teach at UCalgary, Large shared how she would smudge before going into the classroom to teach students. “I would pray that I was able to teach in a way that these students who I was encountering would go out into the world as social workers and not cause harm,” said Large. Large said that she uses storytelling to connect with students and brings Indigenous individuals into the classroom to share their experiences. “It connects them to this part of history that isn’t really history. It’s a part of history that we still have to navigate, learn from and heal from today,” said Large.
The Near North District School Board’s (NNDSB) Indigenous Youth Circle (IYC) launched a donation drive to help families in Fort Albany First Nation with items for their babies. The IYC collected diapers, baby formula and other crucial items through a donation drive that involved both the Nipissing-Parry Sound Catholic District School Board and NNDSB. These items were then sent to the First Nation community through collaboration with former OPP officer George Couchie, the OPP Provincial Liaison Team, and Ontario Northland. The donation drive saw an overwhelming response from the community. “It’s way more than I would have ever expected,” said Chippewa Secondary School student and IYC leader Albany Benson. “All of the hard work that was put into it has definitely paid off, and everyone is working together, so it has been great.”
Water First Education & Training Inc, the Interlake Reserves Tribal Council (IRTC), and associated communities have launched the Drinking Water Internship Program. The program, which is described as the first of its kind in Manitoba, will train members of the seven IRTC communities for careers in water treatment. Interns in the 15-month program will take part in workshops and get hands-on experience in water and wastewater treatment facilities in their communities as they develop and broaden their skills. Graduates will be prepared for careers in drinking water treatment, wastewater treatment, and environmental water management. Net News Ledger reports that the program uses a holistic approach that breaks down barriers to participation.
The Government of Yukon is investing $500K into nutrition programs at schools across the territory. The Yukon Food for Learning Association will distribute $450K to Yukon schools or school boards, with the amount provided varying depending on enrolment numbers and location. The Yukon First Nation Education Directorate (YFNED) will also receive $50K for school feasts and other food-related programming. “Yukon First Nation Education Directorate’s Nutrition Program is funded by Jordan’s Principle to provide equitable and healthy food to all Indigenous children aged zero to 18 in the Yukon,” said YFNED Executive Director Melanie Bennett. “We look forward to a future where every Yukon student is well-fed at school.”
A $25M funding request that would have supported a new First Nations University of Canada campus in Prince Albert has been denied by Infrastructure Canada. FNU President Jackie Ottmann said that she was “disappointed” by the decision, but that the university is working with the government on solutions, including plans to fundraise $5.5M. The Prince Albert Grand Council chiefs recently passed a resolution endorsing the campus’s construction. “While this most recent funding bid may not have been successful, we are certain that both levels of government ... will recognize the immense value and importance of a new FNUniv Northern Campus,” said PAGC Grand Chief Brian Hardlotte.
SD73 has signed its fifth agreement with the Aboriginal Education Council and is celebrating the increase in the number of graduating Indigenous students. The five-year agreement outlines how SD73 and the council will work together to ensure Indigenous students can successfully complete their grade school education. “Looking at things being based on the circle of courage in terms of that idea of belonging, independence, generosity, and you really look at that and being sort of the cornerstone of what students need to be able to thrive within our system,” said SD73 board chair Heather Grieve. Castanet reports that there was a 19.4% increase in the five-year completion rate for status on-reserve students in the 2022-23 academic year. The overall graduation rate for Indigenous student was reportedly 12.1% above British Columbia’s average. Grieve said that enhancement agreements like this one play a key part in the increased completion rates.
The University of Manitoba Office of the Vice-President (Indigenous) is hosting a series of territory acknowledgement workshops that are designed to empower university community members to better understand and personalize land acknowledgements. The impetus for the workshops was to move away from land acknowledgements being used in a “rote” manner, explained UManitoba AVP (Indigenous) of Students, Community, and Cultural Integration Christine Cyr: “They need to evolve; they can’t be static.” The workshops cover the history of UManitoba’s acknowledgements, the controversies surrounding land acknowledgements, and considerations and resources for building a personal statement. Cyr explained that acknowledgements should not be the conclusion of an individual’s path to reconciliation, but part of a broader work process: “Your statement today should be different now than in six months.”

The Perfect Fit.
The First Time.

Simplify your hiring process or job search with Canada's leading postsecondary job board.