March 8, 2023

Several institutions across Canada marked the inaugural SDG Week Canada with special events and resources to increase awareness of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The week is co-organized by Colleges and Institutes Canada, SDSN Canada, and the University of British Columbia’s Sustainability Hub. Institutions such as the British Columbia Institute of Technology, Dalhousie University, Lakehead University, and Queen’s University launched webpages outlining how they are contributing to the goals, announced events and workshops related to the topics, and shared their plans for advancing their progress toward SDGs during the upcoming year.

The University of British Columbia, UBC Okanagan, and Simon Fraser University will receive funding from the Government of Canada and Government of British Columbia to support French teacher training. The funding is part of a broader investment in training, recruiting, and retaining French teachers in the province. SFU will receive $513K to increase access to its network of professional development experts, implement a new graduate program, and coordinate a provincial network of school administrators with a focus on French-language teacher retention. UBCO will use over $528K to build the long-term presence of French teachers in BC’s interior and provide practising French teachers with professional development opportunities. UBC’s Vancouver campus will receive over $214K to increase enrolment in its French specialization options and redirect teachers with sufficient knowledge of French to a Core French Certificate.

Following the federal government’s recent ban of TikTok from government phones, several postsecondary institutions are examining the growing security concerns around the social media app. McGill University issued a communication prohibiting TikTok from being installed on any mobile device provided by the institution. McMaster University and Mohawk College indicated that they would be following the City of Hamilton’s decision closely after the city and the Hamilton Police Service opted to remove TikTok from their devices. “As we continue to monitor the situation, our ongoing education for our community on how to safeguard devices against security and privacy threats will continue,” said McMaster Spokesperson Wade Hemsworth.

Memorial University and College of the North Atlantic have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to support responsible mineral sourcing. The five-year agreement between the two institutions will cover a variety of academic and research activities, including the pursuit of research and innovation funding; undergraduate and graduate student mobility; and the exchange of publications, research materials, newsletters, and more. The two institutions will also be embarking on the joint development of training and academic programs that support the minerals industry. “This agreement is a recognition of the challenge and our collective steps towards developing what we see as the transformative force critical minerals can play in our economy,” said CNA VP of Academic and Applied Research Jason Rolls.

Graduate students should recognize that they may need more than one mentor to satisfy all of their mentoring needs, writes Daniel J Moglen for Inside Higher Ed. Moglen explains that academic mentors are useful for providing project-specific feedback, but separate career mentors can guide career exploration and development more readily into the graduate student experience. Advocating for a “multi-mentor approach,” Moglen advises PhD students and postdocs to identify gaps in their current mentoring relationships and seek out additional mentors – outside their department – to support their career-related goals.

Three universities in Ontario have launched new minors and diplomas to support student training. The University of Toronto will launch a Minor in Global Leadership in Fall 2023 that will prepare students to be ethical and confident global leaders. The Michener Institute of Education will offer a Fundamentals of Health Care diploma program starting Fall 2023. The program prepares learners with a pathway to careers in health care settings and prepares students for enrolment in further health education. Western University recently launched a graduate diploma program in business and sustainability that will teach Ivey students about sustainability and deepen their management and technical skills.

Thompson Rivers University and delegates from the state of Querétaro, Mexico signed multiple MOUs last week. On a recent tour of BC colleges and universities, the Querétaro delegation met with the TRU president, faculty, and staff members to learn about the university’s programs. The agreement will facilitate greater collaboration between TRU and the Querétaro Universities Consortium and create more opportunities for students, faculty, and staff. “We look toward the future inspired by these collaborative relationships as an important milestone in the vision of internationalization at TRU,” said TRU VP International Baihua Chadwick.

Toronto Metropolitan University’s Image Centre (IMC) received a gift of $1M over five years from the Honourable Vivienne Poy and Dr Neville Poy. The donation will bolster IMC’s Youth in Focus community outreach program and provide advanced internship opportunities for recent TMU graduates. The gift will support the IMC’s Poy Family Youth in Focus Program and The Poy Family Advanced Internships for emerging scholars. “This transformational donation to The Image Centre from Vivienne and Neville Poy reflects their dedication to building bridges of understanding between people, and cultivating the next generation of diverse, community-engaged leaders,” said TMU President Mohamed Lachemi.

Since ChatGPT’s release in late November, academics and students alike have wondered how it might affect postsecondary teaching and learning. However, less attention has been devoted toward what this software means for academics, writes Ben Chrisinger for the Chronicle of Higher Ed. While AI can provide useful assistance when used to support academic writing, Chrisinger argues that without the proper transparency mechanisms, it can also exacerbate existing inequalities in research. “For this system of trust to hold in academe, we must firmly and rapidly commit to transparency around the use AI,” concludes Chrisinger. “Only then can we hope to have informed and reasoned discussions about what norms and rules should govern academic writing in the future.”

Two universities are reportedly taking steps to address budget constraints and declines in enrolment. CBC reports that the University of Regina has urged its faculties and administrative units to reduce their budgets by up to 7%. University of Regina Faculty Association President Britt Hall said that the cuts will likely entail a reduction in sessional lecturers and that staff who retire will not be replaced. The challenges facing the university include high inflation, visa-processing delays, and a decline in international student enrolment. A 4% budget cut was announced at the University of Victoria that will take effect as of April 1st, reports Chek News. UVic head of finance and operations Kristi Simpson explained that the issue is not unique to UVic, as many institutions are facing challenges such as lowered enrolment, especially among international students; issues related to the study permit processing delays; and a recovering labour market drawing away potential students to job opportunities.