March 11, 2024

The Government of Manitoba has introduced a bill that would alter the Advanced Education Administration Act to improve transparency around sexual violence policies. Under the changes, institutions would be required to make their policy reviews public and would be at risk of losing funding if they failed to meet the act’s requirements. MB Advanced Education and Training Minister Renée Cable explained that the changes will ensure institutions “are accountable and equipped with the tools to respond to and promptly address incidents of sexual violence on campus.”

Three Concordia University deans—Anne-Marie Croteau, Annie Gérin, and Pascale Sicotte—have penned an article discussing the decline in women’s representation in leadership positions. Prior to the pandemic, Croteau, Gérin, and Sicotte write that there was a modest increase in women in leadership positions in universities. However, by 2021, only 20% of the world’s top 200 universities had women presidents. Canadian companies have also seen a drop in the number of women in senior management positions, they note, as a a 2022 report demonstrated that women managers leave their jobs at a higher rate than their colleagues. The authors write that women’s roles in leadership positions must be nurtured by identifying and addressing the obstacles that prevent women from accessing management positions and ensuring women are supported throughout their careers.

The Government of Alberta has announced that it will invest $20M into the Innovation Catalyst Grant (ICG) program in order to help STEM graduates become entrepreneurs, develop their business skills and commercialize technologies. Participants in the ICG program receive two years of funding to develop their start-up companies. AB is supporting the program as part of its broader strategy to create 20,000 new jobs and help AB tech companies generate over $5B in revenue by 2030. ICG is administered by University of Alberta, University of Calgary, and University of Lethbridge with oversight by the AB Ministry of Technology and Innovation.

Trois-Pistoles Mayor Philippe Guilbert has launched a petition to bring back Western University’s French Immersion program in 2025. The program, in which Western students stay with homestay hosts in Trois-Pistoles, was paused and placed under review for 2024. “It’s a part of the community,” said Guilbert. “We have hundreds of students from Ontario that come here each summer, so it brings great social and economic impacts and is a big benefit for Trois-Pistoles.” The program, which CBC says is considered Canada’s oldest French immersion homestay program, has faced challenges related to minimum enrolment, financial compensation, and retiring host families. Guilbert plans to submit the petition to Western to include in its ongoing program review, which is expected to be prepared by the spring.

The Government of British Columbia is piloting a placement program for veterinary students that will improve access to care for livestock and farm animals. Participating students will spend the summer working in veterinary clinics that offer services for livestock and farm animals, providing much-needed labour while gaining hands-on experience and developing their veterinary skills. The $300K pilot program will provide up to $6K per student placement to cover wages and travel costs. “This new funding will facilitate students to learn on the job and will help support our hardworking and very busy large-animal veterinarians throughout BC,” said Society of BC Veterinarians President Dr Fraser Davidson.

Queen’s University’s Smith School of Business has partnered with INCAE Business School in Costa Rica to create a new double-degree pathway for international business students. Students will complete their first year at INCAE Business School before transitioning to studies at Queen’s University for their second year and will graduate with both a Global MBA and a Master of International Business (MIB) in 24 months. Queen’s says that this is the MIB program’s first degree that enable students to earn an MBA alongside their master’s.

A recent study published in Innovative Higher Education delves into the impacts of training individuals from the demographic majority to be Diversity Advocates (DAs). The report authors studied a group of staff and faculty who trained as DAs before being appointed to a faculty search and screen committee, with the hope that the training would encourage best practices and discourage stereotypes or schemas that would interfere with the search process. DAs from the demographic majority were chosen to broaden responsibility for equity within the search process and lessen the burden on minority faculty. DAs found the training to be helpful, but wanted more time to practice implementing their training. The authors concluded that a DA program is one proven way to expand the number of faculty members dedicated to inclusive excellence.

Several institutions have recently announced new courses and short-term programs to support the needs of their communities. The Université du Québec à Montréal has launched a short-term graduate program in entrepreneurial support services that will train graduates for work in entrepreneurial centres, financial institutions, and other support organizations. The University of Calgary has launched a free program focused on the latest best practices in concussion treatment. University College of the North and Langara College have expanded or renewed existing programming: UCN is expanding its early childhood education programs to several learning locations in northern Manitoba, while Langara will use a $350K grant to continue offering a 32-week computer skills program for immigrant and racialized women.

Capilano University has launched a new website font—BC Sans—in order to accurately display the special characters and syllabics found in British Columbia’s Indigenous languages. “The new font aligns with CapU’s values and respectful practices and ensures our font is highly readable and capable of displaying Indigenous languages properly,” said CapilanoU Manager of Creative Cari Bird. BC Sans is a free, open-source typeface that was developed with input by FirstVoices and investments by the Government of British Columbia.

Concordia University, Fleming College, and McMaster University have recently announced partnerships with industry. Concordia’s John Molson School of Business and private real estate firm Equiton have partnered to research Canada’s real estate investment landscape. Fleming and Peterborough & Kawarthas Chamber of Commerce will offer a student membership program as part of a larger partnership that will give business students access to the Chamber’s events, businesses, and business resources. McMaster and Celesta Capital will offer a new opportunity for McMaster-affiliated researchers and startups to commercialize their intellectual property with venture capital hubs in Canada, USA, and India.