April 26, 2024

The Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technology is partnering with Boeing to address shortages in the aviation industry. As part of this partnership, Boeing will invest $17M into SIIT’s aerospace training program, allowing the institution to increase training opportunities for aircraft maintenance engineers, build an avionics lab, and double the size of its aviation learning centre. “It’s a significant investment and allows us to expand curriculum, bring in innovation, new technology because that’s the future of aviation,” said SIIT President Riel Bellegarde. “This contribution signifies more than just financial support; it represents a pathway to empowerment, employment and economic reconciliation.”

Fleming College is suspending 29 programs this Fall. In a letter to college staff, Fleming President Maureen Adamson noted “significant external events that have had an adverse effect on our college.” Global News reports that Adamson specifically pointed to the federal government’s international student cap and the elimination of educational private partnerships as key factors behind this decision. The suspended programs cover a range of subject areas, including Ecological Restoration, GIS Applications, Heavy Equipment Techniques, and Marketing Management. Adamson added that Fleming will “work closely” with union locals to follow a “robust employment stability process” and that the college will prioritize ensuring students who are currently enrolled in the suspended programs can complete their programs.

McGill University has shared its plans for the old Royal Victoria Hospital, which is scheduled for deconstruction starting in May. The hospital property will be developed into a university hub that aims to grow McGill’s downtown campus. The project will reuse material from the former hospital, adhere to universal accessibility standards, and integrate green areas for the entire Montreal community to use. The academic hub—which McGill estimates will be used by approximately 3,000 people per day—will be dedicated to research and teaching on sustainability systems and public policy. McGill is also reportedly considering converting other former Royal Victoria Hospital buildings into student residences to alleviate the shortage of student housing.

A recent survey of 1,000 Canadian parents conducted by the education savings company Embark Student Corp suggests that parents are choosing to financially support their children’s postsecondary education at the cost of their own financial wellbeing. Almost three-quarters (73%) of parents said that they felt postsecondary education was essential to their child’s future success and feared that their child’s postsecondary options would be limited if they did not offer their financial support. While many parents shared that they were wrestling with the cost of living, the survey found that nearly two-thirds (61%) felt that supporting their child was more important than their own financial health.

Northwestern Polytechnic will launch an Agriculture Operations diploma in November 2024. The program will teach students about modern agriculture and farm operations while addressing workforce challenges in related industries. Students will learn about equipment maintenance and operation, grain and livestock transportation, technology and industry trends, ethics, and more. The two-year program will also include two “extensive” work terms, in which students will develop practical skills alongside experienced growers, animal handlers, and agriculture professionals.

Dalhousie University has partnered with the Atlantic First Nations Water Authority (AFNWA) to support clean drinking water and water treatment. The partnership will help AFNWA improve community infrastructure quality and sustainability, strengthen safety and risk management, and engage community members. The partners will train graduate and postdoctoral research trainees, undergraduate interns, and First Nations high school students to support the long-term success of the water authority. Other activities include the creation of a course that integrates Indigenous ways of knowing into a traditional engineering curriculum and collaboration on AFNWA’s corrosion control program and wastewater disinfection research.

Aurora College has partnered with BGC Engineering on a five-year project that will boost the safety and reliability of transportation in the North. The project—which is part of a larger effort funded by the Government of Canada’s National Trade Corridors Fund—will use a risk-informed, geo-asset, and geohazard data management system to transform data into actionable knowledge that can be used to improve the transportation infrastructure network and its reliability. It will also support the preservation of existing transportation infrastructure. Other project partners include the University of British Columbia and the Government of the Northwest Territories.

In a recent article for Inside Higher Ed, Karla Erickson (Grinnell College) discusses strategies for writing recommendation letters in a way that honours those the candidates and minimizes the writer’s feelings of exhaustion. Erickson recommends asking the candidate for their CV or other records for material and using a similar past candidate’s recommendation letter as a template to build from. The author notes that letters can be used as an opportunity to write a “great story” that illustrates how the individual stands out from the crowd. Finally, Erickson encourages writers to share their letters with candidates to encourage them in their journeys.

A University of Prince Edward Island student is voicing concerns regarding campus accessibility. Antwaun Rolle–a political science student who uses a wheelchair–told Saltwire and CBC that most of the campus is difficult for him to access without help from others, citing examples such as an elevator, a steep entrance ramp, and several rooms and offices. While Rolle is graduating soon, he stated that he is concerned about these shortcomings for future UPEI students with disabilities. “I want people to see that we might say an area’s accessible, but it might not be as accessible as you think,” he said. UPEI noted in a statement that it has already begun to implement improvements based on the findings of an accessibility audit that was conducted in 2019.

Lambton College’s Sarnia campus recently unveiled two new research labs: the Bio Safety Level 2 (BSL-2) lab and the Natural Health Products lab. BSL-2 will enhance Lambton’s ability to explore vaccine development, antibiotics, and pharmaceuticals. The Natural Health Products Lab will allow the college to conduct research in the area of health-centric food products, including ginseng supplements and sugar alternatives. “We need to prepare students and graduates to have the skill sets for [the bio-industry sector], so this helps us to not only engage them as researching students but to have programs, micro-credentials, courses and labs that are going to train the students,” said Lambton VP of Research and Innovation Mehdi Sheikhzadeh.