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Dec 05, 2023 • NB

A report ordered by the Université de Moncton estimates that a name change could cost up to $4.6M. UMoncton ordered the report earlier in the year in response to increasing pressure from local groups to rename the institution. The report explored the sociohistorical, political, social, reputational, legal, and economic aspects of a potential name change and found that the name change would incur costs related to marketing and rebranding ($1.3M), technology upgrades ($1.2M), and infrastructure changes ($935K). The UMoncton Board of Governors will review the report and discuss possible next steps.

UMoncton, CBC, CTV News (CP), Country 94
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Dec 05, 2023 • QC

McGill University has implemented an immediate hiring freeze on all academic and administrative positions and suspended any ongoing recruitment processes in response to the Government of Québec’s plan to increase tuition fees for out-of-province students. Some categories of employment–including course lecturers, postdoctoral fellows, and research assistants–will be exempt from these measures. In a public statement explaining the decision, McGill asserted that the “financial conditions that we will face over the current and upcoming fiscal years are deeply worrisome.” Moody’s credit rating agency recently said that QC’s tuition plan was likely to negatively impact the credit of McGill and Concordia University and could weaken the reputation and strategic brand of both institutions.

McGill, Globe and Mail, Montreal Gazette, University World News
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Dec 05, 2023 • ON

A new report from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives Ontario (CCPA) highlights the impacts that the Government of Ontario’s funding cuts have had on ON universities and students. CCPA asserts that ON would need to increase their funding from just under $8.3K per student to over $16K per student if the province wanted to meet the average funding level in Canada. The report also discusses issues with the over-reliance on international students, the exploitation of contract faculty, reduced research funding, and growing class sizes. The CCPA is calling on the province to double its current funding and to restore levels of funding through non-repayable Ontario Student Assistance Program grants.

City News, CCPA (Report)
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Dec 05, 2023 • MB

Assiniboine Community College has announced two new programs for people interested in working with children. ACC will offer a new Early Childhood Education (ECE) Accelerated Mentorship program in Elkhorn starting in February 2024. Students in this 18-month program will be able to study two days per week while working at an early learning centre. ACC will also offer a part-time Childcare Assistant course in Birtle for childcare assistants and licensed home-based childcare providers who are interested in obtaining their certification.

ACC (1), ACC (2)
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Dec 05, 2023 • AB

University of Calgary began construction on the Veterinary Learning Commons building at its Spy Hill campus. The new facility is expected to be ready by the 2025-26 academic year and, once complete, will increase the number of veterinary medicine training seats at UCalgary from 50 to 100. The Government of Alberta recently announced an additional $10M in funding for the project, bringing its total investment to $68.5M. “These facilities will provide even more testing capacity to protect the health of animals and support Alberta’s animal production industry and public health,” said UCalgary President Ed McCauley.

AB, CTV News
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Dec 05, 2023 • BC

University of British Columbia Okanagan has developed an interdisciplinary Master of Design graduate program, which will focus on addressing local and global challenges. The 12-month program will teach critical design thinking, creative practice, and engineering principles through workshops, seminars, hands-on experiences, studio time, and mentorship. The program incorporates experiential and community-based approaches. “There is a growing trend that challenges are becoming more complicated, and the solutions for these challenges need to be more creative and innovative,” said UBCO Assistant Professor of Engineering Alon Eisenstein.

UBCO
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Dec 05, 2023 • International

In a recent article for the Chronicle of Higher Ed, Raynard S Kington (Phillips Academy) discusses how postsecondary leaders can mitigate the stress associated with being in a leadership position. Kington shares his own experience dealing with stress and panic attacks while working as a college president and discusses the difficulty of speaking about mental health openly. Kington highlights the importance of having a support system and obtaining mental health support and encourages senior leaders to prioritize their health and friendships, find a career coach and a therapist before entering times of high stress, develop a stress-relief toolkit, and seek out help for mental health conditions. Kington also offers recommendations to trustees to ensure the president is well supported, such as intentionally planning for their president’s rest, review, and renewal and discussing mental health benefits with leaders.

Chronicle of Higher Ed (Acct. Req.)
Opinion

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Dec 05, 2023 • AB

The King’s University has launched a new Leadership Quality Standard (LQS) certificate for K-12 educators who wish to move into administrative positions such as principal or vice-principal roles. The program teaches educators how to lead in a manner that ensures students and school personnel can flourish. Though designed for teachers in Alberta, KingsU stated that all teachers with a BEd and at least three years of teaching experience are welcome to take the program. “We see education as a professional vocation shaped by hope,” said KingsU Dean of Education Dr Henry Algera. “We aim to equip our students to serve by enabling school leaders to build their capacity and develop connections between faith and future leadership practices.”

KingsU
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Dec 05, 2023 • MB

A nursing student has been suspended from the University of Manitoba after creating a series of social media posts that UManitoba administrators deemed antisemitic. Penticton Herald reports that the student was informed by UManitoba senior staff that they had received several complaints regarding her social media posts; administrators later told the student that she was suspended from in-person courses and clinical work. True North reports that two members of Manitoba’s legislative assembly wrote a letter to the Government of Manitoba asking that the student be allowed to continue her education and calling the suspension “unacceptable.” CBC reports that the MLAs later apologized to the Jewish community for any hurt caused by this request.

Penticton Herald (Winnipeg Free Press), True North, CBC
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Dec 05, 2023 • AB

Alberta Academy of Learning students—who had previously spoken to CTV News after three branches of the institutionclosed without warning—say that they may soon be returning to class. One student from the High River branch said that they are now able to access their courses. CTV indicates that the school’s owner has also reportedly responded to messages from students and signed the appropriate paperwork to ensure that students receive student loans. The three campuses in Airdrie, High River, and Brooks are still reportedly closed.

CTV News
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