February 13, 2024

In a recent interview with Cabin Radio, Angela James–who will become president of Aurora College in August–discusses her plans as the institution transforms into a university by 2025. James shares that she will advance the visions and goals outlined in the new 10-year postsecondary education strategic framework and continue development on new programming. She discusses the proposed Tin Can Hill campus, which she says is waiting on an environmental assessment of the location, as well as the new programs that the college is considering. James also notes that as the institution transforms, the renaming process must be guided by engagement and collaboration. While James will be based in Yellowknife, she says that she will spend regular time at the Fort Smith Thebacha campus and the Aurora Inuvik campus.

A senior Government of Ontario source has reportedly told Global News that the province plans to provide colleges and universities with “financial support” as part of its response to the blue ribbon panel report. The panel had recommended that the government implement a 10% increase in funding per student in 2024-25, as well as funding increases of at least 2% per year thereafter. Global News says that it is unclear at this time if the full financial recommendation that is outlined in the report will be implemented.

The Cégep de la Gaspésie et des Îles has received $10.7M from the Government of Québec to expand its Centre Collégial de Transfert de Technologie (CCTT) Nergica. These funds will be used to construct a new pavilion dedicated to applied research projects in renewable energies. The building will include research facilities, workshops, collaborative spaces, and offices. It will also produce more electricity than it consumes, thanks to the addition of solar panels and other strategic design choices. Nergica will also invest $1.2M in the project, which is expected to be completed by August 2025. Cégep de la Gaspésie et des Îles directrice générale Yolaine Arseneau said that this project will vitally support the ecological transition of the region.

The University of Regina’s Faculty of Media, Art, and Performance (MAP) has launched new degree and diploma options within its Creative Technologies & Design program area. These options now include a Bachelor of Design, Bachelor of Fine Arts in Creative Technologies, and a Diploma of Creative Technologies. Students in these interdisciplinary programs are encouraged to select courses offered by MAP, as well as from other areas such as Computer Science, Engineering, Arts, and Education, among others. URegina MAP Dean Dr David Dick expressed that these new program options will help students “learn to think about technology and the arts in new ways, and thrive in the exploration of digital culture.”

The Abraham Global Peace Initiative (AGPI) has released the Canadian Universities Antisemitism Report 2024. The report discusses the rise of antisemitism on campuses across Canada, including student union involvement, DEI departments and their silence on antisemitism, and a province-by-province analysis of challenges. AGPI assessed universities from the Canadian provinces on their institutional policies, education and awareness, faculty and staff training, incident response, campus culture, and monitoring and assessment. The universities were then awarded a letter grade based on the results—from A to F. The report concludes with a list of eight questions that can be used to guide educators who are discussing conflicts in the Middle East. AGPI CEO Avi Benlolo and AGPI Director of Education Neil Orlowsky provide a summary of the report findings in an article for the National Post.

Cégep de Trois-Rivières has received $8M to acquire a student residence with 100 rooms. The Government of Québec explained that the cégep faced far greater demand for housing last year than it could meet, an issue which was complicated by the lack of affordable housing in the City of Trois-Rivières. QC Minister of HIgher Education Pascale Déry stated that it is important to the provincial government that higher education institutions’ recruitment efforts not be slowed by a lack of student housing.

In an article for Times Higher Education, Roohola Ramezani compares the Government of Canada’s recent cap on international undergraduate visas to political restrictions on postsecondary recruitment in the US and Europe. The author highlights that international students who wish to study in Canada now have a “35 per cent lower chance of doing so than in 2023,” but commends the fact that these federal restrictions are synchronized with university admissions. By contrast, Ramezani points to global examples in which international student restrictions targeted specific nations and were motivated by “politics or outright xenophobia.” The author argues that academic institutions must be allowed to consider international applicants without regard for their nationality.

A family living in Ottawa is calling on the Government of Ontario to follow maritime provinces in offering vaccinations against meningitis B to postsecondary students. These calls come after Queen’s University student Megan Plamondon contracted meningitis B last November and spent 10 days in hospital battling the illness. Plamondon is one of two Queen’s students who became infected with the disease last fall. Plamondon’s mother, Marian Coke is also advocating for Ontario’s public health officials to raise awareness on campus about the disease and its symptoms.

Full-time faculty at Mount Saint Vincent University hit the picket lines yesterday. The MSVU Faculty Association (MSVUFA)–which represents 160 full-time faculty, librarians, and lab instructors–recently released a statement explaining that the union and university failed to reach a collective agreement this past weekend and that the union has gone on strike until a tentative agreement is reached. MSVUFA added that it is centrally concerned with issues of compensation, diversity, and inclusion. MSVU issued a release expressing that a key priority for the university will be to mitigate the strike’s impacts on students. “We’ll do all we can to support our students throughout this time and minimize the effect on students’ academic experience,” reads the MSVU release.

Durham College has renamed its electric vehicle (EV) lab The Vanhaverbeke Family EV Training Centre in honour of philanthropists Edmond and Sylvia Vanhaverbeke, who recently donated $750K to the college. The EV lab provides hands-on experiential learning on EVs for motive power technicians. “This gift will help us create opportunities to lead the way in advancing EV and sustainable technology in the auto sector,” said Durham President Don Lovisa.