February 14, 2024

The Financial Times has released its MBA Ranking for 2024, which evaluates the top 100 business schools in the world according to factors such as alumni network, carbon footprint, faculty statistics, and diversity attributes. Four Canadian universities appeared among the rankings this year: Queen’s University Smith School of Business (#62), University of Toronto Rotman School of Management (#70), McGill University Desautels Faculty of Management (#83), and Western University Ivey Business School (#90).

Canada’s pulse industry has received two investments that will support its growth and development. The Government of Canada will provide Pulse Canada with funding of up to $11M through the AgriScience Program – Clusters Component. An additional $10.4M in funding from Pulse Canada’s partner organizations and the provincial governments of Alberta, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan. The funding will support nine research projects, five of which are led by University of Saskatchewan researchers, and one of which will involve the University of Manitoba.

Canadian postsecondary institutions are participating in Love Data Week, an international celebration that takes place during the week of Valentine’s Day to raise awareness about the impact, value, and appropriate handling of data. Queen’s University is hosting virtual sessions, including a two-part webinar about Public Opinion and Election Data. Brock University’s schedule includes a presentation on Queer Data Studies and a workshop on Finding Geospatial Data. The University of Waterloo is holding Data Diversi-Tea Talks as well as workshops on topics like Data Visualization and Tabular Data. The libraries of Simon Fraser University, the University of British Columbia, the University of Northern British Columbia, and the University of Victoria are collaborating on a series of presentations on topic such as Canadian Housing Data, Machine Learning, and the history of Statistics Canada.

In a recent journal article published in Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, Sarah Elaine Eaton (University of Calgary) discusses the theoretical and practical considerations for decolonizing academic integrity. Eaton considers how Indigenous knowledge has been used in ways that have led to injustice and calls for traditional Indigenous knowledge and ways of knowing to be preserved and protected. The author then outlines broad strategies for decolonizing academic integrity that focus on four key principles. She concludes with a call for institutions and educators to prioritize the decolonization of academic integrity to build a more just and equitable future.

The Ontario Court of Appeal recently ruled that Bill 124, which placed a cap on salary increases for public sector workers in ON, is unconstitutional. The Government of Ontario has responded by affirming that it will take steps to repeal the bill. CBC reports that the appeal court said that the act is unconstitutional for workers that are represented by unions, given their rights afforded by collective bargaining. ON stated that it will take the necessary steps to repeal Bill 124 in its entirety and will “urgently introduce regulations to exempt non-unionized and non-associated workers from Bill 124 until it is repealed.” CUPE and OCUFA celebrated the news, which benefits the college and university staff that they represent.

Mamu Tshishkutamashutau Innu Education has partnered with McGill University to launch a new two-year teaching certificate for Sheshatshiu and Mushua Innu. The program will cover the fundamentals of instruction and assessment and provide lessons on Innu-aimun and Innu culture. It will be free for 20 eligible applicants; learners do not need a high school diploma to apply. “It’ll mean everything, kids being able to see someone that looks like them and talks like them and learn from them and be able to have that comfort in that classroom, which then will be able to help them grow their confidence in the future,” said Mamu Tshishkutamashutau student support manager Nykesha Gregoire.

An article in the Vancouver Sun offers further details about two private colleges that had their certification revoked by the Government of British Columbia in 2023: East West College and the DC School of Aesthetics. The two colleges were reportedly mandated to stop providing programs with a tuition of $4K or 40 hours of instructional time or more and are not permitted to apply for a new certification for one year. The article explains that these two colleges are among the 280 private postsecondary institutions in BC that are facing increased scrutiny in the wake of the provincial crack-down on “so-called diploma mills.” Both East West College and DC School of Aesthetics are in the process of appealing this certification cancellation.

MacEwan University has received audit status and been delegated a new program approval status from the Campus Alberta Quality Council (CAQC). These delegations will streamline the university’s degree program development and review processes by enabling MacEwan to internally review its new degrees and new specializations within existing degree programs using processes and documentation that can be provided to CAQC, if requested. The proposed programs can then be sent directly to the Government of Alberta’s Minister of Advanced Education for approval. “It’s about 14 years in the making,” said MacEwan Academic Quality Assurance Officer Dr Ken Ristau. “It’s basically the completion of our transition from community college to university.”

Unions from McGill University, Université Laval, and the University of Toronto have released strike and bargaining updates. The Association of McGill Professors of Law (AMPL) held a day-long strike yesterday in the wake of ongoing negotiation processes; all classes taught by AMPL professors were cancelled. The Syndicat des chargées et chargés de cours de l’Université Laval announced that it will launch a four-day strike starting this Thursday if no agreement in principle is reached before then. In Toronto, members of the United Steelworkers Local 1998–which represents 3,800 contract workers at the University of Toronto–have voted 90% in favour of adopting a strike mandate in an effort to bolster their demands pertaining to wages and health benefits.

Two recent opinion articles—published in Times Higher Education and the Chronicle of Higher Ed—examine the growing trend toward institutional neutrality. Both Daniel Diermeier (THE) and Michael Vasquez (Chronicle) reflect on the history of institutional neutrality and the standards set by the University of Chicago’s 1967 Kalven Report. Diermeier outlines the reasoning behind using institutional neutrality in times of polarized political climates to ensure a “vigorous culture of free speech and open enquiry.” Diermeier also highlights how institutional neutrality helps the university avoid difficult circumstances such as double standards, a precedent of immediate arbitration on each emerging issue, or prioritization of politics over the pursuit of truth. Vasquez discusses the fallout of cases where US universities or colleges have either adopted a position of institutional neutrality or taken a position on a contentious issue.