February 25, 2025

The Journal de Montréal has published its 2025 cégep ranking, which ranks Québec’s 52 public cégeps by program area. In each program, each cégep’s ranking is calculated from a variety of factors, including incoming students’ high school grade averages and graduation rate. Several cégeps appeared in the top five for multiple programs, including Cégep de Jonquière, Cégep Beauce-Appalaches, Collège d’Alma, and Cégep de Rimouski. The Journal also noted that the graduation gap between men and woman has widened over the past 10 years. QC Minister of Higher Education Pascale Déry expressed concern about this widening gap, but was unable to commit to renewing the action plan that includes funds for related measures.

The Toronto Star recently conducted a survey of Ontario colleges and universities to better understand how the federal policy changes have affected them. Some college respondents argued that the restrictions on post-graduate work permits were biased and/or favoured universities, while university respondents distanced themselves from being at fault. Among the institutions that provided enrolment data, all but one reported that their enrolment had declined. When asked about provincial attestation letters (PALs), many universities said they did not use all their PALs and expressed concern about being penalized for this in the next academic year. Universities also expressed uncertainty about the effect of including master’s and doctoral programs in this year’s cap on student recruitment.

As the public perception of the value of postsecondary education shifts, postsecondary institutions must reaffirm their relevance and reconsider how they discuss their work, writes MacEwan University President Dr Annette Trimbee. Trimbee writes that communicating the value and relevance of a postsecondary education is a complex task because of the diversity of the different audiences that this message must be shared with. The author encourages institutions to question how they can better celebrate their successes, champion their ability to provide industry with skilled talent, and honour their graduates. “We can’t assume future students, their families and influencers, will intuitively know the value of a university education,” writes Trimbee.

In a recent article for the Halifax Examiner, Dalhousie University Associate Professor Dr Karen Foster outlines her concerns about the Government of Nova Scotia’s recently proposed legislation. While acknowledging the benefit of aligning research and teaching with government priorities, Foster argues that requiring this alignment endangers those fields and studies without an immediate impact on the community. The author also warns that the act removes the “guardrails limiting government influence over research and teaching,” making postsecondary education more vulnerable to unilateral government influence in the future.

Mohawk College will be adding two new medical imaging programs for the Fall semester: Ultrasonography – Advanced Diploma and Radiography – Advanced Diploma. These two-year programs will be delivered through a mix of online and in-person learning, with three on-campus skills intensives on McMaster University’s campus. Both are designed for students who already have postsecondary experience and would like to continue learning while remaining in their communities. Students will also complete clinical placements to gain hands-on experience working with real patients. “These programs will help to address these shortages by appealing to people who want to advance or change careers but don’t want to uproot themselves for two years to do it,” said Mohawk Associate Dean of Medical Imaging Laura Thomas.

The University of New Brunswick has partnered with Supply Chain Canada to introduce supply chain accreditation to UNB’s Master of Business Administration (MBA) program. Eligible graduates who studied in the program’s supply chain management stream will gain advanced standing in Supply Chain Canada’s Supply Chain Management Professional™ Designation program and will be exempt from modules and workshops so that earning the designation is faster and more cost-effective. UNB says that this is the first Canadian MBA program to introduce supply chain accreditation.

UBC Properties Trust has filed its response to a civil claim that blames the trust’s construction project for the damage sustained by nearby buildings and the subsequent displacement of residents. The claim reportedly targets multiple involved parties, including the engineering firms and construction companies that were involved in the construction of the new University of British Columbia Okanagan tower in downtown Kelowna. In its statement, the trust denied any wrongdoing, asserting that it “reasonably relied on the professionals and contractors they had retained to complete the excavation and construction activities safely on the Lands.” Castanet reports that the plaintiffs are looking to have their lawsuit certified as a class-action suit.

Université Laval is partnering with two cities—Québec City and Rimouski—to encourage citizens to reduce their carbon footprint. ULaval rector Sophie D’Amours explained that the project seeks to understand citizen inaction on climate change and identify the services that would help citizens to be more carbon-efficient. The Journal de Québec reports that the project follows on a recent survey on climate change, in which many citizens shared that they were tired of hearing about climate change despite believing it to be a critical issue. The project is funded by the federal government.

Assiniboine College recently celebrated the grand opening of its rural rotating Practical Nursing site in Beausejour. This site will offer the college’s Practical Nursing program, which includes classroom instruction, lab experiences, and clinical placements. It aims to provide training closer to home to address the province’s demand for skilled healthcare professionals. “This rotating site in Beausejour will allow students to train in or near their own communities, reducing the barrier to training and supporting healthcare services in rural areas,” said Assiniboine President Mark Frison.

Western University’s Ivey Business School’s Ian O Ihnatowycz Institute for Leadership has launched the Western Leadership Certificate. This certificate will expand leadership education to undergraduate students attending Western or an affiliate institution. Participants will earn three academic credits at no additional cost beyond Western tuition. “This innovative certificate will build bridges between Ivey’s approach to developing business leaders and the many other faculties at Western that offer their own application of leadership within the particular context of their discipline or profession,” said Ihnatowycz Institute Executive Director Dusya Vera. Western says that the program is Canada’s first character-focused leadership certificate program.