February 26, 2024

Concordia University and McGill University are taking the Government of Québec to court over the tuition hike for out-of-province students. The universities will reportedly launch separate lawsuits against QC. CBC reports that the lawsuits come in response to a significant drop in applicants at the universities. The lawsuits argue that QC’s measures contravene the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedom, that the hikes are unreasonable, and that their adoption did not follow an adequate consultation process. Concordia’s application for judicial review asks the court to halt the tuition hikes, saying that the hikes target English-language universities and are based on “stereotypes and false assumptions about the English-speaking community of Quebec.” McGill is also reportedly asking the court to temporarily suspend the tuition increases while the university considers the case.

Seneca Polytechnic is bringing Microsoft Azure AI to its students and employees to support learning and career development. The AI software will be used to develop an AI tutor that will serve as a personal companion to students as they study course materials or test their knowledge with practice quizzes. InStage, a job interview simulation platform created at Seneca’s HELIX incubator, will also draw on Azure AI to hone its simulations. In the future, the polytechnic plans to explore how the software can be used to enhance The Service Hub, its centralized destination for student support.

Vancouver Community College has unveiled a revitalized brand identity that includes a new logo and increased focus on the hands-on, practice-based, and industry-connected experience offered by the college. The new logo is inspired by the design of the Coast Salish Longhouse and is intended to evoke a parallel between the way the Longhouse expanded to accommodate the community and the way VCC evolves to serve its learners and community. The brand reflects the educational experience VCC offers to those who are developing their skills. “Our commitment to our learners and our community is unwavering,” said VCC President Ajay Patel. “Now, we have a brand that truly reflects these values.”

In a conversation with La Presse, Université de Montréal rector Daniel Jutras states that the Government of Québec’s decision to target out-of-province students has “harmed” Montreal. While QC French language minister Jean-François Roberge has reportedly blamed university students for the amount of English heard in the city, Jutras disagrees with this perception. “I don’t think it’s the presence of these students that transforms the French-speaking face of Montreal,” said Jutras. Jutras also discussed the issues with underfunding in the QC university system and asserted that the tuition change will not “move the needle much, honestly” in terms of redistributing money to French universities.

The Canadian Council of Academics has published a report on international science, technology, innovation, and knowledge production (STIK) partnerships and the need for a national strategy for assessing these partnerships. In the report, CCA explains that engaging in STIK partnerships allows Canadian researchers to be part of a global response to a global challenge while also helping to meet national priorities. The report offers a strategy for prioritizing and evaluating international partnerships that follows three steps: Articulating goals; identifying, evaluating, and weighting appropriate indicators; and making a decision on the international partnership.

Two institutions have announced new programs and distinctions that recognize students for academic and extracurricular activities that go beyond the bounds of the classroom. At Western University, graduate students can now earn the Global & Intercultural Engagement Honour—a special distinction that appears on their transcript—by participating in courses, initiatives, and extracurricular activities that develop global and intercultural skills. United College at the University of Waterloo has announced a new minor in social innovation and impact that will formally recognize students for researching, designing, launching, and testing social innovations.

Several postsecondary institutions are recognising Black History Month with new community projects and initiatives. In Nova Scotia, Imhotep’s Legacy Academy at Dalhousie University will use recently-announced federal funding–$829K over three years—to establish a national network of extracurricular and after-school programs for Black, Indigenous, and Latin youth. In Ontario, Brock University and Wilfrid Laurier University have engaged with the K-12 system: Brock students and alumni are visiting local high schools to teach about Black History Month as part of the Future Black Leaders initiative, while WLU has invited students in Grade 6 to 8 for a Black Brillance conference that intends to inspire African, Caribbean, and Black students to pursue postsecondary education. Assiniboine Community College has used the proceeds of a recent Gala Dinner to launch the Ignite bursary, which will support Black Canadian students with financial need.

The Globe and Mail’s recently reported that the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador spent nearly $36M for travel nurses over the summer of 2023, which has surprised nursing graduates who are searching for permanent, full-time work in the province. Centre for Nursing Studies fourth-year student Chloe George explained that students and staff alike were astonished to hear the news: “The faculty has really been surprised and not pleased about that either. I think they are just as blindsided and just as bewildered as we are.” CNS nursing student Hayley Cheeseman added that fewer than 25 of the 103 graduating students in her class had permanent, full-time jobs lined up. NL Health Minister Tom Osborne told CBC that there are enough full-time nursing jobs for every nurse in NL, but that students need to temper their expectations if they are looking to work in specific units or locations.

Collège d’Alma has officially launched the Fondation du Collège d’Alma, a charitable foundation that will strike partnerships with the community and support the college’s mission and projects. The foundation is already actively holding meetings with potential key stakeholders and has signed its first partnership agreement—worth $30K—with Isofor. Foundation president and college alumnus Denis Hogue stated that there are significant challenges ahead of the foundation, but that he knows he can count on the generosity of the community.

In a recent interview with Nature, Elaine Wong (University of Melbourne) (University of Melbourne) discuss how advertising job openings to female-only applicants has helped increase gender equity in STEM. The interviewees explained that the strategy was implemented to speed up female participation and helped to spark a more inclusive culture within the school of mathematics and statistics. Wong discussed how the concerns of colleagues were alleviated through discussions, the use of data, and communication about the recruitment process. As a result of advertising jobs to female-only applicants, Such noted that the faculty has seen a jump in gender equity.