January 17, 2024

The Government of Canada is investing $86M into 15 organizations across Canada, including Bow Valley College, to help internationally educated health professionals (IEHPs) practice in Canada. The funding will be used to reduce barriers to foreign credential recognition, provide relevant work experience, and facilitate labour mobility for IEHPs from key occupations–including nursing, pharmacy, dentistry, laboratory technicians, and respiratory therapy. BVC will receive up to $9.4M for a project that will help foreign-trained nurses to gain employment in Canada.

In a recent article for the Globe and Mail, writer Harvey Schachter discusses the difficulties of taking on the role of a university president. Schachter writes that presidents are facing the same general challenges they faced in the past, but with the added complications of increased polarization and an impression of diminished or limited authority. The author discusses the nature of leadership at the university, where there is less of a hierarchy of authority and a president is often charged with leading other leaders. Schachter concludes with three recommendations for leaders: Set time aside to recharge, expect to use a “hierarchy” of AI in the future, and try to be “the most interested person in the room.”

Assiniboine Community College has received $10M from an anonymous philanthropist to support the development of the Prairie Innovation Centre for Sustainable Agriculture. The new centre will expand and refresh ACC’s agriculture and environment programs, provide a hub for sector engagement, foster applied research capacity, and address labour shortages in the agricultural sector. “With one in three agriculture jobs expected to go unfilled by 2029, the time for the Prairie Innovation Centre is now,” said ACC President Mark Frison. “And there’s no time more fitting to announce this substantial donation than on the eve of Manitoba Ag Days, when the presence and important of the ag sector will be felt all week long here in Brandon.”

The Université du Québec à Rimouski has announced that it will offer a PhD in psychology this Fall. The program, offered through a connection with Université du Québec en Outaouais, will train psychologists within Eastern Québec to address a labour shortage in the region. Students will be able to choose from two pathways: An adult clinical psychology profile or a clinical neuropsychology profile. The program is geared towards students who already have a bachelor’s degree in psychology, live in Québec, and would like to attain a license to practice.

The Gabriel Dumont Institute of Native Studies and Applied Research is partnering with the University of Regina to offer an Indigenous Education Doctorate program, which will welcome its first cohort this July. The three-year, community-based program is a complete URegina doctoral degree that focuses on Métis local knowledge, history, spirituality, and culture within national and international contexts. It is designed for residents of Northern Saskatchewan and will be delivered in Prince Albert. “We are confident this program will establish an important pathway for advanced Métis capacity and perspectives within the Saskatchewan education system,” said GDI Acting Executive Director Brett Vandale.

In a recent article for Times Higher Ed, six staff members from the University of Bristol discuss ways to decolonise and diversify science curricula and make it more inclusive and relevant. The authors recommend using an online survey to gauge student and staff opinions on decolonisation and involve them in the curriculum review. They discuss using a 3Rs framework—rediscovery, representation, readiness—in order to ensure the curricula shows alternative canons of knowledge, represents everyone, and prepares students for the world. The authors contend that decolonisation and diversification should be a continual conversation and that this discourse should be embedded into existing teaching structures.

The University of Lethbridge’s Faculty of Education is launching a new undergraduate degree that prepares students to teach in kindergarten to Grade 3 classrooms. Students in the Bachelor of Education in Early Years Education will complete their practical classroom time exclusively in K-3 environments, and graduates will be provincially certified to teach in the K-12 system. Students can enter this four-year degree directly from high school. “This allows high school students who already know they want to work with young children the opportunity to start that journey earlier,” said ULethbridge Associate Dean, Undergraduate Programs Dr Richelle Marynowski. “The program also responds to the needs of school divisions across the province for teachers in this area.” The first cohort will commence studies this Fall.

Trent University will offer a new postgraduate certificate program in Applied Artificial Intelligence (AI) starting this Fall. The interdisciplinary program will cover the skills that students need to implement AI in their chosen discipline and succeed in the job market. It will be offered at Trent’s Durham campus and can be completed in as little as eight months. “AI is here, and not going away, so those equipped to best understand AI and its impacts will be the ones positioned to benefit from it and help develop it in meaningful and positive ways,” said Trent University Durham GTA Dean Dr Scott Henderson.

Lheidli T’enneh First Nation Chief Dolleen Logan has accepted the University of Northern British Columbia’s Respectful Acknowledgement pledge. In thanks for the pledge, Chief Logan presented UNBC with 18 Respectful Acknowledgement plaques that will be displayed across the UNBC Prince George campus. “Over the past several years, UNBC and the Lheidli T’enneh First Nation have built a truly special partnership,” said Chief Logan. “Today’s Respectful Acknowledgement pledge is another positive step on the Road to Reconciliation between our nation and UNBC.”

Several postsecondary institutions are holding open houses where they are waiving application fees, holding prize draws for money toward tuition, and hosting special events to attract prospective students to study on their campus in the future. At the open houses for Cégep de Drummondville and Georgian College, interested students can apply for admission for free. Georgian’s open house will be held virtually, and attendees can enter a draw to win $5K toward their tuition. Cégep de Chicoutimi and Cégep Gérald-Godin are both opening their doors to let students explore campus, and Chicoutimi is offering workshops to showcase the courses offered, share information about different areas of study, and help students choose their program.