July 17, 2023

The University of Windsor has partnered with the Kanata North Business Association and Hub350 to provide students with more opportunities to gain experience with tech firms. Students will be able to take part in work-integrated learning opportunities such as research projects, internships, and co-op placements while raising UWindsor’s profile among top tech firms and expanding the university’s presence in the Kanata region. UWindsor Office of Experiential Learning Executive Director Judy Bornais explained that the partnership will help students to “gain that real world experience and develop the skills necessary to thrive in the tech industry.”

The Government of Manitoba and Government of Canada have integrated their respective student loan programs to create a more streamlined experience for students. The “One Student, One Loan” model will simplify loan repayment for students and free up government resources, according to Advanced Education and Training Minister Sarah Guillemard. “Now student loan borrowers only have to make one monthly repayment, which will be applied to both the federal and provincial loans, and they will only need to interact with one organization to obtain information or make changes to their loan accounts,” said Guillemard.

Durham College has launched a Student Ambassador program that will connect current Durham students from various programs with prospective students. Prospective students will be able to chat with student ambassadors about topics such as Durham’s campus and learning environments, support services, and academic workloads. “The Student Ambassador program will help incoming students and those considering DC make peer-to-peer connections, an invaluable offering that provides authentic insights, experiences, and opinions from some of the college’s best students,” said Durham AVP, Academic, Enrolment and International Education Debbie Johnston. “We’re thrilled to see this new program unfold and to share everything DC has to offer in a new and impactful way.”

Concordia University of Edmonton and Treefort Technologies, Inc have partnered to address identity fraud and cybercrime. Students from Concordia Edmonton’s information security programs will be working with Treefort Technologies on facial recognition technology that can detect deepfakes. “That’s the best thing that can happen to you as a student,” said Concordia Edmonton student Siddharth Dua. “You’re learning and you’re applying that knowledge in the practical world. It’s giving me Canadian experience […while teaching me] how the businesses operate here and how I can use this knowledge.”

In a recent article for the Chronicle of Higher Ed Kevin Dettmar (Pomona College) discusses factors chairs should keep in mind if they are considering stepping down from their role. Dettmar writes that while there are times when someone should consider stepping down, it is often better to finish a term if possible. Dettmar draws on his own experience as a chair of a difficult department to explain that an early resignation can bring unexpected challenges, such as limiting future opportunities to take on another leadership role within the sector. Instead, Dettmar recommends establishing an end date to open-ended positions to avoid becoming a “chair for life” and meeting with the dean to secure the emotional and practical supports that would be helpful for the duration of the role.

In a recent CBC article, reporter Casey Stranges writes that state-sponsored hackers are targeting some Canadian universities with the intent of stealing intellectual property. A Communications Security Establishment spokesperson told CBC that “programs from China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea” pose the “greatest strategic cyber threats to Canada” and will likely continue to target specific sectors to facilitate their domestic economic development. Laurentian University Chief Information Officer Luc Roy said that Laurentian has been targeted with innocuous-seeming ploys to get mining research data. To address any future attempts, the university is taking actions such as increasing its security with multi-factor authentication and implementing 24/7 monitoring of network access. “To be honest, we have to take a stronger approach and have mandatory training,” said Roy.

Postsecondary leadership should strive to authentically connect with their student body and ground themselves in the situations of the people they serve, writes James T Harris (University of San Diego). Harris describes how organizing morning walks with students in a nearby canyon, where students could let down their guard and authentically share their perspectives and their experiences at the university. These conversations gave Harris insight that could be used while discussing challenges with the university’s senior team. The author encourages postsecondary leaders to find a way to connect with the campus community and ground themselves in their people.

Former Memorial University President Vianne Timmons has returned the Indspire award that she accepted in 2019. The news follows a CBC investigation into Timmons’ statements on her Indigenous identity and past membership in an unrecognized band. CBC reports that Timmons stated that she never claimed Indigenous identity and that she shared the story of her Mi’kmaw ancestry to honour her father’s wishes. Indspire spokesman Brandon Meawasige confirmed that Timmons had returned the award.

Vancouver Community College will be offering a no-cost course called Workplace Skills for Success in order to help newcomers to Canada prepare to enter the Canadian workforce. The 12-week course includes three online, self-paced micro-credentials that were developed by Colleges and Institutes Canada: Adaptability, Collaboration, and Communication. It also includes six online group sessions with a VCC instructor who will help students practice skills learned within the micro-credentials. The course is offered at no-cost through funding from Employment and Social Development Canada.

Following a recent town hall session about the report on the University of Prince Edward Island’s workplace culture, UPEI President Greg Keefe issued two statements to the community. Keefe explained that UPEI has “a number of steps” that it must take to address the issues identified in the report. In terms of immediate steps, Keefe writes that the university’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) and Sexual Violence Prevention and Response (SVPRO) departments–which were determined to be under-resourced–will be preparing staffing plans for implementation this fall. The institution will be looking to fill vacancies on its board using “an EDI lens” prior to governance training. The university will also be creating an action plan with measurable goals in order to address the problems raised in the report.