July 2, 2024

Advances in Health Sciences Education editor and University of Calgary Professor Rachel H Ellaway has penned an article on the “ever-growing struggle in securing sufficient peer reviewers” faced by academic journals across disciplines. This struggle stems from multiple factors—including a shrinking, exhausted academic workforce and the barriers posed by technology and process—which may be beyond the control of academic journals. The author highlights some of the proposed solutions and their risks; for example, financial remuneration for reviewers may create conflicts of interest and higher publishing costs. “I thank those who do review frequently, and I would encourage those who do not do so to lean in a little more to this necessary labour,” concludes Ellaway.

Northlands College has gained full institutional eligibility with both SSHRC and NSERC. This agreement with SSHRC and NSERC will significantly boost Northlands’ research capabilities in the areas of social sciences and humanities, natural sciences and engineering, and Indigenous-focused research. “This collaboration not only aligns with our vision to serve the residents of Northern Saskatchewan but also fortifies our mission to uphold northern self-determination and contribute profoundly to the advancement of post-secondary education in the North,” said Northlands President Karsten Henriksen.

The British Columbia Institute of Technology, Capilano University, and Squamish Líl̓wat Cultural Centre (SLCC) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to create pathways for SLCC’s Indigenous Youth Ambassador program graduates. The partnership will enable program graduates to receive credit for their work toward programs at CapilanoU and BCIT. “This recognizes their training certificates, their on-the-job work experience and their connection to knowledge keepers along their learning journey with us at the SLCC,” said SLCC Indigenous youth ambassador manager Cheximiya Allison Burns Joseph. “Many graduates have continued their education following the completion of the program and this will ensure proper recognition for their efforts and hard work.”

Beginning in Fall 2025, every first-year University of Prince Edward Island medical student will receive a $2K scholarship, thanks to a recent $1M gift from the Rathlyn Foundation. The Rathlyn Foundation Entrance Scholarships for UPEI Medical Students will be funded in perpetuity by the foundation’s gift. “What tremendous news for PEI students just as the Memorial University’s Faculty of Medicine admissions portal opens for all students this month,” said Prince Edward Island Premier Dennis King. “As a government, we are proud to support the Memorial–UPEI partnership with the infrastructure and technology required to make sure all PEI residents have an equitable opportunity to get into medical school.”

The University of Saskatchewan and Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami have signed an agreement focused on the creation of a secure process for verifying Inuit enrolment status for Indigenous-specific opportunities and jobs with the university. Under this partnership, USask and ITK will work together to ensure that work, study, research, and procurement opportunities intended for Inuit are provided solely to Inuit. ITK will serve as a liaison between USask and Inuvialuit Regional Corporation, Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated, Makkivik, and the Nunatsiavut Government. “This agreement is truly about recognizing Inuit Treaty Organizations and their sovereign and inherent rights to determine their membership and who they claim,” said USask Vice-Provost, Indigenous Engagement Dr Angela Jaime. “It is our job at the university to make sure that the space for Indigenous people is held for Indigenous people.”

The Government of Alberta has made changes to its student aid policies that will impact students attending private career colleges. AB increased the living allowances used to calculate student aid funding eligibility to bring the province more in line with the federal student aid program. Starting in August, Alberta Student Aid will also no longer fund students attending private career colleges outside AB, with some exceptions for eligible programs; however, students at AB private career colleges may become eligible for provincial funding to cover tuition and books if these costs are not covered by federal funds. AB also announced that it has expanded its compliance work to include onsite inspections of private career colleges to ensure that they are delivering quality programs.

APTN News reports that some of Aurora College’s programming is being jeopardized by the delays surround its transition to a polytechnic university. Programs such as the Northern Development Leadership Program could be eliminated because of a lack of funding, while the Bachelor of Social Work and Bachelor of Education have already been eliminated. Aurora President Glenda Vardy Dell said that the college is recruiting full-time grant writers to help fill funding gaps, as the college needs programs-based funding. “We want to be able to say to a student who is unsuccessful in a course, ‘come back next year to redo this course,’ but if we don’t have third-party funding and base funding to say that course will be offered again next year then we may potentially lose that student,” said Vardy Dell.

The University of Manitoba and the University of Nottingham have launched a virtual lab focused on fostering gender equity in sport and physical activity. The Environments Designed for Gender Equity in Sport & Physical Activity Lab (EDGE Lab) will use a “gendered environmental approach” to reimagine equitable and inclusive sport and physical activity. “EDGE Lab will serve as a virtual locale to support our focus on gendered environments and how they affect athletes’ health and performance,” explained EDGE Lab co-lead Dr Joanne Parsons (UManitoba). “We anticipate the virtual lab will facilitate the growth of our research program through increased visibility and expanded opportunities for developing partnerships.”

College of the North Atlantic and EC-Council have partnered to provide students with enhanced access to resources and certifications through dC-Council’s Community College Scholarship Initiative. As part of this partnership, students in CNA’s Bachelor of Applied Information Technology: Systems and Network Cybersecurity program will directly qualify for the Certified Network Defender, Certified Ethical Hacker, and EC-Council Incident Handler certifications using authorized content within their programs. Students will also gain insight into cybersecurity trends and career opportunities through webinars hosted by EC-Council.

On the anniversary of the hate-motivated attack that took place on the University of Waterloo’s campus last year, UWaterloo President Vivek Goel has released an update on the institution’s new safety measures. While the anniversary has brought back feelings of shock, Goel writes that the UWaterloo campus community is continuing to foster a safe and welcoming environment while rejecting hate and violence. Since the attack last year, UWaterloo has reviewed and updated its campus safety and security protocols, embarked on a planning process for a new emergency notification system that will launch this summer, and begun to engage in tore cross-campus collaborations to address communications and transparency.