July 20, 2023

An anonymous donor who made a $1.2M commitment to Trent University earlier this year has increased their donation to $3.5M. The gift was given as part of Trent’s $100M Campaign for Momentous Change. It will be used to increase the number of community-based research projects that Trent engages in, create an endowment that provides reliable for training, enhance hands-on learning opportunities, fund primary research at the university, and cover research-related expenses for students.

Mount Allison University has officially launched its Digital Skills Institute, which will host a series of free workshops this summer where participants can develop their digital competencies. The topics covered in these courses include Microsoft Excel, the digital humanities, data visualization, and social media marketing. “We know our students and the wider community continue to want to learn in new ways and gain important career readiness competencies and upskilling,” said MtA Director of Extended Learning Dr Beth Jewett. “Participants will gain competencies with different digital technologies and programs, but also valuable experience in critical and creative thinking, knowledge translation, communication, and professionalism in a digital world.”

Sheridan College locked down and cancelled classes on Tuesday after reports of a suspect with a firearm on campus. The college was notified about the situation by the Halton Regional Police and instituted its active assailant procedure and provided those on campus with directions via its emergency response system and the Sheridan ALERT app. A canine unit reportedly tracked the suspect, who was taken into custody at around 3:30PM. The campus has since reopened and Sheridan has made counselling available to all students.

Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s Melville School of Business has partnered with the International Society of Sustainability Professionals (ISSP) to align classroom instruction with ISSP’s standard of sustainability excellence. This new collaboration will allow KPU students pursuing careers in green business and sustainability to work towards recognized industry professional designations in the field. “Our new ISSP education partner status further aligns Melville School of Business to realize United Nations Sustainability Development Goals and continues our commitment to the UN Principles of Responsible Management Education,” said KPU Melville Associate Dean Jose Areekadan.

Quacquerelli Symonds (QS) has unveiled its QS Best Student Cities for 2024, a ranking of 160 education destinations from around the world. QS included cities with a minimum population of 250,000 that are home to at least two universities on the QS World University Ranking. These cities were evaluated based on several indicators, including measures of their student mix, desirability, employer activity, and overall affordability. Five Canadian cities made the ranking: Toronto (#11), Montreal (#13), Vancouver (#18), Ottawa (#57), and Québec City (#111).

Several postsecondary institutions have announced significant strides in their efforts to navigate the impacts of artificial intelligence (AI) in teaching and learning. Brock University has joined the Canada-wide AI and Academic Integrity Study, which aims to gather empirical evidence regarding the future use of AI and text-based tools. The study is led by the University of Calgary, in collaboration with other partner institutions, including Toronto Metropolitan University and the University of Saskatchewan. Trent University has launched a series of drop-in seminars that aim to help educators learn more about AI and explore ways to adapt their courses accordingly. McMaster University’s AI task force has released a series of provisional guidelines regarding the use of AI at the institution.

The University of Saskatchewan has launched a new Faculty Mentorship Program to support its researchers. The program will be led by Western College of Veterinary Medicine Professor Dr Jaswant Singh, who was part of a USask faculty committee that examined mentorship programs at USask and other U15 universities. The campus-wide program aims to respond flexibly to the needs of USask researchers and support USask in recruiting world-class researchers. “In this work, you always need to have interconnections with other disciplines, and that’s a big need–to go across colleges,” said Singh. “That’s why we need something at the institutional level.”

Two colleges recently shared updates on data breaches or cyberattacks that affected their community. Castanet reports that select students and staff at Okanagan College were warned that their information, such as SIN and personal health numbers, financial information, and more may have been compromised in the January cybersecurity attack. Nova Scotia Community College has issued a notice to its community that People Corporation, a company contracted to administer health and wellness programs at NSCC, had a possible data breach affecting 6,800 students. The information potentially impacted by the breach included the college’s name, student names, college IDs, dates of birth, and email addresses. Students affected by the breach will receive one year of access to a comprehensive credit monitoring service.

The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador and the Atlantic Police Academy are partnering to support the training and recruitment of more correctional officers. The government will provide funding to support 13 seats for NL residents in the Correctional Officer program at the Atlantic Police Academy in Prince Edward Island. Successful applicants will have the opportunity to learn from the academy at a reduced cost, gaining the knowledge needed for a successful career in provincial correctional facilities. “A career in corrections can be a very challenging but rewarding experience,” said NL Minister of Justice and Public Safety Honourable John Hogan. “We recognize there is an ongoing need for more correctional officers, and this financial incentive is a creative solution to help fill positions.”

The University of Winnipeg is equipping its campus security officers with naloxone kits–an emergency medication to reverse the effects of opioid overdose–ahead of the 2023-24 academic year. UWinnipeg faculty members, employees, and students are also able to request naloxone kits and training from the institution’s campus safety office. UWinnipeg Executive Director of Marketing and Communications Caleb Zimmerman explained that the availability of these kits is becoming increasingly important, given the public health concern regarding the opioid crisis. “With our location at the heart of the city, we feel it’s important to be equipped to help anyone on or near our campus who requires the administration of naloxone,” he said.