July 22, 2025

A spokesperson for the Government of Canada’s Auditor-General’s office has told the Globe and Mail that it plans to review Canada’s international student program. The audit is currently in its planning phase and its details are reportedly undetermined at this time. University of Waterloo economist Mikal Skuterud told the Globe that the audit could examine caps on permits, pathways to permanent residency, and broader policy responses to the influx of students. “In that sense, it would be extremely valuable to have the AG look at this and provide some input,” said Skuterud in an interview. The audit will be tabled in the Parliament of Canada next year.

Canadian student athletes, coaches, and staff from universities across the country have come together under USports Team Canada to compete in the FISU Summer World University Games in Germany this month. At the time of writing, Team Canada has claimed three medals: Nithan Brindamohan (Toronto Metropolitan University) earned a gold medal and Leonarda Andric (University of Ottawa) earned a bronze medal in their respective divisions of the taekwondo Kyorugi competition, while the Men’s Team—Ethan So (McMaster University), Gordon Cheuk (Simon Fraser University), and Kai-hsin Chang (Western University)—earned a bronze medal in the taekwondo Poomsae competition. The University of Alberta explains that this participation marks an important return for Team Canada, which did not participate in the last event in 2023.

Ontario’s universities are facing an “intractable financial situation” that requires politically viable solutions, writes University of Waterloo Professor Jeffrey Casello. Casello asserts that tuition cuts and stagnant government grants have reduced Ontario university revenues by 25% over the past decade, leaving some institutions at risk of failure. To rebuild public trust and show accountability, Casello proposes institution-level measures such as self-imposed faculty pay cuts, as well as sector-level measures and a review of redundancies between universities. With such proactive actions, he concludes, the provincial government may then turn its focus to reforms, such as those suggested by its blue ribbon panel, that would re-establish the sector’s viability.

St Thomas University and France’s Université Angers have signed a co-operation agreement that will create new student exchange opportunities starting this year. The agreement, signed by STU President Dr Nauman Farooqi and Université Angers President Françoise Grolleau, will enable four students from each institution to study at the partner institution on an annual basis. Université Angers cited STU’s bilingualism and undergraduate programs in social sciences, humanities, and sustainability as key draws for its students.

In a recent article for the New York Times, Dr Jennifer Frey (University of Tulsa) pushes back against the argument that students are not interested in the liberal arts and the work that the field of study entails. Drawing on her recent experience as the dean of her university’s honors college, Frey asserts that she found little evidence that today’s students engage in censorship, refuse to read, or lack resilience. Instead, Frey argues that the university’s liberal arts programming—which requires students to engage in vigorous debates and parse through thousands of pages of difficult material—has been immensely popular with students. She concludes that the main challenges for the program are not student or donor interest, but the different priorities of the University of Tulsa’s board of trustees and administration.

Algoma University and Enabled Talent have signed an MOU to co-develop an AI-powered workplace accessibility tool for blind and low-vision professionals. The two-year collaboration will focus on the development of Eynable, a tool that uses voice commands, smart descriptions, and task automation to help users navigate tasks like form submissions and scheduling without altering existing software or websites. “Accessibility benefits society as a whole—and by designing with that in mind, we unlock broader innovation,” said AlgomaU Digital Innovation Lab Director Dr Randy Lin. The project will also draw on insights from advocacy organizations and partnerships with employers such as TD, RBC, and CBC.

The University of Winnipeg is launching an experimental humanities course that will teach undergraduate students about classics, religion, and literary studies. The Winnipeg Free Press reports that the Introduction to the Humanities course, spanning two semesters and taught by four professors, is inspired by a course offered at the University of King’s College. Content is grouped into four themes: beginnings, self and community, love and desire, and endings. The course is interdisciplinary in nature, requiring students to make connections between texts and disciplines and think critically as they consider questions about the history of human thought. “[T]he four of us have been actively thinking about how the traditional canon has excluded important voices who have an awful lot to contribute to the study of big ideas,” said UWinnipeg Professor Carlos Colorado.

Brock University will be relaunching its Mentorship Program in order to support faculty and staff growth. Employees can participate as either mentors or mentees. Throughout the program, they will engage in activities such as monthly meetings and goal-oriented conversations where they can share their insights, reflect on their experiences, and access resources and an online community. “Mentorship is a meaningful way to build community and foster mutual learning across our diverse campus,” said Brock Learning and Development Specialist Samantha Vandermolen. “At a large institution like Brock, we’re fortunate to have so many talented individuals who are eager to share their experiences and support one another’s growth.”

NSCAD University has announced its plan to fully digitize the Anna Leonowens Gallery collection by 2027. Anna Leonowens Gallery Systems Director Erinn Langille said that the project will provide the public with a way to access the gallery’s art and artifacts and demonstrate NSCADU’s engagement with art movements. The university has hired an art collection firm called The Kalaman Group to photograph, consolidate, catalogue, and organize NSCADU’s permanent collection into one system. NSCADU Director of Library Services Rebecca Young explained that this system will help viewers get the bigger picture of what is in the collection, while reducing physical wear and tear on the collections.

A new school, park, and community centre in Brantford will be named after Blanche E Williams, who is believed to be one of the first Black women to attend university in Canada on equal terms with white students. The Brantford Expositor and CBC report that Williams completed high school in Brantford and enrolled at the University of Toronto in 1885. The group that uncovered her story—Unite Against Hate—nominated her name for the new Grand Erie District School Board (GEDSB) school and is now investigating where Williams went after U of T. “With education as the path to transformation, Blanche Williams interrupted racial barriers and showed us what’s possible,” said GEDSB Superintendent Liana Thompson.