July 26, 2024

Statistics Canada has released a new report on university finances in 2022-2023, which shows continuing improvement for the sector. Revenues increased to $47.5B ($2.2B increase), while expenditures increased to $45.1B ($1.4B increase). Provincial funding remained the largest contributor to institutional revenue overall, though tuition was the largest source of revenue in Ontario and Nova Scotia. StatCan noted that the full return of on-campus activities—such as parking, food services, and residence halls—had a particularly notable impact on both revenue and expenses in the studied year.

Several Canadian postsecondary institutions are cheering on their students who will be representing their countries at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Several students will be competing for Canada: Toshka Besharah-Hrebacka (University of Ottawa) will compete in kayaking, Sydney Carroll (University of Saskatchewan) will compete in artistic swimming, Margo Erlam (USask) and Rylan Wiens (USask) will compete in diving, and Josipa Kafadar (Simon Fraser University) will compete in taekwondo. Mauritius will be represented by Ovesh Purahoo (University of Regina) in the 100-metre freestyle.

Institut national de la recherche scientifique will receive $7.4M in funding through NSERC’s Alliance Advantage grants program. This funding will support university-industry partnerships focused on integrating photonics and quantum technologies to enhance quantum communication, computing, and sensing capabilities. INRS and partners including McGill, the University of Toronto, the University of Alberta, Université de Sherbrooke, as well as other educational and industry partners will receive over $4.99M over five years for a project focused on improving cybersecurity and biomedicine. More than $1.27M over four years will support a project on using photonic systems for quantum information processing. INRS will receive $1.17M over four years for a project in collaboration with McGill University, Polytechnique Montréal, and industry partners that will focus on developing a scalable platform for on-chip quantum communication.

In a special to the National Post, Peter MacKinnon—former president of the University of Saskatchewan, Athabasca University, and Dalhousie University—writes that the status of universities is being undermined as they increasingly become politicized. MacKinnon argues that universities have been respected because their “missions and goals were seen to transcend political and social differences among the populations they serve.” Additionally, he writes that the search for truth—a fundamental purpose of universities—requires prerequisites such as freedom of inquiry and expression, tolerance for differences, and institutional neutrality. MacKinnon argues that these prerequisites are being broken down by those who try to silence others and by the perception that universities are aligning with ideological or social justice goals. “Universities as institutions are not about social justice; they are about the search for truth, for which they must stay out of politics,” concludes MacKinnon.

The Government of British Columbia has announced the next intake of the StrongerBC future skills grant, which covers up to $3.5K in eligible short-term skills training. Students can choose from a list of over 300 eligible programs in in-demand fields and begin their education in September 2024. “This year, thousands of British Columbians will benefit from more training opportunities offered by BC’s public post-secondary institutions that will enhance workers’ skills who will fill in-demand positions now and get good-paying jobs,” said BC Minister of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills Lisa Beare.

In an article for The Conversation, Alexandra Dawson (Concordia University) and Ingrid Chadwick (Concordia) explore the entrepreneurial landscape in Canada and the need for action to create a more inclusive environment that helps women to succeed. Among their recommendations, Dawson and Chadwick write that entrepreneurial programs and policies need to be designed to better address the unique challenges faced by women. They also call for educators and policymakers to use more inclusive language in entrepreneurship, as entrepreneurship has historically been a male-dominated field and commonly draws on masculine stereotypes and traits. “By highlighting the value of all types of women entrepreneurs and addressing the barriers they face, we can pave the way for a more diverse and dynamic entrepreneurial ecosystem in Canada,” they conclude.

The University of Toronto Press and Canadian Science Publishing are co-launching a new science book publishing program. The two publishers will produce science books that touch on important scientific issues such as Arctic science and climate, biodiversity and conservation science, and ocean health and aquatic sciences. “Aligned in our mission to connect ideas for a better world, we are excited to publish authoritative and impactful works together that will make significant contributions to contemporary scientific discourse,” said UTP Vice President, Publishing Division Antonia Pop.

As part of The Conversation’s Uncommon Courses series, Patrick Barry (University of Michigan) describes a course that he designed on the topic of feedback. The course provides students who are pursuing a wide range of careers with the skills they need to provide and receive high-quality feedback. The course—which Barry also adapted into a downloadable book—covers several feedback frameworks, how to solicit and deliver feedback, and how to interpret feedback. In his concluding comments, Barry explains that students who complete the course are prepared to be better editors, listeners, and leaders who understand the process of improvement.

Two postsecondary schools recently partnered with Indigenous organizations and communities to offer summer camps on their campuses. Nova Scotia Community College’s Nautical Institute and Mi’kmaw Kina’matnewey partnered on a youth marine camp. Participants took part in marine training and traditional Mi’kmaq practices and activities and earned Transport Canada MED DVS certificates. The University of Regina partnered with File Hills Qu’Appelle Tribal Council to create a coaching and performance camp for First Nations athletes and coaches. The three-day event covered topics such as mental performance, nutrition, and strength and conditioning. “A lot of the time, sport is kind of like that gateway into higher education, so I think the biggest thing, for coaches especially, is how to foster that in their athletes,” said event organizer Jordynn Pewapsconias.

Langara College is reportedly expecting drastic cuts in enrolment for international students. The Vancouver Sun reports that Langara currently has one of the highest proportions of international students of any public postsecondary institution in BC, but these numbers may soon decrease due to the federal and provincial reforms and policy shifts. Langara President Paula Burns told faculty that there has been a 79% drop in foreign student applications for spring 2025 compared to the same period last year and that applications have fallen 9% for the Fall term. Faculty association members reportedly sent their colleagues a group message in which the enrolment drop was called a “crisis” that “will hit all of us.”