July 8, 2025

The University of Sudbury, in partnership with the University of Ottawa, will be using a $10.78M investment from the Government of Ontario to re-launch its academic programs this Fall. USudbury will offer French-language courses in areas such as health sciences, management and commerce, social sciences, and arts at its Sudbury campus. “Today marks the realization of a century-old dream and stands as a testament to the determination of our entire community – families, leaders, partners, and builders who believed in this project,” said USudbury President Dr Serge Miville. “Together, we are shaping the future of a new generation of Francophone and Francophile leaders in the North.”

Cape Breton University will expand the number of child-care seats available on campus with a new early learning and child-care centre. The facility—supported by the Government of Nova Scotia—will provide space and programs for 104 infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. CBU President David Dingwall said that these seats will support employee and student recruitment and retention. “When you can get a lift from 35 to 104 spaces, whether it be for faculty kids, staff kids, or students and their kids, it’s an enormous impact,” said Dingwall. He anticipates the child-care facility will open within a year.

The University of Calgary’s Book Arts Lab now features an operational Gutenberg-style printing press, thanks to the efforts of a group of UCalgary Schulich School of Engineering students. UCalgary Professor Dr Maria Zytaruk explained that no Gutenberg presses have survived to the modern day and documentation on their construction is limited. To infer the design of the press, the students researched the press and studied old books. “I thought it was really an excellent project for the students, who learned a lot from an engineering perspective but also quite a bit about the history of the press,” said UCalgary Schulich Vice-Dean Bob Brennan.

Memorial University has announced that it will provide Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members with prior learning assessment and recognition opportunities to help them earn a credential faster. Academic advisors will work with CAF members, who will demonstrate their prior knowledge so that they can have certain courses in their program waived. “This initiative is about recognizing the leadership, discipline, skills and knowledge CAF members naturally accrue in the course of their service,” said Memorial Acting President Dr Jennifer Lokash. “It’s equally about ensuring that completing their academic programs is as seamless and supported as possible.”

The College Employer Council and the Ontario Public Service Employee Union (OPSEU) have reached a collective agreement that will apply to full-time academic employees at Ontario colleges. The agreement was reached following three days of mediation-arbitration in June, with the mediated arbitration award issued by arbitrator William Kaplan on July 2nd. The agreement includes annual salary increases in 2024, 2025, and 2026; a temporary enhanced severance package to reflect the current landscape of the ON college sector; and improvements to benefits.

University of British Columbia Postdoctoral Fellow Eric Wilkinson has written an article urging renewed public investments in postsecondary education to transform Canada into an educational superpower. The author outlines how public funding for postsecondary education has changed and declined over time. He asserts that with renewed investment, Canadian PSE could take advantage of the US brain drain and rebuild its presence on the world stage. “While Ottawa considers spending five percent of GDP on defence, it should ask itself why we spend only 0.2 percent of GDP on our universities,” concludes Wilkinson. “If they can solve that riddle, maybe someday instead of McGill being called the ‘Harvard of Canada,’ we’ll be calling Harvard the ‘McGill of America.’”

Athabasca University has announced a new interdisciplinary Master of Science in Earth System Science. Students will be able to specialize in one of six focus areas: Bioinformatics, Climate Change, Environmental Analytics, Environmental Science, Environmental Space Science, and Quaternary Earth Systems. The program will include hands-on learning and collaboration opportunities. AU Associate Dean, Student Experience Dr Ken Munyikwa said that there are no other programs like this one in Canada.

NSCAD University has approved its 2025-26 budget, which projects a $1.2M deficit that will be balanced with funds from the university’s operating reserve. The university has reduced its expenses by $1.2M through deferred building maintenance, reduced ancillary services, and a travel and hiring freeze. “This is a difficult budget, but I am pleased to say that no academic programs or student-facing services will be affected,” said NSCAD U Interim President and Chief Financial Officer Leanne Dowe. Dowe shared that NSCAD U experienced its highest deficit in a decade in 2024-25. Looking to the future, the university will be engaged in activities such as academic program reviews and the pursuit of additional revenue streams.

The University of King’s College recently shared an update on its responsible investment policy and goals. In 2024, the university shared that its investment holdings included companies doing business in weapons manufacturing and indicated its plan to sell the related funds. However, the university investment committee found that selling the commingled funds—which occasionally invest in these companies—could do “disproportionate harm” to the institution’s investment returns. To balance being a good steward of funds with the values of the responsible investment policy, the committee will continue to encourage the investment manager to select commingled funds that are in line with the institution’s policy and review the process for selecting funds.

The University of Waterloo Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science has announced that its courses are now accredited by the Statistical Society of Canada. With this, UWaterloo undergraduate and graduate students who are interested in applying for an A Stat Accreditation will face fewer barriers and be able to follow a streamlined process for achieving accreditation. “Accreditation enhances the professional practice of statistics, facilitates professional development, and provides mentorship for new graduates through work with Accredited Professional Statisticians,” reads the release.