June 24, 2024

Georgian College is expanding its presence in downtown Barrie with a new location that will have space for up to 800 students. The location will serve as a hub for Georgian’s creative programming in areas such as design, visual arts, and technology and will help to foster collaborative partnerships. “We’re excited to strengthen our contributions to the social and economic vibrancy of downtown Barrie,” said Georgian President Kevin Weaver. “This new location will support our enrolment growth in key areas, enrich the learning experience, and build on the connections and partnerships we so deeply value.” The new location will open in 2025.

Northlands College has unveiled a retro logo that it will use for the 2024/25 academic year and that reflects the institution’s history of serving communities in Northern Saskatchewan. The logo’s design features an open book in front of scenery depicting Northern Saskatchewan, signifying Northland’s openness to learning and collaboration. “This logo is a symbol of the College’s roots to Northern Saskatchewan and the proud identity it holds to be an integral part of the regions we serve,” said Northlands President Karsten Henriksen. “The logo, depicting an open book, stands as our invitation to not only our learners but also the industry.”

The University of Alberta has announced the inaugural Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital-University of Alberta Engineering Research Chair in Neurorehabilitation. The research chair will focus on using brain-computer interface (BCI) technology to help children with mobility and communication challenges. UAlberta Associate Professor Hossein Rouhani will hold the research chair, in which capacity he will focus on helping neurodiverse children and exploring the potential that BCI technology offers. UAlberta’s Li Ka Shing Applied Virology Institute and Applied Pharmaceutical Innovation has also broken ground on a pharmaceutical manufacturing facility that will provide Canadians with stable access to critical drugs.

The City of Peterborough’s city council has endorsed a motion that calls on federal and provincial governments to better support college boards, including that of Fleming College. This motion comes in response to Fleming’s April announcement that it is cutting 29 programs due to funding shortfalls and the federal cap on international students. The motion states that the program cuts will impact “the local channel for training needed for skilled workers in the Peterborough region” and urges the federal and provincial governments to establish “metrics and direction around maintaining courses where cohorts offer a return on investment in the local economy.” A similar motion was passed by the Kawartha Lakes city council in May.

Nicola Valley Institute of Technology is creating dedicated family housing on its Merritt Campus to ensure that students with young families can pursue an education. The housing project will include townhouses with a mix of two- and three-bedroom units, bringing space for 30 more students and their family members to live on campus. “As B.C.’s only Indigenous public post-secondary institution, the addition of this housing will enhance the overall student experience and further contribute to the success and well-being of our NVIT community, making education as accessible as possible for those learners coming from rural as well as remote Indigenous communities,” said NVIT President Ken Tourand. The housing project is expected to be completed in time for the Fall 2026.

The University of Waterloo has reportedly issued a trespass notice to members of Occupy UWaterloo, which set up an encampment on campus in mid-May. “This notice means that members of the encampment must leave the Grad House Green immediately and must not return the encampment to university property,” the university said in a statement. The notice reportedly follows an incident from last week where Occupy UWaterloo members entered an administration building and disrupted a board of governors meeting.

Camosun College will launch a generative AI task force this Fall that includes administrators, faculty, and staff. Together, the task force members will identify staff and faculty training and development needs, review existing policies in response to the growth of AI, create guidelines for the ethical and responsible use of AI by employees and students, and identify the challenges and opportunities presented by AI. Camosun Provost John Boraas explained that students will also receive an email in the Fall that outlines their responsibility to maintain academic integrity and encourages them to follow their instructors’ directions when using AI tools for coursework.

A recent study from the University of Calgary has underlined the importance of building resilience skills among university students. Researchers Brittany Lindsay and Rigel Tormon assessed 143 UCalgary first-year engineering students and analyzed whether four psychological variables–perceived stress, student engagement, resilience, and growth mindset–could help predict a student’s GPA performance. The study found that perceived stress was a significant predictor of GPA, while personal resilience helped mitigate the impacts of stress. Lindsay stated that these findings point to the value of developing resilience skills among students early. “Students should have realistic expectations of university, but they also need to be properly trained in the skills they need to succeed,” said Lindsay. “This includes both academic and wellness skills.”

Capilano University closed its North Vancouver and Lonsdale campuses on Friday due to what an alert on the university’s website described as a “targeted, specific security threat.” Global News reports that the decision to close the campuses was made after CapilanoU staff learned that a student had made threats against another student and a CapilanoU campus. “Violence, intimidation and bullying is unacceptable at Capilano University,” read an email from a CapilanoU spokesperson, who added that the authorities were notified. CapilanoU stated that it does not believe that there is an ongoing threat to students; the university anticipates that it would be open as usual on Saturday.

Several postsecondary institutions recently introduced new programming and learning opportunities for their communities. Cégep de Lévis will offer an AEC program for financial service agents developed by Collège de Bois-de-Boulogne. The program will support individuals who wish to pursue a career in customer service. Concordia University Continuing Education (CE) has partnered with Ericsson to update an existing AI training course for Ericsson engineers across the world with new material and a more inclusive approach to learning. The University of New Brunswick is introducing a one-year stream to the applied health services research program, offering students a course-based approach to the traditional thesis-based program.