June 4, 2025

Niagara College has received a $4M legacy gift from the Norris Walker family that will support the college’s Together Campaign. This gift—which is the largest in Niagara’s history—will bolster student financial aid and campus redevelopment initiatives, with $3M going to the Destination Niagara Entrance Scholarships. The remainder of the gift will fund an expansion of Skilled Trades at Welland Campus and fund the Dan Patterson Legacy Fund. In honour of the gift, Niagara’s courtyard will be renamed the Norris Walker Family Community Courtyard and a memorial bench dedicated to Norris Walker will be installed on the Wetland Ridge trail.

The Center for World University Rankings (CWUR) has released its 2025 Global Rankings. The rankings assessed over 21,000 institutions according to criteria related to the academic and professional success of each university’s alumni, the number of faculty members with top academic distinctions, and research metrics such as influence and citations. The global rankings for 2025 feature the top 2,000 institutions from around the world, including 38 Canadian institutions. Four Canadian institutions were in the top 100: the University of Toronto (#23), McGill University (#27), the University of British Columbia (#48), and the University of Alberta (#81). Narcity reports that CWUR saw 28 Canadian universities drop down the ranking this year, which the organization attributed due to lower performance in research.

The Government of Ontario has put forward the Supporting Children and Students Act, which introduces changes of note for several sectors. If passed, the bill would introduce new requirements for postsecondary institutions, including detailed reporting on the use of tuition fee revenue, the use of exclusively merit-based admissions policies, and the development of research security plans. “When students choose Ontario’s world-class colleges and universities to pursue their postsecondary education, they deserve to know where their fees are going, what criteria they need for admission, and how their research will be protected,” said ON Minister of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security Nolan Quinn.

The University of Guelph has launched a real estate strategy that outlines how it will create student housing, research labs, and other spaces over the next four decades. The Real Estate Land Use Vision and Strategy outlines how UoGuelph will redevelop its non-core lands into five distinct neighbourhoods. Among the efforts outlined in the plan, the university intends to improve the availability of student housing, introduce opportunities for commercialization and revenue generation, and use green infrastructure to improve sustainability and mitigate the impact of climate change. “We are excited to collaborate with the university on their announced five district neighbourhoods to create dynamic spaces that foster connection, growth and well-being for all,” said Guelph Mayor Cam Guthrie.

UBC Properties Trust has officially applied for a permit to overhaul the University of British Columbia’s St John’s College residence and construct a new community for graduate students. The Ubyssey reports that the project will see St John’s College redeveloped with six new mid-and-high-rise buildings constructed on the property. The amenities will include 1,500 student beds, a 250-seat dining hall, a 37-spot childcare centre, and office space. The development permit is anticipated to be issued in November 2025, with construction beginning in January 2026.

The University of Manitoba and nine First Nations communities in Manitoba have officially launched the Grow Our Own Specialists through Education (GOOSE) initiative. The initiative aims to address the shortage of rehabilitation health care professionals in northern MB and improve the representation of Indigenous people in the profession. “We experience a lot of racism in these systems, so we need to start educating our youth to help our communities,” said UManitoba Indigenous Scholar (Ininiw) Margaret Hart. “Part of this very important initiative is to not forget the Indigenous knowledge systems that we bring forth as part of this work.” The initiative is supported by $1.5M from UManitoba’s partnership with the Mastercard Foundation.

Ambrose University has announced that it is “reimagining” its ministry education programs to better meet the needs of today’s complex landscape. To this end, the university is launching three initiatives: Ambrose HUBs, a network of learning communities across Canada; “Start Strong. Finish Free.,” an accelerated pathway to ministry leadership; and the “Church of the Nazarene Modular Course of Study,” a non-degree, video-based program for mid-career leaders in the Church of the Nazarene. The university has also suspended intake into its Bachelor of Theology program and reduced related faculty and staff positions, citing declining demand for the program.

York University is seeking $25M from the York Region to support its new medical school in Vaughan. In May, YorkU President Rhonda Lenton told the York Region council that the school’s economic and social impact would provide the region with a return on investment. “The new medical school will help the region remain competitive and attract people to live and work in York Region,” said Lenton, who noted that the school would also provide students from the region with the opportunity to study medicine close to home. YorkRegion.com reports that the school is expected to provide a $326M boost from its construction, and $60.4M annually.

Graduate professional development (GPD) has helped PhD students prepare for careers beyond academia, but its ability to meet their broader professional needs may be nearing its limit, writes Carleton University Professional Development Coordinator David Lafferty. Lafferty critiques the dominance of the transferable skills discourse, arguing that the skills developed through doctoral education are often less applicable outside academic contexts than assumed. While GPD is important, he contends that it cannot resolve the deeper misalignment between doctoral education and the labour market. “Instead of relying on GPD and the language of transferable and translatable skills, academic disciplines can work to expand the definition of what constitutes scholarship, who can carry it out, and where it should take place,” concludes Lafferty.

MacEwan University has launched a new peer-reviewed, open-access journal dedicated to the scholarship of teaching and learning. Pedagogical Inquiry and Practice will focus on the needs of teaching-focused undergraduate institutions by providing scholarly content on topics such as scholarly engagement, academic leadership, and teaching excellence. The inaugural issue includes 11 contributions from MacEwan educators—ranging from research papers and reflective essays to a book review. “We are emphasizing the contributions of MacEwan’s faculty, staff and students to the development of a teaching and learning culture,” said MacEwan Centre for Teaching and Learning Educational Developer Dr Galicia Blackman. Future issues of the journal will be open to submissions from postsecondary institutions across Canada.