May 12, 2025

The University of Calgary’s Faculty of Veterinary Medicine has received a $1M donation from Hill’s Pet Nutrition Canada to create a professorship focused on animal nutrition. The Hill’s Pet Nutrition Professorship in Animal Nutrition will refine the animal nutritional curriculum for the university’s Doctor of Veterinary Medicine program, create post-program training opportunities in the area, and foster connections between practitioners. The inaugural role will be held by UCalgary Associate Professor (Teaching) Dr Glenna Mauldin.

Universities in Québec are facing a combined $200M shortfall, report CBC and Radio-Canada. Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières recteur Christian Blanchette said that two major factors have created this situation: a freeze on university network investments and the implementation of quotas on international student numbers. Blanchette said that the quotas have made international students—especially Francophone students—feel unwelcome, which in turn has resulted in decreased applications. Association canadienne-française pour l’avancement des sciences président Martin Maltais discussed the need for a strategy for internationalization within higher education. Both Blanchette and Maltais noted how the postponement of consultations about the province’s next multi-year immigration plan will create recruitment delays and uncertainty in the postsecondary system.

The University of Ottawa is launching a full tuition waiver for all current and incoming Algonquin Anishinàbeg Nation students, beginning this Fall. The university is seated on the unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinàbeg Nation, whose traditional territory is spread across western Québec and Ontario. As part of the university’s broader Indigenization efforts, the waiver is intended to reduce financial barriers for Indigenous members of the community and facilitate their access to postsecondary education. “[The waiver] is one more step in our work to embed Indigenous priorities into uOttawa’s governance, infrastructure, pedagogy, and decision-making,” said UOttawa President Jacques Frémont.

In a recent article for the Edmonton Journal, University of Alberta President Bill Flanagan argues that Alberta’s postsecondary institutions can help drive the economy forward. “As Canada seeks to build long-term resilience, the role our institutions can play has never been more critical,” writes Flanagan. He points out how postsecondary institutions play an integral role in creating an educated workforce, producing research that benefits the economy, and attracting global research. This, however, requires support from the federal and provincial governments, and Flanagan calls on the federal government to “swiftly” introduce a revised international student visa policy and encouraging AB to partner with PSE to help expand access and meet demand.

The Government of Nova Scotia has reportedly asked Dalhousie University to consider launching a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine program at its Truro campus. The suggestion, which was made within the funding agreement between Dal and the Nova Scotia Department of Advanced Education, made a note of the need for large animal veterinarians. The department also shared a statement with CBC in which it said that this program would help to address the growing need for veterinarians in the province. Dal was pleased to receive this request, highlighting “the alignment and opportunity to build on existing infrastructure and capacity at our agriculture campus.”

The University of Manitoba and Red River College Polytechnic have established a pathway for Engineering Technology graduates. Through the pathway, up to 10 eligible RRC Polytech graduates each year will be able to gain direct entry into UManitoba’s Price Faculty of Engineering. The pathway will enable students to continue their education while staying in Manitoba. “RRC Polytech and UM have a strong relationship, and this articulation agreement creates more opportunities for student mobility between our institutions,” said RRC Polytech President Fred Meier. “Most importantly it keeps talent here in Manitoba to support our industry and economy.”

The University of New Brunswick’s Faculty of Nursing and long-term care organization Shannex Incorporated have launched the UNB-Shannex Long-Term Care Summer Institute. The summer institute will offer nursing students 15-week work placements where they can learn from experienced registered nurses within nursing home communities. It aims to transform the care provided to older adults by inspiring future nurses to become leaders. The program will be delivered for five years with support from Shannex. “These experiences are shaping students into future leaders in elder care,” said UNB VP Academic Dr Petra Hauf.

Langara College has restricted DeepSeek AI on all of its campus networks and devices. This decision—which the college says is aligned with national cybersecurity guidance and postsecondary sector best practices—is a precautionary measure reflecting concerns about DeepSeek’s data handling practices. “Langara encourages the safe and ethical use of AI technologies. Alternative tools that meet stronger security and privacy standards remain available to students, faculty, and staff for research, learning, and productivity,” read the release.

A recent editorial published by Nature discusses adversarial collaboration, a form of collaboration that brings together supporters of rival theories to test their ideas against one another in the name of advancing science. The concept was developed by researchers Daniel Kahneman and Anne Treisman to combat “angry science” and “the nasty world of critiques, replies, and rejoinders.” It advances science by getting competing groups—who must each be willing to accept the possibility that their theory is incorrect—to work together and arrive at a shared truth. The article offers a case study of how adversarial collaboration was used to better understand how subjective experiences of emotion are influenced by an individual’s facial expressions. In conclusion, the authors call for the revival of the collegial spirit in future collaborations in order to advance science.

Cégep Granby and Portage College have each launched new programming for the Fall semester. Cégep Granby will be launching the ALC+ program path, which will focus on personal growth. Students in the program will participate in extracurricular activities such as cultural events, creative projects, artistic collaborations, and sports or community activities. Portage has launched the Addictions Counselling Diploma, which will provide students with the theory and practical learning they need to support those with addictions. “The need for more addictions counsellors in northeast Alberta is something that I have been hearing loud and clear from the partners in our region,” said Portage President Nancy Broadbent.