May 30, 2024

The Government of Canada recently announced the 236 recipients of the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships and Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships. These awards aim to help Canadian postsecondary institutions attract and retain the next generation of research leaders and boost the country’s reputation as a global centre for research training and career support. The researchers supported through these funds are embarking on a variety of projects, including exploring new ways to manage esophageal cancer, investigating nature-based solutions to climate change, and assessing sustainable transportation systems.

The Government of Ontario is investing nearly $200M over three years in advancing research and innovation at six research institutes. The institutes receiving this funding include the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research ($144M), the Perimeter Institute ($36M), Ontario Genomics ($5M), Clinical Trials Ontario ($4M), the Fields Institute ($4M), and Compute Ontario ($3M). In addition to supporting the institute’s research, this funding will be used for outreach efforts and the creation of experiential learning opportunities in the science, technology, engineering, and math fields. “This funding will help researchers continue to solve real-world problems, such as making clinical trials timelier and developing tools for earlier cancer diagnosis so Ontarians can live longer and healthier lives,” said ON Minister of Colleges and Universities Jill Dunlop.

Aurora College’s transformation into a polytechnic university, which was to be completed by May 2025, has reportedly been delayed. NWT education minister Caitlin Cleveland said that the territory is “definitely committed” to the transformation and pointed to funding that has been provided to support the initiative. However, Aurora College Board of Governors Chair Joe Handley asserted that the college’s transformation has never been properly funded. Cabin Radio reports that the college has drawn on operational funding to continue the transformation work.

Kwantlen Polytechnic University has withdrawn from Manulife’s DrugWatch program after an instructor filed a human rights complaint alleging that the program prevented them from accessing a “life-changing” medication for over a year. CBC reports that the complaint names KPU President Alan Davis and VP of Human Resources Laurie Clancy as respondents. According to CBC, the Kwantlen Faculty Association (KFA) also called the program discriminatory, unfair, and “ethically questionable” last year. “While Manulife has assured the University that no KPU faculty member was denied access to medication after it re-entered DrugWatch, the university has listened to faculty concerns raised through the offices of the Kwantlen Faculty Association,” read a statement from Clancy and KFA President Mark Diotte.

Lakehead University has announced its new convocation regalia honouring Indigenous communities and lands, which will be worn by Lakehead President Dr Gillian Siddall at events such as Lakehead’s graduation ceremonies. The regalia was designed by Beverli Barnes, Melissa Benson of the Chippewas of Rama First Nation, and Daanis Pelletier of Fort William First Nation and consists of a robe, hat, and two sashes. “As a student and a member of the communities whose land Lakehead is on, it was empowering to make this sash,” said Pelletier.

The Concordia University Professional Employees Union–which is a part of the Confédération des syndicats nationaux–recently adopted a two-week strike mandate that will be issued at a later date. In a press release, the union indicated that it may exercise the mandate at the beginning of the new academic year in the Fall. The union represents 600 workers at Concordia University in information technology, communications, counselling, psychology and other sectors. They have cited teleworking as the key issue behind this decision.

NOSM University has announced that it will relaunch its International MD Electives Program this June. Through the program, students who are enrolled in medical schools outside of Canada can conduct their clinical elective placements at NOSM U. The program provides international students with hands-on learning experiences where they will work alongside and learn from clinicians in diverse Northern settings, including rural and remote communities, urban centres, and Indigenous and Francophone communities.

Vancouver Island University is facing backlash from the community after the Board of Governors recently voted to cut its music programs. The cancelled programs include VIU’s Bachelor of Music, Bachelor of Music classical transfer, and Jazz Studies Diploma. VIU cited fiscal responsibility and low enrolment as the rationale behind these cuts. Times Colonist reports that several hundred letters of support were sent to the board before the vote, and that staff and community members are expressing frustration and disbelief over the decision. VIU Music Program Chair Sasha Koerbler said that other programs with similarly low enrolments have not been cut, and that the program cancellation will exacerbate the shortage of music teachers in local schools.

In an article for the Chronicle of Higher Education, Peter Burkholder (Fairleigh Dickinson University) and Lendol G Calder (Augustana College) reveal that obituaries of historians recurringly undervalue teaching accomplishments. After conducting an analysis of 150 obituaries published in Perspectives on History between 1996 and 2021, the scholars found that the obituary-column space dedicated to research achievements dwarfed that of teaching, even though many academics devote more time to teaching than any other professional activity. According to Burkholder and Calder, these obituaries highlight how research is viewed as a more significant achievement than teaching and create a “warped impression of who historians are.” The authors conclude by calling on the academic community to start commemorating teaching accomplishments more alongside other aspects of academic careers that have previously gone unappreciated.

York University’s new Master of Health Industry Administration (MHIA) program has been accredited by the Canadian College of Health Leaders. This accreditation gives MHIA graduates advanced standing in obtaining a Canadian health executive (CHE) designation, which in turn will help these individuals stand out in the health-care sector and benefit from lifelong learning and career advancement assistance. “We’re proud to offer our graduates the opportunity to attain the valued CHE designation and further advance their careers in health-care leadership,” said YorkU MHIA Program Director Amin Mawani.