November 26, 2024

The Southern Alberta Institute of Technology and YWCA Banff have established a long-term partnership to create a new hospitality and tourism training facility in the Banff region. The partners will transform part of the YWCA’s building in Banff into a teaching facility with student housing. The initiative recently received a $30M gift from the Wim and Nancy Pauw Foundation: $20M will be used to develop long-term hospitality and tourism programming, while the remaining $10M will support the renovations.

The University of King’s College recently launched a new campaign called “Welcoming: The Future King’s.” The campaign aims to raise $15M to help advance the university’s vision of equity, accessibility, inclusiveness, and reconciliation. U of King’s College President William Lahey said that the campaign has already received $10M in support. The institution is now focused on fundraising for three priority funding areas: Student financial awards and funding for student-focused initiatives; new faculty positions and expanded curricula and programs; and improvements to the campus.

Camosun College has received $5.26M from the Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation and Seaspan to establish a new Trades Training Centre. The grant will be used to build a two-storey facility with six adaptable shop spaces and new equipment for students pursuing the marine trades. The centre will adopt an “Indigenous First” approach, allocating $200K to scholarships for Indigenous students with the aim of addressing financial and systemic barriers to education. “The $5.26 million grant will establish a new Trades Training Centre next to the Camosun Coastal Centre and significantly expand our ability to support the marine industry including Seaspan,” said Camosun President Lane Trotter. Construction is slated to begin within two years.

Postsecondary institutions across Canada are marking the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence between November 25 and December 10 by raising awareness about gender-based violence. Several postsecondary institutions—such as Red River College Polytechnic and Saint Mary’s University—encouraged their community members to wear white or purple ribbons. Some hosted special events: Brock University held cupcake decorating workshops and a panel discussion on activism and allies; Fleming College has planned safety walks, residence tours, and a White Ribbon Day; and York University has scheduled workshops, talks, and community gatherings that focus on self-compassion and advocacy. The University of New Brunswick shared a variety of institutional resources and online courses on raising awareness of and preventing gender-based violence.

University of Auckland researchers Shahper Richter, Inna Piven, and Patrick Dodd recently conducted an experiment to explore student preferences for AI chatbot personalities in self-directed learning. Richter, Piven, and Dodd designed two AI chatbots—the warm and encouraging “Jack” and the clear and direct “John”—that could assist university students with self-directed learning tasks. Students demonstrated distinct preferences: Some, who valued precision and directness in their studies, preferred Jack, while others found John’s more approachable and encouraging style to be helpful when exploring difficult topics. The researchers conclude by discussing the nuances of using AI in the classroom and outlining opportunities to offer more personalized learning experiences using tailored AI tools.

The University of Alberta recently presented its upcoming tuition increase proposals to the university student councils. UAlberta is reportedly proposing a 2% tuition increase for domestic students next year and a 10% hike for international students in 2026. UAlberta spokesperson Michael Brown told CBC that these changes will support the institution’s mission to provide high-quality education and research opportunities, while preparing graduates to excel in their fields. However, student council representatives have criticized the plan, claiming that it exploits international students. “The university should focus on some other revenues, rather than increasing tuition fees,” said UAlberta International Student Association Co-President Ramish Raza. The proposals will be discussed further at upcoming town halls and committee meetings.

Western University’s Don Wright Faculty of Music has received a $2.5M donation from educators and music enthusiasts Jim and Barbara Moscovich. The donation will establish the Moscovich Fund for Innovation in Music, which will support visiting artist and artist-in-residence programming, providing Western music students with access to and mentorship from a wide range of professionals in the field. “We are deeply grateful for Jim and Barbara’s visionary support of the Don Wright Faculty of Music and for their commitment to Western over so many years,” said Western President Alan Shepard. “Their heartfelt gift will enable students to learn from world-class musicians, inspiring a new generation of creators and performers.”

In an article for Inside Higher Ed, Kerri A Golden (Saint Francis University) argues that faculty members play a vital–yet underutilized–role in enrolment. To engage faculty in enrolment processes, the author writes that institutions must change the culture surrounding the idea of who is responsible for recruitment. To do this, Golden suggests that institutional leadership share enrolment data with faculty, enlist faculty champions to bridge enrolment efforts between admissions and academics, and personalize engagement opportunities for team members. The author also notes that deans play an active role in engaging faculty members and encourages university leadership to provide incentives to motivate faculty participation. “The time to invest in faculty-led recruitment is now—because when faculty champion the institution, they can truly make a difference,” concludes Golden.

Cégep Drummond’s Centre collégial d’expertise en gérontologie has partnered with the City of Drummondville, Drummond économique, and MRC Drummond to launch the Gérontopôle, Québec’s first gerontology center. The mission of the center is to bring together diverse stakeholders–including businesses, public organizations, and community members–to support the wellbeing of the aging population. Gérontopôle participants will collaborate to develop evidence-backed products, services, and solutions to help meet the current and future needs of seniors. Priority research and development areas for the center include housing, online services, public space planning, technology, transportation, health, safety, and employment.

York University has launched a variety of AI-focused initiatives to assist student learning. Some YorkU instructors have implemented a new tool–the AL Course Assistant–that helps students find answers to routine questions, while freeing up instructor time. At the YorkU Lassonde School of Engineering’s Educational Innovation Studio, Professor Alidad Amirfazli has integrated AI into his mechanical engineering classes to teach students how the tool can be applied in the field. YorkU librarians Ted Belke and Sophie Bury have also partnered with academic integrity specialist Angela Clark to develop resources that will provide students with proactive education on how to effectively and responsibly use AI tools.