November 3, 2023

The Government of Canada has committed $1.5M to an endowment that will sustain York University’s Jean Augustine Chair in Education, Community, and Diaspora. The chair’s primary goal is to improve educational outcomes for Black students and other racialized community members. “Since its inception over 15 years ago, [this chair] has been dedicated to furthering scholarly research, programs, partnerships and new opportunities for Black communities in Toronto and beyond,” explained YorkU President Rhonda L Lenton, adding that the funding will enable the chair to continue in perpetuity. 

Diamond and Diamond Lawyers have launched class action lawsuits against three Canadian postsecondary institutions: Queen’s University, Toronto Metropolitan University, and the University of British Columbia. Each lawsuit alleges that there have been antisemitic incidents at the universities and seeks damages totaling $15M. “Owning the campus space in question, they are obligated to demonstrate accountability,” stated Sandra Zisckind, Managing Partner at Diamond and Diamond. The lawsuits follow a similar lawsuit filed against York University and the York Federation of Students.

A recent article from The Pie News discusses the Graduate Management Admission Council’s recent report that applications to business schools have begun to slow after experiencing an uptick during the pandemic. The council, which is made up of graduate business schools from around the world, noted that applications for US programs saw growth from largely domestic candidates, while European programs saw declining applications in the last three years. 2023 witnessed an increase in the total number of applications to Canada, though the study found that most Canadian programs reported declines.  

The Council of Atlantic Ministers of Education and Training (CAMET) has published new wellness and career skills resources on the Careers Atlantic Canada website. The new resources include information about how to develop positive relationships with colleagues and supervisors, how to manage stress and emotions, and how to navigate the labour market and make appropriate career decisions. The resources are freely available to students transitioning into or currently enrolled in postsecondary education in New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, or Prince Edward Island.  

The University of Saskatchewan recently announced two changes to its programming to support the demand for health care professionals. The university will establish a Physician Assistant training program that will begin in Fall 2025. Graduates of the Physician Assistant Master’s program will know how to acquire patient histories, conduct exams, diagnose patients, and give treatment options as well as assist in other areas aligned with their supervising doctor’s scope. The two-year program will prepare students to meet the needs of the health-care system, with a focus on rural and remote areas. USask will also be expanding its clinical psychology program from 5 to 20 students in order to train more professionals who can diagnose and treat mental health disorders. 

Government of Québec Minister François Legault has announced that he will meet with the rectors of QC’s three anglophone universities to “discuss the different solutions” to the anticipated impacts of the tuition hikes. The Canadian Press reports that Concordia University President Graham Carr recently stated that QC’s proposed increased tuition could drive away up to 90% of the out-of-province students who study at the university. This decreased tuition would result in an annual revenue decline of up to $32M in four years, Carr stated, and this coupled with a government-imposed charge on international students could amount to $62M in total revenue lost climbing in four years.  

In an op-ed for The Conversation, Keshav Krishnamurty (York University) argues for the importance of addressing mental health concerns when implementing equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) initiatives. The author states that individuals from marginalized communities are disproportionately affected by mental health issues in the workplace, but mental health is rarely included as a consideration when discussing successful EDI programs. Krishnamurty proposes several different strategies that workplaces should consider when revisiting their EDI initiatives, including embracing diverse perspectives, understanding the impacts of intersectional discrimination, empowering women, fostering a sense of belonging, building workplace communities, and developing culture-specific interventions.  

A strength coach from Western University is no longer employed at the university following an investigation into allegations from the women’s hockey team. Jeff Watson worked with over three dozen Western Mustang teams as a strength and conditioning coach. London Free Press reports that Watson and the head coach of the women’s hockey team both were under investigation for “multiple allegations of misconduct.” Some allegations against Watson were substantiated, while allegations against the head coach of the women’s team were unsubstantiated; the latter is continuing to work at Western. 

The University of Calgary, in collaboration with Calgary Airport Authority (YYC) and not-for-profit Cybera, have extended eduroam Wi-Fi services into both the YYC and Springbank Airport. UCalgary says that it is the first Canadian university to introduce eduroam—an encrypted Wi-Fi service—to an international airport. The service will enable its students, researchers, faculty, and postsecondary peers to securely connect to the eduroam network while travelling. “Offering eduroam at the YYC airport enhances the security, confidentiality and integrity of our community’s Wi-Fi connections,” says UCalgary Director of IT Security and Architecture Mark Sly. “I hope other airports take notice and move to implement eduroam to bolster Wi-Fi security for our travellers wherever they go.” 

Instead of prohibiting the use of tools like ChatGPT in the postsecondary classroom, educators can teach their students to work alongside–rather than compete with–artificial intelligence (AI), writes Nadir Yilmaz (Howard University) for eCampusNews. Yilmaz reflects on how Howard University integrates generative design tools into its mechanical engineering curriculum. The author explains that while ChatGPT provides a single answer (that is not guaranteed to be accurate), generative design tools provide countless answers that can influence students’ consideration of design. Therefore, the writer underlines, these AI generative design tools help to broaden the students’ minds and enhance their critical thinking skills, thereby preparing them for the future demands of the workforce.