September 13, 2024

RRC Polytechnic has received a $15M gift–the largest in the institution’s history–from the Schroeder Foundation in support of creative arts programming. In recognition of the gift, the polytechnic has created the Schroeder Institute of Entertainment and Media Arts. This institute will engage with industry partners, undertake applied research projects, and prepare students for roles in the creative arts industries. “This gift today will enable us to create so many more opportunities for Manitobans and our creative industries together,” said RRC Polytech President Fred Meier.

Dalhousie University’s Board of Governors has approved the design of a new residence with the capacity to house approximately 200 students. The university will be removing its Mini-Residence houses in Spring 2025 to make space for the new, six-storey facility. The building will include one-bedroom nano-units, standard one-bedroom units, and other configurations with in-suite kitchens and bathrooms. These units were designed in response to increased demand for apartment-style options from students, especially upper-year and mature students. “We are excited to announce this new residence, which aims to provide students with more housing options and support the growth of vibrant, sustainable communities in our province,” said Dal President Kim Brooks. The residence is expected to open in 2027.

Western University has established the James and Eva Good Chair in English Literature. The chair is supported in perpetuity by a $3.5M endowment, composed of a $1.5M gift from alumni Jim and Eva Good, matching funds from the university, and $500K from the existing Dr James and Eva Good Faculty of Arts and Humanities Fund. The endowment will ensure that Western can continue to attract top talent and foster a deep appreciation for literature and the arts among students. “Jim and Eva have always been tremendous champions for the arts and humanities at Western,” said Western President Alan Shepard. “We are grateful for their generous new gift to establish a chair focused on developing and enhancing teaching and research in the department of English and writing studies.”

Memorial University’s Department of Mathematics and Statistics has launched a Data Science degree program. The new major brings together interdisciplinary courses and hands-on learning opportunities to provide undergraduate students with fundamental knowledge that can be applied to a variety of sectors and industries. “It aims to teach statistical and computational thinking, mathematical and statistical foundations, model building and assessment, algorithms and software foundation, data curation and knowledge transference,” said Memorial Associate Professor Dr Yildiz Yilmaz.

Thompson Rivers University and Williams Lake First Nation have signed an agreement to strengthen their ties. The partnership commits the two parties to collaboration on programming for the St?éxelcemc people; incorporation of St?éxelcemc ways of knowing, values, and philosophy into programming; and future discussions of otherinitiatives. The partnership is expected to lead to new academic programming, language revitalization, and student services opportunities. TRU President Brett Fairbairn presented Williams Lake First Nation Kukpi7 (Chief) Willie Sellars with a wolf carving by Spirit Carver Dean to recognize the agreement. “This signifies an especially close and lasting relationship,” said Fairbairn.

Cégep de Matane is calling on the Government of Québec to provide an additional $1.5M toward the creation of a clinic for its new dental hygiene technology program. Radio-Canada states that QC recently authorized the cégep to run the program on a permanent basis and agreed to provide it with $3M in funding. While this funding is intended to cover part of the costs of renovating a technology centre into a learning clinic for the program, the cégep is reportedly facing a $1.5M shortfall for the project. Matane directeur general Martin Demers explained that the cégep has authorization to borrow $6M, but would prefer to obtain additional funding from QC.

Assiniboine College will be hosting the curriculum and coordinating the issuance of Continuing Education Units (CEUs) for the Trusted Advisor Partnership (TAP) program. TAP is a soil health up-skilling program which was created by and for crop advisors North Dakota; it is now expanding into Canada. “The TAP program is an obvious fit for our current set of programs, and our long-term priorities as a learning hub in the Prairies,” said Assiniboine Dean of Ag & Environment Tim Hore. “Assiniboine is a national leader in flexible, adaptive, distance learning, and TAP provides the practical information and peer networking that crop advisors require to make sustainability a core part of their business, now and in the future.”

Northern College has partnered with the District School Board Ontario Northeast (DSB1) and the Northeastern Catholic District School Board (NCDSB) to offer a micro-credential that will train educational support workers. The program is designed for unqualified workers in education support roles, with the goal of retaining talent in the region. The Educational Support Worker micro-credential will cover the knowledge, skills, and abilities that education support workers need to support students in the classroom and will include a real-world training opportunity to work with students.

Northlands College and the Saskatchewan Distance Learning Centre (Sask DLC) have renewed their partnership in order to bring free, online high school courses to adults living in the Northern Saskatchewan Administrative District. Under the agreement for the 2024-25 academic year, Sask DLC will offer flexible online learning options to adult students; Northlands will cover the course fees for up to 200 students over the age of 22. “From the mining sector, to forestry, health care and the hospitality sector our partnership with Sask DLC supports pathways to further education and employment, ensuring learners are prepared to the economy of today and tomorrow,” said Northlands President Karsten Henriksen. PA Now reports that Northlands will also soon make announcements on the fronts of new programming and facility updates.

Cambrian College and the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology recently shared some of the efforts they are taking to lower the carbon footprints on their campuses. Cambrian has taken steps to encourage staff and students to travel to campus in a more sustainable manner, including designating some of its parking spots for carpooling and adding bike racks and a bike repair station. In Alberta, the Sustainability at SAIT team has shared some of the ways that the institute is working to maintain a waste-free campus. One of these efforts—OSCAR Sort—uses AI to help staff and students determine how waste should be sorted, in addition to tracking waste metrics.