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By Amanda Murphy, on October 17th, 2011
While I was in a mall parking lot one day, I noticed a McGill University bumper sticker on another car. This prompted me to scrawl a hurried note (“Hi! I went to McGill, too! We should be friends! Find me on Facebook!”) and tuck it under her windshield wiper. This led to a series of amusing coffee dates with one Canadian resident of Illinois. (Since several Canadians have asked me, “Isn’t Illinois in Chicago?” I’ll go ahead and clarify that—despite occasional inclinations to the contrary—Chicago is in fact in Illinois.)
My mom has a McGill University bumper sticker on her car. Rather than encouraging coffee dates, it has elicited several blank stares from her Chicago area acquaintances, most of whom are a bit unclear on the concept of Canada (to say nothing of my field as a Canadian Studies major!).
Once she explains the notion of Montreal, people usually . . . → Read More: Fighting Ignorance, one bumper sticker at a time
By Cheryl Millington, on October 12th, 2011
One of the issues I lived with for 11 years as the admissions director for University of Toronto’s MBA program was where are the women? Like most MBA programs, we struggled to achieve more of a gender balance in the incoming class.
Conversely, when I was researching undergraduate programs with my son, I was surprised to see most universities reported having more female students than male.
At University of Toronto, Canada’s largest university, the male to female ratio is 44 to 56. Similiar ratios can be found at most Canadian universities. The small handful of notable exceptions is easily explained by the nature of the institution or the focus of their programs. For example, the Royal Military College has a 78 to 22 male to female ratio and the University of Ontario Institute of Technology reported a 59 to 41 ratio.
Mount St. Vincent University has the . . . → Read More: Looking for a Few Good Men
By Cheryl Millington, on September 16th, 2011
A few weeks ago Ontario’s 20 universities reported an overall increase of 2% in high school applications. The 2010 entry year also saw a similar increase of 3%. According to the Council of Ontario Universities this parallels a trend of higher demand for university graduates in the workforce. Two out of three new jobs require post-secondary education. If you’re a glass-is-have-empty person, you are already predicting an increase in the 2012 applications and 2-3% unhappy high school students and parents.
If you simply look at the statistics reported by the Ontario University Application Centre it appears that this conclusion is incorrect because the number of confirmations or acceptances of admission offers also increased by 2%.
But it’s not that simple. Some programs had a higher number of applicants while others saw a decrease. The big winners were Social Work (16%), Mathematics (9%) and Engineering (8%). Those programs which saw . . . → Read More: Increase Applications = Less Spaces?
By Sharon Miki, on May 12th, 2011
 Paul, Patricia and Jeffery Brantingham (Credit: Simon Fraser University)
Is there a reason why certain areas of town have reputations for being “sketchy,” “dangerous,” or full of crime? What impact does an urban area’s design and layout have on promoting criminal activity?
One Simon Fraser University husband and wife research team–Paul and Patricia Brantingham–have been working to analyze urban crime patterns and find solutions and recommendations for how to make things better. Specifically, they study the impact of factors such as the placement of certain buildings, transit systems and roads as well as hours of shopping centres on the frequency and severity of crime in an area.
The criminologists, who founded SFU’s Institute of Canadian Urban Research Studies (ICURS) in the early 1990s, have recently been given a monetary show of support for their work in the form of a RCMP supported $4-million, five-year renewal of their research chairs to . . . → Read More: SFU Researchers Fight Crime with Urban Design
By Sharon Miki, on May 9th, 2011
Jeff Chiba Stearns (Credit: Emily Carr University of Art + Design)
Emily Carr University of Art + Design alum Jeff Chiba Stearns has been awarded the Edith Lando Peace Prize for this documentary film—which focuses on perceptions of multiculturalism—”One Big Hapa Family.”
The Edith Lando Peace Prize was awarded at the recent Reel to Real International Film Festival in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Jeff Chiba Stearns Wins the Edith Lando Peace Prize at the Reel to Real Film Fest [Emily Carr University of Art + Design]
By Sharon Miki, on May 9th, 2011
 Professor Tony Bailetti (Credit: Carleton University)
Carleton University Professor Tony Bailetti has been awarded the 2011 Ottawa Innovation Community award from the Ottawa Centre for Research and Innovation (OCRI). Professor Bailetti, who is faculty in the Carleton University Department of Systems and Computer Engineering and the Sprott School of Business, received the award for his work related to the economic development of the Ottawa, Ontario region.
“Tony has been instrumental in developing very successful local ecosystems including Lead to Win and Coral CEA, and the LTW companies represent a significant portion of the successful start-ups in Ottawa over the past two years,” said Claude Haw, president and CEO of the OCRI.
Carleton Professor Tony Bailetti Honoured by OCRI [Carleton University]
By Sharon Miki, on May 5th, 2011
 Topping off last month’s National Poetry Month, Emily Carr University of Art + Design Associate Professor Rita Wong‘s book “forage” has been selected as the winner of Canada Reads Poetry competition for 2011.
The Canada Reads Poetry competition—hosted by the CBC and the National Post—took place over three weeks and included the works of five poets. Each work was defended by a panelist online and then put to a public vote.
Wong, an Associate Professor in Critical and Cultural Studies, had her work defensed by Sonnet L’Abbe in the competition. Speaking of the win, L’Abbe said “when I chose forage as the poetry book Canada should read, I thought I was going out on a limb, recommending a young writer’s book, so experimental in style and so vocal about its environmentalism. But since the Canada Reads Poetry contest began, people have written to tell me how much they love . . . → Read More: Emily Carr professor’s book forage wins Canada Reads Poetry 2011
By Sharon Miki, on May 4th, 2011
 Growing up, I can’t remember a time where I wasn’t the target of some sort of advertising—whether it be for Barbies, Tamagotchi pets, or iPods. As a kid, commercials were distinctly aimed at me, and it was my job to find a way to acquire whatever the product du jour was. According to a new joint study from Concordia University and the University of Texas, this adolescent-directed consumerism was likely the result of where I grew up: Canada. The study found distinct differences in the consumer patterns of adolescents in Canada and China.
Dr. Michel Laroche (Credit: Concordia)
Teenagers are prime consumers, and understanding the cultural differences that influence how and where they spend their money could be of great importance to marketers. The study, which used data from 1,289 Chinese and 305 Canadian teenagers, found that—when it comes to spending—Canadian teens tend to make their own decisions . . . → Read More: Marketing to Mom? Study compares Canadian and Chinese teen consumer patterns
By Sharon Miki, on May 2nd, 2011
 Canadian businessman John C. Kerr has been reappointed as the Chancellor of the Emily Carr University of Art + Design. This will be Carr’s second term in the role.
In addition to his place as university Chancellor, Kerr is the Managing Partner of two companies—Lignum Forest Products LLP and the Vancouver Professional Baseball LLP—as well as co-ower of the Vancouver Canadians Baseball Club.
Chancellor John C. Kerr Reappointed [Emily Carr University of Art + Design]
By Sharon Miki, on May 1st, 2011
 Dr. Betty Anne Younker (Credit: University of Prince Edward Island)
University of Prince Edward Island alumna Dr. Betty Anne Younker has been appointed as the next dean of the University of Western Ontario‘s Don Wright Faculty of Music. [University of Prince Edward Island]
Ian Penny (Credit: Dalhousie University)
Ian Penny, a Dalhousie University MBA grad, has been appointed as the Chair of the Board of the Halifax Chamber of Commerce. Penny said of his new role, “I plan to talk a lot about the amazing place Halifax is and the assets we have,” he says. “We really pull together to make things happen in this community. I would like to influence decisions that will ensure there is choice for those graduating from university—choice to stay or choice to go and then come back to build their career.” [Dalhousie . . . → Read More: Alumni Updates: Ian Penny and the Halifax Chamber of Commerce
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