News and commentary

Paul Davidson, president of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada, will be available from Parliament Hill (room 253-D, Centre Block) for media interviews on the university community’s response to the federal budget starting at 4 pm on Thursday, March 21, 2013.

To arrange an interview please contact:

Nadine Robitaille
AUCC Communications Officer
613-563-1236 ext. 306
Cell 613-884-8401
nrobitaille@aucc.ca 

Ottawa, February 7, 2013 – Télé-université and St. Paul’s College, an affiliated college of the University of Manitoba, have officially returned to the membership of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada.

AUCC’s Board of Directors recently approved both institutions’ requests to return to AUCC membership.

“We’re pleased to welcome back these two institutions to membership in AUCC,” says Paul Davidson, president of AUCC. “We look forward to working with their leadership, faculty, staff and students to promote post-secondary education in Canada.”

Founded in 1972, TÉLUQ is Québec’s only university that is entirely distance learning. It now offers more than 400 courses and 75 programs in both the graduate and undergraduate level to some 18,000 full- and part-time students.

TÉLUQ was a member of AUCC from 1992 until 2005, at which time the Québec government merged the online university with the Université du Québec à Montréal. Last year, the government granted TÉLUQ independent university status as part of the Université du Québec system. AUCC’s Board of directors approved TÉLUQ’s return as an AUCC institutional member.

“TÉLUQ is pleased to, once again, join the collective voice of Canada’s universities,” said Raymond Duchesne, director general of TÉLUQ. “Distance and online education is about to experience major developments in Canada and around the world. It is important to have an institution such as ours among the ranks of Canadian universities.”

Located on the campus of the University of Manitoba, St. Paul’s College was founded in 1926 and instructs some 1,200 full-time students. It is home to the Arthur V. Mauro Centre for Peace and Justice, which offers Canada’s only PhD program in peace and conflict resolution. St. Paul’s College had been a long-time member of the association until 1993.

“We are exceptionally pleased to be members of the AUCC,” says St. Paul’s College Rector Christopher Adams. “We look forward to building strong relationships with colleges and universities across Canada. As such, our faculty, students and staff are excited about new opportunities that will develop through the national organization.”

Under AUCC by-laws, a former institutional member that withdraws from the membership and that applies for re-admission to the Association and meets the criteria can be granted re-admission through a vote of the Board of Directors.

With the return of TÉLUQ and St. Paul’s College, AUCC now represents 97 Canadian public and private not-for-profit universities and university degree-level colleges. AUCC is the national voice of Canada’s universities and advocates for higher education and university research with the federal government on behalf of its member institutions.

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Media Contacts:

Helen Murphy
AUCC Communications Manager
hmurphy@aucc.ca
613-563-3961 ext. 238 or cell: 613 608-8749

Nadine Robitaille
Communications Officer
Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada
nrobitaille@aucc.ca
613-563-3961 ext. 306

OTTAWA – Today Canada’s universities launched a new online tool to provide Aboriginal students with better access to information on programs and services on campuses across Canada. The comprehensive, searchable database of resources designed to meet the needs of Aboriginal students was developed by the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada.

Prospective students and their families can use the tool to find information on the 286 different academic programs designed for Aboriginal students and other helpful resources available at Canadian universities, such as financial assistance, housing, cultural activities, counselling, availability of Elders, gathering spaces and mentoring.

Aboriginal youth are one of the fastest growing segments of the Canadian population. There are more than 560,000 Aboriginals under the age of 25 across Canada, yet the university completion rate for the Aboriginal population overall is eight percent — a third of the national average.

“The education gap in this country is large and growing. This needs to change,” said AUCC President Paul Davidson. “Canada’s universities recognize this and have significantly boosted the culturally relevant curricula, support programs and financial aid available to Aboriginal students. With this database, it’s easier than ever to locate and access these services.”

This new online resource is part of universities’ ongoing efforts to improve access to university for Aboriginal students and help them achieve success in higher education. Fifty-five institutions now have gathering spaces for Aboriginal students, and more than 60 organize social and cultural activities. In addition to supports on campus, many universities have successful outreach programs in Aboriginal communities, providing educational support and mentoring opportunities to students starting as early as the elementary level.

“I want to take this opportunity to acknowledge the AUCC for creating an online directory to assist students in finding and accessing the programs and services that are reflective of First Nations, Metis, and Inuit languages and cultures, as well as those resources that will assist them in the achievement of their university goals,” said Shawn A-in-chut Atleo, National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations in Canada.

The web-based directory is an enhanced update of a print version that AUCC produced in 2006 and 2010. It will be regularly updated to reflect new and enhanced services for Aboriginal students at Canada’s universities. The database complements information in the Directory of Canadian Universities, published every year by AUCC.

Aboriginal education is an ongoing priority for Canada’s universities. AUCC’s 2013 pre-budget submission to the federal government calls for increased postsecondary scholarships for Aboriginal students, with funding to be matched by the private sector. AUCC has also undertaken significant steps in recent years to help universities identify, develop and share ideas on best practices for services aimed at Aboriginal youth.

The new directory of programs and services for Aboriginal students can be found here: www.aucc.ca/Aboriginal-directory.

AUCC is the national voice of Canada’s universities, representing 95 Canadian public and private not-for-profit universities.

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Media Contacts

Helen Murphy
Communications Manager
Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada
hmurphy@aucc.ca
613-563-1236 ext. 238

Nadine Robitaille
AUCC Communications Officer
nrobitaille@aucc.ca
613-563-3961 ext. 306

Ottawa - Canada’s universities invite Canadians to see first-hand how higher education is helping build prosperity through innovative partnerships with the private sector and communities.  Open Doors, Open Knowledge is a series of national university open houses in November, organized by the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada and its member institutions. With the theme of “Putting Ideas to work for Canadians,” this year’s Open Doors event will showcase how university and business partnerships are driving innovation and enhancing quality of life in Canada.

“Collaboration with universities helps businesses address challenges, find efficiencies and get new ideas to market faster,” says Christine Tausig Ford, vice president of AUCC.  “These partnerships are making businesses more competitive, creating jobs and positioning Canada as a leader in the global knowledge economy.”

Partnerships between universities and the private sector, as well as the not-for-profit sector, provide students and new graduates with invaluable hands-on research experience.  Through research projects, internships and co-ops, students can enhance their knowledge and skills while making connections with future employers.

 “We need to further develop these kinds of partnerships, both in number and scale, to achieve Canada’s potential in innovation and productivity,” says Ms. Tausig Ford. “We need to invest in ways that link university researchers and students – the creative people who develop new knowledge – with businesses that turn that knowledge into new products, processes, services and technologies.” 

More than 30 Open Doors, Open Knowledge events are taking place at institutions across Canada, with most scheduled during November 9-18. A full listing of events can be found at www.aucc.ca/canadian-universities/open-doors.

AUCC is the national voice of Canada’s universities, representing 95 Canadian public and not-for-profit universities.

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Media Contact:
Helen Murphy
Communications Manager
Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada
hmurphy@aucc.ca
613-563-1236 ext. 238

Ottawa  – Members of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada this week elected David Barnard, president and vice-chancellor of the University of Manitoba, as vice-chair and chair-elect of the Board of Directors.

Dr. Barnard has led the University of Manitoba since 2008 and also served as president at the University of Regina from 1998-2005. He has served as chair of the Association’s Finance Committee since October 2010, and is a member of the Board’s Standing Advisory Committee on University Research. He also served on the AUCC Board from 2003-05.

Three new directors were also elected to AUCC’s Board:

• Dominic Giroux, president of Laurentian University in Sudbury, ON;
• Ramona Lumpkin, president of Mount St. Vincent University in Halifax, NS; and
• Patrick Deane, president of McMaster University in Hamilton, ON;

AUCC’s is led by a 13-member board of directors made up of 12 university presidents and the president of the association. The other current members are:

• Stephen Toope, Chair of the Board of Directors and President, University of British Columbia in Vancouver, BC;
• Yves Beauchamp, director general of the École de technologie supérieure in Montreal, QC;
• Robert Campbell, president of Mount Allison University in Sackville, NB;
• Paul Davidson, president of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada;
• Elizabeth Cannon, president of the University of Calgary in Calgary AB;
• Colin Dodds, president of Saint Mary’s University in Halifax, NS;
• George Iwama, president of the University of Northern British Columbia in Prince George, BC;
• Luce Samoisette, rector of the Université de Sherbrooke in Sherbrooke, QC; and
• Alastair Summerlee, president of the University of Guelph in Guelph, ON.

AUCC’s board is assisted in voice, but not vote, by the chairs of five committees:

• Paul Gooch, president of Victoria University in Toronto, ON, who was elected this week as chair of the Standing Advisory Committee on the Act and By-Laws;
• Ray Ivany, president of Acadia University in Wolfville, NS, chair of the Standing Advisory Committee on Educational Issues and Funding;
• Daniel Woolf, principal of Queen’s University in Kingston, ON, chair of the Standing Advisory Committee on International Relations;
• Heather Munroe-Blum, principal of McGill University in Montreal, QC, chair of the Standing Advisory Committee on University Research; and
• Dr. Barnard, who continues to chair the Finance Committee.

For more information on AUCC’s board of directors and biographies of its members, please visit the AUCC website.

AUCC is the national voice of Canada’s universities, representing 95 Canadian public and private not-for-profit universities across the country.

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For more information contact:

Helen Murphy
AUCC Communications Manager
hmurphy@aucc.ca
613-563-1236 ext. 238 or cell: 613-608-8749

Nadine Robitaille
AUCC Communications Officer
nrobitaille@aucc.ca
613-563-3961 ext. 306 or cell: 613-884-8401