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Author: Alex Usher

A Very Canadian Innovation Proposal

If you let any conversation about innovation policy go on long enough, the story of DARPA (the Defence Advance Research Projects Agency, known as ARPA until 1972, and, weirdly, between 1993 and 1996) will likely come up, usually in a form so tortured that it is unrecognizable from the real thing.  This matters because the Business Council of Canada has just backed the idea of a Canadian DARPA as a solution to the country’s innovation woes.  This is, I think, a bad idea,

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March 3, 2021 1 Comment

Vision and Mission

To Hamilton, where McMaster University has released a new vision statement.  To be honest, I am not sure I have ever seen a vision statement quite like it: not only is it detached from any kind of strategic planning exercise I am aware of (from whence vision statements usually spring), but it is also more or less unparalleled as an assault on the English language.  Here it is: “Impact, Ambition and Transformation through Excellence, Inclusion and Community: Advancing Human and

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March 2, 2021 4 Comments

The Alberta Budget

Everything you need to know about last Thursday’s horror show in a handy Q&A session. Q: What’s the damage this time? A: I swear to God I do not understand how the province of Alberta explains anything financial.  The University of Alberta claimed the system-wide cut was $126 million, the Globe and Mail said it was $135 million.  I count the cut to operating institutions as being $175 million if you use the 20-21 budget as a base, and $142 million

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March 1, 2021 3 Comments

New Strategy in Manitoba

To Winnipeg, where the provincial government suddenly seems to be taking postsecondary education seriously.  Yes, recent years haven’t been great – a vindictive Premier ousting a fantastic college President because he used to work for the NDP, or mooting a cut in post-secondary finances so nonsensical that even the Province’s overwhelmingly Tory business community told the government to get real, thus forcing a U-Turn.  But now the government seems to be heading down a different path.  For starters, it has pulled postsecondary education out

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February 18, 2021 No Comments

Fall 2021

I see some institutions are starting to make decisions about the Fall 2021 term.  Warning: my take is probably going to upset some people.  But for reasons I will describe below, I believe very strongly that Canadian PSE institutions will likely look ridiculous if they do anything other than a near-complete return to in-person teaching for the fall. I know, I know, I was one of the voices pushing ultra-caution last year.  And I know, people feel like it’s still

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February 17, 2021 4 Comments

One Thought to Start Your Day

One Thought to Start Your Day is our founder and CEO Alex Usher’s popular daily blog, brimming with up-to-the-minute insights and informed opinions on today’s higher education industry.

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