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Category: Institutions

What Could Still Derail Fall 2021

Some of you doubted me – a few of you quite vocally –  when I suggested campuses would be able to open in-person for Fall 2021.  Now, it should be clear that with more vaccines being approved, accelerated deliveries of already-approved vaccines and the decision to permit up to four months between jabs, that pretty much anyone in the country who wants one will receive the first dose of the vaccine by June and most will have a second before

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March 9, 2021 1 Comment

Laurentian Blues (6) – The Model

Most of what we know about the Laurentian affair suggests that it is sui generis, but some people insist on turning it into an exemplar of broader trend: not so much a “who’s next” as a “there but for the grace of God go all of us” (or, as a recent podcast had it: is Laurentian the “canary in the nickel mine”?).  Basically, this argument suggests that Laurentian is not really at fault, but rather a victim of “the Ontario

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March 8, 2021 4 Comments

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

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

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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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