Skip navigation

Margin Notes

BY LÉO CHARBONNEAU | JUN 15 2009

There has been a rash of fraudulent “Class of …” Facebook groups in Canada trying to sign up prospective or current students. University recruiters and marketers should beware.

BY LÉO CHARBONNEAU | JUN 04 2009

I joined the students of Beijing 20 years ago on their march down to Tiananmen Square. Never could I have imagined what would follow.

BY LÉO CHARBONNEAU | MAY 29 2009

It seems to me the “value proposition” of research in the social sciences and humanities is fairly obvious, but I also understand that the case needs to be made nonetheless.

BY LÉO CHARBONNEAU | MAY 27 2009

Demography is destiny, and Canadian universities are destined to have dropping enrolments and empty classrooms in the next 10 years, says demographer David Foot.

BY LÉO CHARBONNEAU | MAY 26 2009

We’ve made big strides in terms of SoTL in Canada over the past few years, but we’ve hit a ceiling, says expert Gary Poole.

BY LÉO CHARBONNEAU | MAY 25 2009

Educational leaders, acting as public intellectuals, need the courage to raise awareness of social issues and to address controversial topics.

BY LÉO CHARBONNEAU | MAY 22 2009

Education professor and former radical William Ayers has been denied an entry permit to speak at the Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences in Ottawa.

BY LÉO CHARBONNEAU | MAY 20 2009

University recruitment offices must contend not only with blogs and Facebook, but also Flickr, YouTube, iTunesU and now Twitter, to name the obvious suspects. I feel your pain.

BY LÉO CHARBONNEAU | MAY 14 2009

Annual report from Statistics Canada is always an interesting read – i.e., I wonder what my colleagues at other institutions are getting paid?

BY LÉO CHARBONNEAU | MAY 11 2009

What percentage of funding should be directed to basic research? Seventy percent? More? Less?

BY LÉO CHARBONNEAU | MAY 05 2009

We’re a “mid-level” performer says the Science, Technology and Innovation Council, and that’s not good enough.

BY LÉO CHARBONNEAU | MAY 04 2009

The New York Times OpEd by Mark Taylor raises the ire of academics, but some of his suggestions have merit.

BY LÉO CHARBONNEAU | APR 30 2009

There is a simple step universities can take to reduce food waste, save energy and maybe even help students from gaining the dreaded “freshman 15.”

BY LÉO CHARBONNEAU | APR 20 2009

Alberta will soon become the third province with a centralized online application system for universities, after Ontario and British Columbia. Everyone benefits.

BY LÉO CHARBONNEAU | APR 13 2009

There is a group in the U.S. called Students for Concealed Carry on Campus. What are they advocating be concealed and carried? Why, guns of course.

BY LÉO CHARBONNEAU | APR 06 2009

It’s an under-appreciated art form: self-expression via the office door. We’d like you to send us photos of your, or a colleague’s, personalized portal.

BY LÉO CHARBONNEAU | MAR 25 2009

Montreal just had its philosophy marathon, and a new documentary features some of today’s most influential philosophers.

BY LÉO CHARBONNEAU | MAR 18 2009

Is it more important to teach undergraduates “the classic works of Western Civilization” or “to become agents of social change.” American faculty have weighed in. Now it’s your turn.

BY LÉO CHARBONNEAU | MAR 12 2009

Two academics argue that “when it comes to innovations in teaching and learning, higher education seems like the last to know and the slowest to respond.” Please discuss.

BY LÉO CHARBONNEAU | MAR 05 2009

March 8 is International Women’s Day. This prompted me to check: how many women presidents are there at Canada’s universities?

Click to fill out a quick survey