“While ‘truthiness’ suggests at least a semblance of truth, ‘post-truth’ declares its utter obsolescence.”

For a decade now, the ResearchImpact network, representing 12 Canadian universities, has been engaged in knowledge mobilization with measureable impacts.

They should be used to inform and encourage, not to penalize.

A university communications and marketing director tries to cut through the bafflegab.

“We see an opportunity to breathe new life and richer content into the growing number of incubators across campuses.”

The film’s authenticity owes a special nod to a McGill linguistics professor.

If the famous blacklist is to be replaced, it needs a rethink.

Newer tests and treatments are not always better and too much care can be bad for your health.

Why should stretched public dollars go to undeserved six-figure salaries for people who do not do their jobs?

The program would be modeled on our system of mortgage financing, with repayment periods of up to 25 years.

The search is now on for Canada’s chief science advisor.

We’ve all heard about the “death of the humanities” – the decreasing enrolments and loss of full-time positions in these disciplines. What we tend to overlook is that, while there are certainly tenure-track jobs available in Canada, many tend to go to foreign-trained academics. However, until someone embarks on a much-needed and full-scale study on […]

Yves Gingras, in his recent opinion article, argues against the general validity of academic rankings. He writes that they do not tell the whole story and should not be taken seriously by “well-educated academics.” This begs at least one question: What exactly should be taken seriously as we assess or scrutinize universities and colleges for […]

Every year on August 15 exactly, many university presidents – particularly in Europe – get nervous. They know that the annual “Shanghai Ranking” – published since 2004 – is released on that day. Has their institution moved up or down on the list? Whatever the case may be, the communications department will prepare a press […]

I have the spent the days since the U.S. election wading through a complex series of emotions. I was numb, angry and confused. I didn’t understand and didn’t want to believe that the politics of fear and hatred had prevailed. Almost simultaneously however, I began to feel a new strength and resolve emerging, one that […]

President-elect Donald Trump – I never imagined I would be writing those words. I would think that most of Canada’s academics, aside from the odd misanthrope, share my concern at the prospect of such a dangerous and temperamentally unfit individual in the White House. Within hours of Mr. Trump’s surprise win, higher-education journalists in the […]

Do not despair: A letter to my students.

Every decade has its trend, and in the university sector “differentiation” seems to define the current one. It’s difficult to take issue with the basic idea: different institutions should focus on their different strengths. But, this notion has encouraged some implausible conclusions that warrant better scrutiny. One of them is the notion that research (and […]

The social science traditions in Canada are strong, but it might be time to consider new interdisciplinary approaches.

In our work as university advisors within the University of British Columbia’s enrolment services unit, we often feel as though we are coaching students through increasingly competitive requirements. The standards to get into university, make it through midterms, or apply to the program a student desires can seem unforgiving. Our students are making what seem […]