International Students Bring Many Benefits, says BC Minister

Source: Vancouver Sun via Academica

Students who travel to Canada to get a world-class education “also bring a wide range of short- and long-term social, cultural and economic benefits,” writes BC Minister of Advanced Education Andrew Wilkinson. The article describes some of the very first international students who came to BC at the beginning of the 20th century, before discussing the benefits that today’s international students bring to Canada. Perhaps one of the biggest benefits of international students, says Wilkinson, is that they pay the full cost of PSE tuition and thus subsidize not only higher education, but K-12 programming for domestic students. Further, international students who stay in Canada after graduation have been shown to fulfill an important role in closing the country’s skills gap. For these reasons and more, Wilkinson concludes, “the benefits add up and are irrefutable whichever way you study the equation.”

ON, PEI negotiate PSE agreements with India

Source: Times of India via Academica

Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne and PEI Premier Wade MacLauchlan have returned from their 10-day trade mission to India and have negotiated new agreements for postsecondary institutions. According to a press release by the Ontario Government, the ON delegation participated in a signing ceremony announcing agreements involving Ryerson University, McMaster University [CIEC Academic Member], Sheridan College, Algonquin College, and Seneca College. According to Canadian Broadcasting Company, the University of Prince Edward Island signed MOUs with two Indian universities.

Canadian PSE Representatives Travel to India on Trade Mission

Source: Ontario Business Mission to India Press Kit via Academica

Representatives from five Canadian colleges and nine universities have travelled with Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne on a trade mission to India. An ON release states that the purpose of the mission is to “strengthen economic, political and cultural ties with the world’s third-largest economy.” The creation of new institutional partnerships between the two countries features as one of the highest priorities for the participating Canadian PSE institutions. Prince Edward Island Premier Wade MacLauchlan has also joined the mission, along with 12 delegates from that province.

UFV Launches Co-Curricular Record Program on India Campus

Source: UFV via Academica

The University of the Fraser Valley has launched what is reportedly India’s first postsecondary Co-Curricular Record program in Chandigarh. This program, previously implemented on the Canadian UFV campus for 9,000 students, offers an authorized record of students’ validated experiences outside the classroom, allowing experiences to be measured against the learning outcomes that the UFV community has outlined as necessary for graduates. “Having our students graduate from UFV with two transcripts, one recognizing their academic achievement and the other recognizing their learning achieved outside of the classroom, will give our graduates an advantage in the employment market and for professional and graduate schools,” said Associate Director, UFV India, Gurneet Singh Anand.