It has been 24 years since the massacre at l’Ecole Polytechnique. The Globe and Mail provides a short article explaining how and why commemorating the events of December 6 has become central to the national discussion of violence against women.
Lest we forget and for those too young to remember… the 14 women who died and those others who were wounded were seeking an education and were attacked solely for being women.
The final version of the Differentiation Policy Framework was released on 28 November 2013.
Nipissing has offered anthropology courses for decades. The new major in anthropology program builds on the university’s existing expertise and provides students with more options in their degree of choice.
“Anthropology is a vital field of study, as students learn about the diversity of humankind’s cultures and traditions. As our world becomes increasingly globalized, the understanding of diverse peoples and inter-related cultures and societies becomes even more pressing,” said Dr. Ann-Barbara Graff, dean of the faculty of arts and science. “I think the program will prove to be popular with students. They will enjoy all the advantages that our small class sizes and first-rate faculty have to offer, as well as hands-on fieldwork experiences to enrich understanding.”
“Anthropology has a long tradition in the Canadian North. Nipissing’s location and the demographic composition of the region makes anthropology particularly relevant here,” said Dr. Carly Dokis, assistant professor of sociology and one of the professors who helped create the anthropology program curriculum. “Our program is rooted in the idea of community, and provides a framework through which to view the complex issues facing the modern world.”
“The new degree in Anthropology enhances the offerings that Nipissing provides to its students,” said Dr. Harley d’Entremont, vice-president of academic and research. “We are confident it will prove to be a popular program that will aid enrolment growth in the coming years while serving the needs of our communities by graduating leading thinkers for the knowledge economy.”
Robert Dickeson’s Prioriziting Academic Programs and Services (2010) is being touted by the Provincial Government as a useful manual to direct conversations about strategic planning. Essentially the process involves collecting a great deal of data about the university enterprise and use that data to drive informed decisions about allocation of resources.
The key to a successful prioritization exercise will be that it be transparent and collaborative, that the goals be clear (it is not a slashing and burning exercise, rather it is knowledge gathering exercise which will allow everyone involved in decision making to make reasoned decisions about program growth, maintenance and reductions), and that the process be sufficiently robust that it can be used reliably over many cycles.