In & Around the University
Guelph No. 1 in national surveys
U of G scored a hat trick Nov. 2 when it reclaimed the No. 1 spot in the annual Maclean’s rankings of universities. It was the third national survey in less than a month to name Guelph the top comprehensive university in Canada.
On Oct. 31, Guelph was ranked at the top of its class for overall educational quality, reputation and atmosphere in the 2006 University Report Card published by the Globe and Mail, which represents the opinions of some 32,700 undergraduate students across Canada.
On Oct. 24, U of G was named Canada’s top comprehensive research institution in the annual Top 50 Research Universities ranking. The survey by Research Infosource Inc. ranks Canada’s universities based on sponsored research income. U of G was first in its category and placed 13th overall with research income of nearly $126 million in 2005.
In the Maclean’s overall survey, Guelph was named the top comprehensive university in Canada, followed by the University of Waterloo and the University of Victoria.
Guelph was ranked first in five of the key areas that determine the placements — quality of students, graduation rates, classes taught by tenured faculty, quality of faculty and student services. In an accompanying reputational survey in the magazine, Guelph was ranked second overall and second in each of three categories used to determine reputation: highest quality, most innovative, leaders of tomorrow.
Maclean’s also published the results of its graduate survey, in which participants were asked to rate their alma mater. In that survey, Guelph was No. 1 among comprehensive universities in seven of the eight categories for educational excellence.
U of G was also named the top comprehensive university by Maclean’s in 2003, 2002 and 1999.
He went to school
The title of Chancellor Lincoln Alexander’s newly published memoir is a direct quote from his mother: Go to School, You’re a Little Black Boy.
His mother often said those words to him during his childhood. “My mother was the one who encouraged me to go to school,” he said. “She was right, of course. My education has always been my empowerment.”
Alexander’s life is often described as one of exemplary firsts. Among them, he was the first person in his family to attend university; Canada’s first black member of Parliament, the first black chair of the Workers’ Compensation Board; the first visible minority to hold the post of lieutenant-governor; and the first person to serve five terms as U of G’s chancellor.
The 85-year-old Alexander worked with Guelph writer Herb Shoveller to write the book, which was published by The Dundurn Group.
The chancellor says the book is aimed at people who think they can’t do something or think they’ll never make it. “I’d like to think I’m helping convince others to never give up.”
CME long overdue
The new College of Management and Economics (CME) held a launch party Oct 25 that was attended by more than 350 people, including alumni and business leaders.
“The University is well-established as a leader in management and business-related programs,” said president Alastair Summerlee. “With the creation of this new college, our students are benefiting even more from expanded course offerings and continued innovation in teaching, research and outreach.”
CME includes the Department of Economics, the School of Hospitality and tourism Management, the Department of Marketing and Consumer Studies and the new Department of Business. It is also home to the Centre for Studies in Leadership.
“We believe this business school is long overdue,” said CME dean Chris McKenna. Student interest in U of G’s business-related programs has risen dramatically over the last few years, making Guelph’s bachelor of commerce program one of the largest business programs in the country, he says.
World-class research gets boost
Research grants from the Canada Foundation of Innovation (CFI) are among the country’s most coveted because they bring with them recognition of scientific expertise that has international impact.
In a recent CFI announcement, three U of G investigators received more than $14.5 million to advance research that will position the University and Canada at the forefront of X-ray diffraction, nuclear physics, life sciences and bioelectrochemistry.
Physics professor Stefan Kycia received more than $11 million to establish the Brockhouse X-ray Diffraction and Scattering Sector, which will be housed at Canada’s national synchrotron research facility at the University of Saskatchewan. It will support a wide spectrum of materials research in academic and industrial sectors, and has applications such as advanced alloys and polymers, novel batteries, food science and petroleum products. Kycia heads a team of 28 Canadian researchers.
Prof. Paul Garrett, also in Physics, is heading a neutron detector array that involves 11 researchers from across Canada. They plan to construct a “world-unique” device that allows for the detection of neutrons in such a way that scientists will be able to perform measurements on the particles much more directly. The equipment will be built at TRIUMF, Canada’s national laboratory for particle and nuclear physics in Vancouver.
Chemistry professor Jacek Lipkowski will use a $2.7-million grant to enhance infrastructure in Guelph laboratories that conduct leading-edge life science and soft materials research involving biomolecules, cells and bacteria. The project includes 24 investigators at U of G and more than 100 post-doctoral researchers and students.
Co-op Education Marks 25 Years
A quarter of a century ago, U of G introduced co-op education on campus with 22 students enrolled in 10 programs. Today, the University has more than 2,000 students participating in 36 programs. Over the years, Guelph co-op students have participated in a total of 8,240 work terms.
“We’ve certainly grown,” says director Karen Reimer, director of Co-operative Education and Career Services (CECS) . “The different programs at the University see the value of co-op and they want to buy into it. Experiential learning is attracting students, and co-op is a way to do that. It’s also a huge recruitment tool for employers. Many of our students get jobs at companies they did work terms at. In some cases, they have a job before they even leave school.”
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Notes and News
- Psychology professor Serge Desmarais will serve as the first associate dean of the College of Social and Applied Human Sciences, spearheading the development of a strategic research plan for the college.
- Patrick Case, director of human rights and equity at U of G, has been appointed commissioner to the Ontario Human Rights Commission.
- President Alastair Summerlee will serve as chair of the board of directors of World University Service of Canada for the next two years.
- Prof. Al Lauzon, School of Environmental Design and Rural Development will head a panel of experts to advise the provincial government on protecting sources of drinking water. The appointment follows the Oct. 18 approval of Ontario’s Clean Water Act, which allocated $7 in the first year.
- A new annual lecture focussed on contemporary art has been created at U of G through an endowment provided by Dasha Shenkman, a Canadian art collector who has lived in the United Kingdom for 40 years. The inaugural lecture will be delivered by conceptual artist Michael Craig-Martin March 13 at 5 p.m. in War Memorial Hall.
- U of G ranked seventh among universities worldwide for its impact on agricultural sciences during the past decade (based on cited research), according to a study published last summer by Thompson Scientific’s Science Watch.