Higher education in Nova Scotia
[5] The Higher Education Branch of this body "supports the development of a highly qualified workforce to meet labour market demand as well as the cultivation of knowledgeable, engaged citizens" Under the Higher Education Branch, there are four divisions which support this mission: The Post-Secondary Disability Services Division (PSDS) "assists students with permanent disabilities in achieving individual success in their post-secondary studies by reducing or removing educational-related barriers through the provision of grants, services and equipment.
"[7] The Student Assistance Office "provides an opportunity for all academically qualified Nova Scotians to have equity of access to quality post-secondary education and training.
The program provides needs-based assistance to students who would be unable to attend post-secondary study because their family resources were not sufficient to cover their educational costs.
[13] During the period of 1941–1945, this college undertook the task of training subjects for the Royal Canadian Navy, under, King George III, and the students were displaced to another facility in Halifax.
[17] The Dalhousie University Act(1963) includes a suggestion of denominational representation on the Board of Governors in proportion to support of endowed chairs.
The school was consumed with financial difficulties, and it wasn't until 1879 that a wealthy New York publisher with Nova Scotian ancestry made a donation of over 8 million dollars and saved the university.
[18] During the 1900s the school expanded and on April 1, 1997, it merged with the Technical University of Nova Scotia (TUNS) and added a Faculty of Computer Science.
It boasts 100,000 graduates, and its milestone was achieved 140 years after it granted its first two Bachelor of Arts degrees to Joseph Henry Chase and Robert Shaw in 1866.
[24] St Francis Xavier College was a Roman Catholic institution founded in 1853 in Arichat, Cape Breton, and moved to Antigonish in 1855.
The 1930s, therefore, saw innovative initiatives by St. Francis Xavier University in the areas of adult education, cooperatives and credit unions given emphasis as paths "to social improvement and economic organization for disadvantaged groups in eastern Canada.
Although, many institutes of higher learning have evolved and changed the principles which they were founded on, St. Francis Xavier has held on to its core values over the years.
[32] Oscar Wilde's much-publicized lecture tour in 1882 stopped in Halifax, Nova Scotia, where he advocated the support of art education.
[35] NSCAD developed an international reputation with notable artists who lectured, taught, or collaborated alongside students and faculty including Joseph Beuys, Eric Fischl, Vito Acconci, Sol LeWitt, Michael Snow, Joyce Wieland, Hans Haacke, Claes Oldenburg, A.R.
[38] Nova Scotia developed demonstration buildings to establish closer ties between the community and agricultural education, especially with the growing demand from governments for more food production during World War I.
Atlantic School of Theology was founded in 1971 through the co-operation of the Divinity Faculty of the University of King's College (Anglican Church of Canada), Holy Heart Theological Seminary (The Roman Catholic Episcopal Corporation of Halifax) and Pine Hill Divinity Hall (United Church of Canada).
[41] The Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC) was formed in 1988 to focus on training and education, amalgamating the province's former vocational schools and removing duplicate programs.
In 1917, this group of Canadian universities was formally known as the National Conference of Canadian Universities (NCCU)[48] The NCCU 'successfully lobbied the Federal Government to financially support higher education'[46] and with the mass entry of post-World War II veterans, federal funding for higher education was secured in the late 1950s.
Extra Formula Grants take into consideration unique characteristics such as size; French-language instruction; part-time students; isolation (distance from Halifax).
[54] This Bill requires institutions in financial difficulty to submit a ‘revitalization plan’ to the government, and during this period collective bargaining agreements and strike action would be suspended.
"[55] The Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) sent letters to Nova Scotia institutions warning that schools will be sanctioned if they try to enact the powers of the new Act; an unprecedented move.
The 2015-2016 NS Provincial budget, however, lifts the cap, allowing institutions to make a one-time market adjustments to tuition and fees.
Eliminating the bursary program and rising tuition left students in Nova Scotia with the highest debt levels in the country.
In fact, the peak of undergraduate enrolment in the Maritimes was in 2003, attributable to changes in Ontario, where the graduating class doubled in the province upon the elimination of its grade 13 year of high school.
However, when compared to women who have completed post-secondary studies, the gap widens, particularly in University certificate, diploma or degree programs.
[66] In an effort to eliminate racism and ensure African Canadians receive equity in education, the Black Learners Advisory Committee (BLAC) Report of 1994 made 46 recommendations for change in the province.
An important aspect of the APCCC is to provide maximum mobility for students learning throughout the postsecondary education system in Atlantic Canada.
One of the fundamental roles of the association is to create greater awareness and understanding of the important contribution of universities to the social and economic development of the Atlantic Provinces.
CAMET is dedicated to further enhancing the level of cooperation in public and post-secondary education by working on common issues to improve learning for all Atlantic Canadians, optimize efficiencies and bring added value to provincial initiatives and priorities.
[88] The MPHEC was created in 1974 to assist Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia and their institutions in attaining a more efficient and effective utilization and allocation of higher education resources.
It provides quality assurance, data and information sharing, cooperative action, and regional programmes as well as specific services to one or more provinces or institutions as agreed to by the Ministers of Education.
