New Directions: Privatization and Higher Education in Alberta

Recent Alberta initiatives in higher education reflect a growing Canadian preoccupation with privatization. Opposing ideological forces offer conflicting assessments of privatization in higher education: as endangering the very nature and goals of higher education or as simply providing additional resources and greater consumer choice. Privatization in higher education is identified as a shift in the balances of finance or control from public to private. It is implemented in higher education through the encouragement or toleration of private educational institutions or through the fostering of private investment in public systems. Alberta's 1994 restructuring of postsecondary education is identified as an approach which implements a privatization agenda while claiming to safeguard public interests.Les récentes initiatives albertaines en matière d'enseignment supérieur reflètent la préoccupation croissante des Canadiens à l'égard de la privatisation. Les tenants et les opposants de la privatisation de l'enseignement supérieur voient ces conséquences sous des angles différents. Les uns la voient comme offrant tout simplement au consommateur des ressources supplémentaires et un choix plus grand de possibilités, les autres comme mettant en danger la nature même et les buts de l'enseignement supérieur. La privatisation peut se définir par le fait que le financement et la direction de l'enseignement supérieur se déplacent du secteur public vers le secteur privé. Elle se manifeste par l'appui accordé aux établissements privés ou par l'ouverture dont on fait preuve à leur égard, ou encore par le fait d'encourager les sociétés privées à investir dans le système public. La restructuration, en 1994, de l'enseignement postsecondaire en Alberta est vue comme la mise en pratique d'objectifs de privatisation non déclarés, et ce, même si l'on prétend protéger les intérêts du public

Day of Solidarity: Blog Post

Winona State University (WSU) Student Rae Peter shares their experiences organizing the April 11th WSU Students for Palestinian Liberation hosted a Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian people. This day of education was in celebration of World Keffiyeh Day, which falls on May 11th in 2022. This blog post was intended for the WSU Academic Blog, which showcases the exciting and challenging work WSU students do

THE PACIFIC RIM BEEF TRADE: IMPACTS OF LIFTING FOOT-AND-MOUTH DISEASE TRADE BARRIERS

International Relations/Trade,

Tangata Whenua in distance education: An emerging model for isolated Maori secondary students in the Correspondence School

This paper examines Canadian models developed for distance education delivery to indigenous peoples of Ontario and Alberta. It then reviews a similar New Zealand model, a partnership of Te Puni Kokiri and the Correspondence School. Analyses of the school's Charter and Strategic Plan are followed by descriptions and structural analysis of two Secondary Learning Centres, with comment on the changes in Maori student performance in 1993-1994. A theoretical perspective is developed. The emerging challenge is to modify curriculum through consultation with the Tangata Whenua to recognise more fully partnership for Maori with a central institution of the compulsory sector of the New Zealand education system

MAGP2 Controls Notch via Interactions with RGD Binding Integrins: Identification of a Novel ECM-Integrin-Notch Signaling Axis

Canonical Notch signaling involves Notch receptor activation via interaction with cell surface bound Notch ligand. Recent findings also indicate that Notch signaling may be modulated by cross-talk with other signaling mechanisms. The ECM protein MAGP2 was previously shown to regulate Notch in a cell type dependent manner, although the molecular details of this interaction have not been dissected. Here, we report that MAGP2 cell type specific control of Notch is independent of individual Notch receptor-ligand combinations but dependent on interaction with RGD binding integrins. Overexpressed MAGP2 was found to suppress transcriptional activity from the Notch responsive Hes1 promoter activity in endothelial cells, while overexpression of a RGD→RGE MAGP2 mutant increased Notch signaling in the same cell type. This effect was not unique to MAGP2 since the RGD domain of the ECM protein EGFL7 was also found to be an important modulator of Hes1 promoter activity. Independently of MAGP2 or EGFL7, inhibition of RGD-binding integrins with soluble RGD peptides also increased accumulation of active N1ICD fragments and Notch responsive promoter activity independently of changes in Notch1, Jag1, or Dll4 expression. Finally, β1 or β3 integrin blocking antibodies also enhanced Notch signaling. Collectively, these results answer the question of how MAGP2 controls cell type dependent Notch signaling, but more importantly uncover a new mechanism to understand how extracellular matrices and cellular environments impact Notch signaling

A Potent and Effective Suicidal Listeria Vaccine Platform.

Live-attenuated Listeria monocytogenes has shown encouraging potential as an immunotherapy platform in preclinical and clinical settings. However, additional safety measures will enable application across malignant and infectious diseases. Here, we describe a new vaccine platform, termed Lm-RIID (L. monocytogenes recombinase-induced intracellular death), that induces the deletion of genes required for bacterial viability yet maintains potent T cell responses to encoded antigens. Lm-RIID grows normally in broth but commits suicide inside host cells by inducing Cre recombinase and deleting essential genes flanked by loxP sites, resulting in a self-limiting infection even in immunocompromised mice. Lm-RIID vaccination of mice induces potent CD8+ T cells and protects against virulent challenges, similar to live L. monocytogenes vaccines. When combined with α-PD-1, Lm-RIID is as effective as live-attenuated L. monocytogenes in a therapeutic tumor model. This impressive efficacy, together with the increased clearance rate, makes Lm-RIID ideal for prophylactic immunization against diseases that require T cells for protection