What’s New?
EduNova’s Top Ten June, 2008
What’s New? Read below to see what is happening with EduNova’s members, associates and partners. 1. Deloitte study: Government finance departments around the world struggling to meet more complex public sector demands Forty-eight percent of public officials around the world believe that their organizations lack adequate financial management capabilities, according to a new Deloitte study, "Mastering Finance in Government: Transforming the Government Enterprise through Better Financial Management," one of the largest global surveys ever conducted of government finance officials. Despite progress in streamlining transactional efficiency over the past decade, significant financial management constraints continue to face governments around the world. Deloitte Study 2. Halifax Global Joins Forces with Jacques Whitford and Lara Ryan Consulting to Offer Corporate Social Responsibility Services Jacques Whitford, Halifax Global Inc. and Lara Ryan Consulting are pleased to announce a joint initiative to provide Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strategy consulting. Combined, these three firms have the experience, resources, and accreditation to analyze, evaluate, and develop dynamic CSR plans for corporate, not for profit and public sector clients. ―We are thrilled to be working with Halifax Global Inc (HGI), and Lara Ryan Consulting (LRC) on this initiative,‖ said Marty Janowitz, Senior VP Sustainability for Jacques Whitford. ―HGI’s expertise as strategic management consultants and LRC’s community based CSR experience fit very well with the sustainability work that Jacques Whitford has been leading.‖ Joint Initiative 3. Coady Institute Launches Important Microfinance Study with Global Reach and Impact The Coady International Institute rolled out a major research package on microfinance at the Growing Inclusive Markets (GIM) Forum in Halifax on Friday, June 20th. The Coady Institute, which is co-hosting the (GIM) conference with Dalhousie University's Faculty of Management, officially launched the study at an afternoon reception featuring special guest, former Prime Minister the Right Honourable Paul Martin, P.C., M.P. The study, Reaching the Hard to Reach: Comparative Study of Member-Owned Financial Institutions in Remote Rural Areas, is in keeping with the Coady International Institute's work with partners to help establish access to basic financial services for the world's poor who live in rural areas. Interested in expanding financial services to remote-rural areas, the Ford Foundation Affinity Group for Development Finance commissioned the Coady Institute and a global team of researchers to conduct this study on member owned financial institutions (MOIs). Microfinance Study 4. Acadia Appoints Dr. Tom Herman Acting President and Vice-Chancellor Ron Smith, Chair of Acadia University’s Board of Governors, today announced that Dr. Tom Herman has been appointed Acting President and Vice-Chancellor effective June 1, 2008. Dr. Herman is currently Acadia’s Vice-President Academic.
―Tom has demonstrated a commitment to Acadia that extends well beyond his role as an academic administrator. He is an example of why Acadia’s faculty and staff are known for putting students first and making decisions that help preserve Acadia’s excellent reputation,‖ said Mr. Smith. Acadia - Tom Herman 5. McInnes Cooper - Significant Amendments to Nova Scotia’s Companies Act Approved, June 19, 2008 Canada and the United States entered into the Fifth Protocol (the ―Protocol‖) to the Canada -U.S. Income Tax Convention (the ―Treaty‖) on September 21, 2007. Canada completed all of the domestic steps to ratify the Protocol on December 14, 2007 when Bill S-2 received royal assent. The Protocol will come into force once it has been ratified by the United States and the two countries have formally notified each other in writing of the ratification. The United States has not yet completed the domestic steps to ratify the Protocol. From a substantive perspective, the Protocol unfortunately contains a number of unpleasant surprises such as a new rule Article IV 7(b) (the ―Anti-hybrid Rule‖) denying treaty relief on certain payments by hybrids (the Canadian hybrid is the unlimited liability company (the ―ULC‖). Nova Scotia Companies Act 6. Jacques Whitford Honoured as One of Atlantic Region’s Best Places to Work Jacques Whitford Ltd., an international leader in engineering, environmental, sustainability and earth sciences solutions, is pleased to announce it has been chosen by Progress Magazine as one of the Best Places to Work in Atlantic Canada. ―This is particularly thrilling for us because we’re being recognized as one of the best employers in the region where we first started our company and remain headquartered,‖ said John Adams, President of Atlantic Canada for Jacques Whitford. ―I am proud that we’ve been able to set high standards and demonstrate real leadership in creating an exceptional environment for employees.‖ One of the Best Places to Work 7. Completing the Circle As a long-serving Dalhousie employee, Karen Mann returned to the President’s House for afternoon tea— retracing a journey she took 50 years ago as a 15-year-old student just beginning university. ―It was all very nice. I remember being very nervous,‖ recalled Dr. Mann originally from Windsor, N.S. ―We were all sitting on chairs and on the floor. The president had all the freshmen over for tea; compared to today, there weren’t that many of us.‖ Completing the Circle 8. Who will be the next Entrepreneur of the Year? Celebrating entrepreneurs and the businesses they build and grow has been a priority for Ernst & Young for more than two decades. The Entrepreneur of the Year awards recognizes the men and women who excel at growing and sustaining market-leading businesses. They are pioneers and innovators – people like Michael Dell of Dell Inc.; Pierre Omidyar of eBay, Inc.; Herb Kelleher of Southwest Airlines; Jim McCann of 1-800Flowers.com; Richard Caruso of Integra LifeSciences Corp.; and Isaac Larian of MGA Entertainment. In June they’ll announce the winners of the Entrepreneur of the Year 2008 awards. They will vie for the national awards and be recognized at a black-tie gala, hosted by Jay Leno, on November 15. Entrepreneur of the Year is the culminating event of the Ernst & Young Strategic Growth Forum. Entrepreneur of the Year Award (CLLC has been nominated for this award.) 9. Virtual reality becomes reality as Data Cave opens at Saint Mary’s Virtual reality became reality today as the new ACEnet Data Cave opened at Saint Mary’s University.
At a grand opening ceremony hosted by the University’s Institute for Computational Astrophysics (ICA), funding partners, companies and scientists were thanked for making the $1.5-million Data Cave facility a reality. They were also given the opportunity to see and experience the 3 -D immersive virtual environment in action. ―The vision was there and we were able to follow through on that vision,‖ said J. Colin Dodds, President of Saint Mary’s University. ―It’s absolutely fascinating to see what you can do.‖ The Data Cave is a virtual reality environment that allows researchers to visualize graphic representations of phenomena based on scientific calculations. Virtual Reality 10. King’s-Edgehill School - Provincial Champions Five KES track and field athletes returned from the 2008 Provincial Championship as medalists – three as provincial champions. Sam Hsiao bettered his third-best result from last year in achieving the gold medal in the 100m hurdles. Taya McGillivary successfully defended her 2007 gold medal in the shotput, and Nicholle Morrison became the gold medalist in the long jump after leaping to a personal-best distance. McGillivary and Morrison were double medalists as they contributed to the silver medal-winning 4x100m team, which also included Cathleen Bleakney and Lauren Young. Several other athletes produced personal best performances at the provincial championships. Provincial Champions Archived issues: will be available on EduNova’s website within the next week.
EduNova is a non-profit association of education and training providers based in Nova Scotia, Canada. EduNova’s membership includes all 11 universities, the 13-campus community college, the school boards through the Nova Scotia International Student Program, independent schools, private language schools, and several private training providers. EduNova’s mandate is to work with members to facilitate international student recruitment and to develop international partnerships. With support from the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, Nova Scotia Economic Development and the membership, EduNova was incorporated in October 2004, following a successful 5 year pilot project. For further information, please visit www.edunova.ca . EduNova does not assume liability for comments or information posted by others. Please send your comments or stories to Natasha@edunova.ca