Daily News

posted on Feb. 8: McMaster hosts international conference on Iraq sanctions

There's so much anguish in our world today. I'm hoping this conference can inform people specifically on the case of Iraq and inspire them generally to act responsibly for a better world. These words, spoken by Ruba Moubarak, a third-year McMaster science student, explain why she is spearheading an international conference taking place at the University this weekend. The conference focuses on the effects of sanctions on Iraq and is titled "The Effects of Sanction on Health: A Case Study on the Gulf." Moubarak has gathered leading academics and experts from the United States and Europe who have studied and witnessed the effects of sanctions on the Iraqi population. The conference will focus on the detrimental effects of sanctions on the Iraq health system and on the health of ordinary Iraqis. It will also address the policies of the sanctions' main proponents the United States and Britain and those of other Western powers. The speakers include: Denis Halliday, former UN humanitarian co-ordinator for Iraq; Felicity Arbuthnot, a freelance journalist who has focused attention on Iraq; Richard Garfield, director of nursing at Columbia University; Thomas Nagy, professor of expert systems at George Washington University, and Peter Pellet, professor of nutrition at University of Massachusetts. The conference moderator is Graham MacQueen. Members of McMaster's Centre for Peace Studies and Iraq Working Group, Ontario Public Interest Research Group-McMaster are hosting the lineup of journalists, professors and United Nations workers.

posted on Feb. 8: University receives $1.5M in performance-based funding

McMaster University is receiving $1.5 million from the Ontario government based on indicators that measure the number of students who graduate and successfully find jobs. The funding is slightly more - $200,000 - than the University had anticipated when the 2001-02 budget was approved last June by the Board of Governors. The funding, part of the operating grant, is based on measuring achievement in three key performance indicators: the graduation rate of students the six-month employment rate for graduates of undergraduate programs and the two-year employment rate for graduates of undergraduate programs. "I'm pleased that McMaster continues to make a strong showing in the performance indicators," said Acting President Peter Sutherland. "We know our graduates are well prepared for the work force and our numbers clearly demonstrate that." The most recent Ontario University Graduate Survey available shows McMaster's graduation rate is 79.7 per cent. The average graduation rate for all Ontario universities is 73.7 per cent. As well, more than 94 per cent (94.8) of McMaster graduates with undergraduate degrees were employed six months after leaving the University. The provincial average is 94.6 per cent. The survey also shows that 97 per cent of McMaster graduates are employed within two years of obtaining an undergraduate degree. The provincial average is 97.2 per cent. (End of story)

posted on Feb. 8: New student application numbers increase

More high school students are choosing McMaster as their first choice when they apply to Ontario universities. Figures released today by the Ontario Universities' Application Centre indicate applications with McMaster listed as the first or preferred choice are up 19.2 per cent from last year. As of Feb. 4, 4,482 students had listed McMaster as their first choice compared to 3,761 at this time last year. Total applications to the University from potential first-year students - where McMaster is listed as a first, second, third or more choice - are up 22.8 per cent. The overall provincial average increase in applications is up 20.2 per cent. University registrar George Granger said applications have increased across all program areas. "The overall increase in applications indicates that Ontario high school students continue to recognize the high quality of programs at McMaster and the overall value of our degrees," Granger said. "Some of the increase is also likely a reflection of students fast tracking their studies in order to enter university prior to the arrival of the bulk of double cohort students in 2003." Offers of acceptance will begin going out to successful applicants in early April.

posted on Feb. 7: Canada Research Chair leads $5M international project on globalization, autonomy

Political science professor William Coleman, the Canada Research Chair in Global Governance and Public Policy, will lead a $5-million international research project examining globalization and autonomy. Coleman and his team of researchers were awarded $2.5 million from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) for the new project. The remaining $2.5 million comes from partnering universities, primarily McMaster University and the University of Toronto. The five-year project involves 13 Canadian universities and 16 international organizations including experts from China, Taiwan, Europe and the United States. Eighteen McMaster researchers from the Faculties of Humanities and Social Sciences join a group of 56 scholars in bringing expertise to the project. Their disciplines include history, sociology, anthropology, political science and literary and cultural studies. Coleman says that over the past several decades, processes now termed globalization have been restructuring the way many people live and how they relate to others. The impact of globalization on countries and their economies is a serious issue in international politics. "Who would have thought 10 years ago that a small Canadian business or a Mexican peasant would require knowledge of NAFTA trading rules or World Trade Organization (WTO) subsidy definitions to earn a living?" said Coleman. "We are living in an increasingly complex global village and our research findings will help Canadians negotiate the challenges ahead."