McMaster University

[king10]

Originally Posted by oldcoote

I think universities should also be doing that, before offering a program.

A university cant change the programs it offers based on the job market. It takes decades to establish a program. From the facilties to the faculty. You cant build a specialized 100 million dollar nursing or business school and then scrap the program or decrease enrollment because job prospects arent great.

A university gives you the tools to seek employment. The rest is up to you. They dont have an obligation to get you a job. They have an obligation to educate you. It's your choice to go to university. If you think trades or colleges or designations will get you a better return for you buck then go for it.

Even though they dont have to universities have been doing a lot to help nee graduates secure jobs through job posting boards, alumni networks, and campus recruitment visits.

[thistleclub]

All of the academic drama hinted at in the Bates drama of some years back has come charging back into view.


Appeal shatters secrecy around suspension of Mac faculty
[Hamilton Spectator, Steve Arnold, Aug 23 2014]

Five suspended McMaster University business professors are going to court to overturn a tribunal's decision that effectively ended at least three of their academic careers.

In doing that, they've torn aside the veil of secrecy covering their identities and the specific allegations the university ruled "poisoned" the working environment inside the Michael G. DeGroote School of Business.

Professors Chris Bart, Wayne Taylor, George Steiner, Devashish Pujari and Sourav Ray were suspended by McMaster almost one year ago after a lengthy tribunal hearing ruled they harassed other faculty in an effort to oust Dean Paul Bates.

Participants in the hearing were required to sign promises to keep all details of the process secret and all of its sessions were closed. Later the university released a censored version of the decision that did not name the faculty suspended, the professors who complained of harassment or what specific actions were sanctioned with which penalties.

For Jim Turk, former executive director of the Canadian Association of University Teachers, that's a process so fatally flawed the only just response is to overturn the entire decision.

"This was a staged trial ordered by the university under rules that violated every concept of natural justice in this country," he said. "It had some of the character of a show trial, except it was in secret."

In addition, none of the three academics on the panel had any training in law and the process allowed no right of appeal, leaving an application for judicial review as the only available response.

Turk added that even if allegations against the men are true, the penalties imposed by the tribunal are "unprecedented" and effectively end the careers of Bart, Taylor and Steiner in addition to costing them each up to $500,000 in lost salary and benefits.

CAUT is covering the legal costs of the appeal.

"We were so deeply concerned about the principles of justice here that CAUT had to cover the cost of getting this into a proper courtroom," Turk said. "The cost of an appeal like this is something none of the individual faculty could ever have afforded by themselves."

McMaster spokesperson Andrea Farquhar defended the tribunal and its process as one that's clearly defined in university policies....

Turk said his personal guess is the case will not come to a hearing before next spring or summer.

Read it in full here.


The story is part of an expansive Special Report:

NASTY BUSINESS: Mac’s Class Wars
NASTY BUSINESS: What's Next?
NASTY BUSINESS: Key Players
NASTY BUSINESS: Documents
NASTY BUSINESS: Audio
NASTY BUSINESS: The Spectator’s View

[ScreamingViking]

Completely unbelievable. Makes city council look like the gold-standard for organizational behaviour.

And it's not just the business programs that suffer for it, but the students too.

[SteelTown]

Suggested land McMaster could use for new downtown campus is

76 John St N
14 Vine St
City Hall structure fronting Hunter St W

[SteelTown]

Council gave McMaster its support.

[thistleclub]

City will give McMaster downtown land for a new campus
(CBC Hamilton, Samantha Craggs, Sept 4 2014)

The city is providing free land to McMaster University so it can build a new multi-million-dollar campus downtown.

City councillors voted Thursday to give 0.8 to 1.6 hectares of land (two to four acres) to the university so it can build a 150,000-square foot facility. McMaster will take that commitment and apply for a provincial grant to cover the lion’s share of the project, which could cost as much as $140 million.

City staff suggest offering parking lots at 76 John St. N, 14 Vine St. or a rectangle of space near City Hall. McMaster and the city will work together to nail down a site. Some councillors on Thursday spoke against using the land near City Hall.

The building will bring 1,075 students downtown to start, as well as 45 faculty and 40 staff. McMaster estimates it’ll create 450 construction jobs.

Read it in full here.

[durandy]

I agree, not the lot by city hall. If it's free land then make them go somewhere that needs some redevelopment. 76 John would be perfect and could kickstart the development of that awful wasteland.

[SteelTown]

Isn't the parking lot at Bay and King city land as well?

[interr0bangr]

76 John please! Let's focus on developing those endless sea of parking lots.

[NortheastWind]

I understand the need for developing the land on John, but the Vine Street location would be a win-win-win for McMaster, businesses and students. Vine is close to McMaster's new CE campus, Jackson Square, the market and the McNab transit hub. With the high school closing, a McMaster campus would be a good replacement, plus the halfway house will be closing so the area would be a little less scary for the students. Also, it would help spur development north of the core, towards the waterfront. My money is on Vine.

Edit: It would nice if Mac developed Vine and then acquired the Coppley building as part of their campus.

[markbarbera]

I imagine McMaster's long term gameplan is, should they be suuccessful in landing the grant from the feds and the land from the city, Mac will let the lease on the Jackson Square space run its course and will move into the new campus. Why lease when you get land and building given to you for next to nothing?

[davidcappi]

Mac seems to be sinking quite a bit of money into the Jackson Square campus with extensive renovations. I doubt they will move. The CE campus has always been separate, and I suspect Mac wants to keep it that way.

[coalminecanary]

where will everyone park?

[ScreamingViking]

Excellent that this cleared council. Hopefully Mac gets the grant money.

John and Vine are both great sites. John would probably be better for downtown, finally creating some activity in that wasteland that would hopefully spur more on the other lots and along John St. (it's the block behind the old bus terminal, correct?). Vine would be great for the school's students and staff as noted by NortheastWind, and it's very close to James with a more direct line to the new GO station. Those sites really aren't very far apart though.

[davidcappi]

The location at Vine seems like it would be better for a residential development, rather than a campus. I vote for the John Street location.

[lucasmascotto]

[king10]

^^^ looks like a 2 level basement? Interesting because MDCL beside it doesn't have a basement.

This was supposed to be ready for September 2015 correct? Looks like they're behind schedule.

[SteelTown]

Engineering's Hatch Centre will offer students design bays, work space and more

http://dailynews.mcmaster.ca/article....ioBmM9qf.dpuf

A new McMaster engineering building designed to foster hands-on learning and nurture big ideas is on track for a fall 2016 completion date.

The first architectural renderings of the 24,000-sq. foot Hatch Centre were revealed recently to a group of faculty, staff and students.

Designed by award-winning Diamond Schmitt Architects, the $11-million, three-storey centre adjoining the John Hodgins Engineering Building will offer studios, a lounge, meeting and work spaces to students.

“We have made excellent progress on this exciting project,” said Ishwar Puri, McMaster’s Dean of Engineering. “The Hatch Centre will be the central hub for student-focused experiential learning. Not only will the centre provide much-needed space for students to collaborate with one another, by using it, they will also be able to actively take charge of developing their skills and competencies as future leaders in engineering, entrepreneurship and innovation.”

The release of the design puts the project on schedule to start construction this fall, with the goal of opening the building in late 2016.

[ScreamingViking]

Bigger in floor area and budget, but a less interesting design than the original concept:

Originally Posted by MeIsThomas

... Also, McMaster will be getting a new building called the ExCEL Building.

ExCEL Building:
[LINK] ExCEL Building Plan pdf.

The Engineering Centre for Experiential Learning will be a 12,000-15,000 sq. ft. facility located adjacent to or near the John Hodgins Engineering Building. The centre will house student clubs and societies, collaborative workspaces along with show space for design teams, study space and selected student services.

The ExCEL facility will showcase sustainable building technologies with the aim of creating an ultra-green building with the potential for a net zero energy rating. Technologies involving solar, geothermal, and other technologies will not only power the centre, they will serve as interactive labs.


Source

Originally Posted by SteelTown

$3M gift from Hatch allows student-focused engineering facility to move forward

A new centre that will foster experiential learning and collaboration among engineering students is set to go ahead after significant contributions from key McMaster partners, including a $3-million gift from Canadian-based engineering giant Hatch and its founder.

Gerald Hatch, founder and first president of the global consultancy, has committed $2 million to the Engineering Centre for Experiential Learning (ExCEL).

Kurt Strobele, chair of Hatch and a McMaster engineering alumnus, has committed $500,000 with a matching $500,000 from the company itself. The Hatch-related gifts will cover more than one third the cost of the $8.5 million project.

The University approval process is under way to have the ExCEL centre named in honour of Gerald Hatch, a celebrated metallurgist and multi-disciplinary consultant who became a member of the Canadian Science and Engineering Hall of Fame in 2011. Construction is expected to begin in spring 2015 and be completed by summer 2016.
- See more at: http://dailynews.mcmaster.ca/article....duftHwEa.dpuf

[davidcappi]

A bit of info on the Jackson Campus. Don't expect a grand entrance off of the King and James doors. They've made two smaller retail units where Pam's and the LCBO used to be, the blue highlighted unit being the LCBO. They've also cut the old Suzy unit in half near the King William doors. This suggests the main entrance to the campus will be off of James.