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Alex Usher

@alexusherhesa

Higher Education. All of it. All around the world. Also: snark, sumo, Winnipeg Jets triumphalism and bitching about Toronto FC. I blog here: https://higheredstrategy.com/blog/ I podcast here: https://worlded.transistor.fm/

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Latest posts by Alex Usher @alexusherhesa

This says nothing about $100M in scholarships.

07.03.2026 05:33 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

I see: "This includes up to $100 million from the University of Toronto for up to 200 fully funded scholarships for international students from India and outbound opportunities for Canadian students." but I can't see anything from U of T saying this. It looks like copying from Indian websites.

07.03.2026 05:32 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

It would if it's a 100 million endowment for 200 scholarships.

07.03.2026 05:29 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Maybe? Separately, I have also seen Indian media talk about an announcement of $25M just for U of T (though it is described as Govt of Canada money), which presumably comes from this (and obviously, is not actually new money), and some stories describe the $25M as part of a $100M national program.

07.03.2026 01:20 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
Canada launches $100 million scholarship for Indians, brings hybrid study centres Canada pledged $100 million to widen higher education access for Indian students. The programme paired funding with new academic partnerships and hybrid study hubs.

Dozens of Indian media sites are claiming that Canada has pledged $100M in scholarships for Indian students. I can't find any Canadian site claiming the same thing. Anyone know what is going on?

07.03.2026 00:49 πŸ‘ 5 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 8 πŸ“Œ 0
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"All wars end in negotiation" - JD Vance

06.03.2026 18:32 πŸ‘ 3 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

The 82nd Airborne is not equipped to lead a campaign to seize and hold ground objectives. They are a light, rapidly deployable stopgap force meant to clear the way for heavier forces that can. Sending them alone into Iran, without a much larger buildup, would be suicide.

06.03.2026 17:13 πŸ‘ 47 πŸ” 9 πŸ’¬ 5 πŸ“Œ 0

It's the perentage of students graduating from that province between 2010 and 2019 who were still in the province 3 years after graduation

06.03.2026 16:30 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

We need onigiri to be better before we need it to be cheaper. The local product is terrible, and our packaging industry is not up to the challenge of proper onigiri wrapping.

06.03.2026 16:28 πŸ‘ 3 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
National and provincial retention of graduates from health degree programs in Canada A shortage of health care professionals, especially family doctors and nurses, has been a widespread concern from coast to coast to coast. Few studies have examined recent trends in the retention of h...

Graph is mine, data is from here:

06.03.2026 15:59 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Im not even sure it's levels, tbh. there are way too many people whose jobs is to write briefing notes for ministers.

06.03.2026 15:58 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 2 πŸ“Œ 0

Well that's one reason I'd like to see actual numbers: not sure the number to be subtracted to one would be equal to the number to be added to the other.

06.03.2026 15:58 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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There are a lot of jaw-dropping data points in this graph, but Alberta's contrasting results in Medicine/Dentistry/Optometry on the one hand and Nursing on the other is pretty striking.

06.03.2026 15:56 πŸ‘ 6 πŸ” 3 πŸ’¬ 4 πŸ“Œ 0

Ideally, we could divide this up into "people who spend 95% of their time dealing with other public servants" and "others".

My prior is that we have too much of one, and not enough of the other. Happy to see cutbacks in the former.

06.03.2026 15:15 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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North of 49: There’s no such thing as the unknown On Day 4 of his deep dive into Canadian student life, Jim Dickinson meets William Shatner - and unpacks how Canada’s student associations combine grassroots spirit with institutional heft to shape nat...

BTW, did I send you this?

06.03.2026 15:08 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 2 πŸ“Œ 0

Basically: the name was your idea, the referendum was mine, and lots of people were in on the execution.

06.03.2026 14:57 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

Stratford also gave us General Chang!

(and Kirk too, I suppose, since he was Plummer's understudy in Henry V)

06.03.2026 14:06 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

That's a great question. Probably? Though I get the impression there is a lot of cosplaying as dumbfucks rather than actual dumbfuckery. Like, there is no equivalent of Hegseth I don't think.

06.03.2026 14:03 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

Although, say what you want about the Bush cabinet, they weren't dumbfucks.

06.03.2026 13:52 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

That was the reference, yes.

06.03.2026 13:51 πŸ‘ 3 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

Is it worse when "the best and the brightest" drag the world into a war or when obvious hateful dumbfucks do it?

06.03.2026 13:48 πŸ‘ 8 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 3 πŸ“Œ 0
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Higher Education in Bulgaria: Rankings, Reform, and Demographic Pressures | HESA It seems hard to believe sometimes, but after 110 or so episodes of this show, there are still a few countries we haven’t been to. One of them is today’s destination of Bulgaria. It’s not a place whic...

ICYMI: My interview with Georgi Stoytchev of the Open Society Institute in Sofia on Bulgarian Higher Education.

06.03.2026 13:35 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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The Fifteen: March 6, 2026 | HESA Gather β€˜round, all! This edition, we have absurd policy proposals from Australia and the UK, deceptive military recruitment practices in Russia, a battle over a rectorship in Colombia, and free McDona...

Absurd policy proposals from Australia and the UK, deceptive military recruitment practices in Russia, a battle over a rectorship in Colombia, and free McDonald’s meals for students in Malaysia - all in today's edition of the Fifteen.

06.03.2026 13:12 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

BUILD HOUSING YOU UTTER GOON

05.03.2026 22:45 πŸ‘ 58 πŸ” 12 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

I know there are a lot of potential signs of the apocalypse about these days, but an Arsenal quadruple plus a Spurs relegation in the same season would be pretty high up on the list.

05.03.2026 21:20 πŸ‘ 6 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 2 πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
Great Wolf Lodge debuts Ranch Milkshake topped with carrots, celery and chicken nuggets A ranch milkshake with a bunch of toppings is coming to Great Wolf Lodge.

Great Wolf Lodge debuts Ranch Milkshake topped with carrots, celery and chicken nuggets

05.03.2026 19:46 πŸ‘ 82 πŸ” 24 πŸ’¬ 48 πŸ“Œ 337

Meanwhile on Earth II PM O'Toole is riding high in the polls.

05.03.2026 16:31 πŸ‘ 7 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
Chart showing in many countries, people see their fellow citizens as morally good.

Chart showing in many countries, people see their fellow citizens as morally good.

We asked people around the world to rate the morality and ethics of others in their country.

The U.S. is the only place we surveyed where more adults describe the morality and ethics of others living in the country as bad than good. See our full morality report here: www.pewresearch.org/...

05.03.2026 15:06 πŸ‘ 465 πŸ” 241 πŸ’¬ 38 πŸ“Œ 178

ZERO.

05.03.2026 15:44 πŸ‘ 4 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

I could omagine Lewis boosting the headline number but in a way that doesn't change the seat count

05.03.2026 13:09 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0