Articles

New Year, New Start

2018 is just around the corner, and when this article is out it will already be here.  I am not one to make New Year’s resolutions but I do like the idea of a fresh start.  The bookkeeping year is over (almost) and the final exam for that is looming in April.  While, it is… Read more »

Unwrapping a Fresh New Year

A fresh new year is intoxicating.   In the last days of the old year, the new year sits there, like an unwrapped present.   You don’t know what the package holds, but you know it’s full of promise. Last year started full of promise, too, but we’re ready to discard it.   We eagerly await the new… Read more »

I’ve Decided to Plant Explosives In Quebec

This spring I’m going to be planting a small bundle of explosives near my home in Montreal, Quebec. I’ll be burying them in the soil at Dante Park, where I often go to sit on a bench, drink a thermos of tea, and talk to my good buddy, the bust of Dante. I’ve been a… Read more »

The Debate Around Math Education Doesn’t Add Up

The new school year is in full swing and kids are delving into another year of “reading, writing, and ’rithmetic”. But the sense of optimism for a new school year is overshadowed by the growing voice of those who question the quality of children’s education. The K-12 curriculum and the teachers who deliver it are… Read more »

Meeting the Minds – Dr. Neil Fassina

Dr. Neil Fassina is the 8th President of Athabasca University. He earned a BSc in Psychology from the University of Calgary and PhD in Management from the Rotman School of Business at the University of Toronto. He is an active researcher in the areas around applied decision-making. He was installed in mid-January, 2017 and works… Read more »

Convocate!

It is getting to be that time of year when students nearing the end of their program are trying to decide whether to make the pilgrimage to Athabasca for convocation or not. I decided early that I wanted to make it there, I wanted to walk that stage and be handed the degree I had… Read more »

University: Teaching or Indoctrinating?

University students, why are you pursuing a higher education?  For most of us, the answer is simple:  we want to gain the skills required to get good jobs in our chosen fields of expertise.  We go to school so we can reach our full potential and achieve our goals.  Since we’ve been sentient, we’ve been… Read more »

HUSHED

Sshhhhh draw the curtains closed unplug thoughts and plans slip softly, slow-ly deeply down into a silken silence enshrouded in night-time noiselessness   soul sealed in a velvet envelope captured in the present moment the chaos of life dissolves from Ambition! Action! Achievement! to a world condensed to taciturnity   luxurious lullaby of unspoken words… Read more »