York U professor to head new autism research program

York University professor will chair a new autism research program that will focus on the mental health challenges linked to the disorder, reported CTV News, the North York Mirror and others Nov. 6. The federal government announced Monday $1 million in funding for the program over five years, which will be matched by York University and the Spectrum of Hope Autism Foundation. Jonathan Weiss will head the program, which will examine why those with Autism Spectrum Disorders are prone to develop mental health problems. The research team will also look at new autism treatment strategies and how stressful events, such as bullying, affect those with the disorder. Read full story.

Will Canada be competitive?
Within a generation, the middle class in China will be roughly four times the size of America’s middle class. By 2030, China should have about 1.4 billion middle-class consumers, compared with 365 million in the United States and 414 million in Western Europe. It’s 2030, and the world is a vastly different place. What we currently think of as “emerging” markets will by then (and likely sooner) be considered “developed” – and thriving. The change is so dramatic it will affect virtually every business, in every part of the world, reported the Financial Post Nov. 6. And it’s not just government that is looking to emerging markets to fuel long-term growth. Building on Canada’s large Indian population and in an effort to expand their own operations, the University of British Colombia and York University’s Schulich School of Business have opened schools in India and are establishing alliances with education institutions to attract more students from India to Canada. Read full story.

Helping out in Sandy’s wake
York PhD student Tanya Gulliver headed to the area around Atlantic City during the last weekend in October, but she wasn’t there for a vacation. Gulliver, 44, is from Bridgenorth and volunteers with the Red Cross. She was deployed to a hurricane evacuation centre for victims of Hurricane Sandy. This wasn’t the first time Gulliver helped hurricane victims, but it was the first time she’d been in a hurricane shelter when the storm hit. A big part of Gulliver’s role, along with the other volunteers at the shelter, was to keep evacuees calm while they waited for news, reported the Peterborough Examiner Nov. 6. Read full story.

The complete guide to MBAs 2012
Schulich
markets itself as “Canada’s Global Business School” (it’s literally a trademark). This year alone, the school will offer new courses in Business Strategies in China, and Strategic Challenges in Emerging Markets, as it looks to build on its international reputation. A new standalone Schulich campus in Hyderabad, India, will accept its first batch of students next fall. For Amber Lam, a student in the school’s joint MBA/JD program, the strength of the Schulich name has been a major plus, reported Canadian Business magazine November. Read full story.

The complete guide to executive MBAs
A joint degree program offered by York and Northwestern University in Chicago, the Kellogg–Schulich EMBA is geared toward high-level executives looking to climb even higher still. Trent Mell had four degrees—three in law, plus a BA—before he signed up for the Kellogg-Schulich EMBA. “The first six months in particular were quite a grind,” Mell says. “Every second weekend I was in class.…But it was fun,” the Canadian Business magazine reported Mell as saying in November’s issue. Read full story.