Finally, we can feel good about post-secondary ranking
Local new media schools rank among Canada’s best in magazine poll
Here’s a new one – Calgary post-secondary institutions were recently ranked by a national magazine, and the release of the results wasn’t followed by a parade of officials defending themselves by poking holes in the methodology of the evaluation. That’s because, unlike Maclean’s magazine’s Canadian university rankings the past few years, Calgary institutions in this new poll actually did well.
The evaluation appears in the latest issue of new media magazine Shift, and the Alberta College of Art and Design (ACAD), The Banff Centre and SAIT all get nods as three of the country's 15 best new media schools.
Shift looks at course offerings, fees, programs and the opinions of industry insiders to determine the rankings. The schools aren’t listed numerically, but ACAD earns the distinction of Best Place to Blow Glass in First Year, SAIT is named Best School You’d Never Guess Also Has a Top-Drawer French Pastry Program (hey, this is Shift, not The New Yorker) and The Banff Centre is named the Best High Altitude Eclectifest, which is appropriate considering the diversity not only of the institution's artists, but the new media work that is being done there – there are design professionals, tech artists, scientists and educators all within walking distance of each other..
The appearance of ACAD on the list is hardly surprising, and the editors of Shift note that its "golden reputation" is finally starting to seep out of Western Canada. The institution’s grounding in the arts – new media students take common first-year arts courses – gives it an edge over more traditional colleges or training facilities.
Shift also gives a nod to ACAD’s employment figures – 70 per cent of students land jobs before graduating, which the magazine suggests is especially impressive considering ACAD is, first and foremost, an arts college.
The Banff New Media Institute at the Banff Centre, similarly, was a bit of a shoo-in, considering its reputation and history. The magazine raves about the residency programs, resources and working network of artists and professionals:
"If you’re good," the magazine says, "it’s a rite of passage to eventually find your way to Banff."
SAIT's presence on the list is more unexpected – although the facility has been pumping out Web design stars for several years, it is the only technical institution to receive the honour. Shift gives credit to SAIT’s philosophy of practical study, and its partnerships with corporations such as Mad Dog Productions. The new $176-million campus expansion doesn’t hurt either – new toys always rank high on any list put together by computer geeks.
SAIT also has the distinction of offering one of the lowest tuitions on the list. Shift’s tuition estimate for SAIT is $3,763 for the two-year New Media Production and Design program, compared, for example, to the Vancouver Film School’s $23,000 price tag or Montreal’s ICARI (Institut de Creation Artistique et de Recherche en Infographie) cost of $9,820 for a seven-month multimedia course. Yukon College’s Computer Studies program was the list’s most affordable at $2,520 over two years.
Calgary’s prominence in the Shift rankings won’t come as much of a surprise to anyone working in the city’s new media industry, although they may have raised some eyebrows in Eastern Canada, especially in the so-called Silicon Valley North hub of Ottawa. But Calgary has been on top of technology for years, something that is likely due to its independent attitude, corporate environment and, perhaps more accurately, its affluence.
Like any list that attempts such rankings, including Maclean’s, holes can be poked in Shift’s rankings and methodology, and there are deserving institutions around the country that were left off the list. Calgary, however, came out rosy this time around. |
