Message from the President – June 10
Posted on Wednesday, June 10th, 2020
Dear Colleagues and Learners,
In the days since my last communiqué, I was pleased to hear from many of you regarding our College’s position on inclusion and diversity. Recent events have sparked some important, but also difficult conversations, at home and around the world. I am grateful to all of you for helping us keep that conversation going. I am hopeful that this dialogue will lead to positive and lasting change through the work of our Inclusion and Diversity Blueprint, and in the way we treat one another in our daily lives.
This week we have had promising news from our Premier about restrictions being eased in communities where it safe to do so. The province has included Ottawa among the areas permitted to begin Phase 2 of the reopening plan (it should be noted that post-secondary institutions are not on the initial re-opening schedule announced this week). This is welcome news that I know will be met with great enthusiasm. However, as our government has stated, it is still important that we continue physical distancing, wear face masks when physical distancing is a challenge, and wash our hands frequently. The province remains under a Declaration of Emergency until June 30.
Information is changing rapidly and our teams across the College are working to adjust accordingly. You will be receiving an important communiqué from Chris Janzen, Senior Vice President, Academic, tomorrow, June 11, that will contain more details about our Fall term. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have had to adapt to new realities, including making some difficult decisions about how we deliver our Fall programs in order to put the safety of our students and employees first.
We are not the only organization faced with difficult choices. On Monday, the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) and its members announced the decision to suspend varsity sports and recreation activities planned for the 2020 Fall semester. I can understand how disappointing this news was for so many of our outstanding athletes, who always represented our College with pride on the field or the court. While this is very disheartening, I know our teams will return as strong as ever when the time comes, and that Algonquin fans will be waiting to cheer you on.
Amidst all of this, I would like to acknowledge our Class of 2020, whose convocation ceremonies were postponed due to the pandemic — now was to have been your time. You have shown great strength of character, and now more than ever I applaud you for your resolve. We know that you are eagerly awaiting more information about our convocation plans for the Fall, and I wanted to let you know that we hope to have more details to share with you next week. Until then, I would encourage you to watch a congratulatory video from Ross Romano, Minister of Colleges and Universities.
Each week I try to share the most important news and updates with you. I realize that these updates affect each of you in different ways. Our College community is home to all of us — learners, support and administrative employees, faculty and our Algonquin College Leadership and Executive Teams — and I know you are all doing your very best to move forward in a positive way while trying to navigate these unprecedented times. Thank you to all of you for your efforts, large and small, to help us get through the challenges we face.
Monday’s press conference at Queen’s Park revealed that trending numbers for Ontario are “encouraging” and that we are now seeing “some of the lowest increases that we’ve seen in a long time.” These past few months have been very demanding, but I hope that this news brings new hope to everyone that we are beginning to turn a corner. Please keep up the good work that you are doing, and know that my virtual door is always open if you have any feedback to share.
Stay well and healthy everyone.
Sincerely,
Claude Brulé
President and CEO
- Posted in
- News