Summer is proving to be a busy time for us, as you may well have seen and heard on several media reports about our Summer Pilot Program last week. There was great public interest in the limited return of some of our learners and employees, and also a sense of optimism internally as we took our first steps to reopen since the suspension of in-person activities in the winter.
I am pleased to report that the pilot program is proceeding very well. Our learners and employees have had to adapt to a “new normal” on campus that felt a little bit strange at first, but everyone is getting acclimatized, and the measures and protocols that we have put in place are helping us move forward safely. This is a learning process for everyone, and it is helping us gain valuable information about how we can best proceed with course delivery as we scale up our efforts for the Fall term. Thank you to everyone — learners and employees — for helping us restart some face-to-face academic activities in a safe and effective way. Continue reading Message from the President – July 16
(OTTAWA, July 7, 2020) – Ontario’s colleges are calling for a new provincial strategy for post-secondary education that will expand the range of degree programs at colleges, including the creation of career-focused, three-year degree programs and master’s programs in specialized fields.
“Through innovation, creativity and flexibility, we can transform the scope of opportunities available to Ontario college students,” said Claude Brulé, President and CEO of Algonquin College. “Working together with government, we can help more people acquire the expertise that is needed in our communities. We can create new, dynamic educational options that prepare learners for cutting-edge, in-demand jobs.”
The Medical Officer of Health for the City of Ottawa, Dr. Vera Etches, has issued the following directive to all employers and persons responsible for businesses or organizations within the City of Ottawa, effective July 7, 2020 at 12:01 a.m.:
“Every Operator of an Enclosed Public Space shall adopt a policy to ensure that no member of the public is permitted to enter or remain in the public areas of the Enclosed Public Space unless he or she is wearing a Mask in a manner that covers their nose, mouth and chin.”
Algonquin College is developing a policy surrounding the wearing of masks for all members of the College community that will reflect the detailed requirements of the order and the anticipated bylaw, expected to take effect on July 15, 2020. Continue reading Message from the President – Mask Policy
Algonquin Graphic Design professor Andrea Emery received a text message in November from a friend telling her to expect a gift in the mail. The message didn’t say what the gift was, only that it might inspire her.
“I saw this and immediately thought of you,” the friend wrote. “I know you’ve been struggling a bit lately with finding what energizes you and makes you feel passionate and excited.”
The package arrived in the mail a couple of days later – a small, 5” x 7” sketchbook. Only it was no ordinary store-purchased, off-the-shelf artist’s sketchbook. It was from the Brooklyn Art Library’s Sketchbook Project, a creative endeavour that has seen thousands of people fill sketchbooks with artwork and send them to the library where they are put on display. Since 2006, some 36,000 artists’ books have been collected from more than 135 countries to be exhibited in the library, located in Brooklyn’s Williamsburg neighbourhood. Continue reading Algonquin professor’s pandemic project delivers the “wonderful kindness” of art
I would like to keep this week’s communiqué brief but there are a few things that I would like to mention before we break for Canada Day.
Last week, the Ontario government extended the Declaration of Emergency until July 15, 2020. This was done to provide us all with more time to safely continue the reopening of our province while also supporting our health-care sector. As an institution that produces graduates in many health-care and allied-health fields, we support the extra care that our government partners are taking to ensure everyone’s safety.
With safety guiding the gradual reopening of our College, we are pleased to welcome a small number of students back to our Ottawa and Pembroke campuses in just a few days. I want to welcome these students and our employees — I wish you all a successful return to the lab, shop, or, in the case of Pembroke, the beautiful forests of the Ottawa Valley. You are paving the way for the eventual return of all our learners. Continue reading Message from the President – June 30
Safety and Security Services would like to help the Algonquin College community guard against online and telephone scams. While this type of activity is always possible, the approach of the Fall term may prompt new types of scams aimed at current and prospective students, as well as employees.
The Algonquin College Food Services team has donated more than 8,000 products, including beverages and snacks, to The Ottawa Mission.
In its most recent website posting, The Mission noted that through God’s grace and direction, and staff devotion and community support, it has been able to provide services under the most challenging circumstances during the pandemic. Algonquin made two deliveries recently to complete the donation.
“We hope this contribution will help support The Ottawa Mission as they serve our community,” said André Villeneuve, Algonquin’s Senior Operations Manager, Food & Conference Services.
Photo: Mark Callingham from the Ottawa Mission receiving the donations.
We are now within days of the return of some of our learners to Algonquin College as we slowly resume in-person education on a limited basis in a government-initiated pilot. This is an exciting time, but also a time for a few reminders about our priorities and future direction.
There have been many questions about our summer pilot initiative and I would like to emphasize that we are proceeding with great care. As I mentioned in my communiqué last week, it will involve a small number of learners (fewer than 200) in a few programs of study at our Ottawa and Pembroke campuses. Our teams are working to make sure that we have the proper resources and equipment available, that the right protocols are in place, and that we are making the health and safety of our employees and learners our first priorities. This is truly a team effort, and as our provincial government has noted, we all have a role to play by continuing to follow public health guidelines, which are informing all of our decisions. Everyone should practice physical distancing with people who are not in our social circles, wear non-medical masks if physical distancing is challenging, and wash our hands thoroughly and frequently. With the great care we are all taking, I know we will have a safe and successful new beginning at our College.
We are also working on a digital Campus Access guide that will feature health and safety measures to help guide the College community during limited campus activities this summer and in the fall. It is designed for the select students and employees who will be permitted on our campuses — when necessary — as part of their work and learning activities. The guide will be on our COVID-19 website and easily downloadable. It will contain information on everything from prevention measures and physical distancing to campus access and the use of protective equipment. It is meant to be a one-stop key information source for those who must be on our campuses in the coming months; we will share more details when it is finalized.
Algonquin College, in partnership with the Indigenous Peoples’ Education Circle (IPEC), is launching a knowledge-sharing and storytelling initiative, Lighting the Fire, that will connect college students and leaders from across Ontario over the next four weeks.
The sessions are being produced through the Burnt Water initiative, an Algonquin project devoted to providing a vision and curriculum for Indigenous leadership and entrepreneurship.
Indigenous leaders are inviting college students, and anyone with an interest, to join in the virtual sessions, that are hoped to inspire and stimulate different ways of thinking, including how the province, the country and the entire world considers the path forward from the COVID-19 pandemic.
I hope that you are all enjoying the warmer weather this week — a confirmation that summer is officially arriving on Saturday and, with it, some positive news and events around our College.
Last week, the Ontario government announced that we could resume in-person education on a limited basis, starting in July. This is most welcome news as it will allow us to help our learners in programs that support essential front-line, high labour-market demand areas. We are working with our government partners and following public-health guidelines in order to successfully open our doors again and we are very excited to welcome learners and faculty in Massage Therapy, Cardiovascular Technology, Diagnostic Cardiac Sonography, Diagnostic Medical Sonography, Welding and Fabrication Technician, Automotive Service Technician and Forestry back to our campuses. Not only will these programs produce graduates trained in critical areas, but they will also help us lay the groundwork for the return of more programs in the future. Continue reading Message from the President – June 17
July 16, 2020
Dear Colleagues and Learners,
Algonquin Graphic Design professor Andrea Emery received a text message in November from a friend telling her to expect a gift in the mail. The message didn’t say what the gift was, only that it might inspire her.