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As we all adjust to working from home and exercising social distancing, we want to ensure that you have all the support and resources you need right at your fingertips.

Check out the new Employee Toolkit for quick access to great resources and information!

Deadline to Submit HR04 Tuition Assistance – Degree Completion Applications – EXTENDED

The deadline for submission of Tuition Assistance – Degree Completion Applications has been extended from Monday, March 30^th, 2020 to Friday, May 29^th, 2020.

Reminder: Before completing the application, it is recommended that you review the guidelines of Policy HR04 here: HR04 POLICY.

Please submit your original application form and the required attachments to the Human Resources Department to the attention of: Daphne Thomson, Executive Assistant by 4pm on May 29^th, 2020.

Please note: Applications will be approved based on available funds. Priority will be given to applications previously funded for approved degree studies. Those applicants already approved must resubmit the application form (see HR04, #13) to receive continued support.

The HR04 Committee will review submitted applications and once the applications have been reviewed and approved an email will follow providing confirmation.

Should you have any questions, please email: thomsod@algonquincollege.com. Thank you.

March 26, 2020

Dear Colleagues and Learners:

The City of Ottawa recently declared a State of Emergency in response to the escalating seriousness of COVID-19 and its global impact. The College continues to align its response in terms of physical access to facilities and physical distancing measures, and to the guidelines and recommendations provided by Ottawa Public Health.

To this end, considerable work is being done to ensure that only those College employees who are identified in a critical role that is required to maintain necessary, critical functions will be permitted on our campuses. Our existing interim COVID-19 related directives will be enhanced by the following measures effective as of Monday, March 30, 2020:

Ottawa Campus:

• Only critical staff who have been identified are permitted on site.
• Only staff who have received permission from their supervisor to attend campus for a valid purpose are permitted on site. Written authorization must be provided to Security Services by your Chair / Manager in advance of your visit. Security can be reached at security@algonquincollege.com.
• Students are not to attend campus, unless it is to attend an appointment with Health Services. You are encouraged to visit the Student One Stop website or the College FAQ website for further information.
• Health Services remains open for appointments in accordance with their posted instructions.
• Only the Main Entrance of C Building will be accessible. You may be required to show your College identification card, and log in and out of the campus.
• There will be no “through-traffic” allowed through Campus buildings to traverse from surrounding areas to the Baseline station or College Square.
• Other key entrances will be monitored by Security Services.

Pembroke Campus:

• Only critical staff who have been identified are permitted on site.
• Only staff who have received permission from their Chair / Manager to attend campus for a valid purpose are permitted on site.
• Access to the campus is only permitted through the Main Entrance (Monday to Friday, 8 am – 4 pm).
• You may be required to show your College identification card and log in and out of the campus.
• The Employment Services Office located at 141 Lake St., Pembroke, is currently closed to the public and is offering virtual services only.

Perth Campus:

• Only critical staff who have been identified are permitted on site.
• Only staff who have received permission from their Chair / Manager to attend campus for a valid purpose are permitted on site.
• There is no general access permitted at Perth Campus.
• Students may only pick-up / drop off materials for academic continuity if they have made prior arrangements with their Chair.
• The Employment Services Office located at 40 Sunset Blvd., Suite 102, Perth, is currently closed to the public and is offering virtual services only.

March 24, 2020

Dear Colleagues and Learners,

I want to start with some positive news today. Not so long ago, if you had told us all that we would be delivering our courses entirely online, and that we would only have a few days to prepare, and that our preparations had to be done remotely, I think most of us would have found it difficult to believe such a feat would be possible.

I am happy to report that we have achieved this goal, on time and with tremendous grace and professionalism. A resounding thank you to everyone in Learning and Teaching Services (LTS) and our Academic teams for all that they have accomplished in record time and in unprecedented circumstances, and to all of our service areas that have been able to continue providing their outstanding support and assistance during this extraordinary situation.

To our learners, I also want to offer my gratitude — on this, your first week back in a new online world, you have stepped up to the challenge. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we fine-tune our course delivery. We know there are still unresolved questions, and I want to give you my word that we are working to get you answers as soon as possible. By now, you should have received word from your program coordinators about how you can continue your studies. You should have also received an email asking for details about your Internet access and connectivity — we want to make sure you have the information and tools you need to be successful. Please watch your email and Brightspace accounts for updates from your professors, and be sure to reach out if you are unsure of your path forward. We are all here to support you.

This is the start of a new week for all of us. We need to continue helping one another, being resilient and recognizing that we all need to do our part to keep our College community, our city and our country, safe. This means we are going to need to continue with social distancing for some time. I strongly urge you to follow the self-isolation and social-distancing guidance that our government and public health agencies have been stressing for everyone. It is the best way to keep us all safe and avoid putting others at risk.

During this time, I urge you to stay connected with each other as best as you can and to take care of your mental health. If you are feeling overwhelmed, you will find resources at www.algonquincollege.com/coronavirus (just look under the “Resources” tab). I also want you to know that my virtual door is always open — please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have feedback or concerns.

As you may have heard on the news, to further contain the spread of the COVID-19 virus, the Ontario government has ordered the mandatory closure of all non-essential workplaces effective today, March 24, at 11:59 p.m. This closure will be in effect for 14 days with the possibility of extending this order as the situation evolves. A full list of workplaces that are permitted to stay open has been released (https://news.ontario.ca/opo/en/2020/3/list-of-essential-workplaces.html) and although educational institutions are not directly listed, this new order provides for organizations where the work and services are delivered online to remain open. Since we have adjusted our academic delivery and service offerings to online platforms, Algonquin College will continue to operate in a manner that is aligned with direction provided by government.

On a another positive and final note, I also want you to know that our College is working with health care and community organizations to share our resources, whether it is providing personal protective equipment, adapting and loaning much-needed equipment, or offering expertise. I will share some of these good-news stories with you in the days ahead.

The wolves that are the supporters of our Coat of Arms symbolize both strength and the bonds of family. I truly believe our Algonquin family is stronger than ever as I continue to hear reports of our learners and employees pushing forward under the most trying of circumstances. Even though you may feel alone, you are part of something much bigger — I thank each and every one of you for your efforts.

March 20, 2020

Dear Colleagues and Learners,

I want to update you on the latest news regarding our College community. It has been quite a week for everyone as we adapted to the realities of the spread of the COVID-19 virus. First, a BIG thank you to everyone who has helped us make these transitions — those of you who remained on campus to help with critical services and those of you who returned home to put social distancing into practice. To all of you, and your families (who, in their own way, have also played a role in supporting our College), my heartfelt thanks.

Although I have a few updates to share, one thing has not changed: we encourage everyone to refrain from visiting our campuses unless performing a critical service or to complete a specific task (such as retrieving a vital item from your locker or work space). We need to follow the advice of Ottawa Public Health, which is simple: remain at home.

This Monday, March 23, our academic delivery will pick up where we left off, but now we will shift to an entirely online delivery. To be clear, for most of our learners, there will be no more face-to-face instruction until at least the end of the Winter 2020 term – whenever we declare the term to end. Academic continuity plans are different for each department, each program and even each course in some cases. These plans have been shared with all our program coordinators, and they are now in the process of contacting our learners to make sure each of you has the continuity plan for your program of study. For this reason, I ask all our learners to watch their email and BrightSpace accounts for the latest information.

To our students: We understand that online delivery is not ideal for all of you. That’s why earlier today we sent an email to all of you to assess your needs regarding internet access. Our academic teams will be doing everything they can to make sure all of you have the support you need to complete your studies.

I know you still have many questions like: what are our plans for the Spring term, what about convocation ceremonies and so on. Many more decisions are to be made and communicated to you in the days and weeks to come. I wish I had the ability to accurately predict the future, but there are so many variables in play, and we are receiving new information around the clock. In many cases, we have set internal deadlines to provide final decisions on all these matters, and we will communicate them as soon as we are able.

Finally, I know that so much uncertainty is causing great anxiety for many people. I urge everyone to take time this weekend for much-needed self-care. It is critical that we pay attention to our mental and physical health, especially in these times of isolation. If you need help, please don’t be afraid to reach out. To make this easier, we have compiled a list of mental-health resources on our COVID-19 web page (www.algonquincollege.com/coronavirus). Just look under the “Resources” tab and you will find emotional and mental-health supports for both learners and employees. The site itself has an incredible amount of information — all tailored to Algonquin College. If you would like us to add additional information to the site, there is even a place where you can submit questions or suggestions.

As a College, we have come through this difficult week exceptionally well and I am so proud of what we have accomplished under such challenging circumstances. There is still much to do, but from what I have seen so far, we are up to the task. I ask you to take this weekend to rest and recharge so that we are ready to face a new week, and new challenges, on Monday.