Month: July 2020

When Taiwo Abraham joined Algonquin College it was an opportunity to shape the next generation of project management practitioners, bringing his global experience to help change the world for the better.

It’s that sense of purpose and passion that helped Abraham recently be named one of the Project Management Institute’s (PMI) 2020 Future 50 honourees.

“Some time in February the PMI reached out for an interview and sent me some questions. Then a week before the announcement, I got an email from the office of the CEO letting me know this was going to happen and to keep it confidential until it came out,” said Abraham, 37, a Professor in Algonquin’s Project Management program. Continue reading →

Dear Learners and Colleagues:

In his communiqué on July 16, 2020, President Claude Brulé shared some good news about the progress of our pilot program to allow a limited number of learners and employees back to our campuses in order to complete studies from the Winter term. Now, nearly three weeks after the pilot began, I am happy to report that learners in the Welding and Fabrication Techniques as well as the Massage Therapy programs have successfully completed their Winter term. The remaining pilot programs will finish in the coming weeks.

Success for the pilot is defined in several ways. These activities have been completed in a safe manner. The responses to a survey of employees and learners who were on campus during the pilot indicated they were satisfied with the adequacy of safety measures being taken to protect their health while on campus. Though the health and safety of all our employees and learners has been at the forefront of all our decision making, the most exciting measure of success is that these groups of learners have finally been able to complete their studies. Continue reading →

July 16, 2020

Dear Colleagues and Learners,

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 →

Dear Colleagues and Learners,

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 →

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 →