Month: September 2020

Dear Colleagues and Learners:

Earlier this week, the Premier confirmed Ontario is officially dealing with a second wave of COVID-19 cases – and medical experts believe a key factor in this increase is the casual following of health and safety guidelines.

Dr. David Williams, Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, said we need to “hunker down and stay on task” – a call to action I fully support on our own campuses. Dr. Vera Etches, Medical Officer of Health at Ottawa Public Health, echoed that theme in a recent message asking the city’s institutions to “promote key practices that will help us get through these challenging times.”

We cannot afford to be casual about health and safety – nor to let our guard down in the slightest. We must all put the needs of our community first. Our collective wellbeing is the number one priority.

So, if you have COVID-19 symptoms, do not come to campus. Get tested. If you have had a close contact with a positive case, you should also be tested. If you have taken a COVID-19 test, self-isolate until you receive the results and then follow the required self-isolation measures indicated by public health. Do not attend campus. (Learn more about COVID-19 testing and attending campus here.) Continue reading →

Algonquin College Professor, Tania Silletta, has been selected to receive a Minister’s Award of Excellence for her work in the Therapeutic Recreation (TR) graduate certificate program.

The announcement was made today (September 28) by Ontario’s Minister of Colleges and Universities, Ross Romano. Criterion for the award is based on, among other things, transition to online delivery, community impact and research.

“It’s actions like (Silletta’s) that contribute to our world-class postsecondary sector,” said Romano.

When then pandemic struck this spring, Silletta along with program coordinator Patricia Robson, developed virtual placements for Algonquin TR students. The volunteer pilot program was ground-breaking and overwhelmingly successful. Continue reading →

Algonquin College and Ottawa Tourism celebrated the launch of Indigenous Tourism Entrepreneurship Training, which will support Indigenous entrepreneurs in the creation and development of their own business and tourism ideas.

Thanks to funding provided by the Canadian Experiences Fund, this partnership will see the creation of 10-week training modules, which will prepare Indigenous learners with the skillset to develop their business and tourism plans, and prepare them to pitch their idea to founders, as well as apply for funding through various agencies. Continue reading →

Dear Colleagues and Learners,

An announcement has been released from the provincial government outlining changes to unmonitored social gatherings.

Effective September 18, 2020 at 12:01 am, the new maximum number of people permitted to attend unmonitored, social gatherings and organized public events in Ottawa will be reduced to 10 people indoors or 25 people outdoors.

The new rules do not apply to monitored social gatherings or organized public events held in staffed businesses and facilities. As a result, there should be no direct impact on the current state of College operations. Continue reading →

Dear Colleagues and Learners,

Just as COVID-19 cases have risen in Ottawa and across the province, Algonquin College has also been affected. Algonquin has had its first case of COVID-19 affecting a student who has been on-campus. The student is self-isolating after testing positive for COVID-19 and we wish them a speedy and full recovery.

The College is working directly with Ottawa Public Health to assist them in contact tracing. Any members of the College community who may be directly impacted by this will be contacted accordingly.

Areas of the campus that the student may have visited are being identified and the necessary cleaning / disinfection measures applied.

Working with health authorities, the investigation will also examine whether this is a case of community transfer. Continue reading →

Dear Colleagues and Learners,

Here we are, with the intensity of the first week of term behind us. It has been inspiring to witness the energy and enthusiasm of our College community as we engage in a new academic year.

I have had the opportunity to talk to learners, including many studying with us this fall from their home country around the globe, and I also had a chance to chat with employees, parents and alumni. One week into our Fall term, the special ties that bind Algonquin College together are clear – even though many of us are not able to see each other in person.

On September 8, thousands of students from all three of our campuses took part in AC Day 1 – engaging in a wide variety of virtual workshops, events and orientations. Earlier this month, Pembroke’s Virtual AC Start activities were also a huge success. Continue reading →

Dear employees and learners,

Algonquin College stands with everyone calling for equity and justice for Indigenous, Black, and Communities of Colour around the world.

The College is united in its desire to stamp out all forms of racism. As Hamlin Grange stated in his compelling and instructional webinar hosted as part of our Inclusion Infusions series, being “not racist” is no longer adequate. We must all be anti-racist.

It is in this same spirit that we support all members of our college community who wish to participate in today’s Scholar Strike to protest systemic violence against Black, Indigenous and People of Colour around the globe. We believe the message fits with the path we have chosen at Algonquin, where last year we became the first college in Ontario to release an Equity, Diversity and Inclusion policy. Continue reading →

Ottawa, ON – September 09, 2020 – Algonquin College has been granted access to the ALIBI Music Library, a professional music and sound effects (SFX) platform. This makes Algonquin the first institution in Canada with access to extensive catalogs used in Hollywood productions and in the TV, streaming, video games and advertising industries.

Through a special educational license, ALIBI becomes the College’s exclusive music library provider, offering students access to music for various curriculum projects involving film, video production, social media, podcasts and video games. The library contains more than 200,000 audio files, including more than 11,000 curated original songs and 6,000 sound effects, created by a global array of professional artists.

“We are thrilled to be the first Canadian institution to partner with ALIBI,” said Claude Brulé, President and Chief Executive Officer of Algonquin College. “This dynamic content platform provides our students with a valuable new tool that will drive innovation and creativity.” Continue reading →