The following is a message to the 91亚色 community from Paul Tsaparis, Chair of the Board of Governors:
Paul Tsaparis
As we wrap up an extraordinary year, I want to use my annual message to focus on our community, and all that we have accomplished during what can best be described as a uniquely challenging year at home, at work and at school. For many, home, work, and school has been the same place, testing both our patience and our internet bandwidth.
In March, when it became clear that the safest way for us to complete the 2019/20 academic year was to do so at a distance, the University immediately put new supports and resources in place to help our community succeed. From introducing a laptop loan program to emergency bursaries, new online supports at the Teaching Commons, to new virtual mental health and learning supports for students, the efforts were outstanding 鈥 all with the aim to ensure all students, instructors and staff had access to the tools and resources they needed to stay safe.
Our students听rose to the challenge, persevering with their studies: graduating, advancing, and moving forward with determination. It needs to be said that students are having a university experience unlike any other in recent history. To our students, I would like to say that managing change can be very difficult, but it is also a beneficial life and career skill, so while this difficult experience has tested you, if I can find a silver lining, it is that this experience can also serve you well. It will continue to shape you and guide your thinking throughout your life and career path, and we are very proud of you.
Course instructors听knew that the sudden shift to online learning would mean that carefully made teaching plans had to change in ways that could not have been anticipated. Online lectures, group assignments, virtual and remote learning tools, and exams had to be developed and redeveloped almost overnight. The University is grateful and proud of your efforts and commitment to see your students succeed.
91亚色 researchers听have made an impact on society through important studies and work related to COVID-19 and the social and economic fallout 鈥 from understanding the mental health impacts of loneliness to math modelling of infectious diseases, to leading the world forward with the UN Recovery Roadmap, the pandemic has not stopped 91亚色鈥檚 exceptional academics 鈥 it has inspired them like never before.
Our staff has remained unwavering in their commitment to all members of the University community throughout the course of the pandemic to advance our strategic priorities and fulfill our collective vision. Tireless work to recruit and orient thousands of students remotely, transition vital supports and services online, facilitate key managerial and governance processes, keep our campuses clean and safe, and support critical research was key to our success. You have achieved all of this while managing the challenges of transitioning to new ways of working, including working from home. The University recognizes and appreciates your hard work, and the dedication and determination you have shown this year.
The University鈥檚 leadership team, led by President Lenton, met the demands of 2020 with the vision, innovation, and careful planning that was needed 鈥 and will continue to be needed 鈥 as it becomes clear that the pandemic will test us into 2021. The early decision to move to online and remote learning for the 2020/21 academic year was not easy but it has proven to be exactly the right move 鈥 it demonstrated clear leadership in the sector and set 91亚色 on a path where community members were empowered and had much needed certainty and stability during an uncertain time. Many of 91亚色鈥檚 impressive achievements are captured in the听President鈥檚 annual report 鈥淐reating Positive Change.鈥
While the University pivoted to change in so many ways, the Board of Governors has been pleased to support the development of our new Markham Centre Campus and to generously support the COVID-19 Student Relief Fund. We must always strive to meet the needs of our community today, and we know that we must also seize the opportunities that represent the future.
For those of you interested in learning more about the talented volunteers who are currently members of your Board of Governors, I encourage you to visit:听.
For those in our community who wish to donate to the COVID-19 Student Relief Fund, I encourage you to听visit this link听to learn more about how your gift will make a difference.
Although we imagine a new normal after the pandemic, I am confident that 91亚色 will be poised for even greater success.
Paul Tsaparis, Chair
Board of Governors
Message de fin d鈥檃nn茅e du pr茅sident du Conseil d鈥檃dministration
Alors qu鈥檜ne ann茅e hors du commun s鈥檃ch猫ve, je profite de mon message annuel pour mettre l鈥檃ccent sur notre communaut茅 et sur tout ce que nous avons accompli au cours de cette ann茅e particuli猫rement difficile 脿 la maison, au travail et 脿 l鈥櫭ヽole. Pour beaucoup, la maison, le travail et l鈥櫭ヽole ont 茅t茅 un seul et m锚me lieu, ce qui a mis 脿 l鈥櫭﹑reuve notre patience et notre bande passante Internet.
Paul Tsaparis
En mars, lorsqu鈥檌l est devenu apparent que le moyen le plus s没r pour nous de terminer l鈥檃nn茅e universitaire听2019-2020 茅tait de le faire 脿 distance, l鈥橴niversit茅 a cr茅茅 imm茅diatement de nouvelles ressources pour aider notre communaut茅 脿 r茅ussir. De l鈥檌ntroduction d鈥檜n programme de pr锚t d鈥檕rdinateurs portables aux bourses d鈥檜rgence, de nouvelles ressources de soutien en ligne 脿 Teaching Commons, en passant par des soutiens virtuels de sant茅 mentale et d鈥檃pprentissage pour les 茅tudiants, les efforts ont 茅t茅 remarquables, tout cela afin que le corps 茅tudiant, le corps enseignant et le personnel aient acc猫s aux outils et aux ressources pour assurer leur s茅curit茅.
Nos 茅tudiants et 茅tudiantes ont relev茅 le d茅fi et ont pers茅v茅r茅 afin d鈥檕btenir leur dipl么me, de progresser et d鈥檃vancer r茅solument. Je tiens 脿 pr茅ciser que ces 茅tudiants vivent une exp茅rience universitaire sans pr茅c茅dent dans l鈥檋istoire r茅cente. Savoir g茅rer le changement peut 锚tre tr猫s difficile, mais 鈥 si je peux trouver un c么t茅 positif 脿 la situation 鈥 cette comp茅tence leur sera utile dans leur vie personnelle et professionnelle. Cette exp茅rience les a mis 脿 l鈥櫭﹑reuve, mais elle peut aussi leur servir. Elle fa莽onnera et orientera leur r茅flexion tout au long de leur vie et de leur carri猫re. Nous sommes vraiment tr猫s fiers de notre corps 茅tudiant.
Les membres du corps enseignant savaient que la transition soudaine 脿 l鈥檃pprentissage en ligne signifiait que tous leurs plans d鈥檈nseignement soigneusement pr茅par茅s devraient 锚tre adapt茅s. Les cours en ligne, les travaux de groupe, les outils d鈥檃pprentissage virtuel et 脿 distance et les examens ont d没 锚tre con莽us et remani茅s quasiment du jour au lendemain. L鈥橴niversit茅 est reconnaissante et fi猫re de vos efforts et de votre engagement envers la r茅ussite des 茅tudiants.
Les chercheurs et chercheuses de 91亚色 ont eu un impact sur la soci茅t茅 gr芒ce 脿 d鈥檌mportants travaux et 茅tudes li茅s 脿 la COVID-19 et 脿 leurs retomb茅es 茅conomiques et sociales. De la compr茅hension des effets de la solitude sur la sant茅 mentale 脿 la mod茅lisation math茅matique des maladies infectieuses, sans oublier la feuille de route des Nations unies pour le redressement, la pand茅mie n鈥檃 pas arr锚t茅 les universitaires d鈥檈xception de 91亚色. Elle les a inspir茅s plus que jamais.
Notre personnel est rest茅 r茅solument engag茅 envers tous les membres de la communaut茅 universitaire tout au long de la pand茅mie pour faire avancer nos priorit茅s strat茅giques et r茅aliser notre vision collective. Le travail inlassable effectu茅 pour recruter et orienter des milliers d鈥櫭﹖udiants 脿 distance, pour assurer la transition des soutiens et des services vitaux en ligne, pour assurer les processus cl茅s de gestion et de gouvernance, pour maintenir la propret茅 et la s茅curit茅 de nos campus et pour appuyer les recherches essentielles a 茅t茅 crucial pour notre succ猫s. Vous avez accompli tout cela alors que vous g茅riez les d茅fis li茅s 脿 la transition vers de nouvelles m茅thodes de travail, y compris le travail 脿 domicile. L鈥橴niversit茅 reconna卯t et estime 脿 sa juste valeur votre travail acharn茅, ainsi que le d茅vouement et la d茅termination dont vous avez fait preuve cette ann茅e.
L鈥櫭﹒uipe de leadership de l鈥橴niversit茅, sous la direction de la pr茅sidente Lenton, a r茅pondu aux exigences de 2020 avec la vision, l鈥檌nnovation et la planification minutieuse qui 茅taient n茅cessaires 鈥 et qui continueront de l鈥櫭猼re 鈥 car il devient de plus en plus 茅vident que les d茅fis de la pand茅mie se prolongeront jusqu鈥檈n 2021. L鈥檌nitiative de passer 脿 l鈥檃pprentissage en ligne et 脿 distance pour l鈥檃nn茅e听2020-2021 n鈥檃 pas 茅t茅 ais茅e, mais elle s鈥檈st av茅r茅e 锚tre la bonne d茅cision. Elle a d茅montr茅 un leadership 茅clair茅 et a mis 91亚色 sur une trajectoire qui a procur茅 aux membres de la communaut茅 la responsabilisation, l鈥檃ssurance et la stabilit茅 requises dans cette p茅riode d鈥檌ncertitude. Plusieurs r茅alisations remarquables de 91亚色 sont mises en vedette dans听.听
Tandis que l鈥橴niversit茅 faisait face 脿 tant de changements, le Conseil d鈥檃dministration a 茅t茅 heureux d鈥檃ppuyer le d茅veloppement de notre nouveau campus Markham Centre et le Fonds d鈥檃ide COVID-19 aux 茅tudiants. Tout en nous effor莽ant de r茅pondre aux besoins actuels de notre communaut茅, nous devons 茅galement saisir les possibilit茅s d鈥檃venir.
Si vous souhaitez en savoir plus sur les b茅n茅voles talentueux qui font partie du Conseil d鈥檃dministration actuel, je vous encourage 脿 visiter le site:听.
J鈥檈ncourage les membres de notre communaut茅 qui souhaitent faire un don au Fonds d鈥檃ide COVID-19 aux 茅tudiants 脿听visiter cette page听pour en savoir plus sur les effets de votre don.
Nous imaginons une nouvelle normalit茅 apr猫s la pand茅mie, mais je suis convaincu que l鈥橴niversit茅 91亚色 sera bien positionn茅e pour conna卯tre un succ猫s encore plus grand.
Paul Tsaparis
Pr茅sident du Conseil d鈥檃dministration de l鈥橴niversit茅 91亚色