From COVID-19, to financial realities, and a period of transformation, the current context that we find ourselves in has underscored how essential our Integrated Asset Management Strategy (IAMS) is, and how it will continue to guide us through the ever-changing world within which we live. As the U of A for Tomorrow comes to fruition, IAMS will allow us to make sure our facilities support the renewal and growth of the U of A’s global leadership in higher education for the public good.

The strategy continues to be the roadmap for the institution. Approved by the Board of Governors in 2019, the strategy brings all campus space planning and asset management strategies under one umbrella. IAMS evaluates how we can proactively tackle our significant deferred maintenance burden while maximizing our use of good space.

Today I was joined by members of our community to discuss the progress of IAMS. During the conversation, I provided updates on the current activities supported by the strategy, including space planning, utilization and optimization. For those of you who were unable to attend, I’d like to share these updates with you here.

The Dentistry/Pharmacy Centre

This renewal is entering a new phase of planning and design, starting with interior redevelopment of the structure, with an eye to adapt and reuse existing materials. Select features that exemplify the building’s past are being restored, demonstrating the architectural achievements of their era — ensuring that they blend with the redeveloped spaces of the building. The 1922 exterior has been preserved, highlighting architecturally significant features that reflect the time in which it was built.

Upon completion, this iconic building will provide additional modernized spaces for our community. It will also allow us to relocate a number of academic and administrative activities, which helps to reduce our growing deferred maintenance burden overall.

Future Renewal Projects

Apart from our two largest capital projects, Dentistry/Pharmacy Centre and the Lister Centre renewals, we are also looking to begin a number of projects next year. These include a long-overdue replacement of the heating system in the Henry Marshall Tory Building, continued upgrades to the Central Academic Building, ongoing renovations to Chemistry Centre (East and West), as well as critical maintenance services to be completed on a number of our elevators campus-wide. These projects will help with accessibility and safety.

Reducing our deferred maintenance liabilities

Wherever practical, we strive to extend the life of our existing infrastructure. Given that the U of A has the largest inventory of facilities assets among Canadian universities, and limited resources, this is unfortunately not always possible. The decision to decommission or demolish any of the university’s infrastructure is never easy, with many factors guiding the decision.

2020 saw the decommissioning of Michener Park and the removal of Alumni House. These buildings were at the end of their life cycles, unsafe for occupants and had enormous deferred maintenance costs.

The Ring Houses on North Campus are also unfortunately set for decommissioning and removal. The history of these houses will always be part of the university story; however, they have sadly not withstood the test of time. The ongoing costs needed to make and keep them safe are unsustainable. Given their size and purpose-built design as individual family dwellings, they do not provide adequate space for modern teaching, research, or work activities. While we’ve done our best to make the most of them, they have failed to meet the space needs of our modern community and we need to focus our limited resources into buildings that do.

Items from the Ring Houses will be maintained as part of a U of A Museums collection. The stories of the homes will forever be part of who we are, even if the bricks and mortar of the houses have expired. Anyone willing and able to relocate and maintain any or one of the houses is invited to do so.

Looking ahead, the North-west corner of our campus will form a green space — one that provides our community with a place to enjoy the beauty of the river valley. It will provide another outdoor option for students looking for a space to study and for instructors to teach in the warmer months. Long term planning for the space will align with the university’s Long-range Development Plan and the evolving needs of the university community.

Optimizing Spaces: What to expect

To reduce our reliance on leased space we need to make better use of university owned spaces. As teams come together through SET, space densification will allow us to help those teams come together physically too (when we are able to do so safely post-COVID-19, of course). Enterprise Square has long been one of our under-utlized spaces, and is set to become a more active location for us. The same will be true for the North Power Plant.

COVID-19 Impacts

During the town hall, there was a question about how and if COVID-19 may impact our work environments — specifically, on the use of open concept offices. As we’ve learned throughout the pandemic, we have to start thinking about space differently and especially how we share and best utilize our space for teaching, learning and research. It’s still too soon to say if COVID-19 will radically alter our spaces for the long-term. We do know for certain though that these last eleven months have demonstrated our community’s ability to adapt and carry forward in ways that we could have never imagined this time last year.

Our community is a resilient and ever changing one, and our integrated asset management strategy will allow us to continue moving forward.

Andrew Sharman
Vice-president (Facilities & Operations)

An update on our Integrated Asset Management Strategy was originally published in The Quad @ UAlberta on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Have you met Saba, marketing and communications coordinator with University of Alberta International? Spend a few minutes getting to know her a little better.

What is your first U of A memory?

My first memory of the U of A was attending the WISEST Choices conference in the sixth grade. I distinctly remember watching the late Dr. Armour conduct the most amazing chemical experiments. One especially impressive experiment was when she changed what we believed was water into “different drinks.” Although I switched career paths, this conference was the catalyst for my love of science.

What’s something your coworkers don’t know about you?

Something my coworkers may not know about me is that I was a competitive swimmer when I was in high school, and I was a swim instructor for many years.

What’s your favourite distraction?

Sudoku puzzles. This may sound strange, but whenever I want a mental break, my go-to distraction is a good old game of Sudoku.

If you were enrolling in one course, program or degree right now, what would it be?

I’ve always thought that I would have been a nutritionist in another life, so if I had the opportunity, I would probably enroll in the Nutrition & Food Science program in the Faculty of ALES.

What’s a weird pet peeve you have?

This isn’t necessarily weird, but I absolutely can’t stand tardiness. It’s at the top of my pet peeve list.

You can invite anyone — alive or dead, real or fictional — to dinner. Who would it be?

Alex Trebek. His death really impacted me. I am a huge Jeopardy fan, and I had always secretly hoped that one day I could go on the show and meet him.

If you could see any live performance tomorrow, what would it be?

Beyoncé, hands down. She is one of the best performers out there, and I’ve always regretted missing her concert when she came to Edmonton a few years ago.

What advice would you give your 18-year-old self?

Not to worry too much about the future and to live more in the moment. If this year has taught me anything, it’s that you can plan all you want, but most of what happens is out of our control.

What’s one thing you can’t live without?

My family is at the very top of this list. Then I would say coffee and skincare tie in second place.

What three words describe your U of A experience?

Growth. Community. Opportunity

About Saba Al Hammouri

Saba has been with the University of Alberta International since 2018 in her role as the Marketing and Communications Coordinator for Education Abroad and the Global Education Program. She graduated from the U of A with a BCom in Marketing in 2017 and is currently pursuing a Master of Arts in Communications and Technology. Saba was born in Amman, Jordan, but has called Edmonton her home since she was seven years old.

Have you met… Saba Al Hammouri? was originally published in The Quad @ UAlberta on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

The University of Alberta banner is flying at half-mast from February 2–5, 2021 in remembrance of Mr. Cody Corwin Randell, undergraduate student
in the Department of Computing Science, Faculty of Science.

Cody Corwin Randell

Cody Corwin Randell, 18, passed away on January 18, 2021 in New Sarepta, Alberta.

Cody was born August 14, 2002 in Fort McMurray to Chris and Suzanne Randell. When he was 5 years old, he moved with his family to New Sarepta. Cody’s school years were all at New Sarepta Community School; he loved school, his teachers and all his wonderful friends. He was continuing his education at the University of Alberta pursuing his Bachelor of Science with Specialization degree. Gaming and hanging out with his friends were his favourite pastimes.

Cody will be deeply missed by his loving parents Chris and Suzanne, and brother Kyle; grandparents Max and Marie Randell, Uncles Shawn and Paul and families; grandparents Stanley and Juanita Foss, Aunts Mildred, Gayle, Lily and Michelle, Uncles Robert, Fred and Randy and families.

A private Celebration of Cody’s Life will take place at a later date.

Memorial donations can be made to the family, in trust, for the Cody Randell Math Memorial Scholarship for New Sarepta Community High School.

— Obituary originally published by Serenity Funeral Service.

For information about lowering the University of Alberta banner, visit the In Memoriam webpage.

Lowering the Flag: Cody Randell was originally published in The Quad @ UAlberta on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Today marks the first day of Black History Month in Canada, an annual celebration of the history, contributions, and achievements of Black Canadians, and a recognition of the role they have played in building Canada’s culturally diverse and open society. At the U of A, Black History Month provides all of us an opportunity to honour outstanding Black alumni, scholars, and students, to learn more about our history, to acknowledge and remove historic barriers that continue, and to reflect upon how much work and learning is still to be done to build the diverse and inclusive community we so value at our university.

Across our campuses, faculty, students, and staff have come together to plan special events, share stories, and host lectures. Throughout February, we will feature stories of outstanding Black alumni across our digital spaces. As highlighted on the Black History Month online hub, cultural celebrations, such as the Afro-fusion dance tutorial organized by the University of Alberta Black Students’ Association and Black Medical Students’ Association will invite us to come together virtually and literally move together. Difficult — but necessary — conversations will be had thanks to events like those featuring guest speakers such as equity scholar Dr. Carl E. James (York University) and academic and author Dr. Cecil B. Foster. The U of A Library will open digital collections, inviting us to explore the prose and written histories of Black Canadians. There will also be film screenings, online cooking classes, among other events. To cap the month off, the Black Graduate Students’ Association will host their second annual interdisciplinary conference and I am honoured to be part of the opening event. My thanks to everyone for creating all of these opportunities for celebration and education throughout the month.

In the fall, I had the opportunity to meet with members of the U of A’s own Black Scholars’ Collective and the Black Students’ Collective. These were dedicated conversations about how the university can better support Black community members. They presented and challenged the university with a number of important calls to action to address anti-Black racism and advance the university’s commitment to inclusion. We all agreed that current and prospective students must see themselves reflected in the university community and be directly engaged in identifying and proposing solutions to systemic racism. As one of our alumni, Malcolm Azania, says, “if you can’t imagine it, you can’t make it.” We reaffirmed our shared commitment to working together to address the calls to action. Bringing greater attention to Black History Month as a university is an important part of that commitment.

We also discussed the importance of establishing the demographic census for students more quickly. This is a powerful initiative — one that will help provide us with more information about the composition of our existing community. These data will also allow us to identify key areas where we need to focus and target initiatives to support enhanced diversity and inclusion. Although still in the early stages, students, faculty, and staff have come together to develop a meaningful and locally relevant census instrument. We plan to complete this within the calendar year.

While as a community the U of A strives to counter systemic racism, the calls to action demonstrate that we still have much more work to do. All of us must continue to be actively engaged in the national — indeed international — conversation on the persistence of anti-Black racism. We need to listen, engage with, and learn from the experiences of our own Black alumni, scholars, and students. As a community, we must continually strive to be a place where equity and inclusivity thrive in thought and action. We are committed to developing an ambitious anti-racism strategy for our university. We all have the responsibility to challenge acts of racism and hate when we see it — and to be intentional in our own contributions to a more inclusive working and learning environment for all.

Although COVID-19 prevents us from coming together this year, I do hope you can join in our online celebrations of Black History Month.

Bill Flanagan

President and Vice-Chancellor

Learn more about Black History Month 2021 events and more by visiting the U of A’s Black History Month webpage.

From the President’s Desk: Honouring Black History Month 2021 was originally published in The Quad @ UAlberta on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

On January 14, we announced the appointment of three College Deans, an important first step in realizing the new college model. Effective July 1, 2021, Greta Cummings will take on the new role of Interim College Dean of the College of Health Sciences, Matina Kalcounis-Rueppell as Interim College Dean of the College of Natural and Applied Sciences, and Joseph Doucet as Interim College Dean of Social Sciences and Humanities.

The College Deans have already begun the critical work of preparing for implementation of the colleges on July 1, 2021, including visioning, confirming administrative structures and models, and ensuring alignment of implementation with the SET initiative.

I am pleased today to be able to announce the appointment of two acting deans who will replace the College Deans in the two of the faculties.

Dr. Kyle Murray has been appointed to the role of Acting Dean of the Alberta School of Business, effective July 1, 2021 for the two-year term during which Joseph Doucet is seconded to the role of College Dean. Kyle is currently the Vice-Dean and a Professor in Marketing in the Alberta School of Business.

Dr. Diane Kunyk has been appointed to the role of Acting Dean of the Faculty of Nursing, effective July 1, 2021 for the two-year term during which Greta Cummings is seconded to the role of College Dean. Diane is currently the Vice-Dean and Professor in the Faculty of Nursing.

Kyle and Diane will play critical roles in leading their respective faculties through implementation of the U of A for Tomorrow vision over the next two years, including the active participation of their faculties in their respective colleges and on their Council of Deans. I am grateful for their leadership and willingness to play such critical roles in this important journey.

An announcement regarding an Acting Dean in the Faculty of Science will be made when arrangements are confirmed.

Steven Dew
Provost and Vice-President (Academic)

Announcement: Acting Deans — School of Business and Faculty of Nursing was originally published in The Quad @ UAlberta on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Student leaders play a critical role on campus, including articulating student concerns and advocating for positive change. This week, student representatives on General Faculties Council spoke passionately and thoughtfully on behalf of their fellow students, raising our awareness of the significant barriers some students are experiencing in today’s remote learning environment.

COVID-19 has fundamentally changed the university experience this year, not only at the U of A but across Canada and around the world. Adapting to remote learning has required a tremendous amount of creativity, training and hard work from students and instructors alike. University is never easy — at its best it challenges all involved to push beyond expectations. But add in the complications and demands of new technology, odd learning schedules, new forms of assessment, and online classroom dynamics and the pressures can be overwhelming and detrimental to mental and physical health.

Our student leaders raised a number of important issues at GFC. We heard that some international students face major time zone barriers which hamper their ability to participate in synchronous formats. Regularly attending class in the middle of the night is unsustainable and can result in highly adverse impacts on the personal health and wellness of our students. We heard that in some courses assessment methods, particularly participation grades that may in effect require students to attend class in the middle of the night, need to adapt to better reflect the realities of online learning. Online proctoring tools can increase student anxiety during an assessment by requiring students to show where they live, be in an interruption-free space with bright lighting, maintain a stable internet connection, maintain consistent eye contact with a webcam, all while undergoing the stress of writing an exam. Rural students may face difficulties because their access to the required technology cannot be achieved or guaranteed. Students who parent may face conflicting time commitments just when they need to be in class themselves.

Many of these issues are shared issues. Instructors also face time constraints and conflicts with familial demands. Overcoming the challenges of delivering course material remotely takes hours of extra preparation. Alternative and non-traditional forms of assessment add time and effort to an already overloaded schedule. An enormous amount of work has been done by highly dedicated U of A instructors to provide the best possible learning experiences for their students in a very difficult time.

I want to acknowledge and thank both students and instructors for all of the work that has been done to adapt. While there is hope on the horizon, we will continue to rely on remote learning environments through Spring and Summer terms and so we must continue to work together to improve things, address issues as they arise, and put in place solutions.

There is no one easy solution and the critical starting point is always a conversation between students and instructors to first identify any barriers and then to develop alternatives. We know that conversations like these are happening everyday and alternatives are actively being put in place. We are committed to ensuring that no one is left with an unresolved situation. Provost Steven Dew and I want to assure students of the following:

• Where students have medical, technological, accessibility, or other barriers, the university is fully committed to providing reasonable solutions.
• Students, especially those in other time zones and rural locations, with legitimate limitations in their ability to participate in synchronous learning and assessment will be offered reasonable course adaptations.
• Students who experience barriers due to medical, disability, or other protected grounds must be reasonably accommodated.

We are also committed to ensuring that students and instructors have tools and resources to help break down the barriers, clarify expectations, and resolve individual issues. The Dean of Students is available to support all these conversations as needed.

Finally, Provost Steven Dew is immediately striking a Task Force on Remote Teaching and Learning. This group will include students and instructors and will facilitate participation from across the university. As a priority, the Task Force will move quickly on the issue of online proctoring, with the immediate goal of reducing as much as possible the use of any online proctoring in the upcoming spring/summer term. The Task Force will also develop a fast and effective process for identifying and addressing other issues as they arise.

I want to end with a note of gratitude. COVID-19 has for the moment changed university life deeply; we must work together as best we can to maintain the health and safety of our students, faculty and staff during this global pandemic. Until we can return to normal, extra efforts will continue to be needed and I am deeply thankful for all that has and will continue to be done. Above all, I want to express my sincere thanks to our student leaders for bringing some critical issues to the fore and all our dedicated instructors and administrators who are doing all they can to support our students during this challenging time. I ask that all of us continue to keep the lines of communication open, so that we can work together to handle the many challenges we face together.

Bill Flanagan
President and Vice-Chancellor

From the President’s Desk: Reducing Barriers to Remote Learning was originally published in The Quad @ UAlberta on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

President Flanagan and I have heard the concerns that have been raised concerning online learning and we are committed to addressing them. As the president has noted, we will be ensuring that the work needed to reduce the barriers to successful online learning happens as quickly as possible. I want to provide some further detail about how we are supporting students and instructors now and into the future.

Like other post-secondary institutions around the world, we have been forced to quickly pivot how we deliver the vast majority of our courses and programs to respond to the COVID emergency. This has taken tremendous efforts and understanding by our entire community — but particularly by our students and instructors. I think we can be proud of how well our community has responded and worked to keep each other safe during this pandemic. I want to thank you all — instructors, students, and staff — for your extraordinary efforts to adapt to these challenging circumstances. However, we have heard that there is more we must do to address the needs of those among us most severely affected by the pandemic.

Our journey has not been entirely smooth. Since the transition to remote learning as a result of the COVID-19 emergency, some students continue to identify difficulties created by time zone differences, internet access, and examination proctoring tools. I want to reassure these students that we hear these concerns and are committed to resolving them. Instructors are also struggling with imposed restrictions and adapting quickly in the home and work environments. Students and instructors must continue to receive resources and support for these challenges, and we will explore additional opportunities to remove barriers to a positive learning experience.

Resources and information for students on adapting to, and succeeding in, the online learning environment continue to be provided through the Academic Success Centre in the Office of the Dean of Students. Students can also reach out to instructors, chairs, and the Dean of Students for support and assistance.

The University has a long standing commitment to supporting the academic freedom of our instructors to choose the most appropriate pedagogical approach to achieving their identified learning outcomes for their students, and has developed resources to support instructors in making appropriate and effective choices on how to adapt their approaches to a remote environment, and for deans and chairs on how to support instructors and faculty members. These resources address balancing synchronous and asynchronous components of courses, best-practices in a variety of assessment methods including participation grades and alternatives to traditional exams, and the circumstances in which the University has a duty to accommodate. We continue to refine these resources as we learn about the needs of our students and our instructors. These documents are being refreshed and redistributed, and instructors can reach out to the Centre for Teaching and Learning for support.

International students abroad, rural students, and Indigenous students are most affected by challenges related to synchronous remote instruction. Challenges include wide time zone differences and ongoing connectivity issues, which undermine the use of participation grades, and the use of online-proctoring tools. These issues create barriers to a positive learning experience for these students.

Students should be assured that they will not be penalized when they cannot be reasonably expected to participate in synchronous learning and assessment activities, such as those that occur between 11 pm and 5 am in the student’s time zone, or require the student to travel away from home to find a reliable internet connection when COVID restrictions are in place. Courses that have a synchronous component must offer alternatives for students who can’t reasonably be expected to participate. Many adaptations have been made by students and by instructors to maintain a high quality learning environment, and to ensure positive experiences and outcomes within the constraints of our situation. Still, we can do more to support those most severely affected. Students are encouraged to raise these issues with their instructors, and as a best practice, instructors should reach out to their students to inquire about possible challenges.

Students who experience barriers due to medical, disability, or other protected grounds must be reasonably accommodated. We need to ensure such challenging circumstances are identified and discussed with the instructor, or the chair, or Dean of Students, and alternatives are explored and offered. As we work through these challenges, we will all do better in this new learning environment.

Immediate Responses Possible:

There is not a single solution to remedy the challenges that students are facing, and the best solutions will result from conversations between students and their instructors to determine plans that best meet the objectives of the respective classes and the students. We are committed to ensuring that students and instructors have tools and resources to support those conversations, and we are hearing that more work is needed to meet this commitment and that more efforts are required to provide tools and resources to support these conversations.

In addition to ongoing work by the GFC Committee on the Learning Environment (CLE), we are striking a Provost’s Task Force on Remote Teaching and Learning effective immediately. The Executive Sponsor is the Deputy Provost, and the Task Force will be co-chaired by Dr. John Nychka and Dr. Helen Vallianatos and will include students and instructors. We will also implement a consultation process to facilitate participation from stakeholders. The Task Force will specifically focus on the most urgent concerns, including identifying a path to reducing the use of online proctoring in the upcoming term and eliminating the use of online proctoring as soon as possible. The Task Force will work on developing the best and fastest methods to implement effective solutions to other identified issues including asynchronous teaching and participation, and effective remote assessment practices and strategies. The Task Force will also provide advice to CLE as it develops a plan for the future, as the ongoing work of enhanced remote teaching and learning evolves.

I am grateful to students for raising these issues, and to instructors for being broadly responsive and open to student needs, and also raising their own challenges.

It has been a long journey to adapt to these pandemic conditions, and we are weary. However, our students have asked us to go a bit further. As an institution that prides itself on excellence, I think we have it in us to go that extra distance.

We all hope to carry forward the best practices developed by our creative and caring community into the future of the University of Alberta. These investments of time, energy, and intellectual resources will be valuable far into the future.

Steven Dew
Provost & Vice-president (Academic)

Supporting students and instructors was originally published in The Quad @ UAlberta on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Have you met Jamie, Program Coordinator and Speech-Language Pathologist for the Corbett Hall Early Education Program? Spend a few minutes getting to know her a little better.

What is your first U of A memory?

I remember the day before classes began in the first term of my first year. I took a map and my schedule to campus to figure out where everything was. It was overwhelming as my classes were scattered across campus. I remember having two competing thoughts: ‘this place is absolutely beautiful,’ and ‘how are there so many buildings?’. Ironically, I have spent the last 19 years solely in one university building — Corbett Hall.

What is something your coworkers don’t know about you?

Let me think … I enjoy wake surfing? I hate kidney beans? I have a bizarre dependence on yellow stickies to keep organized? Nope. They know all that. I am fortunate to be part of the exceptionally skilled, highly dedicated team working at Corbett Hall Early Education Program (CHEEP). We are all passionate about supporting young children and spend many hours together working in the classroom. At this point, there is very little we don’t know about one another.

What is your favourite distraction?

For enjoyment — movie night with my family. When the pandemic began we set out to watch all the Marvel movies chronologically. It has been a great escape for us from the stress and sadness of this challenging time.

For sanity — running. I often wake early and then can’t stop my mind from whirling. Going for a short run helps me clear my head before the day begins.

If you were enrolling in one course, program or degree right now, what would it be?

A conversational French class. I would love to speak French more fluently. It would be fantastic to catch up to my kids who take French Immersion.

What’s a weird pet peeve you have?

How to pick just one? People who stand too close. People who act entitled. Technology that works when you test it and fails when you need it. My biggest pet peeve though is people who are unkind.

You can invite anyone — alive or dead, real or fictional — to dinner. Who would it be?

My maternal grandmother passed away before I was born. I don’t know a lot about her but have heard she was intelligent, funny and kind — I think she would be a fascinating dinner partner. I would love the opportunity to get to know her.

If you could see any live performance tomorrow, what would it be?

After nearly a year of living during a pandemic, seeing almost any live performance would be thrilling. It is hard now to imagine comfortably sitting shoulder to shoulder with hundreds of people. I have new appreciation for concerts, sporting events, theatre productions and school assemblies. We are all so isolated now (necessarily, of course). It will be amazing to feel connected to others again through shared experience.

What advice would you give your 18-year-old self?

Don’t be so afraid to make mistakes — they allow you to grow. Take risks.

What’s one thing you can’t live without?

My family … and chai lattes.

What three words describe your U of A experience?

Diverse, challenging, rewarding.

About Jamie

Jamie completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Alberta in 1994, obtaining a Bachelor of Education. She then pursued graduate study at the U of A, receiving a Master of Speech-Language Pathology in 1996. Jamie worked as a speech-language pathologist in early education in Edmonton and St. Albert between 1996 and 2002. She has found her passion for teaching on a collaborative team compliments her interest in speech and language development in young children. In 2002 Jamie helped found the Corbett Hall Early Education Program (CHEEP) at the University of Alberta. Since then, she has split her time between coordinating the program and working as one of the speech-language pathologists in the classroom.

Have you met… Jamie Maschmeyer? was originally published in The Quad @ UAlberta on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

I write today to announce that Dr. Fraser Forbes has informed me of his decision to not seek a second term as Dean of the Faculty of Engineering. Dr. Forbes will complete his term as Dean on June 30, 2021.

Fraser has led the Faculty of Engineering since 2015 when he was appointed to the role of Interim Dean, following terms as Chair of the Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering. In 2016, the Board of Governors appointed him to the continuing Dean position for a five-year term. Under his leadership, the Faculty has maintained its reputation for excellence in teaching, research, and innovation. While Fraser’s accomplishments are many, of particular note are his leadership in the establishment of the Future Energy Systems (FES) Research Institute and the $75M grant from the Canada First Research Excellence Fund to support FES. He was also instrumental in the establishment of the Energy Systems Signature Area, Elko Engineering Garage, as well as a number of new research centres including the Construction Innovation Centre and the Steel Centre. Under his leadership, the Engineering has enjoyed ongoing strength and success with the Canada Research Chairs program and the NSERC Industrial Research Chairs program. Externally, he has led new alumni engagement efforts, including the Engineering Young Alumni Council. Within the faculty, he oversaw the development of EDI-focussed programs for students, staff, and faculty, including creation of the position of Associate Dean (Outreach), and worked to build a strong, supportive culture for extra-curricular student experiences. He has led academic program development work in disciplines that include Architecture, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and Mechatronics. He has been an active participant in governance and committee work, notably as a member of the Budget Model Working Group, the Signature Areas Development Panel and the SET steering committee.

I have been grateful for Fraser’s frank advice and counsel on Deans’ Council and in other settings. Please join me in thanking him for his important service to the University of Alberta and the Faculty of Engineering, and wishing him well in the next stage of his career.

An announcement about the next steps for leadership of the Faculty of Engineering will be distributed shortly.

Steven Dew
Provost and Vice-President (Academic)

Announcement Regarding Dean of Engineering was originally published in The Quad @ UAlberta on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

The modern era has brought tremendous prosperity to much of the world. Its benefits, however, have been tremendously uneven among the world’s population, and our economic processes are putting significant strain on ecosystems. Recognizing this, in 2015 the United Nations General Assembly set a blueprint for the transition to a new human era of sustainability in the form of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs for short). The SDGs and sustainable development, more generally speaking, call for a prosperity that is broad-based and holistic.

It’s not only the United Nations that is acting to advance the SDGs. Since taking on leadership of the Sustainability Council in 2018, I’ve been learning about all of the SDG-related research taking place here at the University of Alberta — and it’s a lot! Enough that the University of Alberta was recently ranked in the top 6 for sustainability research by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education. And increasingly, we are offering undergraduate and graduate courses that focus directly on the SDGs and global challenges.

The seventeenth SDG is “Partnerships for the Goals.” Unlike the other goals, which are normative in nature, this one is operational. It’s a recognition that we won’t achieve the SDGs working in isolation — partnerships are key — and universities and researchers are a critical part of that. When I think about the University of Alberta, two forms of partnerships come to me immediately when I think about this.

First are partnerships across the university. Interdisciplinary research and teaching collaborations are critical to addressing complex challenges. Such partnerships within the University of Alberta help to amplify the strengths of disciplinary research while exploring and addressing the complexities of these often systemic challenges that the SDGs put to us.

Second is the role that universities play in creating and disseminating knowledge as key partners in local and global networks addressing the SDGs. Recently, the University of Alberta became a member of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN). This partnership means any member of the university can connect with academics and practitioners around the world on issues of sustainable development. The SDSN platform facilitates sharing publications and research findings, accessing funding and resources, and simply finding knowledgeable colleagues across the globe.

Paying greater attention to the SDGs at the University of Alberta will help to remind us of the value of ensuring that our research and our teaching more directly work to advance these important goals.

Learn more about the University of Alberta’s work advancing the Sustainable Development Goals during International Week (I-Week) February 1–6, 2021. There are more than a dozen free virtual events open to all; registration is required. Find additional resources and opportunities at uab.ca/sdgs.

About Robert

Robert Summers is Academic Director of the Sustainability Council. He is also Associate Director of the School of Urban and Regional Planning, a program which he helped establish in 2012. His research focuses on roadblocks to systemic change, which he has studied by looking at water supplies in Malawian villages and at neighbourhood revitalization efforts in Edmonton. He tweets @RJSCity where he was briefly famous as “Bob from Calgary.”

Consider This: University partnerships for the Sustainable Development Goals was originally published in The Quad @ UAlberta on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.