News

Sad news.

Over the Christmas break one of our instructors, Dr. Cynthia (Cindy) Friedman, passed away suddenly on Monday, December 24, 2018, in Penticton, BC where she had gone to visit with her family. Cindy had previously taught at Thomson Rivers University and the University of Alberta, and was teaching in our biological and environmental sciences department where she was held in high regard by students and colleagues. Cindy was a renowned researcher and prior to Christmas contributed a brief piece on mistletoe that was posted on our CUE homepage. Cindy will be missed at CUE. We extend our condolences to her husband Tom Friedman and her family, friends, students, and colleagues. A contribution has been made to a bursary for science students at CUE in her name. A news item on her passing can be found here.

Alberta budget consultations.

            I have been invited, along with other Alberta post-secondary presidents, to participate in consultations on the next provincial budget on January 15. Having not been previously invited to such consultations I am not sure as to what form they will take, but nevertheless I look forward to participating.

Crisis management.

In December I reported to GFC the steps being taken to address the potential crisis created by the arrest of a CUE employee for alleged voyeurism. While I have nothing further to report on the incident, the Crisis Management Team continues to monitor the situation and met in December to ensure that all aspects were being addressed appropriately. The Crisis Management Team will meet again next week, and if no new information comes to light by March we will activate phase three of the crisis management process that anticipates that the crisis period has concluded and involves a review of how the situation was managed.

Support our athletes

Got Thunder! Our athletics teams still have plenty of games left in the season this winter, with volleyball, basketball, and hockey having regularly scheduled games and badminton and track engaging in tournament format. I encourage our community to come out and enjoy a game. Better yet, pick a team and become a season supporter. The schedule can be found here.

Mental health first aid training

There are still spaces available in our free mental health first aid training session for faculty and staff next Thursday and Friday (January 17 and 18) for those who are interested and able. I am looking forward to being involved in the training this time around.

International update.

Our International Office welcomes a new colleague – Faye Salins who is moving from Academic Administration to take on the position of International Student and Extension Officer.

There is a lot of international activity at CUE. We welcomed new international students on Tuesday from Germany, Netherlands, Dominican Republic, China, Brazil, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nigeria. We will welcome two scholars from University of Szczecin in January and February respectively, both will have a presentations for our campus community so please check Inside CUE for more details. At the end of January CUE will welcome a delegation from Campbellsville University, US, a new partner with whom we are discussing cooperation.

Intercultural days will take place January 23, 10am-1pm in Tegler, with performances from Chinese, Indian, Dutch, Polish, Czech and Brazilian community. We welcome our campus community to come and participating at this event.

The CELPIP Preparation Program comes back again from January 2019, starting on January 29, 2019. All 4 modules will be offered to public, under the management of Office of Extension and Culture. The CCS will continue to offer 3 levels of non-credit Chinese courses and a Tai Chi Competition Sword Class in 2019 Winter semester. They are free for CUE staff and faculty.

CUE has joined CAUCE (Canadian Association for University Continuing Education). The CAUCE provides an effective way for members to share ideas and approaches, problems and solutions, knowledge, and insights. They offer an opportunity for new continuing education professionals to stay informed about the latest developments.  The CAUCE Research Fund and Awards will also now be available to CUE.

The Council of Post-Secondary Presidents of Alberta (COPPOA) advocates for higher education.

COPPOA has stated a position with respect to where it stands on three major issues in higher education in Alberta today. That position, in brief, is as follows:

The importance of Alberta’s higher education system

Alberta’s higher education system is a critical engine for job creation and the economic and social prosperity of Alberta – For Alberta to be the economic and social engine of Canada, ongoing and expanded focus must be paid to increasing access for learners across an array of progressive programs, reducing financial barriers for learners, and maximizing the impact of research and innovation.

Access – increasing capacity to educate Albertans.

Every qualified student in Alberta deserves a space in higher education. To meet Alberta’s current and future labour and leadership needs focus must be paid to increasing access and capacity in the system so that more Albertans may participate and succeed in higher education.

Affordability – reducing financial barriers for the most vulnerable learners.

Affordability should not be a barrier to higher education. Barriers to affordability must be systematically dismantled through investment into Alberta’s Student Aid Bursary Program so that financial resources can be put in the hands of students who need them most.

Maximizing the impact of research & innovation.

Research, innovation, and skill-development are core drivers in a diversified, thriving, and adaptable economy in the global marketplace. Focused attention toward research, innovation, and skill-development in Alberta’s Post-Secondary system will inevitably return significant economic and social dividends for all Albertans.