CUE welcomes more than 1,300 new students to its community virtually amid COVID-19 pandemic
Posted on: Aug 31, 2020
EDMONTON, Alberta — Despite the challenges and uncertainty created by the COVID-19 pandemic, Concordia University of Edmonton (CUE) is proud to welcome more than 1,300 new students to its community, including over 970 new undergraduate students.
The fall semester, which begins today, will be unlike any other; however, CUE remains confident in its ability to offer an exceptional learning experience while prioritizing the health, safety, and wellbeing of its students, faculty, and staff, as well as the larger Edmonton community.
“Today marks the start of something special,” said Dr. Tim Loreman, President and Vice-Chancellor. “While this is not the welcome celebration that we had envisioned for our students, we couldn’t be more excited that our community continues to grow. Over the past number of months, our students, faculty, and staff have demonstrated incredible resiliency, and we are looking forward to what lies ahead.”
Unlike years past, orientation for new students was held virtually and designed to provide important information about the semester while giving students opportunities to form connections that will last throughout their time at CUE. Students heard directly from members of CUE’s leadership team and were introduced to exciting initiatives and programs, including the new Student Coaching Cohort program, which provides new students with peer mentorship throughout the duration of their first year.
“At CUE, we strive to be more than a university—we are a place where people from all walks of life can come together to discover, learn, and grow,” said Dr. Barbara van Ingen, Vice President of Student Life and Learning. “The Student Coaching Cohort program pairs continuing students with small groups of new students to help ease their transition to post-secondary. The program is a testament to who we are as a community, and we are proud to offer opportunities for our students to get involved and make a difference.”
CUE’s fall semester is predominately virtual, with limited exceptions for classes and programs that require in-person interaction and extensive experiential learning. Anyone visiting the campus is required to respect a number of protocols, including the use of face masks in all public indoor spaces and whenever appropriate physical distancing (two metres) cannot be maintained. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve, CUE is committed to making responsible decisions aligned with public health and hopes to welcome students back to campus in 2021.
“Our students are at the centre of everything we do at CUE,” said Dr. Loreman. “Despite the physical distance between us, we are dedicated to doing whatever we can to ensure a successful and, more importantly, healthy academic year.”
For more information on how CUE is responding to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, please visit https://concordia.ab.ca/fall2020/.
Media Contact:
Bridget Burgess
Communications Specialist
780-491-5019