News

Dear CUE Community,

I don’t recall ever having signed up to be placed in the middle of a polar vortex, and yet here we are. I hope you are all safe and warm and coping with the added irritation of not being able to spend much time outside.

I’ll start the update this week with some information regarding an administrative ‘re-shuffle’ that we announced yesterday on Inside CUE. I wish our Dean of Arts, Dr. Tim Heath, all the best as he leaves us at the end of June and welcome Dr. Conrad van Dyk who is stepping into the role on an interim basis for one year while we run a competition for the position. I also welcome Dr. Linda van Netten Blimke who will serve as interim Chair of the Department of Literature and Language. In addition, Dr. Edgar Schmidt will be resuming his role as Dean of Education on a full-time basis, with our Dean of Science, Dr Patrick Kamau, serving as Interim Dean of Graduate Studies until the end of June while we run an internal competition for the post. I am grateful to everyone I have mentioned here not only for their dedicated service to CUE, but also for their willingness to shift to different roles within our administration.                                                 

As we hibernate at home there are ways to stay educated and informed beyond our normal activities. Check out a talk sponsored by the Concordia Alumni Association and the McNeil Centre for Applied Renewable Energy next week addressing the phasing out of coal. As part of the Renewable Energy Speaker Series, Dr. Tim Weis from the University of Alberta is presenting on the historic change as coal plunges in market share. He will discuss the policies and political events responsible for this rapid change, the role renewable electricity may play in Alberta’s future, and what it means for Canada’s electricity system overall. Please register to attend via Eventbrite for the session on Thursday, February 18, 10:00 am – 11:00 am.

Although these are challenging financial times CUE continues to support student research through our Student Research Grant program. Our March 2021 competition is now open. Undergraduate students are eligible to apply for up to $1,500 per year and Graduate students are eligible to apply for up to $2,000 per year. Student research grants can support direct costs for research activities including research publication fees, expenditures related to research projects, registration fees for online conferences, or similar activities approved by the Research and Faculty Development Committee. 

Stay home, stay safe, and stay healthy…and stay warm!

Best,

Tim Loreman, PhD.

President and Vice Chancellor.