Dear Students,

As we approach the end of the term and prepare for a promising return to campus, I wanted to express my gratitude to each one of you.

Over the past six months, I have been so proud of our community, specifically the way Acsenda students have responded to these difficult times.

Through hard work, compassion, and patience, Acsenda students adjusted to an entirely new learning landscape and continued to focus on the betterment of their futures.

In March, when we stopped holding classes on campus and quickly changed our delivery model, nobody knew at that time that we would be making a change that could last this long. We also were not entirely sure how a digital delivery model would work.

But because of our incredible student population, Acsenda has been able to continue to deliver a world-class education, with average attendance rates of over 90%, pass rates over 94%, along with strong student satisfaction scores.

These are truly amazing accomplishments.

As mentioned above, Acsenda is now preparing for another transition, as we prepare for a return to classes on campus in T4. In October, we will have a total of 14 classes that will be held on campus again.

I know we are all looking forward to a gradual return to normal, and the discussions with students that I have had suggest a safe return to campus is very much anticipated.

I want to thank all the instructors and staff for their roles in preparing the campus and making this possible. As we prepare for the return, the safety and well being of our community is at the forefront of our planning.

There are numerous safety protocols in place, including a mandatory health screening before entering the campus. Access and movement on the campus will be restricted. Face masks will always be required in the building, on the campus and in the classroom. Sanitizing stations are in place. Additional time between classes will be provided to allow for students to come and leave, and for additional cleaning.

We will be limiting the use of the campus to two classrooms to restrict the number of people on campus at one time. Rooms 217 and 222 are outfitted with a video conferencing system which will allow instructors to deliver their classes through a hybrid method, with half of the class attending campus on a rotating basis each week. Our new scheduling system will allow us to assign students schedules which will reflect which week they need to come to class on campus. Those students off-campus will be able to view the instructor and their class and interact with the group, digitally. You will be receiving further information on the class scheduling.

As well, Acsenda has developed a comprehensive “Return to Campus Plan” which can be viewed on our website HERE.

Students attending classes on campus will be required to sign a special Code of Conduct pertaining to their responsibilities and obligations while studying on campus.  You will receive further information on this soon.

I also encourage you to check out our COVID-19 web page regularly for further information. You can access it HERE.

Acsenda recognizes that the past few months have been challenging for students financially. In October, we normally review our tuition and fee structure. I am pleased to advise you that Acsenda will continue to waive the Student Activities fee and copy fee charge for Term 4.  As well, in Term 4, tuition fee adjustments are also usually made. Due to the present circumstances, Acsenda will not be making any increases to our tuition and fees at this time either.  We will provide an update later in 2021 regarding and future fee changes.

I am confident from our experiences over the past few months that we will again excel in this delivery, and I am sure we will continue to learn a lot from these experiences.

Once again, I thank you all. It has been a joy to preside over such a brilliant, engaged community.

Stay safe, take care of yourselves, and take care of one another. I look forward to seeing you on campus again soon.

 

Sincerely,

Neil Mort

President