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June 19, 2020
Good morning everybody,
It’s an understatement that the past three months have been challenging. Our entire institution and indeed our whole lives have been disrupted. I want to offer sincere thanks to everyone for a great year under challenging circumstances. We stayed true to our values, rallied together, and we kept going.
Without your commitment, creativity and hard work, it would not have been possible to pivot with flexibility and compassion to complete the winter term, to quickly offer a fantastic summer term online, and to make appropriate plans towards a successful fall. THANK YOU!
Amidst the pandemic, we achieved significant successes throughout 2019-20, notably another banner year for research – $80 million in research funding, a two-year increase of 50 per cent! Though lots remains to be done, we have made important progress towards sustainability, wellness, accessibility, and Indigenous initiatives, as well as equity, diversity and inclusion. We also completed a new Strategic Integrated Plan, deeply based in our values, that lays out our shared aspirations and that will guide us into a successful future.
Today would have been Appreciation Day – such a special day for our community – and I truly regret that we cannot picnic in the park as we usually do. It was a real pleasure to see many of you at virtual appreciation events, faculty boards, team meetings, coffee hours, townhalls, etc. Many thanks for your thoughtful questions and comments.
In appreciation and gratitude for everything you do everyday for Carleton, July 2 and 3 will be Appreciation Day Holidays (days off!) for faculty and staff. Note that summer courses scheduled on these days as well as fall registration will be proceeding as planned. Employees who need to work on these days to ensure our continued operations should discuss alternative dates with their managers. Employees who have already booked these days as holidays will not need to record them as annual leave.
It goes without saying that I also encourage everyone to take significant time off this summer as we all need to recharge. I personally look forward to a quiet staycation in July. The academic year ahead will be challenging as well, and it is essential that we all take a break.
As always, any questions you may have that are not answered by Carleton’s COVID-19 information website and its FAQ section should be forwarded to covidinfo@carleton.ca.
Have a great weekend everyone and I look forward to virtually celebrating the Class of 2020 with you next week!
Stay safe and well,
Benoit
Benoit-Antoine Bacon
President and Vice-Chancellor