October 24, 2022
Dear Members of the Carleton Community,
It is hard to believe that we are already at the mid-point of our fall term. This academic year has been one of transition for many of us, and I want to thank each of you for your continued compassion and dedication as we navigate these adjustments together. Although these past months have brought many changes, there is also a return to some familiarity, with the energy of our students, faculty and staff back on campus learning and working together.
As we move into the latter half of the fall term, I am writing to share information about new initiatives and resources to continue supporting our students in their academic, personal and professional experiences at Carleton.
Academic Continuation Evaluation and First-Year Grading Policy
The new Academic Continuation Evaluation (ACE) came into effect in September 2022. ACE is the end of term assessment of a student’s status in their degree and replaces the annual progression assessment. We are also implementing a First-Year Grading Policy, which enables new undergraduate students in a degree program who are entering Carleton University without any previous post-secondary studies to designate up to two passing credits as a ‘credit’ for their first two terms of studies. Eligible students will also have any failing grades automatically converted to no record, which will not appear on their official academic transcript or affect their CGPA. Both of these initiatives are examples of policy and structural changes designed to better support our students on their journey to graduation.
Carleton Mobile App
We will soon be releasing a new Carleton Mobile App for students. This will be a more modern and user-friendly mobile experience that will provide students access to important academic information, campus announcements and support service details directly from their mobile devices. The app will launch this fall, and we will continue integrating new features in the coming months.
Care Report
As staff and faculty on a large university campus, you may encounter students in a variety of difficult situations and it is reasonable to be concerned at times. If you are concerned about a student and are unsure of the best resource or support, you are encouraged to submit a Care Report. This will alert the Care and Support Team who will reach out as required and will provide the appropriate support and guidance to the student.
For a complete overview of our student support services, I encourage you to visit the faculty and staff section of our Current Students website. You can also find a collection of updated student support documents, including Supporting Students in Distress, Responding to Disclosures of Sexual Violence and the Student Referral Guide, available on our Student Support website. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact my office at vpstudents@carleton.ca and we will be happy to assist you.
Please know that the efforts you make to support our students truly make a difference. I have the privilege of hearing many examples of students who cross the stage at Convocation in part due to the exceptional support and encouragement they have received from members of our Carleton community. Thank you for all that you do.
Sincerely yours,
Suzanne Blanchard
Vice-President (Students and Enrolment) and University Registrar
carleton.ca/studentsupport