Dear colleagues,

We stand at a familiar liminal moment, with the summer semester and the Arts General Meeting behind us, the long weekend ahead, and the new semester dawning. So, today’s early Update offers a coda to the former, and some resources and information that we hope will be helpful for the Fall semester.

AGM AFTERGLOW

First, thanks to everyone who came out to the AGM! It was thrilling to have the Faculty back together, in person. The greeting from Elder Lekeyten and Cheryl Gabriel offered a stirring beginning, the icebreaker activity had us humming, the ENTA showcase wowed, the business meeting was brisk, and the awards were inspiring: Ranjini Mendis and Tracey Kinney took the palms for Service, while  Danny Bernstein won for Research and Scholarly Mentorship. Congratulations again to these extraordinary colleagues! And of course, Dean Shelley Boyd oversaw the proceedings with aplomb, while forming a tag team with outgoing Dean Pro Tem Greg Millard for the deans’ ‘hot seat.’ Perhaps the biggest takeaway, though, was simply the warm and vibrant spirit of being together again, face to face: a reminder of what a fantastic community we share in the Faculty of Arts.

If you’d like to relive some highlights, or were unable to attend, you can see the PowerPoint slide decks here. The minutes for the Business Meeting will be forthcoming, as will the participant survey.

The entire event was made possible by the stellar work and support of Christina Fung, our acting Communication and Events Coordinator, as well as Zahra Mohamud, Winnie Wong, and all the marvelous Arts staff who pitched in. Thank you!!

THE GIFT OF THE PRESENT

Please see the infographic linked here from the ‘Student Diversity’ section of KPU’s most recent Student Satisfaction Report. It contains updated information about the changing character and composition of the our student body. We think you’ll find it fascinating.

A PREVIEW OF PRINTMAKING’S FUTURE

FINA Print Media student Darla Dibrivna’s work is being exhibited at “Connecting the Dots: Lower Mainland Printmakers Exchange and Exhibition.” The show opens on September 6 from 5-7 PM and runs until September 11 in the Michael O’Brian Exhibition Commons in Emily Carr University’s campus building. Congratulations, Darla and FINA!

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: THE LIGHT DAWNS

With the help of the indefatigable Gordon Cobb, KPU has produced a brief, student-led video explaining academic integrity here. Thanks are due to Gordon and Marcelina Piotrowski, Director of Flexible Learning and Academic Integrity, for developing this! It will make a fine resource to add to course Moodle pages, or otherwise share with students, this Fall and for future semesters.

LOOKING FORWARD TO FALLING FORWARD

Finally, we wanted to draw attention to the unusual circumstance of KPU being closed for two Fridays this Fall semester: Sep. 30, for National Truth and Reconciliation Day, and Nov. 11, for Remembrance Day. As you finalize your syllabi for Fall, please remember not to schedule any classes on these days, and please keep in mind that we can’t ask students to submit work, or do other time-stamped activities, on days when the university is closed. (Note also that some faculty members are organizing their syllabi so that their courses’ reconciliation/decolonization-related themes receive particular attention on the week of Sep. 30, a choice that seems admirably in the spirit of this national day of reflection).

Thanks, everyone. All our best for a great long weekend, and an exciting semester to come!

Shelley, Billeh, Dana, Wade, and Greg