President's Corner is a regular column from President Deep Saini.
Dear Dalhousie Community,
This week, we will reach the one-year mark since we abruptly moved much of our operations online in response to COVID-19. And for a full year now, we have dealt with the difficulties this has brought, in tandem with the unique personal trials caused by living through a global pandemic.
Prime Minister Trudeau designated March 11 as the National Day of Observance in Canada to commemorate “the people who lost their lives and the significant impacts we have all felt because of COVID-19.” We joined the Government of Canada and several other universities across the country in lowering our flags to half mast in recognition of the day.
This past Monday, March 8, was also International Women’s Day. While all have suffered the consequences of COVID-19, evidence consistently shows that the pandemic has resulted in particularly difficult circumstances for women, especially increasing the burden on women as caregivers. This week, I specifically want to acknowledge the way women in the Dalhousie community have adapted and responded over the past year. I am also pleased to report that Dalhousie recently signed on to the federal government’s 50-30 Challenge, which aims to increase the representation and inclusion of diverse groups to positions of influence and leadership.
Many uncertainties remain that will influence our ongoing response to the pandemic, and we must remain nimble and adaptive as the situation evolves. That said, Dalhousie has come through this crisis in many encouraging ways. Our phased return to campus continues to balance compliance with Nova Scotia’s public health directives with prioritizing core mission activities in academics, research, and student support; we are seeing strong application numbers for the 2021-22 year, especially in our domestic markets; our students continue to persevere, despite the challenges associated with online learning; and our researchers are playing vital roles in the fight against COVID-19.
There are also many reasons to believe the university has a bright future. We are optimistic that this fall will allow a significant expansion of on-campus learning and other on-campus activities; we are in the final stages of renewing the university’s strategic plan; and we are working on a new international strategy that will position us to capitalize on new opportunities, without ever losing sight of our commitment to local relevance.
We are seeing signals that Canada’s economy could see a strong rebound after the pandemic, with some commentators forecasting a period of economic, social, and artistic innovation following lockdowns and restrictions. And both our current federal and provincial governments are supportive of universities. Together, this bodes well for Dalhousie.
Now is the time to focus on how we can dash out of the blocks and seize the opportunities that lie ahead. We must consider how we will apply what we have learned over the past year to come out of this moment in history even stronger.
I look forward to another opportunity to connect with faculty and staff and discuss this further at our next Community Check-In, coming up at the end of this month (keep an eye on your email for details). In the interim though, once more, please accept my most heartfelt thanks for your unwavering commitment this past year. Together, we have and will continue to weather this storm and take Dalhousie to new heights.
Sincerely,
Deep
President Saini can be reached at deep.saini@dal.ca. You can also connect with him on Twitter and Instagram.