Keep Athabasca In Athabasca University

06/19/2024

https://www.athabascau.ca/news/convocation/au-grad-gift

Athabasca University shared the gift of learning with class of 2024 high school grads in the Athabasca region.

06/19/2024

06/06/2024

AU's Convocation is a great chance to observe just how meaningful AU is to students. You're invited to join in the celebration!

01/02/2024

In the "Town and Country This Week", Tuesday, December 26, 2023 p. A8

12/22/2023

Nice to see the AU main campus with a festive glow tonight.

12/20/2023

Published in Town & Country This Week, Tuesday, December 19, 2023 p. A3

12/15/2023

This coming Tuesday, December 19, President Alex Clark is presenting an update on AU and plans going forward at the regular Town of Athabasca Council meeting in the Council chambers. The presentation and Q&A with Council members is expected to start about 6:30 pm, and the public is very welcome to attend.

12/08/2023

From: "Dr. Alex Clark, president"
Date: December 8, 2023 at 12:27:08 PM MST
To: [All AU Staff]
Subject: Board of Governors motion to end "near-virtual strategy"

Dear AU colleagues,
Earlier today the Board of Governors passed a formal motion to end AU’s “near-virtual strategy.”
I wanted to share with you what this means for AU, our team members, and our communities. The “near-virtual strategy” envisioned a trajectory for AU to move almost entirely online, with minimal place-based activities. In practice, AU shifted away from this trajectory some time ago—for example in relation to convocation returning to Athabasca—but this strategy was never formally and definitively ended by a board motion.
Today’s motion to end the near-virtual strategy was then primarily a matter of governance—of formally recording this shift—but I also believe passionately that this signals a positive and meaningful shift for AU, our team members, and the communities we serve.
Over the past weeks I have met with nearly 500 AU team members to start building our shared vision for the future of AU through the development of our new strategic plan.
What I have heard already in these conversations is how inspired many team members are by fostering positive work culture in both digital space and also physical place. This renewed direction and the end of near-virtual continues our ongoing commitment as a university which values people and place. It extends far beyond where individuals or groups are located to do their work. Rather, it is about building the deep and core elements of what makes a workplace and community welcoming, respectful, and fulfilling—about helping each of us, in short, contribute our best to the university’s vision and mission.
I know this shift raises many specific questions. While it is focused first on revitalizing the AU campus in our home community of Athabasca, other campuses in Edmonton and Calgary will develop in time. What this will not be about is enforcing the mandates that characterized our approaches of the past. Instead it will be about promoting choice for our team members, where possible, of where and how we meaningfully come to work together to advance AU’s mission.
For now, I am pleased to move forward and excited to listen in our strategic planning sessions about how we can work together on flexible and hybrid working arrangements to support each of us to make our highest contributions. I will share more information early in 2024 on next steps.

Sincerely,
Alex Clark, President