University of Alberta community engagement consultants Alexis Ksiaskiewicz and Emily Ball visited our club on June 18th, 2019. The U of A is conducting a thorough examination of how it is connecting with its internal and external stakeholders in order to come up with a comprehensive community engagement plan. To date the consultation process has involved over 60 sessions discussing engagement opportunities with over 1300 people.
As a world class education and research facility the U of A is an amazing comprehensive resource to the general community. The Speakers' Bureau helps match interested groups with authorities on a variety of subjects. Since 1982 the Women in Scholarship, Engineering, Science and Technology (WISEST) initiative has been providing opportunities for girls in school to consider a post-secondary STEM education. Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) originating from the U of A are free portals to a host of continuing education opportunities. U School brings children from socially vulnerable and rural communities to campus to spark interest in post-secondary education. Despite these and many other programs many in the general community perceive the U of A as being off-limits. Alexis, Emily and their colleagues are working at removing barriers to those who could benefit from this public resource.
For more information or to voice your opinions on the U of A's role in our community go to https://www.ualberta.ca/strategic-plan