Nothing could be a greater testament to our strength as a college community than our ongoing ability to support our students and our community in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Thanks to your tireless dedication, boundless creativity and trailblazing innovation, our College has been able to achieve a monumental shift in a very short amount of time. We have transitioned to online and alternative delivery of our programs and services, and leveraged our spirit of innovation to find new ways to support the social and wellness needs of our students, and to equip frontline workers in our local healthcare system with important supplies and equipment.
Supporting NC students
Each new day also brings forward new initiatives to support and engage our students as they resume their studies off-campus, including online/video supports for mental health, fitness classes, tutorials, contests, and other interactive activities to support life outside the virtual classroom.
We also recognize that there are students who are facing financial hardship due to COVID-19. With the support of corporate and individual donors, Niagara College has been able to allocate $50,000 to support NCSAC’s Nourishing Minds Fund to help alleviate the food insecurity faced by many NC students. Further fundraising by the college and NCSAC is also underway to help address this growing and urgent need. Anyone interested in donating to NCSAC’s Nourishing Minds Fund can do so through the following link: donate.niagaracollege.ca/ways-to-give/.
In addition, to help address the growing income insecurity and financial shortfalls faced by our students, the college is allocating additional funds to emergency bursary programs administered through the Financial Aid and International areas.
Supporting front-line healthcare workers
Along with bolstering our efforts to support our students during these unprecedented times, a coordinated college-wide effort has been undertaken to identify medical supplies to assist local healthcare workers, resulting in thousands of masks and gloves being donated to the Niagara Health System.
In addition, our Research & Innovation division is currently producing 2,000 face shields to help Niagara Health with its increased demand for protective equipment. The face shields are being made at our Walker Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Centre using laser-cutting technology and computer design tools. Furthermore, our Teaching Distillery has been running its stills for weeks to produce disinfectant, to help address the shortage in our community.
Read more about our College’s efforts to support Niagara’s healthcare sector in the March 27th news release here.
Supporting each other
I hope that each member of our College community takes as much pride in what our College has achieved in recent weeks as I do. I truly believe the experience has strengthened the fabric of our College community. Our NC DNA – our shared welcoming, passionate and trailblazing characteristics – are clearly a source of strength for all of us during these challenging times.
As we navigate through the challenges ahead, I am confident that Niagara College will continue to rise to new heights to meet them. Despite the obstacles, we have again demonstrated our remarkable organizational resilience and capacity for ingenuity and collaboration.
My deepest gratitude to each of you for your unwavering perseverance and passionate commitment to supporting our students, each other, and our communities.
Please stay healthy, safe, and supportive of one another – physically distanced, but closely connected.
