Message from Dr. Ian Sutherland, vice-president, Grenfell Campus (pro tempore):
I wanted to share some of the great news stories circulating right now.
Enrolments
First up, our enrolments are to be celebrated. Registrations are holding steady at:
Undergraduate: 1109
Western Regional School of Nursing: 221
Graduate: 94
Total: 1424
Total enrolment represents a 4% increase over pre-pandemic numbers (Fall 2019), and an increase of 18 graduate students (24%) since Fall 2020!
Orientation and welcome events
Orientation events were a resounding success. Family orientation – which gave parents, guardians, supporters, and students an opportunity to ask questions and ease concerns – saw about 100 people attend both virtually and in person. The Back to Class Bonfire attracted at least 200 students, and you didn't want the event to end (my dog Luka was also delighted to make an appearance, thanks to all who came to say hello to him, he appreciated it a lot!). Hikes, pizza meal, movie events, coffee houses, mill whistler train rides, trivia nights and campus tours were all hits with excellent participation. The Resource Fair highlighted the fantastic support services at Grenfell and gave students the opportunity to connect with departments that can assist them as they navigate through their semester. Faculty-led academic advising sessions that connected students with their specific schools were well attended. About 75 people attended the Outdoor Games hosted by the fine folks at the library. And we were at full capacity for the Splash of Colour Run!
Twenty new graduate students took part in an orientation which was specially designed for them and included a blend of social and academic events designed to both welcome and prepare them for success in academia and research.
Close to 55% of first-year students engaged with the Orientation Brightspace shell, Your Grenfell Experience, which undoubtedly helped eased the transition to first-year studies.
Thank you to all the organizers but a special thank you to our committed students who were key in the success of these activities: Shireen Merchant, McAuley Bellows, Briana Wight, Jorge Campos, Mary Feltham, Lucas Knill, Naomi Butt, Britney Marsden and Tiffany Lyver.
The past year has not been without challenge, so these accomplishments are more meaningful than ever. A sincere thank you to each of you who have worked so hard to ensure our students feel welcome and eager to learn, and that our campus was ready to welcome them.
Bonne Bay Marine Station
The Bonne Bay Marine Station saw 4,000 paying visitors to the public aquarium in the 26 days it was open to the public! A seashore garden was installed in partnership with the MUN Botanical Garden this summer. They're also looking forward to new programming around sponges and corals in the Gulf of St. Lawrence thanks to a grant from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans of $10,000. This will support a student researcher and will be running during winter and spring semesters of 2022.
Navigate Entrepreneurship
There's lots to talk about at Navigate too! Since January, there have been 22 virtual events with 600 participants in total and 26 new clients including six entrepreneur internships. The Jose Lam Start-Up weekend will take place on Oct. 22-24 and other Small Business Week events are planned. I'm encouraging everyone, especially students, to check out all that Navigate offers: https://navigatesmallbusiness.ca