Algoma University brass are getting back out into the community to showcase what the university has to offer.
Among its offerings is its Early Access Program, in which local high school students in Grades 11 and 12 can earn two credits from Algoma University while still in high school.
Such courses are free of cost for participating students and allows them to start their university studies a bit earlier.
“Students are very successful at it. It gives them a little bit of a chance to see what it’s like to be a university student and we put tutoring supports around them,” said Asima Vezina, Algoma University president and vice-chancellor in a presentation at the Huron-Superior Catholic District School Board’s regular meeting held on Wednesday evening.
“We implemented it a couple of years ago and we do want to get the word out because the pandemic hit and most students were focused on just getting through high school online, so we do want to spread the word that this is available to our local community, and that’s for high school students within both the local school boards,” Vezina told SooToday.
“We’ve got to build more awareness of it so we’re heading into the schools now. We couldn’t even go into the schools during the pandemic so as we come out of the pandemic we’re settled now at the university. Our recruitment teams will be explaining this to guidance counsellors again just so they can make students aware this is an option,” Vezina said.
Most students taking part in Algoma’s Early Access Program have been in Grade 12.
“Many students in high school are looking for an opportunity to challenge themselves,” Vezina said.
“They’re coming into math programs, science programs and sometimes they just want to get a sense of ‘what is psychology?’ so they can take a psychology course or an art course. Some of the students are in their Grade 12 art year and they’re looking for a little bit more.”
Other Algoma programs that have bridged high school with university include one taught in the summer consisting of approximately 15 high school students in which students work on a major project and deliver a presentation.
“It consists of at-risk students who would not normally be in university, then they realize they can do this,” Vezina told the board.
“We’ve been putting a lot of supports in place for high school students. We want high school students to experience success before and during their time at Algoma University.”
Vezina - along with Jake Pastore, an Algoma University board of governors member - gave H-SCDSB trustees and administrators an overview of the university’s 30 undergraduate programs, Master’s level programs in Biology and Computer Science, its work with NOSM in mental health and addictions, esports and augmented reality and virtual reality technologies.
“We felt it was extremely important to get out into the community and do a little bit of a road show to talk about economic development and the impact that we have in this community and the relationships and partnerships that are so important for us as a university and a significant economic development player in Sault Ste. Marie,” Pastore said in his address to the board.
“Coming out of the pandemic we’re re-engaging with the community face to face and building those relationships with partners. We’ve asked a number of community organizations if we could come in and share some of what we’re doing, to remind the community about what Algoma is up to, what they’re doing today that they might not have been doing two or three years ago,” Vezina told SooToday.