“In the midst of this crisis, our calling is to be a community of faith, hope, and love.”
President Mark Husbands
Only days into a promising new year with an exciting building project about to break ground, behind the scenes Trinity Western University was quietly preparing for the potential impacts of the novel coronavirus that had been reported in the province of Hubei, China.
The leadership of TWU considers themselves fortunate to have access to significant academic and professional expertise to inform our decisions and provide guidance in times like this. In response to initial reports of the COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease 2019) outbreak, Trinity Western University created a COVID-19 Response Team, that first convened on January 23. Led by Provost Bob Wood, the team was comprised of functional leaders across the university, one of whom is a global health expert with a history of research in China, Dr. Sonya Grypma—Dean of TWU Global, former Dean and current Professor in our School of Nursing, and president of the Canadian Association for Schools of Nursing. Since the beginning of this global health emergency, we have been fortunate to receive wise counsel and to have been prayerfully guided in our decisions while also being in close collaboration with local and provincial health authorities, with the goal of ensuring the health, safety, and well-being of every member of the TWU community.
With a thoughtful and prepared team, we took several early actions. On January 24, one day after the response team's first meeting, we established an online resource for all COVID-19 related information at TWU.ca/COVID-19 and committed to posting regular updates to keep the TWU community informed. In February we halted all university-related travel to affected areas with the reasonable anticipation that if the outbreak was not contained, further measures would have to be taken. Once the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic on March 11, we began to implement the next steps in our response protocol. We cancelled all travel for conferences, exhibition games, and international studies; called off large meetings, chapel services, and sporting events on campus; and moved all classes online. In a further demonstration of our commitment to prioritizing the health of our students and staff, we equipped as many employees as possible for remote work from home. Only personnel whose roles were classified as “campus-specific responsibilities” continued to work on-site.
During that same time, we gave our on-campus students comprehensive information and guidance to help them return home immediately if they were able to do so. However, 266 students (~20%) had to remain on campus, including 180 international students—who, after exhausting all efforts, could not return home because of travel disruptions and prohibited access to destination countries currently under lockdown. Trinity Western University continues to be committed to providing a safe haven for these students, who look to us to protect and support them during these challenging times. To care for our students in the most comprehensive manner possible, we established the International Student Relief Fund to subsidize their grocery costs, provide shuttle service, and meet other pressing needs.
We have also launched the TWU Strategic Innovation Fund to engage in what might be considered the boldest initiative in our history—to prepare our entire campus to provide education through a multi-access model where students can learn on campus and online simultaneously, seamlessly transitioning between learning modes based on their individual needs and situation. Intent on reaching as many different learners in as many locations with as many diverse educational offerings as possible, we are expanding our online learning platforms to make our programs even more available to everyone around the globe. We are committed to connecting our world through a robust Christ-centred global education and strongly believe that this initiative is vital to our mission and identity moving forward.
We have continued to work closely with local and regional health authorities, monitoring health and governmental announcements, and following recommendations by the Public Health Agency of Canada, the BCCDC, and other government agencies to help slow and reduce the transmission of COVID-19. In anticipation of prolonged social distancing measures, TWU already has a plan in place that will enable us to continue providing a safe space for our resident students who must stay here, and excellent education to those who want to continue to learn and grow to become leaders who will transform our world for the better.
In a recent communication to staff and faculty, President Mark Husbands said, “In the midst of this crisis, our calling is to be a community of faith, hope, and love.” And we remain committed to doing all that is necessary to prioritize everyone’s health and safety, while still providing world-class Christian education.
Looking forward, TWU is ready to make a bold and timely transition as we focus on preparing safe, secure, and spiritually vital pathways for students to journey back to Trinity Western University this coming fall.
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For more information on multi-access learning and to follow TWU’s continued innovation developments, visit www.twu.ca/news