CUE Annual Report 2021-2022

Concordia University of Edmonton (CUE) is a boutique university, small enough that every student is essential yet large enough for a global outlook. In and out of our classrooms and lecture halls, we translate what we learn into extraordinary hands-on experiences.

We are committed to fostering a diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment for work, study and living. Our ultimate goal has not changed since 1921: to create a com munity of active citizens, of good and honourable people.

We can sit in the back. But at CUE, someone will always invite us to the front.

MISSION

Concordia University of Edmonton is a community of learning grounded in scholarship and academic freedom, preparing students to be independent thinkers, ethical leaders and citizens for the common good.

VISION

Concordia University of Edmonton will be recognized nationally and internationally for its graduates’ knowledge, skill, integrity, and wisdom.

CUE is located on territory of the Treaty No. 6 Nations and the homeland of the Metis Nation (Region IV), and respects the histories, languages, and cultures of Indigenous peoples of Canada, whose presence continues to enrich our vi brant community. Historically, the lands which CUE occupies were utilized as a trading and gathering place, and our campus is one of the original Métis river lots in Edmonton.

In recent years, CUE has renewed our focus on Indigenous engagement, and on establishing strong relationships with individuals and communities. We are looking forward to continuing our journey towards reconciliation, and fostering a space where Indigenous students and scholars feel supported, heard, cared for, and valued.

A century of promise

In 2021, CUE celebrated its 100 year anniversary and we reflected on our century of growth.

Since the university’s humble begin nings in 1921, CUE has continued a leg acy of exceptional learning to become a leading small university that attracts students from across the province and around the world.

The CUE community kicked off a Home coming event in the fall with an opening ceremony that recognized the Indige nous history of the land, and featured speakers and entertainment from CUE’s chamber musicians.

The celebrations continued as we show cased CUE pride with a pep rally to cheer on the Thunder alumni athletics team. A pancake breakfast, reunion, and banquet were a chance to connect and reminisce with former classmates. After an evening of fireworks, we invited the community to wake up the next morning and join the Century of Promise 5k run, which raised money for student scholarships.

For CUE’s centennial, we developed a website and book entitled A Commu nity of Learning: Celebrating 100 years of Concordia University of Edmonton, which shared stories written by students and archival documents and photos.

After a year of celebration, we are grateful to reflect on the legacy of ex cellence we have inherited and that will guide us into the next 100 years!

TABLE OF CONTENTS

SECTION 1. Accountability Statement 8

SECTION 2. Management’s Responsibility for Reporting ............... 8

SECTION 3. Message from the President and Board Chair 8

SECTION 4. Public Interest Disclosure (Whistleblower Protection) Act 11

SECTION 5. Operational Overview ................................ 11

SECTION 6. Goals, Priority Initiatives, Expected Outcomes, and Performance Measures 21

SECTION 7. Financial and Budget Information ....................... 66 Operational Highlights 66 Revenue 67 Expenses ........................................... 69 Net Assets 71 Areas of Financial Risk 71

SECTION 8. Capital Report ....................................... 74

APPENDIX A: Audited Financial Statements 77

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SECTION 1. Accountability Statement

Concordia University of Edmonton’s Annual Report for the year ended March 31, 2022 was prepared un der the Board’s direction in accordance with ministerial guidelines. All material economic, environmental or fiscal implications of which we are aware have been considered in the preparation of this report.

Original Document Signed by Dr. John Acheson

Chair, Board of Governors, Concordia University of Edmonton, [Date]

SECTION 2.

Management’s Responsibility for Reporting

Concordia University of Edmonton’s management is responsible for the preparation, accuracy, objectivity and integrity of the information contained in the Annual Report including the financial statements, per formance results and supporting management information. Systems of internal control are designed and maintained by management to produce reliable information to meet reporting requirements. The system is designed to provide management with reasonable assurance that transactions are properly autho rized, are executed in accordance with all relevant legislation, regulations and policies, reliable financial records are maintained, assets are properly accounted for and safeguarded.

The Annual Report has been approved by the Board of Governors and is prepared in accordance with Ministerial guidelines.

Original Document Signed by Dr. Tim Loreman

President and Vice-Chancellor, Concordia University of Edmonton, [Date]

SECTION 3. Message from the President and Board Chair

For more than one hundred years, our university has been a gathering place for students from across Alberta and beyond who are committed to making a difference and being leaders in the community. Our ambition is to be Canada’s pre-eminent small university and we have entered our second century com mitted to fulfilling this promise and delivering exceptional education and experience for students.

In 2021-22, we advanced our work in many ways that we can be proud of. Despite the continued im pact of the pandemic on CUE’s operations and people, we remain in a strong financial position, and we have kept our focus on providing meaningful supports to students and meeting their expectations for high-quality education.

We continue to enhance and diversify our programming to meet student needs. This year we launched CUE’s first-ever doctoral program, a Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology. As the only program of its kind in western Canada, the program has generated strong interest and high satisfaction from the first cohort of students.

This year we introduced CUE’s first Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Framework that will guide the work of teams across the university. This strong foundation will enable us to continue to build our capacity to foster equity, diversity, and inclusion as central elements to our mission and vision.

Our largest campus expansion project to date is well underway and we look forward to opening our new academic building in 2023. We expanded our facilities with the addition of our Magrath Campus located in Edmonton’s Highlands district. Acquisition of this property was made possible by a generous $1.425 million donation from the Braaksma family, the largest individual gift CUE has received to date.

CUE’s success is a shared success. The many accomplishments shared in this report reflect the tremen dous resiliency of the CUE community and its ability to be innovative through uncertainty. We thank ev eryone in the community for prioritizing health and safety this past year and want to recognize staff and faculty for their ongoing commitment to our students and to CUE’s mission and vision.

Dr. Tim Loreman Chair, Board of Governors President and Vice-Chancellor

Dr. John Acheson

Original Document Signed by

Original Document Signed by

Honouring the truth, reconciling for the future

Truth and reconciliation continues to be an important part of our campus learning year round at CUE.

This year, we honoured the National Day for Truth and Recon ciliation on September 30 with a campus closure for the com munity to pause, reflect, and participate in community events as they relate to truth, justice, healing and reconciliation. We invited Harold Cook, a residential school survivor, and Rocky Ward, a Resolution Health support worker, to share first-hand accounts from the residential school system.

The Concordia Students’ Association (CSA) and CUE Indige nous Fellowship (CIF) provided free orange shirts to students, staff and faculty. A design was created by a Métis student at CUE that reflected the sacred relationship between a moth er and child – one that was severed through the residential school system. Orange shirts were worn in solidarity with residential school survivors, their families, and the ones who never made it home.

CUE’s Indigenous Knowledge and Research Centre (IKRC) hosted several cultural programs for Indigenous students throughout the year. This included two ceremonies, 21 teach ings, five language programs, four crafting classes, and more. We hosted guest lectures from a variety of speakers that discussed treaties, Missing, Murdered and Exploited Indige nous Peoples (MMEIP), visual arts, literature, song and mascu linities.

Although IKRC programs are open to everyone, we recognize the need for spaces for Indigenous communities to reclaim and revitalize ways of knowing and being.

“We are all accountable for healing the relationship between Canadians and Indigenous peoples. Healing happens when we eat, pray, dance, sing, and listen to one another,” says Danielle Powder, manager of the IKRC.

SECTION 4.

Public Interest Disclosure (Whistleblower Protection) Act

No disclosures have been made to the designated chief officer.

SECTION 5. Operational Overview

As we celebrated our centennial this year, we honoured our past. For decades, our students were brought together by a shared belief, despite varied interests and fascinations, and majors and minors. This created a unique culture, the foundations of which are still found throughout our campus today.

CUE is more than an academic institution—we are a community of scholars, dreamers, doers, people who aren’t afraid to lend a hand, to ask questions, to be bold, to make a difference. For more than 100 years, we have gathered in the historic Virginia Park community, steps from Edmonton’s river valley, and committed ourselves to creating independent thinkers, ethical leaders, and citizens for the common good. From humble beginnings, we have evolved into a place of spirit, connection, and excellence as we strive to fulfill our promise of being Canada’s pre-eminent small university.

Our achievements throughout 2021-22 continue to illustrate both our proud tradition and the momentum we are carrying into our second century. We are pleased to share our progress throughout this year’s Annual Report. Even with our many highlights, we cannot look back on the past year without acknowl edging some of the challenges faced by our CUE community.

The pandemic continued to impact CUE’s operations and our people this year. We adapted to the restric tions in the province and made decisions that prioritized the health and safety of our students, faculty, staff, and visitors. Amid the uncertainty, our community continued to demonstrate tremendous resilience and innovative thinking as we adapted to working and learning online.

In early 2022, our community was impacted by a 12-day strike that concluded with the signing of a fouryear collective agreement with the Concordia University of Edmonton Faculty Association (CUEFA). It was a difficult time, but has marked the starting point for a renewal of the relationship between CUE ad ministration, faculty, and staff. While there is much work ahead, we have redoubled our efforts to build a stronger culture of collaboration at the university. We are using feedback to inform a number of concrete steps we are taking to reconnect the CUE community in meaningful ways.

In spite of the challenges over the past year, our community remains strong and united in our shared commitment to education and to CUE’s mission and vision. It is clear that CUE administration, faculty, and staff share a deep commitment to seeing our students succeed. We have maintained our focus on supporting our students and delivering high-quality education. By all accounts, we succeeded in this en deavour based on student evaluations of their educational experiences over the past year, notwithstand ing some setbacks brought on by the unique circumstances they faced in 2021-22.

FINANCIAL PICTURE

Despite the ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, we generated a surplus of $5.5 million over our budget for the 2021-22 fiscal year. This was achieved while facing decreased revenue, owing largely to reduced student tuition and fees, which were down 14.5 per cent (or $4.35 million) from 2020-21. This re duction was offset by judicial spending, along with a small increase in government grants, and increased auxiliary activities owing to the re-opening of the campus.

Our investment in academic programs is on par with our expenditures in this area last year and con tinues to account for the largest share of expenditures by program (46.1 per cent). We also increased spending by 9.8 per cent on support programs, while student aid fell moderately (by 2.4 per cent). The lower expenditure on financial aid is largely due to having fewer Entrance Scholarship applicants and awards, and less funding for study abroad. Another factor is the lack of a special relief fund in 2021-22 like the COVID-19 Support Bursary which was funded through matched institutional and student associa tion donations.

Next to tuition and fees, which account for approximately 60 per cent of CUE’s revenues, government funding makes up the next largest share, accounting for just over 31 per cent. This year, the Ministry of Advanced Education implemented its first performance-based funding program operationalized through an Investment Management Agreement (IMA). The IMA designated five per cent (or $634,000) of CUE’s Operating and Program Support grant funding dependent on meeting a target of having a work-integrat ed learning component embedded in 40 per cent of CUE’s programs. This target represents a five per cent increase from the established baseline of 35 per cent. Failure to meet this target within a one per cent tolerance outlined in the agreement would result in an adjustment applied against CUE’s 2022-23 funding. Although CUE surpassed the 2021-22 IMA target, a small 0.6 per cent ($76,000) reduction was made for 2022-23 funding.

Planned increases in the IMA funding metrics and funding allocations tied to those metrics present a real and ever-increasing financial risk. In the new IMA, signed with the Ministry for the period April 1, 2022 to March 31, 2025, additional metrics (including increasing domestic enrolment) will be incrementally added and the level of funding dependent on meeting Ministry targets will rise annually. As a result, funding at risk will increase to 15 per cent of the grant funding in 2022-23, then to 25 per cent in 2023-24, and up to 40 per cent in 2024-25. This may jeopardize CUE’s ability to maintain competitive tuition rates that increase incrementally and moderately, while sustaining a standard of high-quality education.

Owing to our recent enrolment growth and ongoing plans to meet a target of 4,000 students (3,000 FLEs), we continue to plan for and invest in much needed capital infrastructure. In 2019-20, we sur passed 3,000 students (2000 FLEs) after experiencing an unprecedented growth trend. In that year alone, student head counts increased 25 per cent. Even at those levels of enrolment, which have since increased more moderately, we are strained for office, classroom, research, and residence space.

In October 2019, CUE unveiled a Campus Master Plan which includes new facilities for classroom and residence space. While our plan to augment residence space is on hold, we have made significant progress in moving forward with the development of a new academic building and student quad. Con struction on the project, which is budgeted to cost $40 million, commenced in September 2021. We look forward to opening this new facility in late 2023.

This year we also expanded our facilities with the addition of Edmonton’s historic Magrath Mansion locat ed near the CUE campus in Edmonton’s Highland District. CUE became the official owners of the prop erty on August 9, 2021. The property provides a distinctive space for a range of activities, from hosting events on the lawn, to bringing guest lecturers and holding seminar classes in the library, to educating visitors on the property’s history and architecture. Acquisition of this property was made possible by the generous gift donation ($1.425 million) from the Braaksma family. This is the largest individual gift that CUE has received to date.

ENROLMENTS

In 2021-22, following a sustained eight-year period of growth, CUE experienced a modest decline in enrol ments. The total number of unique students in Ministry approved programs totaled 3,248 and full-load equiv alents (FLEs) totaled 2,424.6, representing a two per cent and six per cent drop from the prior year, respec tively. There is no doubt that the ongoing impacts of the pandemic contributed to this decline. The prevalence of the Omicron variant, substantial travel barriers impacting International students, and measures undertaken by CUE to assure the health and safety of our community resulted in a number of students withdrawing, both voluntarily and involuntarily, from their programs. These factors, among others, including the Faculty Associa tion strike, resulted in approximately 400 fewer students in the Winter 2022 term alone.

To a lesser extent declining enrolments can be attributed to a continuation of measures undertaken in 2021-22 to manage enrolments. In response to several years of unprecedented growth, CUE adopted enrolment caps in high demand programs. Additionally, this past year, we re-introduced our two highly sought-after Master’s programs in Information Systems Security Management (MISSM) and Information Systems Assurance Management (MISAM) after having paused intake in the Fall 2020 and Winter 2021 terms. This was done to allow students in the former 60 credit hour program to complete their program before initiating the new modified 33-credit hour program. The net effect was a reduction of 60 students, or 120.5 FLEs.

We continued to support prior student enrolment growth through faculty and staff hires. We filled five new faculty positions at the Assistant Professor rank in high-demand program areas, including Psychol ogy (2), Information Systems Security Management (1), and Information Technology (2). We also added staff positions to support our academic and scholarly activities, including a Director of CUE’s Centre for Applied Artificial Intelligence (CAAI). We also hired a new Recruitment Advisor, Academic Strategist, Learning Accommodation Services Exam Coordinator, and Student Social Worker.

ACADEMIC PROGRAMS

Our academic programs are integral to our commitment to deliver a high-quality education, setting stu dents up for success in their chosen careers or plans for further studies. We accomplish this by virtue of being a small campus that provides all the benefits of student-focused pedagogy. At the same time, we strive to stand out among our small campus peers – living up to our commitment to be Canada’s pre-em inent small university. We meet this challenge through constant evaluation of our existing academic offer ings and the development of new innovative and distinctive programs that not only build on our exper tise, but that also fulfill essential societal and marketplace needs.

Rise and shine for a great cause

The sixth annual President’s Fundraising Breakfast for Mental Health raised more than $26,000 for the Shaughn O’Brien Mental Health Fund, created in memory of a CUE student.

To date, the fund has raised over $190,000 that has gone towards creat ing and advancing critical mental health services and preventative wellness programs on campus – areas that have seen growing demand throughout the pandemic.

Dr. Tim Loreman, CUE President and Vice-Chancellor, initiated the annual breakfast in 2017 after seeing an urgent need to increase mental health supports available to students.

“It’s critical for our students to feel heard, supported, and valued. It’s what makes CUE unique, and it makes our campus a special place to be,” says Dr. Loreman. “The funds raised through our annual breakfast help us do exactly that—to be more than a university, to be a supportive gathering place that puts people first and prioritizes mental health.”

We offer more than 50 undergraduate majors, concentrations, and minors, 4 master’s degree programs, and 1 doctorate degree program. This is in addition to several after-degree programs, graduate and undergraduate certificates and diplomas, and continuing education programs. This year we launched our first-ever doctoral program—a Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology (PsyD). This five-year program is one of only six of its kind in Canada, and the only one west of Manitoba. The program provides cut ting-edge, evidence-based clinical services and uses state-of-the-art training technologies, work-integrat ed learning, and quality assurance assessment.

This past year we re-introduced our two highly sought-after Master’s programs in Information Systems Security Management (MISSM) and Information Systems Assurance Management (MISAM), modified to 33-credit programs from 60 credit hours. Feedback from students in the modified programs is encour aging, with most students indicating very high levels of satisfaction on many key indicators of success, including 10 out 10 surveyed saying they are satisfied with the overall academic quality of the program, and the same number saying the program provides good preparation for a career.

CUE aims to increase opportunities for CUE students to gain real workplace experience through the integration of “Work Integrated Learning” (WIL). This approach helps better prepare our students to enter their professions with confidence and competence, while at the same time meeting the evolving knowl edge and business needs of our communities. WIL has been solidly embedded in our Education and Management programs, and in virtually all of CUE’s Science programs for several years. In the Arts, our longstanding applied emphasis program in psychology and our new doctoral program in the field of clini cal psychology also provide CUE students with substantive hands-on experience. WIL has been included in all of our new programs introduced in the past few years, including our most recent 4-year Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy program that was approved this year. We are also taking active measures to add WIL to existing programs that currently do not offer a WIL component.

Through CUE’s Office of Teaching and Learning (OTL), established in 2020-21, we support our faculty to develop and implement innovative delivery methods that strengthen CUE’s teaching and learning practices to enhance student’s learning experience. Through the expansion of flexible delivery models, facilitated by the OTL, we also provide students with more options and pathways to program completion.

NON-CREDIT LEARNING

Through our Office of Extension and Culture (OEC), we now offer 200 non-credit courses that support lifelong-learning and complementary choices outside of our academic programs. Our non-credit offerings provide a diverse portfolio of learning opportunities spanning Arts and Drama, Cultural Studies, Languag es, Professional Development, and Science. Over the past year, the OEC had 241 course enrolments, which is on par with last year’s numbers. More than half of those (51 per cent) were in our Speak Science Simply program which supports effective communication of technical information to the general public. The program includes eight modules that have been designed by a multidisciplinary team of experts at CUE. Of the six modules offered last year, the highest uptake was in Navigating Scientific Controversy (46), followed by Writing Science Simply & Succinctly (22), and Leveraging Social Media for Science (18).

RESEARCH & INNOVATION

Research at CUE has experienced success and growth in recent years. Over the past year, we continued to encourage and support faculty, student and community engagement in research and scholarship. De spite challenges caused by the ongoing pandemic, faculty and student pursuit and success in research was on par or slightly exceeded last year’s metrics. Notably, we maintained applications for external research funding and Tri-Agency funding, which ensures we remain on track to gain eligibility to host a Canada Research Chair.

CUE’s Indigenous Knowledge and Research Centre (IKRC) facilitates access to Indigenous resources, knowledge, and perspectives and provides a supportive hub for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous students. In 2021-22, we continued to offer programs, services, and host events and provide support to faculty members conducting research or integrating Indigenous perspectives into their curricula. In Fall 2021, the Faculty of Arts implemented a new minor in Indigenous Studies. Additionally, as part of our non-credit programming, CUE’s Office of Extension and Culture developed, in collaboration with Student Life and Learning (SLL), an Indigenous Engagement and Collaboration course to be introduced in Fall 2021. The development of this course was made possible by Suncor Energy Foundation’s âni skômohcikewin: Finding Connection through Relationship and Research funding.

Through our BMO-Centre for Innovation and Applied Research (BMO-CIAR) we foster meaningful con nections and increased engagement in applied research and innovation initiatives between the CUE community and external partners. The BMO-CIAR supports CUE faculty, staff and students in connecting with industry and community partners for applied research and commercialization in their areas of exper tise. Key areas of focus at CUE include energy, machine learning, environmental sciences, information technology, and public health. These opportunities are supported by three research hubs::

„ the Concordia Centre for Applied AI (CAAI), which serves to raise the profile of CUE within the local innovation community and encourage internal and external collaborations in the area of Artificial Intelligence (AI);

„ the McNeil Centre for Applied Renewable Energy which serves as a nexus between the energy sector and the general public to have meaningful dialogues and share information on topics re lated to renewable energy; and

„ the Environmental Health Simulation Lab (S-Lab) which enables students and faculty to bring their research to the community by providing real-life conditions in a simulated environment.

The resources offered through the BMO-CIAR support a range of innovative research activities. Among them, and highlighted elsewhere in this report, are: student participation in MAIya, a research-focused internship programs, that led to the development of intelligent conversational Natural Language Process ing (NLP) bot intended to serve as a personalized knowledge base for persons with cognitive disabilities; plus faculty led collaborative projects in waste management, as well as in the development of multi-func tional health food ingredients, nutraceuticals, and natural health products. The CIAR also offered its annual Innovation LaunchPad initiative which saw greater uptake and success among students from non-traditional programs of study.

INTERNATIONALIZATION

This past year, in our university’s centennial year, we signed on with our 100th international partner. We presently maintain active international partnerships in 37 countries, with 4 of them developed in the past year. These partnerships increase opportunities for faculty members to engage in collaborative interna tional research projects and expand opportunities for students to engage in study and research abroad.

Countries with Signed Partnerships

Argentina Czech Republic Hungary Mexico Spain

Austria Denmark Iceland Montenegro Switzerland

Bangladesh Dominican Republic India Norway The Bahamas

Belgium Ecuador Italy Poland The Netherlands

Brazil Finland Japan Portugal United Kingdom

China France Liechtenstein Russia

Colombia Germany Lithuania Slovakia

Croatia Greece Macedonia Slovenia

Outbound mobility was hampered this year due to the pandemic. Although we were able to send two students abroad with the help of available Erasmus+ funding. We expect that outbound mobility will resume as normal in 2022-23. This year we augmented student study abroad opportunities by intro ducing a new scholarship program in partnership with Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU) – IBS BFSU - CUE Jeffrey Fitzner Scholarship – which will be available for CUE 1+2+1 Dual Degrees students during their studies at Beijing Foreign Studies University, Beijing, China. The scholarship was generously donated by Mr. Jeffrey Fitzner, an instructor in the Faculty of Management at CUE. BFSU has contributed matching funds.

Our Centre for Chinese Studies continued to support Chinese teacher development, language program ming, and cross-institutional and jurisdiction collaborations. This year the Centre hosted a Chinese Vis iting Teacher from Southwest Petroleum University in Chengdu, China. It also provided remote training to over 1,700 Chinese teachers from across the globe and held a Winter Camp for 60 Albertan learners. The Centre also helped bring CUE’s Concert Choir music to the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, which received over 3.5 million views over the course of the games.

STUDENT LIFE

Through CUE’s Student Student Life and Learning (SLL) team, CUE support the academic and personal development of our students, providing a number of services to support personal and academic growth, and to provide a safe and enriching learning environment. These programs aim to support the diverse and particular needs of our student body, including those of Indigenous learners, students with disabili ties, and students who may require foundational learning supports to help them succeed.

We continued to support student academic success through our Concordia Commitment, a one-of-a-kind program in Alberta when founded in Fall 2018. The program provides additional support throughout a student’s program of studies to help them succeed. Any student who completes all of the requirements and does not secure career-related employment or entry into advanced studies within six months of graduation is eligible to return for an extra year of undergraduate classes for free. To date, 17 Concordia Commitment students completed the program. Notably, all of them secured a job or were admitted to graduate studies following completion of their program.

Demand for SLL learning and personal support services continues to increase year-over-year. For exam ple, compared to last year, we saw increases in the number of students receiving learning accommoda tion supports (up 20 per cent) and tutoring (up 75 per cent), as well as increased hours of writing support provided to students (up 31 per cent). Additionally, the counseling team’s individual sessions increased 23 per cent.

As of 2021-22, 22 out 25 of the recommendations articulated in CUE’s 2017 Mental Health Strategy were implemented. Training was provided on topics such as mental health, suicide prevention, harm reduction, and sexual violence prevention and reduction, to name a few. To foster an inclusive campus community that supports LGBTQ2S+ students, faculty and staff, CUE engaged in a multitude of initiatives including partnering in over 24 events with local Edmonton PSIs for Pride Month.

CUE is committed to fostering a diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment for work, study, and living. We actively promote dignity for all, rejecting action and language that are harmful to mutual respect. Thoughtful scrutiny and the civil debate of a variety of ideas and approaches are vital to the fulfillment of CUE’s purpose, and are encouraged as essential elements of inclusion. In December 2021 we finalized CUE’s Equity and Diversity Framework which reaffirms our commitment to create a community that sup ports a diversity of perspectives.

BOARD OF GOVERNORS

In August 2021, the Board of Governors approved a set of seven goals for the 2021-22 academic year. These goals were set in the context of CUE’s mission and vision, and include the following:

Goal 1: Advance the mission and vision of the university by focusing on the role of the Board.

Goal 2: Identify and comply with all legal and governance obligations.

Goal 3: Maintain a principled culture and high standard of ethics and conduct.

Goal 4: Review selected bylaws.

Goal 5: Assess the success of the annual board goals.

Goal 6: Exercise fiduciary oversight.

Goal 7: Promote and participate in the CUE 100th anniversary celebrations.

The Board Committees considered various aspects and worked throughout the year to review bylaws, plans and reports to assist them in achieving the goals set for the year. This resulted in recommenda tions to the Board of Governors for some changes to policy and bylaws, and other actions. The Board reviewed its progress for the 2021-22 year and concluded their goals were successfully achieved.

Thunder pride!

The Thunder athletes proved to not be deterred by the pandemic, capturing 26 medals at the conference level in Alber ta Colleges’ Athletic Conference (ACAC) competition, including 10 gold.

Our CUE athletes earned several im pressive accomplishments:

19 athletes named to the ACAC All-Con ference Teams

2 CUE coaches awarded the ACAC Coach of the Year (Men’s Hockey and Cross-Country)

4 medals awarded at the national level, including the National Championship in Men’s Cross-Country

4 athletes named CCAA All-Canadians

8 athletes named CCAA Academic All-Canadians

26 athletes awarded the CCAA National Scholar Award

On top of a fantastic season, Athletics and Recreation team members demon strated their big hearts by donating blood, collecting toys, and raising dona tions throughout the year. Their vol unteer efforts benefited local charities such as the Canadian Blood Services, Santa’s Anonymous, the Bissell Centre, the Make Some Noise for Mental Health campaign, Ukrainian Relief, and CUE’s student athlete scholarships.

Go Thunder!

SECTION 6.

Goals, Priority Initiatives, Expected Outcomes, and Performance Measures

Our operations are guided by our vision and mission, and the strategic direction articulated in key insti tutional and planning documents, including our Academic Plan (2018-23), Strategic Research Plan (201924), Campus Master Plan (2020), and Comprehensive Institutional Plan (2019-22).

This section highlights CUE’s attainment of goals, priority initiatives, expected outcomes, and associated measures in the 2021-2022 fiscal year. These are reported against the backdrop of the four themes of CUE’s Academic Plan 2018-2023:

„ Our Past, Our Present, Our Future;

„ An Ethic of Comprehensive Inclusion;

„ Treaty 6, Edmonton, and the World; and

„

A Boutique Experience.

Our Academic Plan serves as a framework to highlight our strategic direction by integrating the main goals and priorities articulated in CUE’s institutional planning documents.

The goals, priority initiatives, strategic actions, and success measures listed under each theme in this section of the report are the result of a synthesis of the strategic priorities conveyed in our most recent Academic Plan, Strategic Research Plan, Comprehensive Institutional Plan, and Campus Master Plan.

CUE’s key goals and their associated priority initiatives, strategic actions and metrics are part of a multiyear planning cycle. This report focuses on those areas where progress was made in fiscal 2021-2022, and leaves out completed and future activity. As a result, some of the listed priority initiatives and strate gic actions, and performance metrics will intentionally not be reported on.

THEME 1: OUR PAST, OUR PRESENT, OUR FUTURE

We’re constantly seeking the right balance between teaching and research, between specialization and adventurousness. But our ultimate goal has not changed since 1921: to be more than students and professors, to create a community of active citizens, of good and honourable people.

At CUE, we are proud of the land we occupy, and of the Indigenous heritage and presence on this land. In reflecting on our past, where we are now, and where we want to go, we are steadfast in meeting our ongoing commitment to provide the strong foundational post-secondary education for which we are known, while also developing programs to meet the evolving knowledge and business needs of the future.

GOAL 1.1: PREPARE CUE STUDENTS FOR THE FUTURE

A main priority for CUE is setting students up for success, whatever their futures may hold, whether it is a career or further studies, through the delivery of high-quality and relevant academic programming.

Priority Initiatives & Strategic Actions

„ Ensure our learning outcomes are appropriate and relevant

„ Develop new and distinctive degree programs that build on our strengths and respond to societal needs

„ Ensure quality, viability, and relevance in our academic programs

„ Expand options and pathways to help students complete their programs, including via online courses and the expansion of course sections

„ Continue to implement the Concordia Commitment Program

Success Measures

„

Implementation of CUE’s new institution-wide learning outcomes into all programs in year 1 of the Academic Plan 2018-2023

„ Metrics evaluating students’ success transitioning into careers and/or ad vanced studies

„

„

Year-on-year improvement in timely degree completion and completion rates

Implementation of a minimum of three new innovative programs during the period of the academic plan

„ Adherence to a five-year schedule for cyclical reviews of academic pro grams

„ Metrics demonstrating students have sufficient choice in setting and mov ing through their programs

PROGRESS MADE IN THE LAST 12 MONTHS

Launched and successfully implemented our first doctoral program

In Fall 2021, we welcomed our first cohort of 10 doctoral students to our first-ever doctoral program—a Doc tor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology (PsyD) program. The new five-year program is one-of-a-kind and off to a strong start. Year one and two enrolment targets were hit with 20 high-quality doctoral students enrolled currently. Students are from five different Canadian provinces and one U.S. state. The curriculum is based on best-available theory and research on clinical training in the field. It is sequential and cumulative, with subsequent courses building on prior courses throughout the five-year program. This fall, the PsyD training clinic opens its doors to CUE students, faculty, and staff, as well as members of the community at large. The clinic provides cutting-edge, evidence-based clinical services and uses state-of-the-art training technologies, work-integrated learning, and quality assurance assessment. Importantly, preliminary data suggest CUE’s first-ever doctoral cohort is readily achieving program learning outcomes (PLOs). Preliminary data also sug gest students are highly satisfied with the program, particularly the supervision and mentoring.

Continued to monitor new and existing programs to ensure their academic quality, relevance and viability

In 2021-22, as part of CUE’s ongoing Academic Program Cyclical Review process we:

„ Completed the review of CUE’s Bachelor of Arts programs in History, Sociology and Political Economy, and made substantial progress on our Bachelor of Science in Environmental Health (After Degree) program.

Starting an entrepreneurial journey at CUE

Every successful startup has to begin somewhere, and Innovation Launchpad at CUE helps students every step of the way. Students, faculty and leaders in var ious fields connect, deepen relationships and help student entrepreneurs take the next steps towards creating a viable business venture.

The program employs an objective-based mentoring process with the goal of advancing students’ ideas – whether in tech, healthcare or any industry. Work shops and expert sessions support CUE students to meet with leaders who are eager to share their expertise.

In total, 67 CUE students participated in the program in 2022 in either the co-cur ricular stream or the extra-curricular stream.

This year’s Innovation Launchpad winner Kelton Libich, is owner of YegRecycling a new online thrift store. He went on to win the Goodwill Thrifting Hall of FameVintage Finds award and is one of many students finding success after taking part in the program

“I’m proud that the Innovation Launch pad Program has been able to welcome and support a diverse group of student entrepreneurs,” explains Dr. Isha Katyal, Director, Innovation and Industry at CUE.

“There is always more work to be done, but we are definitely on the right track to en sure innovation and entrepreneurship are a part of CUE’s culture. I am touched every time I see our innovative students advanc ing their passion projects and starting their entrepreneurial journey right here at CUE.”

„ Launched and made substantial progress on the reviews of our Bachelor of Arts programs in Drama and Music, and our Bachelor of Education (After Degree) program.

We also continued to monitor the implementation and success of programs, particularly our newer and recently modified programs through compliance reporting to the Campus Alberta Quality Council in our biennial 2019-2021 Monitoring Report.

We also monitored the implementation of our new programs through internal evaluation processes. This past year we re-introduced our two highly sought-after master’s programs in Information Systems Securi ty Management (MISSM) and Information Systems Assurance Management (MISAM), after having paused intake into the two programs in the Fall 2020 and Winter 2021 terms to allow students in the former 60 credit hour program to complete their program before initiating the modified 33-credit hour program. We also implemented a more competitive admission policy and enrolment caps to the modified 33-credit hour program. This resulted in lower enrolments in the two programs relative to the previous year. FLEs in MISAM dropped 50 per cent (from 20.0 to 10.6), and MISSM FLEs dropped 66 per cent from (181.6 to 61.5). We surveyed students who were enrolled in the new 33-credit program in 2021-22, and received positive feedback from those that responded, including that:

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10 out of 10 Agreed or Strongly Agreed that:

‡ the program provides good preparation for a career; and

‡ they received helpful academic support from program faculty.

„ 9 out of 10 Agreed or Strongly Agreed that:

‡ the content of the courses in their program is well-organized; and

‡ their program is academically challenging.

„ 100 per cent were Satisfied or Very satisfied with the overall academic quality of the program.

Evidence of CUE’s impact in supporting student’s transition into careers and further studies is evident in surveys of our alumni, such as the Alberta Graduate Outcomes Survey (GOS) that is administered by the province every two years. The most recent surveys administered in 2018 and 2020 to the class of 201516 and 2017-18, respectively, demonstrate the following encouraging results for CUE students:

„ 99 per cent of 2020 CUE respondents reported their current main job is Somewhat Related or Very Related to the general skills and abilities they acquired (for example, communication skills, critical thinking, problem solving), which is higher than 2018 results (91 per cent) and higher than the 2020 rate reported nationally (95 per cent);

„ 87 per cent of 2020 CUE respondents reported their current main job is Somewhat Related or Very Related to the subject-area knowledge they acquired, which is higher than 2018 results (79 per cent) and on par with the 2020 rate reported nationally (87 per cent);

Supported and continued to expand student options and pathways to program completion.

Toward this objective, we continued implementation of our Concordia Commitment program. This year marked the fourth year of the program. It had an intake of six new students, as well as 34 continuing stu dents. To date, 17 Concordia Commitment students successfully completed the program.

In addition to these metrics, we are also making some program improvements to the CUE Commitment, with the dual goals of improving the experience for current Commitment students while also attracting a larger number of new students to the program. These changes will include increased engagement with faculty through collaboration with CUE’s Research Clusters and an improved program model for students in their fourth-year of the Commitment program. While these changes have not yet been implemented, Student Life & Learning spent time researching and planning for these changes throughout the 20212022 academic year.

We also expanded options and pathways to program completion. Through the assistance of CUE’s new Office of Teaching and Learning, we added 32 new flexible courses, with 15 created and delivered in Fall 2021, and an additional 17 developed and introduced in Winter 2022.

Additionally, we provided more opportunities for students to take their required and elective courses. Be tween 2020-21 and 2021-22, we increased the number of course sections in our undergraduate bachelor programs by five per cent.

GOAL 1.2: GROW AND PLAN FOR AN EXPANDED STUDENT POPULATION

CUE has set a goal of increasing its student population to 3,000 full load equivalents (FLEs) through a sustainable growth trajectory. As the number of students on campus increases, CUE also needs to expand the services and size of its campus to accommodate the academic, administrative, and ancillary staff and supports required to deliver on Goal 1.1.

Priority Initiatives & Strategic Actions

„ Meet ongoing enrolment and accountability reporting requirements to Al berta Ministry of Advanced Education

„ Ensure sustainable hiring of faculty and non-faculty staff to keep pace with enrolments

„ Develop and implement a student recruitment plan that is both more target ed/deliberate and more broad-based to draw more students from under served populations

„ Implement CUE’s 2020 Campus Master Plan priorities for immediate growth to support infrastructure development.

Success Measures

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Movement toward 4,000 students (3,000 FLEs), through sustainable enrol ment increases averaging five per cent per year

Year-on-year increases in student enrolment among underserved groups

Maintenance of optimal faculty and staff-to-student ratios

Attainment of Campus Master Plan priorities related to infrastructure devel opment for immediate growth

PROGRESS MADE IN THE LAST 12 MONTHS

Continued to support increased student enrolments toward 4,000 students (3,000 FLEs) through increased faculty and staff hires

Despite a small decline in enrolments over the past year, we continued to support a growing student population to keep pace with an eight-year growth trend from 2013-14 to 2020-21 by adding 12 new posi tions, including:

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Five new faculty positions at the assistant professor rank to support growth in high demand pro grams; including:

‡ two in the Faculty of Arts (both in Psychology);

‡ one in the Faculty of Management (in the Master of Science in Information Systems Security Management program); and

‡ two in the Faculty of Science (both in Information Technology).

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Six staff positions, including four that provide direct support to students (Recruitment Advisor, Academic Strategist, Learning Accommodation Services Exam Coordinator, and Social Workertemporary), as well as a Director of CUE’s Centre for Applied Artificial Intelligence.

Celebrating the largest graduating class in CUE’s history!

We gathered in person for CUE’s 35th convocation to recognize 731 graduates – our largest graduating class ever. This group included the first graduates of CUE’s Master of Science in Information Technology program.

“The past two years have been excep tionally challenging with the pandemic. Our graduates have proven that they are prepared to rise to any occasion, no matter the circumstances,” says Dr. Tim Loreman, President and Vice-Chancellor. “It gives us all great pride to recognize their achievements, and celebrate both their time at CUE and their next chapter.”

An Honorary Doctor of Laws Degree was awarded at convocation to Audrey Poitras, the longest serving and first female president of the Métis Nation of Alberta. In her 25 years of leadership, she has inspired many by her unwavering commitment to advancing Métis rights and improving the well-being of Métis citizens in Alberta and beyond.

Continued to monitor enrolments and implement changes to support sustainable growth and targeted recruitment

Over the reporting period, CUE experienced a modest decline in overall student numbers following a sustained eight-year period of growth. The total number of unique students (head count) in minis try-approved programs dropped by two per cent and full load equivalents (FLEs) dropped six per cent as shown in Table 1 below. The impacts of the pandemic, as noted in Section 5, were a key factor in the enrolment losses. In 2021-22:

„ Head counts totaled 3,248, down by 71 students from the previous year.

„ FLEs totaled 2,426.6, down by 157.6 FLEs from the previous year.

„ FLEs increased in both bachelor’s and master’s programs, by 14 per cent and six per cent, re spectively; however, actual student counts decreased among master’s students.

Figure 1 – Total Head Count and Full Load Equivalent (FLE) Enrolments, 2017-18 and 2021-22

3,500 3,000 2,500 2,000

2,613

2,300 1,659.7 1,878.1 2,340.5 2,584.2 2,424.6

0

Headcount FLE 3,230 3,319 3,248 1,500 1,000 500 2017-2018 2018-2019 2019-2020 2020-2021 2021-2022

2021-2022 29

Degree

Count and

Enrolments

Bachelor’s

Bachelor

Bachelor

Bachelor

Bachelor

Bachelor

Bachelor

Bachelor

Master’s

Master

Master

Master

Monitored and implemented changes to support sustainable growth and targeted recruitment

„ CUE continued to apply enrolment caps to high demand undergraduate programs including our Bachelor of Arts in Psychology three-year and four-year programs, Bachelor of Science in Information Technology four-year program, and Bachelor of Environmental Health After Degree program.

Continued implementation of CUE’s 2020 Campus Master Plan priorities for immediate growth

The Campus Master Plan includes immediate, intermediate, and long-term plans for expansion. Our immediate priorities for infrastructure development, which includes a new academic building, are neces sary to meet our capacity needs of 4,000 students. Initial planning began in 2019 and led to the design of a new Academic Building and Student Quad. In fulfilling our plan, over the past year, we:

„ Commenced construction of the new building in August 2021.

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Held monthly space planning meetings to develop interim strategies to manage space pressures within the confines of the current campus.

„ Extended hours of operation to meet larger evening weekend loading.

„ Added an Assistant Director position to assist with planning and development.

THEME 2: AN ETHIC OF COMPREHENSIVE INCLUSION

We have always been a strong community. We care for one another. We know each other’s names and we’re open to new experiences, new ways of seeing the world. Our plan is to be the most welcoming small university in Canada. That is, genuinely inclusive.

At CUE, being ethical is about working to be our best selves. It is about being respectful of diversity, act ing with integrity, and being honest and accountable. We are committed to supporting student success, creating a positive learning experience, as well as providing a welcoming and supportive campus com munity for all.

CUE’s first Equity, Diversity and Inclusion framework

Moving towards greater equity, diversity and inclusion is a long-term journey –one that we take seriously at CUE. To be Canada’s pre-eminent small university, we acknowledge we need to amplify our commitment and take meaningful actions to support members of our community.

This past year, we proudly introduced the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Framework that will guide teams across the universi ty as they build their strategies and work plans.

“I’m excited that CUE has collaborated to create this framework,” says Dr. Carmen Arth, Vice-President of Campus Life. “Intentionally expanding our focus to en sure continued progress with inclusion, diversity and equity is a priority, and will ultimately support the learning, growth, and well-being of the entire CUE commu nity.”

Over the next year, we will celebrate our successes, recognize our shortcomings, and continue to build our capacity to foster equity, diversity, and inclusion as central elements to our mission. We look forward to sharing our progress with the CUE community.

GOAL 2.1: PROMOTE AND PROVIDE A SAFE AND INCLUSIVE ENVIRONMENT

Offering a safe, healthy, and inclusive environment, as well as supporting the mental health and well-being of students, faculty, and staff, continues to be one of the highest priorities for CUE.

Priority Initiatives & Strategic Actions

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Implement and expand initiatives and strategies that promote and provide an inclusive culture, as well as a safe and healthy work and learning envi ronment, including continued implementation of Violence Reduction and Mental Health Strategies

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Promote and foster an inclusive campus community that supports LGBTQ2S+ students, faculty, and staff through awareness, education, and targeted initiatives

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Implement CUE’s Discrimination, Harassment, and Accommodation policy, which was approved by CUE’s Board of Governors in August 2018

Success Measures

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Increases in the proportion of faculty and staff who have received training in mental health, diversity, and disability support, aiming for 100 per cent by year five of the Academic Plan 2018-2023

„ Metrics demonstrating that faculty, staff, and students are exposed to ethics instruction early in their time at CUE

Progress made in the last 12 months

Continued to implement CUE’s Violence Reduction and Mental Health Strategies

As of 2021-22, we implemented 22 out 25 of the recommendations articulated in CUE’s 2017 Mental Health Strategy and continued to implement CUE’s Sexual Violence Reduction Strategy. These were realized through the work of CUE’s Student Life and Learning and include:

„ Hiring a CUE Campus Wellness Manager to oversee the implementation of the CUE Mental Health and Wellness Strategic Plan, which increases capacity to train faculty and staff in mental health, wellness, gender-based violence awareness, suicide prevention, and resiliency training.

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Renewing CUE’s Campus Wellness Coordinator position, which supports the increased offering of existing and new programs, events and campaigns in the areas of Sexual Violence Prevention, wellness and Mental Health Strategies.

„ Continued to deliver Mental Health First Aid, Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training, safe TALK, Livingworks Start, and The Inquiring Mind as part of our Mental Health programming.

„ Added Resiliency Training workshops for staff and students to our Mental Health programming.

„ Increased the Harm Reduction work, offering Naloxone training, Cannabis Café (awareness), pro viding free non-alcoholic beverage alternatives at the year-end Thunderfest party, and collaborat ing with faculty in offering harm reduction education opportunities for students.

„ Expanded our Sexual Violence Prevention & Bystander Intervention training, flip the script train ing, and partnering with the Sexual Assault Centre of Edmonton to offer additional programs. From our CUE community, 231 members completed the Sexual Violence Prevention & Bystander Intervention Training.

„ Delivered sessions and provided resources for students on the Code of Student Conduct, sexual violence prevention, and academic integrity at new student orientation.

„ Developed resources for faculty and students, including Responding to Suicide & Recognizing and Supporting Students in Distress.

„ Delivered a workshop for faculty, staff and students on Toxic Masculinity and Anti-Violence Train ing in Relationships

„ Worked to revise CUE’s sexual violence policy to a gender-based violence policy in consultation with staff, faculty and students, and collaborating with other PSIs.

Continued to promote and foster an inclusive campus community that supports LGBTQ2S+ students, faculty and staff

To support this work CUE:

„ Continued to participate in the Queer Support Services Network (QSSN), which supports queer/ trans/intersex programming and students/staff/faculty on campus. This network provides queer student advisors, develops and analyzes policy as it relates to gender, sexual and relationship diversity, provides workshops and other learning opportunities, and plans queer-specific events. We also increased collaboration with western Canada post secondary institutions (PSIs) as part of the QSSN.

„ Through the North Side Pride Collaborative initiative, we partnered in over 24 events with local Edmonton PSIs for Pride Month events, including NAIT, NorQuest, The King’s University, and Mac Ewan University.

„ Initiated a Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion working group as part of the CUE Mental Health and Wellness Strategic Plan, which includes staff, students, and faculty.

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Supported Sexual and Gender Diversity professional development training for counseling staff.

Appointed an Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) lead as part of senior leadership to align LGBTQ2S+ initiatives with other initiatives aimed at creating transformative inclusion at CUE.

GOAL 2.2: ALL CUE STUDENTS ARE SUPPORTED

CUE is committed to providing targeted and intentional services, so that all students are supported in achieving their post-secondary goals.

Priority Initiatives & Strategic Actions

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Reduce barriers to academic success by improving both access to and aware ness of student services

Reduce financial barriers to success by increasing direct financial aid, and by increasing awareness of and supports to help students seek financial aid

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Minimize cost barriers for students by supporting and increasing use of open-access resources

Continue to implement CUE’s Bounce Back Program, first implemented in 2018/19

„ Continue to provide students with disabilities with necessary supports and accommodations for learning

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Provide supports to meet the particular needs of CUE’s international students

Success Measures

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Metrics demonstrating increased awareness of, use of, and satisfaction with student support services

Increase in institutional funding for bursaries and scholarships

Year-on-year increases in the number of open-access titles available through the CUE Library

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Year-on-year increases in the conversion rate for CUE Entrance Scholarships

Introducing our chatbot: MAIya

This spring, CUE students had the opportunity to test MAIya, a unique AIbased chatbot created to assist learners with disabilities.

The MAIya project, led by project man ager Mandira Das and lead developer Arul Prukash, began in late 2022 as a collaboration between CUE’s Centre for Applied Artificial Intelligence (CAAI) and the BMO-Centre for Innovation and Applied Research (BMO-CIAR). Inclusion Alberta and CUE’s Student Life & Learn ing team are key partners in bringing the project to life.

More than [TBC] students tried MAIya to help manage their time and prioritize tasks for assignments, and to summa rize key learning points from longer content.

“Our team was excited to hear from students so we could learn how we could improve the user experience with MAIya,” says Mike Wade, director of the CAAI. “We plan to launch the platform widely to benefit post-secondary stu dents with learning challenges and are proud to support inclusive environments at CUE and beyond.”

MAIya was made possible through funding from Innovation, Science, and Economic Development Canada (ISED) through the Accessible Technology Program (ATP).

Progress made in the last 12 months

Improved access to and awareness of student services

To support students in 2021-22 in this capacity we:

„ Further improved the coordination of supports between Counselling Services, Learning Services, and Learning Accommodation Services to more quickly and effectively respond to students’ needs.

„ Developed a collaborative approach to working with our communications team to advance CUE’s Mental Health and Wellness Strategy through increased messaging of programs and information on various CUE platforms, and improving our social media presence.

„ Increased the support provided through our Writing Centre through 146 hours of writing support, which is an increase of 31 per cent from the prior year.

„ Provided 273 hours of tutoring and increased the number of unique users of this service by 75 per cent.

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Continued to run the Early Alert service, which allowed instructors to identify at-risk students and make referrals to Learning Services staff who refer them to relevant services.

„ Hosted a Career Week event in January 2021, which saw a 51 per cent increase in student regis trations and included 18 organizations that participated in this event to educate students around career opportunities, skills, and transitions. In addition, Career Services provided 286 advising appointments in 2021-22.

Continued to provide necessary supports and accommodations for students with disabilities

Learning Accommodation Services (LAS) had higher numbers of students inquiring about services and accessing services than in the previous year. In 2021-22:

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The number of students accessing LAS was 293, which represents an increase of 20 per cent.

„ Our Learning Accommodations Services Advisor referred 65 students for a free psycho-educa tional assessment from Alberta Works.

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Despite a higher case load, we provided exam accommodations to 98 per cent of the students who accessed the LAS, which is on par with last year.

Continued to implement CUE’s Bounce Back program

The program delivered course components and one-on-one meetings online in 2021-22. This enabled 16 students, who would otherwise have been required to withdraw, to be readmitted to their degree pro grams.

Continued to secure, promote and distribute financial aid

CUE increased the 2021-22 budget for scholarships and bursaries by approximately 10 per cent over the previous year. Over the past year, we maintained our conversion rate for CUE Entrance Scholarships. While our goal was to increase our rate from the previous year, our efforts to do so were undoubtedly hampered by the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Through specific initiatives led by our Financial Aid and Awards office we continued to address financial barriers to participation in post-secondary edu cation by increasing direct financial aid, and increasing awareness of available financial supports and helping students access those supports; these included:

„ Creating a new entrance scholarship for doctoral students and maintaining scholarship funding for master’s students.

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Establishing a January intake for the University Entrance Scholarship program that resulted in new scholarship opportunities for students who were previously ineligible due to their start date. Our baseline intake was 13 students.

„ Continuing targeted outreach through weekly news, email and face-to-face appointments to encourage students to apply for the Canada Student Grant for Full-time Students. The number of students eligible to receive this grant alone (no loan funding) increased 10.5 per cent over the previous year.

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Frequent advertising of internal and other external financial aid opportunities for students in the weekly news.

Offering a Scholarships 101 information session to students in the CUE Commitment program highlighting how to find scholarship opportunities.

Increased supports for international students:

In 2021-22, CUE’s new International Student Advisor planned and coordinated a series of events for international and exchange students. These included immigration advising presentations, collaborative events with Student Life and Learning (including a Career Services for International Students) and various Cultural Events. Additionally, the International Office offered in-person and virtual advising appointments to international students throughout the academic year. Offering a choice to our international students to access services either virtually or in-person has led to reduced wait times, and increased programming and support available to international students, including helping international students with (re)entry into Canada and quarantine during COVID-19.

Minimized cost barriers by increasing the use of open-access resources:

In the past year the CUE Library added 5,068 high quality academic open access e-book and e-jour nal titles to its collection, bringing the total available to 39,101, which is a 23 per cent increase from last year’s total of 31,821. In addition, it supported the Directory of Open Access Journals and SHERPA/Ro MEO open access copyright policy database through funding to the Global Coalition for Open Science Services (SCOSS) and explored other cost-reducing strategies including licensing course readings in e-formats where appropriate licensing options were available and seeking copyright clearance for a wide array of short story and poetry works to create a lower cost anthology for first-year English students.

GOAL 2.3: REFLECT CUE’S COMMITMENT TO INCLUSION IN RECRUITMENT AND HIRING PRACTICES

While merit remains the primary criterion for faculty hiring, CUE will make every effort to attract, recruit, and retain faculty members who reflect the diversity of Canadian society and CUE’s student population.

Priority Initiatives & Strategic Actions

„ Support recruitment and retention of faculty and staff from underrepre sented groups as part of CUE’s sustainable faculty hiring practices

Success Measures

„ Increased number of new hires from underrepresented groups

Progress made in the last 12 months

Developed mechanisms to measure diversity at CUE

This past year we integrated intentional steps into our recruitment processes to attract members of under represented groups. These included greater focus on DEI in job postings and interview processes to ensure that efforts in these activities supported increased development of a culture committed to DEI principles.

THEME 3: TREATY 6, EDMONTON, AND THE WORLD

At CUE, we aim to practice and model full citizenship. As treaty people, whether settler or Indigenous, we work together to create improved relationships. As active and engaged members of our communities, students, faculty and staff exercise our shared democratic responsibilities and contribute to the betterment of society.

CUE acknowledges the location of its campus on Treaty 6 lands. In 2018, CUE opened the Indigenous Knowledge and Research Centre (IKRC). The IKRC facilitates access to Indigenous resources, knowl edge, perspectives, and community contacts for students, as well as for faculty members who are con ducting research and/or working towards Indigenizing their curricula.

GOAL 3.1: INDIGENIZE CUE

Following extensive consultation and planning, in November 2015, the Board of Governors approved an Indigenous Strategy that contained 15 recommendations. CUE’s Indigenous strategic planning is an ongoing process that requires continual engagement with Indigenous communities to identify necessary areas of action and engagement.

Priority Initiatives & Strategic Actions

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Continue to implement and expand CUE’s Indigenous Strategy and re spond meaningfully to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Cana da’s 94 Calls to Action

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Promote and expand programs and services offered through the Indige nous Knowledge and Research Centre (IKRC)

„ Establish an Indigenous Leadership Mentorship Program

„ Provide opportunities through academic programming and events to foster an understanding and appreciation of Indigenous culture, history (including the impacts of colonization), and Indigenous ways of knowing

„ Promote Indigenous leadership in research by creating of an internal research chair position for Indigenous research, ensuring Indigenous representation on the Research Ethics Board, and supporting Indigenous students’ participation in research projects

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Engage and support research collaborations with First Nations and Indige nous universities and colleges, Indigenous communities, and other part ners and stakeholders

Success Measures

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20 per cent of students take part in an IKRC event in year one of the Aca demic Plan 2018-2023, as part of their academic programs, and increasing thereafter

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20 per cent of faculty engage with the IKRC, with a view to incorporate Indigenous content in their courses and programs, in year one of the Aca demic Plan 2018-2023, and increasing thereafter

Progress made in the last 12 months

Continued to implement and expand CUE’s Indigenous Strategy

As of 2021-22, we implemented 12 of the 15 Indigenous Strategy recommendations, which include better supporting, recruiting and retaining Indigenous students, staff and faculty. In the past year the number of self-declared Indigenous students enrolled at CUE increased by three per cent from 172 in 2020-21 to 178 in 2021-22. The proportion of the domestic student body that self-identifies as Indigenous increased to 6.8 per cent, compared to 6.5 per cent a year ago. We continued to maintain a part-time Cultural Knowledge Keeper position, which supported students virtually, both one-on-one and in group settings. We also maintained a temporary Social Worker position to support First Nation, Métis and Inuit students with a view to making it permanent. This position was integral in building relationships and providing support to students through the IKRC. These positions significantly increased the centre’s capacity to support students, collaborate with faculty, and host events for the campus community.

Continued to promote and expand programs and services offered through the IKRC

In 2021-22, the Indigenous Knowledge and Research Centre hosted 14 Elder Teachings and coordinated eight Indigenous-focused learning opportunities which highlighted Indigenous worldviews, practices, and cultures. The events were held both virtually and in-person, and in total attracted 411 participants that included a mix of students, staff, and faculty. The impacts of those events, as recorded in feedback surveys, show that:

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Virtually all respondents (99 per cent) agreed that the content was interesting, including 68 per cent that said they strongly agreed.

„ About nine in ten (89 per cent) agreed that the content would be useful to their work, including 63 per cent that said they strongly agree.

„ About nine in ten (89 per cent) agreed that their knowledge about Indigenous perspectives, his tories, contemporary issues, worldviews and/or cultures had improved after attending the event; and of those, 42 per cent strongly agreed.

Continued to develop and integrate Indigenous content into CUE courses and programs

A number of initiatives were undertaken over the past year to advance CUE’s goal of cultivating an un derstanding and appreciation of Indigenous culture, history, and ways of knowing. These were enabled through faculty engagement with the IKRC and faculty-led initiatives. In 2021-22 the IKRC:

„ Engaged with 11 staff, faculty and instructors to incorporate Indigenous-related content into their programs, services and courses.

„ Engaged with 8 students seeking support in incorporating Indigenous-related content into their coursework.

In Fall 2021, the Faculty of Arts implemented a new Indigenous Studies Minor which comprises a cluster of courses from multiple disciplines, including History, Cree, Indigenous Studies, and Sociology. Com pared to last year, course enrolments in courses with an Indigenous focus offered as core or elective courses in the minor dropped by 10 per cent from the previous year. The number of course sections and the number of unique courses redeveloped remained the same.

Additionally, courses in CUE’s Bachelor of Education (After Degree) program (BEd), excluding practicum courses, includes cultural and historical topics related to First Nations, Metis and Inuit. Additionally, expe riential learning of Indigenous topics is a critical component of the program.

As part of our non-credit programming, CUE’s Office of Extension and Culture developed, in collabora tion with Student Life and Learning (SLL), an Indigenous Engagement and Collaboration course to be introduced in Fall 2021. The development of this course is made possible by Suncor Energy Foundation’s âniskômohcikewin: Finding Connection through Relationship and Research funding.

Supported Indigenous leadership in research and Indigenous research collaborations

Over the past year, the Office of Research Services (ORS) supported student participation in research by relaunching the Student Research Café series, which provides an opportunity for students and research ers to meet informally, and for students to engage directly with researchers. The ORS worked closely with the Indigenous Knowledge and Research Centre to invite Indigenous researchers to these sessions, and in April 2022, an Indigenous researcher led the monthly event. Additionally, this year, CUE signed a Memorandum of Understanding with a First Nations community to support the development of communi ty-led research projects.

GOAL 3.2: INCREASE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND

WORK-INTEGRATED LEARNING

CUE is committed to expanding opportunities for experiential learning outside of the classroom, through work-integrated learning and research opportunities with community and business partners.

Priority Initiatives & Strategic Actions

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Bring the community into CUE and take CUE into the community by embed ding community engagement in curricular and co-curricular activities

Expand and enhance opportunities for students to engage in work-integrated learning as part of their academic program

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Expand academic and research pathways with industry and community part ners

Success Measures

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30 per cent of students engaged in “citizenship” (co-curricular) activities/proj ects each year

10 per cent of students involved in some aspect of the work of CUE’s Bank of Montreal-Centre for Innovation and Applied Research (BMO-CIAR) each year

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Increase in the number of strategic partnerships with industry, government, and national and international agencies

Progress made in the last 12 months

Supported community engagement in curricular and co-curricular activities.

In 2021-22, community engagement was supported across our campus community. Many of these activ ities were led by CUE’s Student Life and Learning. Other prominent examples over the past year were initiated through CUE’s Fine Arts Department, with some of them done in partnership with the Office of Extension and Culture.

CUE’s Student Life and Learning:

„ Continued to encourage students to use the CUE Involved app to track their co-curricular activi ties.

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Approved over 40 unique co-curricular activities for students.

„ Had 34 students invest ten hours each of volunteer time in the CUE campus community as part of the CUE Commitment program.

CUE’s student athletes:

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Supported CUE’s Thunder Days of Giving campaign, which is aimed at making a positive differ ence in the lives of those less fortunate. Through this campaign, Thunder teams choose a local organization to contribute to over the holiday season. This past year, the badminton team donat ed blood through Canadian Blood Services, the men’s basketball and women’s soccer collected toys for Santa’s Anonymous, and the women’s basketball and hockey teams collected donations for The Bissell Centre.

„ Participated in the annual Make Some Noise for Mental Health campaign in January, shining a spotlight on mental health.

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Ran a parking fundraiser in May during the local Ukraine Fest and donated 50 per cent of pro ceeds to Ukrainian relief, with the remaining 50 per cent going to student athletic scholarships.

CUE’s choir on the world stage

Twelve students in CUE’s Concert Choir represented Canada in the international “2022 Sing for Winter Olympics” mu sic project for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.

The video project was initiated by the Centre for Language Education and Cooperation in China and supported by the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and Winter Paralympics Organizing Com mittee. More than 300 youth from 27 countries in five continents participated in the videos.

The Centre for Chinese Studies and the Concordia Concert Choir worked with a video producer from China in late 2021 to learn the songs in Mandarin and re cord the videos.

“At CUE, we always want to provide students with unique learning experienc es and I am happy to see their passion, strength and resilience throughout the project.” Dr. Xinxin Fang, director of the Office of Extension and Culture & Centre for Chinese Studies.

After nearly two years of cancelled per formances and a tour of China postponed due to the pandemic, it was a thrilling opportunity for the choir. “This project gave them something to show for the work they have been doing in a mostly online environment. “ Dr. John Brough, conductor and director of the Concordia Concert Choir. “It was a much needed boost during a challenging time.”

CUE’s Fine Arts Department:

„ Students in the Fine Arts Drama 325 course – Creativity in Theatre for Young Audiences – pre sented their work live to elementary and high school audiences at four schools in the Edmonton area, and they created and performed a special outdoor theatrical adventure for pre-school children at a local daycare.

„ Concordia Symphony Orchestra returned to live performance offering three full symphony con certs and two chamber concerts. The Orchestra features promising talents from members of both the university and greater Edmonton community. It develops aspiring musicians and enriches the city’s classical music scene.

„ Held its Winter production, Tuck Everlasting, based on the novel by Natalie Babbitt, with book by Claudia Shear and Tim Federle, music by Chris Miller and lyrics by Nathan Tysen. The production was a great success artistically and brought in an audience of over 600 with ticket sales of al most $9,000.00. Audience response to the show was enthusiastic and overwhelmingly positive.

CUE’s Office of Extension and Culture awarded its Concordia Connects Grant for Community and Cul tural Engagement (CCGCCE). This grant supports scholarly and creative activities related to culture and different manifestations of culture. The grant is open to students, sessional instructors, staff and faculty. Two grants are available per year: $3,000 for community engagement and $2,000 for cultural engage ment initiatives. In 2021-22:

„ The Cultural Award went to staff member, Amanda Thorson, to support the development of an International Engagement Certificate for promotion of intercultural awareness.

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The Community Award went to staff member, Isha Katyal, for a project entitled: Canada Come back Challenge (C3 program) and Innovation Sprint.

Past Cultural Award recipient, Stephanie Wong (Music student and CSO oboist), used the funding to develop a documentary film, Breaking Through Silence: The Story of the Concordia Symphony Orchestra During the Pandemic. Due to the pandemic, her project was delayed for a year and finally realized and shared with audiences in Spring 2022.

Enhanced opportunities for students to engage in work-integrated learning

Over the past year, we increased the proportion of approved programs that have a workplace learning component. Our target, established in our 2021-22 Investment Management Agreement (IMA) with the Department of Advanced Education, was to increase the proportion of approved programs at CUE that have a Work Integrated Learning component (WIL) from 35 per cent to 40 per cent. CUE surpassed the 2021-22 IMA target by three per cent, bringing the proportion of CUE programs with a WIL component to 43 per cent. Our first doctoral program, Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology, launched this year, provides exten sive hands-on training and applied research, including approximately 1,200 hours of clinical training and a 1,600-hour pre-doctoral internship/clinical residency provided over the duration of the five-year program.

Over the past year we had 321 learners enrolled in some form of Work Integrated Learning (WIL). This number serves as a benchmark for future reporting as this is our first year reporting the number of learn ers engaged in WIL at CUE to the Ministry of Advanced Education.

Expanded academic and research pathways with industry and community partners.

Through the Office of Research Services we:

„ Used NSERC funding to develop “Speak Science Simply,” an outreach program to equip profes sionals involved in science and research with the skills needed to communicate effectively with the general public.

„ Facilitated an application for funding provided by the Public Health Agency of Canada to launch the “VacciNATION Campaign,” a collaborative effort between four Alberta post-secondary institu tions to promote immunization against COVID-19 by sharing student-created materials on social media.

„ Facilitated a funding application for the Pasture Rejuvenation Project (PRP) team, which will inves tigate soil health in Alberta and bring together researchers from Agriculture and Agri-food Cana da (AAFC), Concordia University of Edmonton (CUE), and the Saskatchewan and British Columbia Forage Councils.

„ As a result of CUE’s BMO-CIAR’s partnership with the Edmonton Regional Innovation Network (ERIN) and service on its Steering Committee, eight faculty members, two staff and 11 students received approximately $130,000 in monetary support from the ERIN Business Development Sup port Program. In addition, ERIN provided $120,000 to fund an Executive in Residence position to support CUE members in advancing their entrepreneurial ideas.

„ CUE’s BMO-CIAR and CAAI represented CUE in the Artificial Intelligence (AI) pathways initiative that aims to develop and enhance programming to increase the number of students, skilled work ers, and companies trained in artificial intelligence and data analytics. As part of this initiative, CUE:

‡ Received $30,000 in direct funding to obtain five graphic processing units that allow for en hanced computing capacity for CUE members.

‡ Gained access to the computing infrastructure at the Industry Sandbox and Artificial Intelli gence Computing (ISAIC), a government funded unit housed at the University of Alberta, that provides infrastructure and high-performance computing for entrepreneurs and researchers in western Canada. In 2020-21, over 30 CUE students and staff accessed computing infra structure through ISAIC for their coursework and research projects.

‡ Gained access to curriculum content in the areas of machine learning and data analytics that can be used for further innovative academic program development at CUE.

„ Facilitated an industry sponsored research collaboration with Adventus Lifefoods Inc. and Dr. Makan Golizeh, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Science. This collaboration is ongoing and has led to $23,276 in funding (cash and in-kind) and involved two CUE students in industry relevant applied research projects.

Through the BMO-Centre for Innovation and Applied Research (BMO-CIAR), Centre for Applied Artificial Intelligence (CAAI) and McNeil Centre for Applied Renewable Energy (McNeil CARE) we:

„ Worked with Norquest College to develop a Machine Learning and Data Analytics microcreden tial after having been jointly awarded $350,000 in funding from Advanced Education, Govern ment of Alberta, to develop machine learning for Business Strategy and Data Analytics based microcredentials. CUE launched the Machine Learning for Business Strategy modules via the Office of Extension and Culture in Oct 2021. This funding will also support the development of open educational resources in the areas of machine learning with special emphasis on commer cialization and deployment of machine learning based technologies and research.

„ Supported local industry research and development. This past year, CUE’s BMO-CIAR welcomed TestnTravel Inc. to lease the lab and office space to advance their research and development in pathogen testing services. It is anticipated that this partnership will lead to applied research and work-integrated learning opportunities for CUE faculty and students.

Provided learning opportunities that integrate innovation, entrepreneurship and creativity

In 2021-22, 67 CUE students participated in CUE’s third annual Innovation Launchpad program and five students worked on applied research and innovation-related projects. Innovation Launchpad employs an objective-based mentoring process with a goal of advancing ideas into reality. It includes a series of workshops, expert sessions and dedicated support, and culminates in a showcase event where the par ticipants present their projects and compete for a variety of prizes. Students were offered two streams to participate in the program:

„ Co-curricular stream – Students in select courses were challenged to develop innovative solu tions related to United Nations Sustainable Development Goals over a 10-week period and pres ent their innovative solution at the Launchpad Showcase event.

„ Extracurricular stream: Students in the extra-curricular stream worked on their business ideas as part of the innovation sprint co-hosted with Startup Edmonton.

It is worth mentioning that CUE’s Innovation Launchpad Program engages students and faculty across disciplines, reaching outside of traditional innovation streams. For example, as part of their capstone projects, CUE drama students and faculty participated in the LaunchPad Program and this year’s win ner was a third year drama student who also, out of over a hundred nominees across the province, went on to win the Goodwill Industries Thrifting Hall of Fame “Vintage Finds Award” for his business, YegRecycled.

GOAL 3.3: INCREASE INTERNATIONALIZATION

Internationalization at CUE is a comprehensive, ongoing, and forward-looking task. Since 2012, CUE has adopted a strategy of working towards the internationalization of the institution through five key themes: People, Ideas, Places, Programs and Global Awareness.

PsyD: CUE’s first doctoral program

This year we welcomed 20 students to the first-ever cohort in the doctoral pro gram—a Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology (PsyD). This five-year pro gram is one of only six of its kind in Can ada, and the only one west of Manitoba.

While many doctoral programs focus on traditional functional competencies like assessment, diagnosis, and therapy, CUE’s PsyD program goes further to in clude self-reflection, relationship build ing and valuing diversity.

“Our focus is on nurturing well-rounded clinical psychologists and lifelong learn ers who are able to collaborate and work effectively with other mental health pro fessionals,” says Dr. Barbara van Ingen, Vice-President Academic and Provost. “This leads to better outcomes for clients and communities.”

Students in the PsyD program benefit from conducting applied real-world re search, teaching undergraduate courses and gaining valuable experience through a year-long internship or clinical residen cy.

Priority Initiatives & Strategic Actions

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Expand opportunities for CUE students to gain quality educational and oth er formative experiences abroad

Develop and maintain formal international partnerships with universities abroad

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Raise student awareness of international study abroad

Encourage and support opportunities for international research coopera tion among faculty

Cultivate global competencies and intercultural skills among students, faculty, and staff

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Promote and support hosting visiting researchers and other international guests at CUE

Success Measures

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Year-on-year increase in the number of students going abroad for an inter national experience

„ Increased or maintained international partnerships

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Increase in visits abroad by CUE researchers to partner institutions

Progress made in the last 12 months

Increased international study abroad opportunities.

This year, as with last year, study abroad opportunities were hampered for our students due to the on going pandemic. Over the past year, we sent two students abroad with the help of available Erasmus+ funding. We expect that outbound mobility will resume as normal in 2022-23 and have already received several applications. We continued to develop study abroad opportunities, particularly Erasmus+ pro gramming. Seven staff members were awarded Erasmus+ funding in the 2021-22 period for travel to select destinations in Summer 2022.

To support student study abroad programs, CUE also introduced a new scholarship program this past year in partnership with Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU), Beijing China. The new IBS BFSUCUE Jeffrey Fitzner Scholarship is available for CUE 1+2+1 Dual Degrees students during their studies at BFSU. The scholarship was generously donated by Mr. Jeffrey Fitzner, an instructor in the Faculty of Management at CUE. BFSU has contributed matching funds.

Raise student awareness of international study abroad

To support the growing number of CUE students seeking study abroad opportunities, our International Office (IO) used funding received last year from the Universities Canada–Global Skills Opportunity to de velop and implement a Go Abroad Program Finder. This is an online tool designed to facilitate students’ ability to search and access information on programs of interest with partner universities. Feedback from CUE students suggests that it has proven to be a useful tool.

The IO also made significant changes to the Go Abroad section of the CUE website to raise awareness of specific types of international study abroad opportunities (including interning and studying abroad, summer programs, and instructor-led study abroad opportunities). Students can now use the website to find additional information about each opportunity and then use the Program Finder to research pro grams that best suit their needs and goals.

CUE also hosted a World Partners Day event to showcase and celebrate our collaborations with inter national university partners from around the world. This event also provides students an opportunity to engage with some of our partners. This year, we were joined by three partners, representing universities in Brazil, Belgium, and the Netherlands.

Continued to develop and maintain formal international partnerships with universities abroad

In 2021-22, the IO continued to sign new partnerships and develop new projects with existing partners. In our centennial year, we signed on our 100th international partner. Through these partnerships, CUE and our partner institutions can collaborate on research and joint projects with exchange students, faculty, and staff.

This year, we signed four new partnerships with:

„ Paul Valery University Montpellier III, a French university in the Academy of Montpellier, in France.

„ The University of Minho in Braga, Portugal. This is CUE’s second university partner in Portugal.

„ Instituto Federal Sul-rio-grandense (IFSUL) in Brazil.

„ Comenius University in Slovakia.

Some of the key initiatives undertaken by the IO with our existing partner universities over the past year include:

„ Working with a partner university in Brazil, Universidade LaSalle, on the development of a dual degrees opportunity in the Faculty of Arts that will offer opportunities for CUE’s Political Economy students to study International Relations at the host institution in Brazil, and for the students from Universidade LaSalle to study Political Economy at CUE.

„ Working with a partner university, Avans University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands, to develop a Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) project. This will be CUE’s first COIL project. It will allow students to have an international experience without incurring the costs of travelling abroad.

Some of the key initiatives undertaken by our Centre for Chinese Studies (CSS) to cultivate global com petencies and intercultural skills among students, faculty, and staff, and beyond include:

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Providing online Chinese Teachers Training for over 1700 Chinese teachers in USA, Canada, Eu rope, and Asia during the pandemic (from April 1, 2020 to today).

„ Working with CUE’s partner university Donghua University, Shanghai, China, to conduct a Winter Camp for 60 Albertan learners.

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Working with CUE’s Concert Choir to produce music for the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, which was aired and viewed over 3.5 million times during the Winter Olympics.

Cultivated global competencies and intercultural skills among students, faculty, and staff

We continued work on developing an International Engagement Certificate to be offered by the IO in collaboration with our Office of Extension and Culture. Undergraduate CUE students will be able to earn the embedded certificate while concurrently working on their degree program. The program requires students to complete relevant credit courses followed by either undertaking an experience abroad or completing volunteer hours in an approved intercultural setting. This program has been approved by CUE’s Academic Standards Committee.

Promoted and supported hosting visiting researchers and other international guests at CUE

With the support of Centre for Language Education and Cooperation (CLEC), CUE’s Centre for Chinese Studies (CCS) brought in a Chinese visiting teacher, Ms. Lili Wei, from Southwest Petroleum University in Chengdu, Sichuan province, China. Ms. Wei joined the CCS as a full-time Chinese language instructor in January 2022 and will continue in this role until August 2023.

THEME 4: A BOUTIQUE EXPERIENCE

CUE is a boutique university, small enough that every student is essential yet large enough for a global outlook. In and out of our classrooms and lecture halls, we translate what we learn into extraordinary hands-on experiences. We can sit in the back, but at CUE, someone will always invite us to the front.

At CUE, a boutique experience is about being distinct, building on our strengths, and evolving to meet the needs of our students. It’s about cultivating a personal connection with our students and providing an experience that exceeds expectations. We aspire to build strong connections among our students, faculty, staff, and the larger community that last a lifetime.

A proud decade of internationalization at CUE

In January 2012, CUE established inter national agreements in Brazil and China. These would be the first partnerships for CUE’s internationalization strategy built around the key pillars of people, places, programs, ideas and global awareness.

Since then, CUE has signed nearly 100 agreements in the Americas, Europe and Asia. In addition to providing many stu dents, faculty and staff with valuable ex change opportunities, these partnerships have allowed CUE to grow its capacity for research, program development and cultural cooperation.

Today, CUE’s International Office over sees international recruitment, inter national mobility, international student support, and international partnerships and projects.

“We are so proud to say that our partner ships have attracted hundreds of inter national undergraduate and graduate students to attend CUE,” says Dr. Manfred Zeuch, Vice-President External and Inter national Relations.

“CUE’s collaboration with our interna tional partners continues to be strong, and we are pleased to be sharing our expertise as we grow our innovation and applied research centres, particularly in artificial intelligence.”

GOAL 4.1:

EXCEL IN PROVIDING A QUALITY STUDENT EXPERIENCE

Student experience is shaped by all facets of the campus, ranging from engagement with faculty and staff to the places and spaces where students gather and learn. CUE ranks high in student survey rat ings of satisfaction with campus services and educational experiences, and particularly in CUE’s focus on students as individuals.

Priority Initiatives & Strategic Actions

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Enhance services to support the academic experience (e.g. library, advising, recruitment, accommodations and other supports)

Support and recognize excellence in teaching

Decrease reliance on sessional instructors

Develop and implement a policy to fund public art as part of all new building developments

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Develop and implement a “Green Space” policy as part of the planning pro cess for all new developments

Success Measures

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Year-on-year, surpass the national average of student-reported ratings of satis faction with services and experiences in national student surveys

Zero per cent of students reporting that their academic concerns were not taken seriously

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CUE’s annual awards to recognize outstanding teachers and researchers in at least four of the five years of the Academic Plan 2018-2023

One or more CUE nominations obtained for the 3M National Teaching Fellow ship Award (to recognize exceptional contributions to teaching and learning in Canadian post-secondary education) by year five of the Academic Plan 20182023

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Maintain or increase the percentage of overall instructional hours taught by permanent faculty

Year-on-year increases in student retention metrics

Progress made in the last 12 months

Key outcome measures of student satisfaction and educational experience

This is the 13th year that CUE has participated in the Canadian University Survey Consortium (CUSC) surveys on the Canadian university student experience. The surveys run on a three-year rotation, alter nating between surveys of first-year students, middle-years students, and graduating students. This year, the 2022 Survey of First-Year students marked CUSC’s 38th cooperative study. It recorded the responses of over 15,000 students nationally, including 298 from CUE.

CUE students tend to report higher ratings of their overall educational experience and of their professors than students at other universities. CUE students reported higher ratings on 11 our 13 interactions where students were asked to rate their level of agreement regarding interactions with “most of their profes sors”. On four of them, CUE’s ratings exceeded the ratings nationally by more than 10 percentage points and they remained the same, or increased slightly, over CUE’s 2019 ratings; they include:

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Encourage students to participate in class discussions (94 versus 81 per cent nationally)

„ Provide useful feedback on academic work (84 versus 71 per cent nationally)

„ Provide prompt feedback on academic work (80 versus 66 per cent nationally)

„ Take a personal interest in academic progress (65 versus 49 per cent nationally)

In other interactions with professors, we saw slippage from CUE 2019 results to CUE 2022 results (rang ing from one to seven percentage points), but generally surpassed or were on par with national ratings among our students:.

„ Seem knowledgeable in their fields (96 versus 95 per cent nationally, and on par with 2019)

„ Are intellectually stimulating in their teaching (82 versus 75 per cent nationally, down 3 per cent from 2019)

„ Look out for students’ interests (87 versus 79 per cent nationally, down 1 per cent from 2019)

We see more slippage from our 2019 ratings on key measures of student satisfaction relative to our 2022 results, ranging from six to 17 percentage points. Undoubtedly, the impact of the pandemic and the strike are factors in students’ levels of satisfaction. This assumption is reinforced by open-ended responses to the survey. Our results are generally on par with national results, with CUE ratings slightly higher on two items and slightly lower on three.

Figure 2 – Key Measures of Student Satisfaction

Canada 2022 CUE 2022 CUE 2019

Generally, I am satisfied with the quality of teaching I have received

Satisfied with decision to attend this university

Satisfaction with concern shown by the university for student as an individual

Recommend university to others (Promoter)

University experience exceeding expectations

Enhancing services to support the academic experience.

In 2021-22 we augmented resources to further enrich our students’ learning experiences. This was achieved by increasing permanent faculty, as well as staff that provide direct support to students (in cluding an admissions advisor and student counsellor), as well as through the enhancement of services, many of which are described elsewhere in this section The positive impact of those efforts are exempli fied in surveys of our students, which include results from:

„ CUE’s 2022 Library Student Satisfaction Survey, which received very high ratings from a respon dent pool of 414 student respondents; including:

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An average rating of 4.7 out of 5.0 for library services, which is on par with last year’s results.

‡ The majority of students, 97 per cent, reported that they would “recommend CUE library to other students”, which is also on par with last year’s results.

„ The Canadian University Survey Consortium (CUSC) 2022 Survey of First-Year Students from a respondent pool of over 15,000 student respondents at 44 universities, including 289 respon dents from CUE.

2021-2022 55 ‡ Out of a list of 11 general facilities and services, six were used by between 10 and 45 per cent of the CUE respondents. About nine in ten reported satisfaction with four of those services, with the highest rating given to Computing Services Help Desk, followed by on-campus and online campus bookstores, and athletic facilities. The ratings are generally on par with, or lower (by between one and seven percentage points), than students nationally.

General Facilities and Services

(% satisfied or very satisfied)

Computing services help desk

On-campus bookstores

Online campus bookstores

Athletic facilities

Food services Parking

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93% 88% 88% 88% 64% 55%

Use of four types of academic services by CUE respondents ranged from eight to 12 per cent. Levels of satisfaction were very high for all four services, ranging from 86 to 94 per cent. The rating for academic advising exceeded national rates (plus seven percentage points) while writing skills were rated lower (minus six percentage points). CUE ratings for the other ser vices were on par with ratings nationally.

Academic Services

(% satisfied or very satisfied)

Academic advising

Study skills and learning supports

Tutoring

Writing skills

94% 92% 87% 86%

‡ Fewer than ten per cent of respondents used special services offered at CUE with the excep tion of financial aid, which was used by 24 per cent of respondents. The next most frequently used services were financial aid advising (9 per cent), personal counselling (8 per cent), and services for students with disabilities (6 per cent). These usage levels are on par with usage levels reported nationally. CUE students reported very high rates of satisfaction for most of the services. Additionally, CUE ratings exceeded ratings given by students nationally by ten or more percentage points in four areas, including: Services for students with disabilities (plus 15), services for international students (plus 12), career counselling (plus 12), and personal counselling (plus 10).

Academic Services

(% satisfied or very satisfied)

Services for international students

Services for students with disability

Career counselling

Personal counselling

Financial aid

Services for Indigenous students

Advising for student who need financial aid

CUE ANNUAL REPORT56 Employment services

100% 100% 100% 92% 91% 86% 85% 75%

Supporting and recognizing excellence in teaching.

CUE’s Office of Teaching and Learning (OTL) continued to provide pedagogical, technological, and de sign expertise to support the teaching and learning initiatives of faculty and academic units.

CUE also recognized excellence in teaching among both continuing faculty and sessional instructors by bestowing the following awards:

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The Judith C. Meier Excellence in Teaching Award which recognizes a continuing faculty mem ber who, over a period of more than ten years, continues to make outstanding contributions to teaching, and inspires students to do their very best. This award is in honour of Judith C. Meier, an outstanding professor of history at Concordia, who exemplified Excellence in Teaching. This is not an annual award. It is bestowed only if there is a worthy recipient. This year the award went to Associate Professor Dr. Xin Chen, who was recognized for his approachability and ability to listen. Students admire his unique ability to inspire curiosity and critical thinking. His enthusiasm for teaching and his love for ecology provides a positive impact on their experience at CUE. His commitment to student success is appreciated.

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The CUE Excellence in Teaching Award for Sessional Instructor, which recognizes a CUE ses sional instructor who has demonstrated excellence in and sustained commitment to university teaching, as recognized by peers, supervisors, and students. This year the award went to Shawn Thompson. Shawn was recognized for his teaching style and the expertise he brings to the class room. Students love the passion he has for his field and thank him for teaching them valuable real-world skills for their careers.

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The Gerald S. Krispin Research Award is to recognize the achievements of Concordia research ers and scholars, to raise the profile of research and scholarship at Concordia, and to encourage engagement in further research. The Gerald S. Krispin Research Award is available to all fulltime continuing faculty members at CUE, either as individuals or in groups. The Award is not an annual award, it is only bestowed as circumstances dictate. This year the award was presented to Dr. Cecilia Bukutu, Director of Public Health who was recognized for her impact in the field of public health and at CUE. Her passion and dedication is an incredible inspiration to our students, researchers, and educators.

Decrease reliance on sessional instructors

Our continued increase in faculty hires led to an increase in the percentage of instructional hours deliv ered by CUE full-time faculty over the past year (over 0.6 percentage points).

CUE researcher making strides in agriculture

Dr. Emmanuel Mapfumo, Associate Professor of Environmental Sciences, is collaborating on an important initiative leading the way in soil health research.

Over the next four years, the Pasture Rejuvenation Project team he is a mem ber of will investigate potential low-cost and sustainable approaches for improv ing yields on old, low-yielding perennial grass stands.

“I am really excited to work on this col laborative project,” says Dr. Mapfumo. “The outcome of this research could re duce economic pressure on the livestock pasture industry if low-cost approaches, such as sod-seeding and inclusion of le gumes in grass stands, improve hay and pasture yields.”

The project has been awarded over $600,000 in funding, and brings togeth er industry invest ment from Results Driven Agriculture Research, the Beef Cattle Research Council and Alberta Beef Producers.

This funding will pro vide opportunities for CUE undergraduate and graduate stu dents interested in conducting research on forage productiv ity, soil physical and chemical or biologi cal health. Dr. Emmanuel Mapfumo

GOAL 4.2:

CONTINUE TO CULTIVATE AND ENABLE A STRONG CULTURE OF RESEARCH AND SCHOLARSHIP

At CUE, we believe that active scholarship and creative inquiry are essential to high-quality teaching and learning. To support this goal, we will strengthen our internal resources to support faculty research and greater involvement of students in research activities. By involving our students in research projects, they will acquire more in-depth knowledge of their particular areas of study, a better understanding of the research process, and recognized competencies in conducting research.

Priority Initiatives & Strategic Actions

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Develop and implement strategies to integrate student research into coursework and aca demic programs

Enhance student research opportunities by increasing scholarship support for eligible un dergraduate and graduate students and by expanding student engagement in research

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Increase the overall internal and external research funding envelope for faculty

Increase institutional research supports through the Office of Research Services, including the establishment of a CUE Grant-Writing Assistance Centre, to help bolster the number of grant applications submitted and to improve successful grant application rates

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Expand library staffing capacity to provide research support services at key points in the re search cycle and promote these so they are widely known and valued by CUE researchers

Attract and retain high-caliber researchers

Success Measures

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Year-on-year increase in number of students receiving funding for research

Year-on-year increase in percentage of faculty applying for and receiving internal and exter nal research grant awards

Increase overall research funding envelope by 50 per cent by end of year five of the Strate gic Research Plan 2019-2024

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CUE’s annual awards held to recognize outstanding teachers and researchers in at least four of the five years of the Academic Plan 2018-202

Obtain and retain a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair award

Progress made in the last 12 months

Increased student funding for research

New funding opportunities in 2021-22 that augmented student engagement in research included:

„ Awarding the Undergraduate Student Research Award, funded in part by NSERC and supple mented by the faculty supervisor’s research grant, to two undergraduate student-researchers.

„ Increasing the number of students awarded internal grants by 12.5 per cent (from 16 to 18), with the total award amount increasing seven per cent (from $17,292 to $18,529).

„ Awarding externally funded research assistantships to 80 per cent of our doctoral students in clinical psychology and gaining eligibility for three Tri-Council SSHRC Canadian Graduate Schol arships-Doctoral (CGS-D) for the 2022/23 year; each award is worth $105,000.

Increased faculty applications and funding for faculty research

Over the past year, we made progress in securing research funding to support faculty research and scholarship, which included:

„ Maintaining the number of applications for external research funding, with 22 applications sub mitted.

„ Maintaining Tri-Agency funding levels, thereby keeping CUE on track to secure the Tri-Agency funds required to be eligible to host a Canada Research Chair.

„ Continuing to provide SSHRC Explore grants with funding awarded through a SSHRC Institutional Grant.

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Awarding 13 internal research grants to CUE faculty members, for a total award amount of $43,330.

Increased institutional research supports

The Program to Assist Grant Endeavours (PAGE) was launched in the fall of 2021. PAGE is a joint effort of the Office of Research Services, the Centre for Innovation and Applied Research, the Indigenous Knowl edge Research Centre, and the Library to assist and support investigators seeking external research funding, by providing in-house training in grant writing, and brokering the internal review of external grant applications prior to submission.

Attracted and retain high-caliber researchers

In 2021-22, CUE welcomed five new faculty members, and these researchers have been actively in volved in applying for both internal and external grant funds. To date, newly hired faculty members have been awarded $7,304 in internal research funding, and new faculty members also brought $24,000 in external research funding to CUE.

Expanded library staffing capacity to support research

The Scholarly Communications Librarian position added in 2019-20 has been actively building relation ships with campus researchers and promoting the services being provided. This position provides oneon-one support to members of faculty inquiring about the publishing process, on topics including journal assessment and predatory publishers, and promotes author processing charge discounts negotiated by consortial partners of the library. Moreover, a workshop entitled Avoiding the Perils of Predatory Publish ing, which introduces the concepts of open access publishing and predatory publishing, and provides an overview of tools available to assist with locating quality journals for the dissemination of academic work, is delivered on a monthly basis during the Fall and Winter semesters.

GOAL 4.3: EXPAND ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND INTERDISCIPLINARY INNOVATION

As CUE’s research profile, capacity, and areas of expertise evolve, working collaboratively takes on increasing importance. Now that the BMO-CIAR has a new home and direction, the next five years will allow us to prioritize enhancement of supports for applied research, commercialization, technology trans fer, and connections with industry.

Priority Initiatives & Strategic Actions

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Foster greater collaboration between CUE researchers and compa nies affiliated with the BMO-CIAR, collaborating directly with CUE, and through research partnerships

„

„

„

Develop and implement policies and guidelines for research-focused internship programs

Build partnerships to expand relevant research-focused internships

Increase participation in partnership-based competitive funding opportu nities

„

Develop and refine internal processes and policies related to commer cialization and applied research, such as contracts, intellectual property, and licensing

„

„

Support collaborative research through the development of an internal interdisciplinary funding program

Develop new Research Clusters that respond to emerging areas of com mon interest

Success Measures

„

„

Year-on-year increase in research partnerships launched through the BMOCIAR

Increased seed funding for interdisciplinary conferences and workshops

„ Positive feedback garnered through post-internship student and partner surveys

Progress made in the last 12 months

Developed partnerships to expand research-focused internships

Over the past year we expanded opportunities for our students to engage in applied research through participation in research-focused internship programs. This included creating two student positions as a result of funding received from the BioTalent–Student Work Placement Program, including:

„ Opportunities for CUE students to engage in applied research were also supported through funding awarded to CUE’s BMO-CIAR, CAAI and McNeil CARE. They were awarded approxi mately $19,000 in funding from the Canada Summer Jobs program to hire CUE students to work on applied research projects in areas of entrepreneurship, clean energy and machine learning. These students supported initiatives such as Innovation Launchpad, clean energy educational program research (in partnership with Dr. Alison Yacyshyn, Dean, Faculty of Management) and MAIya project.

„ CUE’s BMO-CIAR continued to serve an active role in ERIN, a coalition of over 70 organizations from the Edmonton Metro Region dedicated to building a collaborative, cohesive innovation ecosystem that efficiently connects entrepreneurs to resources, capital, customers, and commu nity. ERIN is committed to creating a community-based network of programs and services that support technology and knowledge-based enterprises by working collaboratively with partners from across the province. ERIN is focused on developing entrepreneurship in the post-secondary environment among other initiatives. CUE was selected to be a part of the Steering Committee charged with preparing a proposal for submission to Alberta Innovates for funding to support innovation and entrepreneurship. We are pleased to report that the proposal was successful and will result in funding and resources for advancing research commercialization and enterprise creation at CUE.

„ CUE received $203,000 from ATP to develop MAIya - an intelligent conversational Natural Lan guage Processing (NLP) based bot to serve as a personalized knowledge base for persons with cognitive disabilities. CAAI in partnership with Student Life and Learning has created the proof of concept and deployed it within CUE for testing. In addition, CAAI is partnering with Inclusion Alberta, a family-based, non-profit federation that advocates on behalf of children and adults with developmental disabilities and their families.

Continued to develop research partnerships and collaborations through the BMO-CIAR or Hosted industry-led workshops and seminars

In 2021, a total of 10 industry-led sessions were hosted by BMO-CIAR, McNeil CARE and CAAI. These sessions were attended by over 200 attendees from CUE, industry and international partners. They included:

„

The Renewable Energy Seminar Series, hosted by McNeil CARE, featured renewable energy technologies, and industry professionals to discuss climate action, energy transition, and sustain ability.

„

“Can Canadian Oil and Gas Win the Race to Net Zero?” Discussion panel (in-person/virtual) hosted by McNeil CARE in partnership with the Canadian Energy Executive Association that ad dressed topics such as convergent technologies, Indigenous communities, and the future of the Canadian energy sector.

„

A BMO-CIAR hosted “Women in Entrepreneurship” Panel Discussion offered as part of the global Women in Entrepreneurship Week celebration. This panel featured CUE innovators - Dr. Cecilia Bukutu, Dr. Carmen Arth and Dr. Elizabeth Coker-Farrell.

Developed a new Research Cluster that responds to emerging areas of common interest

A new Research Cluster on Christian Philosophy & Theology was founded this year. The cluster focuses on the analytic philosophy of religion; natural theology; interdenominational and interfaith dialogue; the practice of Christianity amongst Canada’s Indigenous peoples; the relationships between Christianity and traditional Indigenous spiritualities; and the relationship between theology and the natural and social sciences.

Supported CUE faculty and staff advance partnerships with industry and community for applied research and commercialization projects

CUE’s BMO-CIAR led and supported CUE faculty and staff in connecting with more than 20 industry and community partners for applied research and commercialization projects in areas of energy, machine learning, environmental sciences and public health, including:

„ Technology commercialization support: CIAR brokered the revenue sharing agreements between a professor of English and CUE to support commercialization of The Nature of Writing, an English language learning resource.

„ Industry, community and international connections for industry relevant research: BMO-CIAR supported and worked in tandem with the International Office, Office of Extension and Culture, Community Relations, Student Life and Learning, Centre for Applied Artificial Intelligence and the McNeil Centre for Applied Renewable Energy in advancing academic, research and applied research partnerships and business acceleration opportunities. In particular, CIAR supported:

‡ Dr. Cecilia Bukutu in collaborating with Elixr simulations, a not-for-profit association to ad vance CUE’s S-lab. BMO-CIAR also supported Dr. Bukutu in the VacciNATION (a project to encourage vaccine uptake in community members) and Speak Science Simply project.

‡ Dr. Emmanuel Mapfummo in collaborating with Innovative Reductions Strategies and Eden Valley First Nations community to identify and develop collaborative applied research proj ects in the areas of waste management.

‡ Dr. Makan Golizeh in collaborating with Adventus Lifefoods to expand on their collaborative research on functional food ingredients and Ecophase Technologies to develop novel meth ods for rare earth element extraction from coal ash.

GOAL 4.4 EXPAND THE IMPACT OF CUE RESEARCH

A key goal for CUE is to support broader awareness, usability and usefulness of CUE-led and sup ported research so that the research evidence generated will have an impact in addressing real-world challenges.

Priority Initiatives & Strategic Actions

„

Increase support for dissemination of scholarly research through multiple sources, including academic conferences, workshops, public presentations, and social and other media plat forms

„

„

Create a targeted communications strategy to keep CUE stakeholders, community members, and media updated on CUE research developments

Host regular Research Café events to enable external speakers, colleagues, and collabora tors to present informally and discuss research topics

„

Host annual CUE Faculty Symposia for faculty members who have received internal or exter nal research funding to present the results of their investigations

Success Measures

„ Research communications strategy developed by year three of the Strategic Research Plan 2019-2024

„

Year-on-year increase in CUE research dissemination events and participation at those events

Progress made in the last 12 months

Created and implemented a targeted communications strategy for CUE research developments

Over the past year, CUE’s Office of Research Services continued to develop and implement elements of its communications strategy, which included featuring research news, events, and achievements by CUE researchers regularly on the university’s online news site, Inside CUE.

Increased support for dissemination of scholarly research

Internal funding for knowledge dissemination activities was suspended in 2020-21 due to the COVID-19 pandemic; however, this funding resumed in October 2021. In 2021-22, internal grants were awarded to three faculty members and one student (totaling $8,417) to present at both online and in-person confer ences.

Continued to create opportunities to share and profile CUE research

Over the past year, CUE launched or relaunched a number of research-focused events that had been postponed or suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Notable achievements included:

„

Hosting the 2021 Undergraduate Research in Science Conference of Alberta (URSCA 2021), which featured one hundred and eight presentations from students representing ten Alberta post-secondary institutions.

„

Relaunching the annual CUE Student Research Forum and Poster Competition as an online event, which featured 33 poster presentations about research conducted by undergraduate and graduate students at CUE.

„

Launching the inaugural CUE Faculty Research Symposium, which featured presentations from a dozen CUE faculty members about on-going research projects at CUE.

„ Hosting a research symposium on the results of CUE’s Special Call for Research Projects on COVID-19, which featured presentations about research work led by CUE faculty members and funded by CUE internal grants.

„

„

Relaunching the monthly Student Research Café series, which provides opportunities for stu dents to meet and engage with researchers in informal social settings, in January 2022.

Relaunching CUE’s Spring Fine Arts Festival to incorporate a research component. The new event, called Spring Fine Arts Performance and Research Festival, was coordinated by senior fine arts students with faculty support. It featured a weekend of research presentations and perfor mances including: readings of new plays, productions, a recital of compositions by music stu dents, voice recitals, an album launch, film screenings, and research talks and panels.

SECTION 7.

Financial and Budget Information

FINANCIAL RESULTS YEAR-ENDED MARCH 31, 2022

The following information should be reviewed in conjunction with the CUE audited financial statements and accompanying notes dated March 31, 2022.

The audited consolidated financial statements are reviewed and approved by the Board of Governors of CUE on the recommendation of the Audit and Pension Committee of the Board of Governors. These financial statements are prepared in accordance with Canadian accounting standards for not-for-profit organizations.

Operational Highlights

2021-22 Actual

Revenue $42,750,848 $40,303,997 $46,758,548

Expenses $37,247,211 $40,275,334 $35,274,104

Net Surplus $5,503,637 $28,663 $11,484,444

CUE recorded a net surplus of $5.5 million for the year ended March 31, 2022, which is $5.5 million high er compared to budget and $6.0 million lower compared to the prior year’s surplus of $11.5 million.

The favourable variance in budget versus actual results is driven by higher revenues from government grants, auxiliary activities, donations, and investment income, while controlling costs.

The decrease in actual surplus is due to lower revenues and higher costs. The decrease in revenue is primarily driven by a decrease in tuition and fees revenue due to lower enrolment as evidenced by a de crease in FLE’s by 6.2 per cent. Overall, expenses increased due to the reopening of campus in Fall 2021 and associated higher activity levels.

2021-22 Budget 2020-21 Actual

Other

$30,077,865

863,200 13,362,768 369,126

526,480 632,571 667,337

503,256 1,509,501 (1,006,245)

645,848 664,138 (18,290)

197,962 279,489 97,144 380,307

430,472 (61,214) 414,561 (45,303)

2,446,851 46,758,548 (4,007,700)

Total revenues for the university were $42.8 million—an increase of $2.4 million compared to budget and a decline of $4.0 million compared to the prior year.

Tuition and fees revenue was $4.4 million lower than the prior year and $310,000 under budget. This is mainly due to lower enrolment in undergraduate programs (decrease of 7.4 per cent) and MISSM/MISAM programs (decrease of 65.7 per cent). The MISSM/MISAM programs are primarily composed of international students and hence, this also resulted in lower international student visa fees revenue (decrease of 18.8 per cent).

Government grants increased by $863,000 from budget and $369,000 from the prior year. This is mainly a result of two new grants awarded to the university in the current year.

Auxiliary revenues increased by $526,000 from budget and $667,000 from the prior year. This is due to an increase in student housing and parking revenues as a result of classes resuming in-person, less employees working from home, and overall more activity on campus compared to the prior year.

Investment revenue decreased by $1.0 million from the prior year. This is mainly driven by minimal unre alized gains caused by the recently deteriorated market outlook. This is due to various macroeconomic factors including the prospect of slowing growth, persistently elevated inflation, and heightened geopo litical turmoil stemming from the war in Ukraine.

Other revenue (student activities and miscellaneous revenue) increased by $279,000 from budget and $380,000 from the prior year. This is due to increased activity as a result of being back in person and an unrealized gain on the interest rate swap contract entered into in the current year.

The following graph demonstrates comparative values for CUE’s various sources of revenue (2022 Actual, 2022 Budgeted, and 2021 Actual):

Sources of Revenue (in ‘000’s)

Amortization of Deferred Capital Contributions

Other Revenue

Investment Revenue

Sales of Goods & Services

Tuition & Fees

Government Grants

Designated Fees, Gifts & Grants 2020-21 Actual 2021-22 Budget 2021-22 Actual

415 430 369 97 198 477 664 646 1,510 503 633 773 1,300 30,078 26,033 25,723 13,363 12,869 13,732

The following graph illustrates the distribution of revenue for the year ended March 31, 2022:

Sources of Revenue in Fiscal 2021-22 ($42.8 million)

Tuition & Fees

Government of Alberta

Sales of Goods & Services

Designated Fees, Gifts and Grants

Investment Revenue

Government of Canada

Amortization of Deferred Capital Contributions

CUE ANNUAL REPORT68 Other Revenue

Expense by Object

Budget

Variance from Budget

from Actual

Salary and Wages $ 27,271,563 $ 29,216,662 $ (1,945,099) $26,150,769 $ 1,120,794

Utilities 621,219 678,745 (57,526) 598,187 23,032

Maintenance 295,260 663,417 (368,157) 239,042 56,218

Property tax 45,483 46,000 (517) 18,825 26,658

Supplies and Services 4,459,012 5,759,638 (1,300,626) 4,048,138 410,874

Scholarships and bursaries 1,520,833 1,167,000 353,833 1,558,098 (37,265)

Cost of goods sold 495,569 458,795 36,774 529,841 (34,272)

Debt servicing 756,553 386,660 369,893 386,080 370,473

Capital amortization 1,781,719 1,898,417 (116,698) 1,745,124 36,595

Total Expenses 37,247,211 40,275,334 (3,028,123) 35,274,104 1,973,107

Total expenses for the university were $37.2 million—a decrease of $3.0 million compared to budget and an increase of $2.0 million compared to the prior year.

Total cost of salaries and wages increased by $1.1 million compared to the prior year, however $1.9 mil lion less than budget. The decrease from budget is a result of certain positions which were ultimately not filled in the current year due to increased operational efficiencies and inducing cost savings wherev er possible. The increase in salary and wages from the prior year was driven by increases in staffing and compensation. Effective July 1, 2021, non-faculty received a cost-of-living adjustment (two per cent) and one step movement on salary grids, while faculty received a one step movement. Upon signing of the new collective agreement in January 2022, faculty received an additional one step movement retroac tive to July 1, 2021.

Supplies and services expense increased by $411,000 from the prior year, however $1.3 million less than budget. The decrease from budget is mainly a result of lower expenditures for hospitality, non-capital/ equipment purchases, graduation expenses and promotional events which were largely impacted by the pandemic. Despite the fall 2022 reopening of campus, the university moved back online for the first two months of the winter 2022 term. As a result, most in-person activities remained at minimal levels due to the COVID-19 restrictions in place. The increase in supplies and services costs from the prior year is mainly due to an increase in professional/consulting fees and bad debt expense. The university procured significantly more professional fees in the current year due to various new activities such as the CUE100 events and labour relations. Bad debt expense was recorded to write off a series of student accounts deemed uncollectible from previous fiscal years.

Debt servicing costs are higher than budget and prior year by $370,000 due to the university obtaining a refinancing loan with a new lender which was utilized to repay its two previous term loans. This early debt extinguishment resulted in prepayment penalties of $404,000 which are recorded in interest expense.

The following graph shows expenses by object in comparison of 2022 actual, 2022 approved budget, and 2021 actual:

30,000

25,000

20,000

15,000

10,000

Expenses by Object in (000’s) 5,000

Salary, wages and benefits

2021-22 Actual 2021-22 Budget 2020-21 Actual

Utilities 27,272 29,217 26,151

621 679 598

Maintenance Property tax 45 46 19

295 663 239

Supplies and services 4,459 5,760 4,048

Scholarships and bursaries 1,521 1,167 1,558

Cost of goods sold 496 459 530

Debt servicing 757 387 386

The following table illustrates the expenses by object for the year ended March 31, 2022:

Expenses by Object in Fiscal 2021-22 ($37.2 million)

Salary, Wages, and Benefits

Supplies and Services

Capital Amortization

Scholarships and Bursaries

Cost of Goods Sold Utilities Maintenance Debt Servicing Property Tax

CUE ANNUAL REPORT70 Capital amortization 1,782 1,898 1,745

Below is a detailed breakdown of

Expense

by

compared to

year:

Academic Programs $16,357,784 $ 16,376,285 $ (18,501) -0.1%

Support Programs 15,045,598 13,702,935 1,342,663 9.8%

Auxiliary

1,475,760 1,336,124 139,636 10.5%

Student Financial Aid 1,520,833 1,558,098 (37,265) -2.4%

Research 308,964 169,458 139,506 82.3%

Debt servicing 756,553 386,080 370,473 96.0%

Total Expenses by Program 35,465,492 33,528,980 1,936,512 5.8%

Capital Amortization 1,781,719 1,745,124 36,595 2.1%

Total Expenses 37,247,211 35,274,104 1,973,107 5.6%

Net Assets

Net assets for the year-ended March 31, 2022 total $44.8 million. This represents an increase of $5.0 million from the previous year. The increase is due to the current year surplus of $5.5 million and the donated land from the contributed portion of the Magrath Mansion ($673,000), offset by a negative $1.2 million remeasurement of employee future benefits.

Areas of Financial Risk

COVID-19: The COVID-19 outbreak declared as pandemic by the World Health Organization continues to have an impact on CUE’s operations. As the pandemic continues, there still remains uncertainty regard ing ongoing effects and the impacts on future academic terms.

Government Funding: In June 2021, CUE signed an Investment Management Agreement (IMA) with the Government of Alberta for fiscal 2021-22 which states that up to five per cent or $634,000 of CUE fund ing is dependent on 40 per cent of CUE programs being work integrated learning. If CUE fails to meet the target and is lower than the one per cent tolerance threshold outlined in the agreement, then an ad justment will be applied against 2022-23 funding. CUE surpassed the target threshold, however a minor 0.6 per cent ($76,000) reduction was made for 2022-23 funding.

On March 31, 2022, CUE signed a new IMA for the period April 1, 2022 to March 31, 2025. The new IMA has the following three funding metrics in place: (1) work integrated learning, (2) total domestic enroll ment, and (3) graduate outcomes survey. There is also one transparency metric: Indigenous student enrolment. The total at risk funding for this IMA is as follows, 2022-23: 15 per cent of the Base Operating Grant (BOG), 2023-24: 25 per cent of the BOG, and 2024-25: 40 per cent of the BOG. If the actual result for a specific funding metric does not meet the identified target and is outside of the respective toler ance threshold, an adjustment will be applied to BOG funding. The calculated percentage reduction to the BOG that will be applied will not exceed the percentages listed above.

These IMA’s create a significant risk area for CUE as government funding accounts for over 31 per cent of revenue. CUE will continue to maintain competitive tuition rates that increase incrementally and moder ately, and only as required in order to sustain the high quality of education offered.

Fluctuating Student Enrolment: In previous years, CUE had experienced enrolment growth that is atyp ical amongst other colleges and universities within Alberta and this was noted to be unsustainable at our current operating capacity. A Strategic Enrolment Committee was developed in order to manage future growth. However, the previous growth in revenues and enrolment attributed to the MISSM/MISAM programs was not expected to continue in fiscal 2022. This is reflected in our revenue breakdown above where enrolment in these programs has significantly decreased, resulting in lost revenues.

In Fall 2021, CUE had a number of students withdraw from their programs (both voluntarily and invol untarily) due to CUE’s mandatory vaccination policy. The implementation of this policy was extremely challenging and expensive to implement, resulting in significant financial impacts and inflicting social damage on our community. In addition, the Faculty Association strike, Omicron variant, and international border issues resulted in approximately 400 less students for the Winter 2022 term.

Finally, CUE’s enrolment faces further uncertainty from other Alberta colleges and universities who have expanded their enrolment to offset the new budget constraints. This is evidenced as we continue to see a decrease in enrolment for future terms.

Capital Funding: Unlike its public sector counterparts, CUE receives no capital funding from the provin cial government. Major capital projects must be funded through debt financing, donor funding, operating revenue, or federal government grants. CUE may have difficulty securing the funding needed for major capital projects.

Previous years’ enrolment growth has strained CUE’s existing infrastructure and there is a pressing need for expanded office, classroom, research, and residence space. In October 2019, CUE unveiled a Cam pus Master Plan which includes new facilities for classroom and residence space with an estimated cost of $65 million.

From the Campus Master Plan, construction commenced in September 2021 on the New Academic Building and Student Quad, which is budgeted at $40 million. CUE’s internal reserves are not sufficient to fund this project and therefore bank financing of $25 million has been secured. Key risks of this proj ect include: fluctuations in cost of materials, supply chain issues, and continuing rise of interest rates. These underlying factors may significantly impact the timing and costs associated with this project.

Cost of Future Pension Benefits: On January 1, 2013 CUE transitioned to a defined contribution (DC) pen sion plan from a defined benefit (DB) plan for its employees. CUE retains an obligation to fund the accu mulated DB retirement obligation for employees accrued before this time. CUE’s DB plan was formally designated as a publicly funded pension plan on December 21, 2018 by Employment Pensions.

As of January 1, 2021 CUE’s DB plan carries an unfunded solvency deficiency of $12.2M. With this val uation, employer contributions to the plan have increased and are required at a rate of 16.6 per cent of pensionable earnings in respect of active DB members, plus $380,400 per year for the next three years in respect of the unfunded liability. These minimum contribution requirements have increased signifi cantly from 12.3 per cent plus $138,000 in the previous three years. These contributions must be made to satisfy the minimum funding requirements under Alberta pension legislation until the date of the next actuarial valuation. This increase has resulted in a negative impact to CUE’s cash flow.

The most recent funding valuation used in determining the defined benefit obligation was completed as at December 31, 2021 and will be filed by August 30, 2022. Based on these results, no further catch-up contribution payments are expected effective September 2022.

SECTION 8. Capital Report

Recent enrolment growth has strained CUE’s existing infrastructure, creating a pressing need for expand ed office, classroom, research, and residence space.

In September 2021, construction commenced on CUE’s new academic building, parkade, quad and bridge. The structure is being built on the existing campus and will be connected to an existing building. The project is budgeted to cost $40 million.

The capital expenditure for the next three years is expected as follows:

2022-23 $29 million

2023-24 7 million

2024-25 2 million

Total $38 million

CUE has identified a need for a new residence building; however, further planning for this project is cur rently postponed.

2022 Holi

Independent auditor’s report

To the Board of Governors of Concordia University of Edmonton

Our opinion

In our opinion, the accompanying financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of Concordia University of Edmonton (the University) as at March 31, 2022 and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the year then ended in accordance with Canadian accounting standards for not-for-profit organizations.

What we have audited

The University’s financial statements comprise:

 the statement of financial position as at March 31, 2022;

 the statement of operations for the year then ended;

 the statement of changes in net assets for the year then ended;

 the statement of cash flows for the year then ended; and

 the notes to the financial statements, which include significant accounting policies and other explanatory information.

Basis for opinion

We conducted our audit in accordance with Canadian generally accepted auditing standards. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report.

We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.

Independence

We are independent of the University in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in Canada. We have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements.

Responsibilities of management and those charged with governance for the financial statements

Management is responsible for the preparation and fair presentation of the financial statements in accordance with Canadian accounting standards for not-for-profit organizations, and for such internal

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control as management determines is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.

In preparing the financial statements, management is responsible for assessing the University’s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless management either intends to liquidate the University or to cease operations, or has no realistic alternative but to do so.

Those charged with governance are responsible for overseeing the University’s financial reporting process.

Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements

Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor’s report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with Canadian generally accepted auditing standards will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.

As part of an audit in accordance with Canadian generally accepted auditing standards, we exercise professional judgment and maintain professional skepticism throughout the audit. We also:

Identify and assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to fraud or error, design and perform audit procedures responsive to those risks, and obtain audit evidence that is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion. The risk of not detecting a material misstatement resulting from fraud is higher than for one resulting from error, as fraud may involve collusion, forgery, intentional omissions, misrepresentations, or the override of internal control.



Obtain an understanding of internal control relevant to the audit in order to design audit procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the University’s internal control.



Evaluate the appropriateness of accounting policies used and the reasonableness of accounting estimates and related disclosures made by management.



Conclude on the appropriateness of management’s use of the going concern basis of accounting and, based on the audit evidence obtained, whether a material uncertainty exists related to events or conditions that may cast significant doubt on the University’s ability to continue as a going concern. If we conclude that a material uncertainty exists, we are required to draw attention in our auditor’s report to the related disclosures in the financial statements or, if such disclosures are inadequate, to modify our opinion. Our conclusions are based on the audit evidence obtained up to the date of our auditor’s report. However, future events or conditions may cause the University to cease to continue as a going concern.

 Evaluate the overall presentation, structure and content of the financial statements, including the disclosures, and whether the financial statements represent the underlying transactions and events in a manner that achieves fair presentation.

We communicate with those charged with governance regarding, among other matters, the planned scope and timing of the audit and significant audit findings, including any significant deficiencies in internal control that we identify during our audit.

Chartered Professional Accountants

Edmonton, Alberta September 9, 2022

CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY OF EDMONTON Statement of Financial Position

March 31,

As at

Assets

Current

31,

Cash and cash equivalents $18,246,109 $19,063,313

Investments (note 3) 18,318,893 18,116,037

Accounts receivable 1,449,128 1,093,490

Bookstore inventory 190,274 138,123

Prepaid expenses and other current assets 413,823 308,351 38,618,227 38,719,314

Capital assets (note 4) 45,946,063 36,187,125

Derivative asset (note 5) 155,005

Total assets $84,719,295 $74,906,439

Liabilities and net assets

Current

Accounts payable and accrued liabilities (note 6) $5,834,975 $4,206,732

Deferred revenue (note 7) 9,540,678 7,593,291

Specially designated funds (note 8) 595,906 551,874

Current portion of loans payable (note 9) 309,832 470,831 16,281,391 12,822,728

Long Term

Loans payable (note 9) 9,823,225 9,606,944

Unamortized deferred capital contributions (note 11) 11,422,927 10,980,817

Employee future benefits (note 12) 2,426,900 1,720,000

Total liabilities 39,954,443 35,130,489

Net Assets

Endowments 1,137,291 1,132,355

Internally restricted net assets 4,232,645 4,232,645

Invested in capital assets 24,390,079 15,128,533

Unrestricted net assets 15,004,837 19,282,417

Total net assets 44,764,852 39,775,950

Total liabilities and net assets $84,719,295 $74,906,439

Tim Loreman, President & Vice Chancellor

John Acheson, Chair, Board of Governors

Approved by:

CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY OF EDMONTON Statement of Operations

Year ended March 31,

2021

Revenue

Gifts and Grants

Government of Alberta grants (note 7)

$13,339,822 $13,270,690

Government of Canada (note 7) 392,072 92,078

Designated fees, gifts, and grants 645,848 664,138

Amortization of deferred capital contributions (note 11) 369,258 414,561 14,747,000 14,441,467

Student tuition and fees, and other revenue

Student tuition and fees (note 7) 25,723,233 30,077,865

Auxiliary enterprises and activities (schedule 1) 1,299,908 632,571

Student activities 177,251 24,678

Investment income (note 3) 503,256 1,509,501

Unrealized gain on interest rate swap (note 5) 155,005

Miscellaneous 145,195 72,466 28,003,848 32,317,081

Total revenue 42,750,848 46,758,548

Expenditures

Academic programs (schedule 2) 16,357,784 16,376,285

Support programs (schedule 2) 15,045,598 13,702,935

Auxiliary enterprises and activities (schedule 1) 1,475,760 1,336,124

Student financial aid 1,520,833 1,558,098

Research 308,964 169,458

Interest on long term liabilities 756,553 386,080

Total expenditures 35,465,492 33,528,980

Excess revenue over expenditures from operations before the undernoted 7,285,356 13,229,568

Amortization of capital assets 1,781,719 1,745,124

Excess of revenue over expenditures $5,503,637 $11,484,444

CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY OF EDMONTON Statement of Changes in Net Assets

Net Assets Available for Operations Invested in Capital Assets

Internally RestrictedEndowments

Net assets , beginning of year

Total Net Assets March 31, 2022

Total Net Assets March 31, 2021

$19,282,417 $15,128,533 $4,232,645 $1,132,355 $39,775,950 $23,766,131

Excess (deficiency) of revenue over expenditures 6,914,098 (1,410,461) 5,503,637 11,484,444

Employee future benefits remeasurement (note 12) (1,192,900) (1,192,900) 4,521,200

Endowment contributions 4,936 4,936 4,175

Donated land 673,229 673,229

Transfers

For capital additions (10,867,428) 10,867,428

Proceeds on disposal of capital assets 2,000 (2,000)

Capital contributions (note 10) 811,368 (811,368)

Repayment of loans (10,077,775) 10,077,775

Advances of loans 10,133,057 (10,133,057)

Net assets, end of period

$15,004,837 $24,390,079 $4,232,645 $1,137,291 $44,764,852 $39,775,950

CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY OF EDMONTON

Statement of Cash Flows

Operating activities

Year

ended March 31,

Excess of revenues over expenditures $5,503,637 $11,484,444

Items not involving cash

Employee future benefits (486,000) 85,500

Amortization of capital assets 1,781,719 1,745,124

Amortization of deferred capital contributions (369,258) (414,561)

(Gain)/loss on disposal of capital assets (2,000) 209,165

Unrealized gain on fair value of investments (168,878) (795,185)

Unrealized gain on interest rate swap (155,005) 6,104,215 12,314,487

Change in non cash working capital:

Increase in accounts receivable (355,638) (43,781)

(Increase)/decrease in bookstore inventory (52,151) 51,423

(Increase)/decrease in prepaid expenses (105,472) 5,723

Increase in accounts payable and accrued liabilities 1,628,243 1,241,204

Increase/(decrease) in deferred revenue 1,947,387 (1,244,370)

Increase/(decrease) in specially designated funds 44,032 (6,492) 9,210,616 12,318,194

Investing activities

Capital assets purchased (10,115,656) (2,554,151)

Proceeds on disposal of capital assets 2,000 2,300

Proceeds from investments 18,656,162 19,000,000

Investments purchased (18,690,140) (12,752,705) (10,147,634) 3,695,444

Financing activities

Increase in deferred capital contributions 59,596 120,217

Endowment contributions 4,936 4,175

Advances of loans 10,133,057

Repayment of loans (10,077,775) (454,853) 119,814 (330,461)

(Decrease)/increase in cash and cash equivalents (817,204) 15,683,177

Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of the year 19,063,313 3,380,136

Cash and cash equivalents, end of year $18,246,109 $19,063,313

Concordia University of Edmonton

Notes to Financial Statements

Year Ended March 31, 2022

1. STATUS AND PURPOSE OF THE ORGANIZATION

Concordia University of Edmonton (the “University”) was incorporated on Dec 11, 2015 by a special act of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta. The University was formerly known as Concordia University College of Alberta. It is an independent educational institution and a registered charity under the Income Tax Act. As such, it is exempt from corporate income taxes.

2. SUMMARY OF ACCOUNTING POLICIES

These financial statements are prepared in accordance with Canadian accounting standards for not for profit organizations and are prepared using the deferral method of accounting for contributions and grants. The following policies are considered significant:

(a) Revenue recognition

Restricted contributions are deferred when received and recognized in the year in which the related expenses are incurred. Student tuition and fees for academic programs and courses are recognized as revenue when the programs and courses are taken throughout the academic semester. Government grants for specific programs are recognized when actual program related expenses are incurred. Province of Alberta operating grants are recognized in the fiscal year for which the funding is intended.

Unrestricted contributions are recognized as revenue when received or receivable if the amount to be received can be reasonably estimated and collection is reasonably assured.

Unrestricted investment income is recognized as revenue when earned. Income from the investment of restricted assets is included in deferred revenue in the statement of financial position. Revenue derived from auxiliary enterprises and activities is recognized when the service is performed and collection is reasonably assured.

Externally restricted capital contributions are recorded as deferred capital contributions until the amount is invested to acquire capital assets. Amounts invested representing externally funded capital assets are then transferred to unamortized deferred capital contributions.

Unamortized deferred capital contributions are amortized into revenue on a straight line method at a rate corresponding with the amortization rate for the related capital asset.

(b) Cash and cash equivalents

Cash and cash equivalents include cash and liquid short term guaranteed investment certificates with maturity less than three months.

(c) Bookstore inventory

Inventory is stated at the lower of cost and net realizable value. Cost is determined using the first in first out method. Cost of purchased inventory includes the purchase price, shipping and net tax. Net realizable value is the estimated selling price in the ordinary course of business, less the estimated selling costs. When circumstances which previously caused inventories to be written down no longer exist, the previous impairment is reversed. Inventory consists of textbooks, stationary, souvenirs and clothing.

Concordia University of Edmonton

Notes to Financial Statements

Year Ended March 31, 2022

2. SUMMARY OF ACCOUNTING POLICIES (continued)

(d) Capital assets

Capital assets acquired prior to June 1, 1955 are recorded at appraised values. Subsequent additions are recorded at cost. Donated capital assets are recorded at the fair market value on the date of the receipt of the gift. Amortization, which is based on the recorded value less the residual value over the useful life of the asset, is computed using the straight line method at the following annual rates:

Buildings

Trailers 10%

Wood structures 5%

Brick structures 2.5%

Concrete structures 2%

Equipment 10 25%

Improvements other than buildings 5 20%

Library resources 10%

Vehicles 20%

(e) Impairment of long‐lived assets

When conditions indicate that a capital asset is impaired, the net carrying amount of the asset is written down to the asset’s fair value or replacement cost. A capital asset may be impacted when conditions indicate that the asset no longer contributes to the University’s ability to provide services, or that the value of further economic benefits or service potential associated with the asset is less than the carrying amount.

(f) Use of estimates

The preparation of these financial statements, in conformity with Canadian accounting standards for not for profit organizations, requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Significant estimates included in the financial statements include the allowance for doubtful accounts, provision for amortization, impairment of capital assets, accrued liabilities and employee future benefits. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

(g) Internally restricted net assets

Internally restricted net assets consist of amounts for strategic initiatives which are not available for use without the approval of the Board of Governors.

(h) Endowments

Endowed contributions from external sources are recognized as direct increases in net assets in the year received. The income from endowments designated for student aid is included in deferred revenue.

Concordia University of Edmonton

Notes to Financial Statements

Year Ended March 31, 2022

2. SUMMARY OF ACCOUNTING POLICIES (continued)

(i) Financial instruments

Financial instruments consist of cash and cash equivalents, investments, accounts receivable, accounts payable and accrued liabilities, loans payable and derivative financial instruments.

Cash and cash equivalents is initially and subsequently recorded at fair value with changes in fair value recognized in the statement of operations. All investments are recorded at fair value on initial recognition. Pooled funds and private equity are subsequently measured at fair value with changes in fair value recognized in the statement of operations. Guaranteed Investment Certificates (GIC’s) are subsequently measured at amortized cost.

Accounts receivable are initially recognized at fair value and subsequently measured at amortized cost. Accounts payable and accrued liabilities, and loans payable are initially recognized at fair value net of transaction costs and subsequently measured at amortized cost using the straight line interest rate method.

Derivative financial instruments are initially recognized at fair value on the date on which a derivative contract is entered into and are subsequently measured at their fair value at each balance sheet date.

Changes in fair value are recorded in net income. The University has not adopted hedge accounting.

Risk management:

The University periodically monitors the principal risks assumed in its investments. The risks that arise from transacting financial instruments include credit risk, liquidity risk, and price risk. Price risk arises from changes in interest rates, foreign currency exchange rates and market prices. The University manages these risks using risk management policies and practices, including various approved asset mix strategies and risk management limits.

The University is subject to market risk with investments recorded at fair value. Accordingly, the values of these financial instruments will fluctuate as a result of changes in market prices, market conditions, or factors affecting the fair value of the investments. Should the value of the investments decrease significantly, the University could incur material losses on disposal of the investments.

Interest rate risk is mitigated by managing maturity dates and payment frequency. The University entered into an interest rate swap contract for its long term interest bearing debt to mitigate the effects to cash flow that interest changes could have. The University is exposed to credit risk related to the accounts receivable arising from student fees and auxiliary activities. Delinquent accounts are monitored and contacted on a monthly basis. Any accounts delinquent in excess of 120 days are referred to a collection agency.

(j)

Contributed materials and services

Contributed materials and services are only recognized when the fair value can be reasonably measured at the date of contribution. This is done using market or appraised value. For contributed materials that are normally purchased, fair market is determined in relation to the purchase of similar materials or services.

Concordia University of Edmonton

Notes to Financial Statements

Year Ended March 31, 2022

2. SUMMARY OF ACCOUNTING POLICIES (continued)

(k) Employee future benefits

The University accrues its obligations for its defined benefit pension plan as the employees render the services necessary to earn the pension benefits. The accrued benefit obligation for the defined benefit pension plan is determined based on an actuarial valuation prepared for funding purposes. For the University’s post retirement benefit plan, the accrued benefit obligation is determined based on an actuarial valuation prepared for accounting purposes using the accumulated benefit method. The University recognizes the net amount of the accrued benefit obligation and the fair value of plan assets in the statement of financial position. Re measurements, which include the difference between the actual return on plan assets and the return calculated using the discount rate used to determine the defined benefit obligation, actuarial gains and losses, valuation allowances, past service costs and gains and losses arising from settlements and curtailments, are recognized directly in net assets.

3. INVESTMENTS

The University has a managed portfolio with holdings of pooled funds and private equity. Investment transactions regularly occur within this portfolio, based on the recommendation of the portfolio advisor, and approved by management.

Investments are comprised of the following:

Investments measured at fair value:

Pooled funds

Foreign equities

Domestic equities

Bonds and preferred shares with average stated yields of approximately nil (2021 4.8%)

March 31, 2022 March 31, 2021

$ 5,401,809 $ 3,932,130

106,112

727,951

830,258

Private equity Other 369,731 26,334

Interest bearing deposits

19,586 5,797,874 5,616,037

Investments measured at amortized cost: GIC’s with average interest rates of 1.2% (2021 0.5%) 12,521,019 12,500,000 $ 18,318,893 $ 18,116,037

Investment income is comprised of the following:

Interest and dividends

March 31, 2022 March 31, 2021

$ 301,704 $ 750,467

Unrealized gain on value of investments 168,878 795,185

Realized gain on sale of investments 66,636 1,672

Transaction costs and administration fees (33,962) (37,823) $ 503,256 $ 1,509,501

4. CAPITAL ASSETS

Concordia University of Edmonton

Notes to Financial Statements

Year Ended March 31, 2022

Cost Accumulated Amortization

Land $ 3,742,248 $

Net Book Value March 31, 2022 March 31, 2021

$ 3,742,248 $ 2,242,248

Buildings 45,460,675 14,742,013 30,718,662 29,467,758

Construction in progress 9,386,857

9,386,857 2,109,635

Equipment 6,964,763 5,102,464 1,862,299 2,082,129

Improvements other than buildings 737,111 617,670 119,441 150,783

Library resources 1,023,063 936,197 86,866 120,307 Vehicles 64,660 34,970 29,690 14,265 $ 67,379,377 $ 21,433,314 $ 45,946,063 $ 36,187,125

The construction in progress of $9,386,857 (2021: $2,109,635) is not being amortized as the assets are not available for use.

5. DERIVATIVE FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS

During the year ended March 31, 2022, the University entered into an interest rate swap contract to exchange a floating interest rate on its long term debt for a fixed interest rate for a 59 month term ending on February 16, 2027. The notional amount of the derivative financial instrument is $10,139,952 and fair value is $155,005. The fair value has been determined using broker quotes from a derivatives dealer.

6.

ACCOUNTS PAYABLE AND ACCRUED LIABILITIES

March 31, 2022 March 31, 2021

Accrued vacation and administrative leave payable $ 2,467,966 $ 2,476,951

Accrued salaries payable 659,309 531,717

Trade payables and accrued liabilities 2,052,374 926,821

Government remittances payable 655,326 271,243 $ 5,834,975 $ 4,206,732

7. DEFERRED REVENUE

March 31, 2021 Receipts

Revenue recognized March 31, 2022

Tuition and fees $ 5,665,568 $ 27,299,874 $ 25,723,233 $ 7,242,209

Scholarships and bursaries 1,169,413 529,087 569,833 1,128,667

Government of Alberta grants 161,068 13,305,523 13,339,822 126,769

Government of Canada grants 136,184 442,126 392,072 186,238

Other income 461,058 543,193 147,456 856,795 $ 7,593,291 $ 42,119,803 $ 40,172,416 $ 9,540,678

Deferred revenue includes pre registration fees, deposits, restricted donations, and designated grants received but unused.

8. SPECIALLY DESIGNATED FUNDS

Specially designated funds consist of resources in the amount of $595,906 (2021: $551,874) that have been placed with the University for specific purposes that are not part of the operations of the University.

9. LOANS PAYABLE

Concordia University of Edmonton

Notes to Financial Statements

Year Ended March 31, 2022

3.59% fixed rate term loan, repaid during the year.

3.90% fixed rate term loan, repaid during the year.

Non revolving instalment loan (refinancing loan) with option to enter into interest rate swap exercised (Note 5). Payable in monthly installments of $28,167 fixed notional amount plus interest at 2.36%. The loan is amortized over 30 years.

March 31, 2022 March 31, 2021

$

$ 4,877,880

5,199,895

10,133,057

10,133,057 10,077,775

Less: Current portion (309,832) (470,831)

$ 9,823,225 $ 9,606,944

Outstanding principal payments are scheduled as follows:

2023 $ 309,832 2024 337,998 2025 337,998 2026 337,998 2027 342,298 Thereafter 8,466,933 $ 10,133,057

During the year ended March 31, 2022, using the new refinancing loan, the University repaid its two term loans of $10,077,775 and incurred $404,197 in prepayment penalties associated with the early debt extinguishment. All other securities were released upon payout, excluding the Corporate Mastercard facility in the amount of $220,000 which remains part of the existing letter of agreement.

As part of the new credit agreement, the University has five additional credit facilities. The University has not accessed funding through any of these credit facilities as at March 31, 2022. Details of the credit facilities are as follows:

a) Revolving line of credit (operating line) of $3,000,000 to be used for general business purposes, available in Canadian dollar loans by way of overdrafts. Interest will be calculated at Prime Rate less 0.75% per annum, payable monthly until demanded.

b) Revolving instalment term loan (CAPEX loan facility) of $1,500,000 to support ongoing capital expenditures. Available as follows: Canadian dollar loans with interest calculated at Prime Rate less 0.75% per annum; Canadian dollar Banker's Acceptances (BA's) with terms of 1, 2, 3 months priced at the BA rate plus a stamping fee of 0.80%; fixed rate term options for 3, 5, 7 or 10 years; or option to enter into an interest rate swap. Repayable by way of regular monthly blended or principal plus interest payments based on a 10 year amortization until demanded.

c) Non Revolving Instalment Term Loan (New Academic Building Loan) to a maximum of $25,000,000 to finance the construction of the New Academic Building and Student Quad. Same options available as CAPEX loan facility. Repayable by way of interest only during construction phase (up to a maximum of 36 months), followed by regular monthly blended or principal plus interest payments based on a 30 year amortization.

d) Corporate visa facility of $300,000 to support the issuance of corporate credit cards. All amounts under this credit are repayable immediately on demand.

Concordia University of Edmonton

Notes to Financial Statements

Year Ended March 31, 2022

9. LOANS PAYABLE (continued)

e) Demand credit for interest rate swaps and foreign exchange contracts of $5,750,000 USD. The maximum term for foreign exchange rate transactions may not exceed 12 months. For interest rate swap transactions, the notional amount will not exceed the amount of the instalment loan and maximum term may not exceed the remaining amortization period, maximum 10 years.

This credit agreement is secured by a general security agreement providing first priority security interest in all present and future personal property of the University which includes $43,000,000 first charge demand collateral mortgage over the property to be refinanced and the new academic building property, plus an assignment of fire and other peril insurance.

10. DEFERRED CAPITAL CONTRIBUTIONS

Deferred capital contributions represent unspent externally restricted capital grants and donations. Changes in the deferred contributions balances are as follows:

March 31, 2022 March 31, 2021

Balance, beginning of year $

$

Grants and donations received 811,368 120,217

Transfer to unamortized deferred capital contributions (Note 11) (811,368) (120,217)

Balance, end of year $

11. UNAMORTIZED DEFERRED CAPITAL CONTRIBUTIONS

The changes in the unamortized deferred capital contributions balance are as follows:

March 31, 2022 March 31, 2021

Balance, beginning of year $ 10,980,817 $ 11,275,161

Deferred capital contributions (Note 10) 811,368 120,217

Amortization to revenue (369,258) (414,561)

Balance, end of year $ 11,422,927 $ 10,980,817

12. EMPLOYEE FUTURE BENEFITS

March 31, 2022 March 31, 2021

Accrued benefit obligation $ 39,875,800 $ 36,313,100

Fair value of plan assets 39,009,900 38,108,000

Plan deficit (surplus) 865,900 (1,794,900)

Valuation allowance

Net plan deficit 865,900 1,561,000

1,794,900

Post1,720,000 retirement benefit plan $ 2,426,900 $ 1,720,000

The University employee pension plan consists of a defined benefit plan, post retirement benefit plan and a defined contribution pension plan. The defined benefit pension plan is a contributory, final average earning pension plan. The defined benefit pension plan was closed to new members on January 1, 2012. The most recent funding valuation used in determining the defined benefit obligation was completed as at December 31, 2020. The next required actuarial valuation will be completed as at December 31, 2023.

The post retirement benefit plan is an unfunded plan that includes medical, dental and death benefits provided to employees who retired prior to July 1, 2012.

Concordia University of Edmonton

Notes to Financial Statements

Year Ended March 31, 2022

12. EMPLOYEE FUTURE BENEFITS (continued)

For the 2022 fiscal year total employer contributions to the retirement plans were $481,500 (2021: $191,500). Current service and finance costs of $70,500 (2021: $336,000) have been recognized in income and re measurement losses of $1,192,900 have been recognized in net assets (2021: $4,521,200 gains).

The defined contribution pension plan is funded by employer and employee contributions. Employees contribute 4% of earnings and the University contributes 6% of employees’ earnings. Pension expense under the defined contribution pension plan for 2022 was $997,569 (2021: $1,038,077).

13. COMMITMENTS

The University's remaining capital commitment for the purchase of private equity investments is $1,420,659. For the construction of the New Academic Building and Student Quad, the University has a capital commitment of $35,210,000 of which $27,540,000 is remaining as at March 31, 2022 that is expected to be paid in 2023.

CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY OF EDMONTON Schedule of Auxiliary Expenses and Activities Schedule 1

Year ended March 31,

2022 2021

Revenue

University stores

$308,462 $384,596

Food services 921 13,202

Student housing 267,346 21,665

Conventions and other 598,125 173,214

Extension and culture 60,309 39,894

Special purpose 64,745 1,299,908 632,571

Expenditures

University stores 356,818 475,923

Food services 14,455 53,240

Student housing 123,712 82,818

Conventions and other 253,887 103,962

Extension and culture 195,701 341,763

Special purpose 531,187 278,418 1,475,760 1,336,124

Net (expenditure) revenue (175,852) (703,553)

Net (expenditure) revenue

University stores (48,356) (91,327)

Food services (13,534) (40,038)

Student housing 143,634 (61,153)

Conventions and other 344,238 69,252

Extension and culture (135,392) (301,869)

Special purpose (466,442) (278,418) $(175,852) $(703,553)

Academic programs

CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY OF EDMONTON Schedule of Expenses by Program Schedule 2

Year ended March 31,

2022 2021

Management $872,761 $824,465

Continuing and professional education 1,354,394 1,712,297

Natural science 3,850,705 3,529,036

Arts and social science 6,784,309 6,522,285 Education 1,846,643 1,972,276 14,708,812 14,560,359

Academic services 1,648,972 1,815,926

Total academic programs 16,357,784 16,376,285

Support programs

Facility maintenance 2,988,039 2,849,165

Institutional support 3,243,992 2,963,292

Student services 3,189,472 2,770,131

Library and archives 1,229,299 1,167,998

General administration 3,351,682 3,345,058

Student activities 1,043,114 607,291

Total support programs $15,045,598 $13,702,935

CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY OF EDMONTON Schedule of Revenue and Expenses by Object Schedule 3

Year ended March 31,

Revenues

Government sources of revenue

General operating grant

$12,674,016 $12,813,410

Other recognized revenue 87,000 87,000

Total Government of Alberta operating funding 12,761,016 12,900,410

Other Government of Alberta grants 578,806 370,280 13,339,822 13,270,690

Government of Canada grants 392,072 92,078 13,731,894 13,362,768

Student sources of revenue

Tuition for accredited courses 20,103,229 23,495,724

Foreign student differential fees 2,999,208 3,692,200

Miscellaneous fees and student charges 2,620,796 2,889,941

Total tuition and fees for accredited programs 25,723,233 30,077,865

Other grants, donations, and fundraising 645,848 664,138

Sale of goods and services (schedule 1) 1,299,908 632,571

Investment income (note 3) 503,256 1,509,501

Other revenue 477,451 97,144

Amortization of deferred capital contributions (note 11) 369,258 414,561

Total Revenues 42,750,848 46,758,548

Expenses

Salary and wages

Salaries and wages 23,897,649 22,954,535

Employee benefits 3,373,914 3,196,234 27,271,563 26,150,769

Utilities

Gas 163,411 156,259

Electricity 391,666 347,746

Other 66,142 94,182 621,219 598,187

Maintenance 295,260 239,042

Property tax 45,483 18,825

Supplies and services 4,459,012 4,048,138

Scholarships and bursaries 1,520,833 1,558,098

Cost of goods sold 495,569 529,841

Interest 756,553 386,080

Amortization of capital assets 1,781,719 1,745,124

Total expenses 37,247,211 35,274,104

Net surplus $5,503,637 $11,484,444

7128 Ada Boulevard Edmonton, Alberta Canada T5B 4E4