The world as we know it has been overturned by the Covid-19 (novel coronavirus) pandemic. Many of our countries are currently in various states of lockdown and all of us are being encouraged by local, national, and global health authorities to significantly change our personal and organizational behaviours in response to Covid-19.
From Coady Institute, we wish you all the very best in responding to this unprecedented crisis. We hope you can all keep healthy and are able to reach out and support the most vulnerable in your communities. It is in such times of crisis that the forces of social solidarity must be strongest.
From our side, last week was the local ‘tipping point’. The first reported case of the virus was identified in Nova Scotia, and in quick order all schools and universities were closed, and many private businesses followed suit. At this time, the staff of Coady Institute are working from home, processing applications for our different courses and engaging with project partners locally and overseas. We are told by the authorities that this will likely continue for eight weeks, at least. With travel restrictions likely lasting even longer.
Given the nature of this unprecedented crisis, with the closure of international borders, termination of international flights, and general economic downturn, we have had to make some immediate and difficult decisions about the Institute’s 2020 course offerings.
We have concluded that in current circumstances, the most responsible and prudent decision is to postpone all Coady Institute courses scheduled for our Antigonish campus from May to mid-August this year.
If you have already made travel plans to come to Canada, we suggest that you immediately cancel that booking. We suggest that you now take a little time (in the midst of everything else that is happening) to reflect on your plans for the future. Then get in touch with your admission representative to share your thoughts on whether you wish to:
- withdraw your application entirely;
- defer your application to the next program offering being held in the fall
For those of you who have already paid your fees for the 2020 program, please contact our finance officer, Ms. Lola Corkum, at lola@coadyadmit.stfx.ca to confirm arrangements for reimbursing your funds.
Please do not hesitate to get in touch with admissions representative.
In the meantime, we wish you the best as we all struggle to keep our families, communities, and nations safe from this scourge. You are in our thoughts at this most difficult time.
Yours sincerely,
Anthony Scoggins,
Director, Education Programs
Coady international Institute