Goal 4 - Institutional Stewardship Initiatives

Institutional Stewardship Initiatives

Black Youth Mentorship and Leadership Program

The Black Youth Mentorship and Leadership Program is a full-time summer mentorship program for Black youth in grades 10 and 11. Mentees gain professional practice or research experience with a Black professional or faculty member, attend workshops and engage in group activities. Each week, they spend three days in individual mentorship with a professional or graduate student, and they work with their peers on group projects another day. The fifth day is spent in workshops developing skills in research, personal finance, mental health, academic writing and more. Students continue to attend events throughout the fall and earn a stipend or honorarium.

🔗 U of A mentorship program helps Black high-schoolers succeed in university

Coursera MOOCs

The University of Alberta offers 18 university-level courses as Massively Open Online Courses, meaning they are both open to the general public and can be taken by University of Alberta students for credits. Courses build on the university’s reputation for astrophysics, paleontology and Northern studies. The course Indigenous Canada is internationally recognized, going viral after Emmy Award-winner Dan Levy encouraged tens of thousands to sign up for the course.

🔗 U of A’s Indigenous Canada online course sees enrolment spike after ‘Schitt’s Creek’ star signs up

Conversations Across Differences

The Conversation Across Differences course is open to the general public and is free to enroll in. Participants will learn how to effectively apply techniques for engaging in healthy dialogues, manage emotional reactions in conversation, and more. Upon successful completion, enrollees receive a certificate of completion. 

Humanities 101

Humanities 101 is a Community Service-Learning outreach program designed to ensure that people with a love of learning have access to educational experiences. The program offers free, non-credit, university-level courses for people living in Edmonton’s downtown and surrounding areas who are passionate about learning and knowledge, especially those whose economic situation, academic experience and financial and social well-being are compromised. 

Public Lectures

Many University of Alberta event series are open to the wider community, including: Lougheed College Lectures, Sustainability Council Lecture Series, International Week and Let’s Talk Science.

The University of Alberta Library

The University of Alberta Library is the second largest in Canada and the 17th largest in North America.  It licenses a wide range of electronic journals, e-books, abstracting/indexing databases and numerical databases from commercial vendors. These licenses permit free walk-in use by the wider community at library computer stations or via University of Alberta guest WiFi. Books, periodicals and many specialized materials are also available for loan with a free guest library card.

U School

The University of Alberta Senate runs U School to introduce students in grades 4-9 from socially vulnerable, Indigenous and rural communities to the university. Each year, over 35 teachers bring their classes to attend a week-long immersion experience, helping 600+ children from underrepresented backgrounds consider university as an option.