COVID-19 supports and insights: A year in review | Gordon S. Lang School of Business and Economics

COVID-19 supports and insights: A year in review

“2020 has been a difficult and challenging year for us all. The University of Guelph and the Lang School are committed to offering a safe, and enriching experience for our students in Guelph and around the world. I am immensely proud of how our Lang and U of G community has risen to the occasion with an unwavering commitment to our pillars of active learning, community engagement and research with impact. 

Working together, we will not only have a successful 2021 academic year, but we will also emerge from this challenge stronger than ever.”

Lysa Porth,
Dean, Gordon S. Lang School of Business and Economics
University of Guelph

 

Below is a recap of some of the ways the University of Guelph and the Lang School have responded to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

COVID-19 supports offered to undergraduate students at U of G and Lang:

  • Designated a pass/fail on a student’s transcripts for W20 semester
  • Allowed students to drop a W20 course after the grade was posted
  • Students were able to retake a W20 passed course to improve their grade
  • A notation was included on students’ transcripts indicating that the W20 semester was completed during a pandemic
  • Exams were scheduled in four-hour windows to help alleviate pressure and anxiety
  • Residencies were left open to students who indicated a need for them (in alignment with public health)
  • OpenEd fee was removed and ancillary fees were reduced

 

COVID-19 supports offered to graduate students at U of G and Lang:

  • Extended deadlines for late payment of fees as well as the deadline for dissertation defenses
  • $2,500 grant for graduate students enrolled in summer 2020 semester
  • Increased emergency bursaries
  • Provided 20 additional graduate teaching assistants for Lang students
  • Provided up to $5,000 in COVID recover funding to support graduate students whose research was delayed due to COVID
  • Extended the drop period to the end of the semester
  • Allowed students to take an “SAT” rather than traditional grading
  • Held multiple “town hall” meetings to address student concerns


In addition to the above supports, The Office of Institutional Research & Planning launched a short survey to 3,000 students at all levels who are completing coursework via face to face and/or remote learning courses in F20 to better understand the impact COVID has had on their studies.

We want to hear from you

If you have suggestions on how the Lang School and U of G can best support you, our Lang student community, we want to hear from you. Please contact us at langschool@uoguelph.ca.

For more information visit the U of G’s COVID Information page

 

Insights and Analyses from Lang Faculty

The COVID-19 pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on our economy and prosperity. From understanding consumer fear, the decline of the tourism industry, the challenges of continuing business operations, and the resolve of leaders, Lang faculty are providing insights and analyses in response to this global pandemic.

Visit the Lang COVID Insights and Analyses page to discover how our faculty are making an impact.

 

Leading Through Crisis Webinar Series

In the face of unprecedented disruptions to business continuity due to COVID-19, business and organizational leaders are coping with extraordinary uncertainties ranging from leading teams, managing risk, and strategic planning.

In collaboration with the Guelph Chamber of Commerce, faculty from the Lang School held several webinars throughout the summer of 2020. The Leading Through Crisis webinar series provided relevant and timely analyses, tips and tools to help guide the business community through these turbulent times.
 

Leading Through Crisis Webinar #1: Strategic Resiliency and Opportunity

The first webinar of the Leading Through Crisis Series looks at how organizational leaders can cope with extraordinary uncertainties ranging from leading teams, managing risk, and strategic planning.

The webinar provides insight into how to better identify opportunities and reconfigure your business practices in times of crisis and beyond. Featuring Jim Estill, President and CEO of Danby Appliances, Dr. Felix Arndt, the John F. Wood Chair in Entrepreneurship at the Lang School, and Shakiba Shayani, President and CEO of the Guelph Chamber of Commerce.
 

Watch the entire Leading Through Crisis webinar series on YouTube