Dean Puri welcomes you to the Fireball Family and shares details regarding upcoming fall term.
We are pleased that you are considering the Faculty of Engineering at McMaster University, ranked as one of the top 70 institutions in the world.
At McMaster Engineering, we call ourselves the Fireball Family. It exemplifies our close-knit community, which supports each other through a spirit of collaboration and camaraderie.
Like you, we are looking ahead and planning for the Fall. You may have read the note from Provost and Vice-President (Academic) Susan Tighe, which highlighted the institution’s evolving plans for the Fall. Given ongoing changes to public health measures, the University will be making decisions throughout the spring and summer and will be communicating with you directly throughout. The health and safety of our community is always top of mind.
While we know that this year won’t be a traditional academic year, we’re looking to the future with great optimism.
Faculty of Engineering Commitments:
- To offer flexible academic options for Level 1 students in Fall 2021, recognizing that there could be ongoing limitations preventing students from coming to campus. For Fall 2021, we will ensure your learning will continue (either in-person or virtually) as permitted by public health authorities in Canada. For those unable to come to campus, there will be parallel virtual options for all in-person course components for the Fall 2021 term.
- To stay committed to excellence in teaching and learning no matter the format. Our professors continue to work with experts in teaching and learning at McMaster’s MacPherson Institute to ensure that your education meets the highest standards.
- To give students as many in-person/on-campus interactions as possible, given evolving public health measures. Engineering is based on experiential learning, and we know you are excited to interact with technology, professors, researchers, teaching assistants, and each other!
Supporting You:
- Our Academic Advising team will continue to offer support and guidance to our students throughout the Fall term. We are steadfast in upholding our first-year student success rates which have consistently been the highest in Canada. Our support begins in early June, where we’ll run live webinars on enrolment to get you started, and continues throughout your undergraduate career to graduation.
- You’ll be invited to register for EMBER, our virtual mentorship and bridging program that will take place for the last three weeks of August. EMBER will ensure you are prepared academically, connected socially and ready to begin your studies.
- This summer, you will also be assigned a mentor, through the University’s Archway program, who will guide you through your first year.
- Our co-op team will also be offering support to students in seeking their flexible work terms, and to offer professional skills development, including an online co-op prep course for all students in their first year of studies. We will continue to offer a range of events with employers and career building-focused sessions in the Fall.
- Visit our website to find out more about student supports.
Campus Experience:
- Residences will be open and we will be communicating with our incoming first-year students as more details on the application and selection process are announced. To start, as part of Phase 1 & 2, out-of-province, Visa, MELD, and deferral students have been invited to begin the on-campus residence application process. We continue to work closely with Housing & Conference Services to determine next steps for in province applicants and will keep you informed.
- Building on the past successes of our experiential programming both in-person and virtually, our clubs and teams will continue to allow for both virtual experiences and in-person access. Our on-campus HATCH bay areas will be available to students through a booking process, ensuring strict adherence to public health protocols.
- We are committed to giving the best experience possible to our first-year students. No matter what program you are in, we will look for creative ways, both virtually and in-person, to experience our labs and project-based courses.
Looking Ahead:
- The situation for the Winter 2022 term will be reassessed based on public health guidelines.
While COVID-19 poses challenges, it also presents opportunities for resiliency and innovation. I am proud of the work our faculty and student-researchers have done and continue to do to address and help overcome the pandemic.
We are one Fireball Family united in this. We will come together as a community, as we always do, to meet this challenge.
Your MacEng journey begins now. I look forward to welcoming you this Fall.
Warmest Regards,
Ishwar K. Puri,
Dean of Engineering (2013-2021)
