Dr. Matthew Prineas, Provost and Vice-President Academic

I joined Athabasca University in 2017 to be a part of Canada's leading institution in delivering flexible, online education, and because I wanted to contribute to a unique university that combines an Open mission with a research-intensive focus. I stayed because I found in AU a community of people deeply committed to removing barriers to higher education for everyone with the motivation to learn and succeed.

I am proud of what we—our faculty, staff, and students—have collectively accomplished these past several years. Although a period of extraordinary challenge and change for all of us, together we have laid the groundwork for an innovative Integrated Learning Environment (ILE) that promotes equitable access to quality education for all our students. We have strengthened the fiscal sustainability of our university through the establishment of our Integrated Resource Planning (IRP) process. And we have created a framework for quality and future growth by completing a comprehensive program and course review, implementing an institution-wide program of learning outcome assessment, developing new and innovative programming, and implementing our Strategic Enrolment Management (SEM) plan.

My commitment to our collective mission and our future is unwavering. I am more optimistic than ever about Athabasca University's growing role as a Comprehensive Academic Research University (CARU), and our place as a leader in Open education for Alberta, Canada and beyond. Over the next five years, I look forward to working with our community to nurture a culture of access and inclusion, student success and retention, research excellence, program relevance, and pedagogical innovation.

All of us at AU are committed as well to supporting the pivotal role of Nukskahtowin, working together to respect and integrate traditional Indigenous ways of knowing within our institution. By deepening and elevating our relationships with communities—from local to global—we will promote innovative program development, research impact, staff development, strategic partnerships, and responsible, strategic growth.

New technologies will play a transformative role in the future of AU—as they have throughout our history. While we embrace these advances, however, we also know that technology is a means, not an end. Our focus as a university and a public good will always be on enhancing the deeply human experiences of research, teaching, and learning.

I am interested in hearing your ideas and thoughts about AU’s future! Please feel free to reach out to me at provost@athabascau.ca

With warm regards,

Dr. Matthew Prineas Provost and Vice President Academic, Athabasca University