The LARC is Closing

Dear members of the LARC community,

It is with great sadness, especially in the midst of this global coronavirus crisis, that I am writing to let you know that the LARC is closing. As many of you know, last year the Alberta provincial government cut back funding for higher education. The University of Calgary lost 250 positions as a result, one of which was that of the LARC's program coordinator. We were also informed that no new funding would be available going forward, and that the LARC would have to close at the end of this Winter term.

The closure of the LARC is a very small detail in the middle of this major new global crisis, which is upending all our lives. The LARC was founded almost 20 years ago, to bring together people from different disciplines to discuss and address a variety of issues concerning the region. It's been my great privilege to be a member of the LARC community first as a fellow since I arrived at the University of Calgary in 2004, and later as Director since 2015. Over the past five years, our vibrant community has grown and flourished, and I'm confident that it will continue to do so in the future.

We're already discussing ways to reconstitute ourselves as a network, to continue to collaborate and connect at the University of Calgary and beyond. Going forward, I would encourage you to sign up for the University's UToday mailing list to receive news about upcoming events, and to consult the websites of different units on campus, including the following:

You can also stay connected with the latest in the Faculty of Arts’ education, research, community offerings, and newsletters here: https://go.ucalgary.ca/art-subscribe.html

Thank you for connecting and engaging with the LARC over the years. We look forward to reconnecting, albeit in a different form, once things return to normalcy.

In the meantime, please take good care of yourselves and of those around you.

Yours,