A Word from Our Director

It is truly an honour to be presiding over the 50th Anniversary Year of the Centre for Extended Learning (CEL). Having recently been appointed Director, I am fortunate to inherit this tremendous legacy from those who have come before me, such as founder James D. Leslie, and former leaders Bruce Lumsden, Don Kasta, and most recently Cathy Newell Kelly. Waterloo’s achievements in distance and online learning are a testament to their outstanding leadership, but I’m sure that they, myself included, would acknowledge that success is a team effort, and we could not be where we are today without some very important groups of people:

• Waterloo’s senior leaders, deans, and chairs who have had the vision to invest in and grow online learning
• authors and instructors who put in countless hours developing and teaching online courses, providing high-quality learning experiences for students
• extraordinary staff, both past and present, who have worked at CEL and its previous incarnations

It all began with offering Waterloo education beyond the campus through correspondence. From these simple yet visionary beginnings, Waterloo has evolved in size, technology, and design to become a leader in online learning. As one of the top providers
of online courses and programs in Canada, Waterloo offers flexible, world-class learning experiences accessible to students on campus, in our neighbourhoods and workplaces, and around the world.

I would like to thank everyone who shares this success for their continued support as we move forward together, supporting the ever-evolving needs of the university and society.

Aldo Caputo
Director, Centre for Extended Learning