Dear Education Partner,

On behalf of the Department of Educational Administration, the Saskatchewan Educational Leadership Unit, and the Director of the National Congress on Rural Education in Canada, this letter is to inform our education partners, collegues, and friends that the National Congress on Rural Education in Canada Congress is coming to an end.  This was a very difficult decision to make after a rich, long-standing history of serving rural education for the past 28 years.

The organizers of this event have been engaged in detailed discussions on the sustainability of the Congress prior to making this difficult decision.  The Congress has seen a steady decline in attendance and participation over the last ten years as other professional groups have taken over professional development and/or restricted budgets have decreased opportunities for people to engage in multiple events.  Increased overhead for hosting the event have made it impossible to sustain the Congress in its traditional format which supported a shift to a hybrid design held at the College of Education with an international presence.  Although this offered diversity and access, it also decreased the satifaction of our long-standing attendees who have lamented the drift away from its original design and in-person networking.

The Department of Educational Administration, the Saskatchewan Educational Leadership Unit and Director Dr. Dawn Wallin are currently discussing the roll of the Department and SELU in engaging rural educators and sector partners in the future.  Currently, there is intention to ensure that rural education maintains a significant presence in the Saskatchewan Principals' Short Course.  As other options are explored for different stakeholder groups we will communicate those with the sector.

We will maintain and update our National Congress on Rural Education in Canada website for the near future.  This site will remain a place of celebration, history and appreciation for the many years of engagement and participation in this event.

Yours in Education,

Greg McJannet, Associate Director, SELU