Academic Calendar

Amendments to the Academic Calendar

This page is a record of the changes made to this Academic Calendar after it was originally published. 

There are three types of changes noted on this page:

• Items marked as ADDENDA were approved after the Academic Calendar was published. Addenda listings will include the date the change was approved. This is the date the new regulation took effect, regardless of when it was added to the Academic Calendar.
• Items marked as ERRATA include corrections to errors or omissions.  The change was approved prior to the original publication of the Academic Calendar.
• Items marked as EDITORIAL include changes made for clarity.

If you have any questions regarding the items listed here, please contact the Office of the Registrar. 

Please Note: 

[March 19th, 2025] - ERRATA. Bursary Submission Deadline - June 1st, 2026 (Pg. 78) 

[March 20th, 2025] - ERRATA.  The year the college was awarded a grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. for the Pathways for Tomorrow was 2021. (Pg. 8)

[March 21st, 2025] - ERRATA.  Added:

SCR 635 Research and Methodology in Biblical Studies  
3 Credits

(Prerequisite: SCR 500)

Introduction to hermeneutical questions and the Church documents on interpretation. The use and value of different hermeneutical methods: historical critical (text criticism, sources, form and redaction criticism), Literary (rhetoric, narratives, structuralism), canonical, social scientific (sociological, anthropological and psychological approaches), and contextual approaches (liberation and feminist). Formation of the New Testament canon, relationship of the Old and New Testaments, inspiration and authority. Appropriate tools for biblical research. Critical evaluation of the above.  

[March 25th, 2025] - ERRATA. Wrong word used in course description for MPS 687 The Practice of Eastern Christian Ritual. Should be "propers" not "papers". 

MPS 687 The Practice of Eastern Christian Ritual
3 Credits

The student will be able to identify and explain in whole and in part the liturgical books, the ordinary and the propers of the service and the liturgical environment and appointments of Byzantine Rite churches. The student will be able to analyze a liturgical situation and apply knowledge of authoritative reflections and guidelines to arrive at an insightful evaluation of the situation (pastoral principles). The student will be able to recognize, explain, and apply in practice many of the skills needed to proclaim and chant liturgical texts and to prepare and/or lead Byzantine-Rite worship.

[May 21st, 2025] - ERRATA. English Usage Policy (Pg. 80).  See here for updated version. 

[May 21st, 2025] - ERRATA. Addition of Dr. Jason West to list of Senators (Pg. 128). 

[May 21st, 2025] -  ADDENDA. Deletion of Dr. Francis Fast as Faculty member (Pg. 127).

[May 21st, 2025] -  ADDENDA. Deletion of Dr. Francis Fast as Senator (Pg. 128).

[May 22nd, 2025] - ERRATA. Description of ExCEL Academy under Religious Education Programs of Study (Pg. 19). 

The Excellence in Catholic Educational Leadership Academy (ExCEL Academy) is a joint partnership between St. Thomas Aquinas Roman (STAR) Catholic Schools, Evergreen Catholic, Elk Island Catholic, Lakeland Catholic and Greater St. Albert Catholic (GSACRD) School Divisions and Newman Theological College. The ExCEL Academy curriculum is geared towards teachers who have a service orientation and wish to assume leadership roles in their school or division. The ExCEL Academy provides faith-based leadership development for teachers who may be interested in becoming leaders, enabling them to explore their faith and develop their leadership gifts and talents. Students can apply for Open Studies for admission purposes via this route.

[May 30th, 2025] -  ADDENDA. Addition of Administrative Officer (Pg. 127): 
President
Dr. Darren E. Dahl
Ph.D. (McMaster), M.A. (Guelph), M.Div. (Lutheran Theological Seminary, Saskatoon), B.A. (Saskatchewan).

[May 30th, 2025] -  ADDENDA. Addition of faculty member, Dr. Darren E. Dahl (Pg. 127).

[May 30th, 2025] -  ADDENDA. Addition of Dr. Darren Dahl to Academic Senate, in the place of Dr. Jo-Ann Badley (Pg. 128). 

[May 30th, 2025] -  ADDENDA. Addition of Dr. Darren Dahl to the Board of Governors, in the place of Dr. Jo-Ann Badley (Pg. 129). 

[Sept. 4th, 2025] - ADDENDA. Deletion of "Academic Course Load" paragraph and "On Campus Course Attendance" paragraph from pg. 90. 

[Sept. 4th, 2025] - ADDENDA.  Updated Accommodations of Students with Disabilities Policy on pg. 91-92:

POLICY STATEMENT 

Newman Theological College is committed to providing an accessible post-secondary education to all academically qualified persons. It has adopted best practices as identified by the Alberta Human Rights Commission (AHRC) for accommodating students with disabilities to participate and to succeed in their studies. 

PROCEDURE STATEMENT 

1. Accommodations are determined by a process of consultative assessment of needs between the requesting student and the college's Accommodations Coordinator (usually the Dean of Students).  

2. Accommodations will be provided up to the point of undue hardship for the college,  such as an unreasonable financial burden for the college, a fundamental alteration to a program or professional standard, significant interference with the rights of other students, health and safety concerns for members of the college. 

3. The assessment process takes time. Therefore, students must make the request for accommodations as early as possible in their tenure at the college or when a disability becomes evident to the student.  

4. The college will respect the student’s privacy throughout the accommodation assessment and decision-making process. The college will provide details of the 

accommodation to those who need to know, and will notify the student of all disclosures. Exceptions to privacy may arise when the safety of individuals is at risk or if use or disclosure is required or authorized by law. In all cases, the college's collection, use and disclosure of personal information gathered in the accommodation process will comply with the Personal Information Protection Act and Newman Theological College's Privacy Policy. 

DEFINITIONS 

Accommodation:  

• adapting the way services are provided to eliminate or reduce barriers to accessing educational services. (AHRC, Duty to Accommodate Students with Disabilities, p. 3)  

• May be requested by any student who has a characteristic that meets a protected ground under the Alberta Human Rights Act (the Act), such as a mental disability or a physical disability. (AHRC, p. 3) 

Accommodation Coordinator: 

• The faculty or staff member appointed by the President of Newman Theological College to collaborate with each requesting student in assessing needs and plans for accommodations for one or more disabilities. 

Disability(ies): 

• The Act defines physical disability as "any degree of physical disability, infirmity,

malformation or disfigurement that is caused by bodily injury, birth defect or illness."

• The Act defines mental disability as "any mental disorder, developmental disorder or learning disorder, regardless of the cause or duration of the disorder." Some examples of mental disability include: dyslexia, depression, schizophrenia, obsessive compulsive disorder, and anxiety disorders. 

Duty to Accommodate: 

• Defined by the AHRC as the duty to make changes to rules, standards, policies, workplace culture and physical environments to eliminate or reduce the negative impact that someone faces because of a protected ground. 

• It does not: 

o Require that the college lower academic or non-academic standards 

o Relieve the student of the responsibility to develop the essential skills or 

    competencies expected of all students. (AHRC, p. 4) 

PROCEDURE 
Student requesting accommodation(s) 

1.  The student will make her/his needs known to the best of her/his ability, preferably in writing, to the Accommodations Coordinator as soon as possible after admission to the college or a disability is identified. This will begin the consultative assessment process.  
2.  The student will provide information about relevant restrictions or limitations caused by the disability to the Accommodations Coordinator. This includes information from health care professionals, where appropriate, and as needed.  
3.  The student will participate in discussions with the Accommodations Coordinator about possible accommodation solutions.  
4.  The student will cooperate with any experts identified by the student and/or the Accommodations Coordinator as required to help manage the accommodation process and/or decision. 
5.  The student will work with the Accommodations Coordinator in an on-going manner to manage and/or implement the accommodations plan and/or decision. 
6.  The student will make applications for provincial or federal government grants as appropriate and available to defray the costs of accommodation. 
7.  The student will provide the accommodation decision letter to all her/his course instructors for accommodations that impact course work and exams. The Accommodations Coordinator will also email the letter out to applicable instructors. 
8.  The student will meet with the Accommodations Coordinator at the beginning of each academic year to confirm, amend or terminate the accommodation(s) granted in the previous academic year OR at the beginning of the academic term upon return from a leave of absence from the college. 
9.  The student may appeal all or part of any accommodation decision made by the Accommodations Coordinator with which the student disagrees (see Appeal process, below). 
10. The student may make additional requests for accommodation at any time, if the appeal decision is negative and/or if there are changes in the student's circumstances.

Accommodations Coordinator 
1.  The coordinator will remain flexible and creative when working with a student to assess needs and search for accommodations that meet those needs. 
2.  The coordinator will remain mindful of the limitations of the college regarding accommodations that have financial implications and of the constraints to the physical plant and equipment of the college. 
3.  The coordinator must obtain pre-approval from the President for any financial expenditures required to make a proposed accommodation, even where the student agrees to cover all related costs. 
4.  The coordinator is first responsible to the student and will not share documents and information provided by the student or otherwise related to the assessment of needs and the accommodation of the student except: 

a.  To faculty and/or staff of the college in cases for health and safety reasons. 
b.  With the consent and written permission of the student making the request for accommodation. 

5.  The coordinator will issue a Letter of Accommodation to the student requesting accommodation that provides: 

a.  The accommodation measure(s) and/or plan determined by the coordinator to meet the needs of the student; 
b.  The period of validity of the accommodation measure(s) and/or plan; 
c.  Any other details or information that is required to effect the measure(s) and/or plan; 
d.  Any comments of the student pertaining to the decision; and, 
e.  Any other information deemed relevant by the coordinator. 

6.  The coordinator will monitor and ensure the accommodations are followed by all faculty. 
7.  The coordinator will assist the student in making an appeal of all or some of the accommodation decision made by the coordinator. 

Appeal process 
1.  The student has the right to appeal any or part of any decision of the Accommodations Coordinator within 30 days of receiving the Letter of Accommodation or other decision document. 
2.  For decisions with financial implications, the appeal will be made to the President of Newman Theological College. 
3.  For decisions solely pertaining to academic matters, the appeal will be made to the Academic Dean of Newman Theological College. 
4.  The student will make the appeal in writing and may request the assistance of the Accommodations Coordinator to formulate, complete and/or submit the appeal request. 
5.  The student will receive the decision on the appeal in writing within two weeks of submission, unless the decision maker provides reasonable grounds for delaying the decision. 
6.  The appeal decision is the final decision of the college regarding the particular circumstances.  

[Sept. 4th, 2025] - ADDENDA. Addition of Administrative Officers (Pg. 127).
Library Director 
Mary Lou Veeken
B.Sc., M.L.S. (University of Alberta)

[Sept. 4th, 2025] - ADDENDA. Addition of staff member (Pg. 128).
Communications Coordinator  
Kalista Nugent 

[Sept. 4th, 2025] - ADDENDA. Addition of staff member (Pg. 128).
Recruitment Coordinator 
Dylan Friesen 

[Sept. 4th, 2025] - ADDENDA. Addition of faculty member (Pg. 127).
Alexander Ferrant
Ph.D. (Catholic University of Paris - Institut catholique de Paris, Philosophy of Religion)
ReMA (Abridged) (KU Leuven)
MA (Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology at the Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley CA, Philosophy)
BA (Thomas Aquinas College, Santa Paula CA)

[Sept. 9th, 2025] ADDENDA. Updates made to Library pages (Pg. 103-104). 

Sopchyshyn Family Library 

The Sopchyshyn Family Library is located at the south entrance of the College. The collection includes over 50,000 books and more than 100 current periodical titles, along with a media collection of movies, seminars, and academic courses. There is comfortable study space and casual seating throughout the Library. A seminar room on the mezzanine level may be booked by students for group study. Four computer workstations are available, along with WiFi internet access.

Library Access

To access Library services, the NTC student ID card is required to register for an account at the Library’s Reference/Circulation desk. Borrowing privileges are renewed each term. The Library card account also facilitates access to enhanced services online, such as the ability to place a hold through the Library catalogue, and to access full-text electronic periodicals databases remotely. 

Refer to the Library page on the NTC website and posters at the Library entrance for up-to-date hours to visit in-person. To contact the Library, e-mail library@newman.edu or phone 780-392-2540 ext. 2204. 

Research Assistance

Information research is an important component of learning and is essential for the successful completion of assignments. Research assistance is available to students upon request and at point-of-need. 

Distance Students

Distance learning students may register for a Library account by contacting the Librarian. Canada Post is used to ship books from NTC’s collection, if needed, and includes a postage-paid return mail label. Distance students may also request scanned copies of commentary sections, reference entries, and journal articles. 

Online Periodicals Research

The Library provides access to several subject-specific databases of full-text electronic resources, including ATLAS and Religion. Look for the links on the Library’s website. A Library account is required for remote access to the databases. 

Inter-Library Loans (ILL)

Books and periodical articles that are not available in the NTC collection may be obtained from other libraries. Students may go to local libraries in-person, or make requests via ILL. Costs are borne by the student. 

Printing and Photocopying

The Library photocopier may be used to print from one of the guest computers, or to make photocopies. A “Copy Credits” system (cash only) is used for payment of $0.10 per B&W page or $0.20 per colour page. Scan-to-e-mail is available at no charge.