Athabasca University (AU) is Canada’s leading distance-education and online university, offering a range of courses in arts, science and professional disciplines. It was awarded an Institutional Prize of Excellence by the International Council for Open and Distance Education in 2004, and became the first Canadian public university to receive accreditation in the United States in 2006.

On 20 April 2007, SUSS and AU Governing Council signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to encourage direct contact and cooperation between faculty, staff and students. This wide-ranging partnership covers licensing of courseware for degree programmes and collaboration in research and curriculum development, among other activities.