Think back on your time at Waterloo for a minute. What comes to mind first?
Chances are it’s an experience you had, right? Probably with some friends you’ll never forget.
You remember the human stuff: your residence mates, your best profs, your most interesting seminar conversations, your best co-op experiences.
That’s because universities are inherently social enterprises.
It’s the social role of universities that we’re focused on in this issue. In particular, we’re showcasing Waterloo’s growing role as an agent for change in favour of gender equity and inclusiveness.
Along with student experience enhancements and entrepreneurship, I’ve always considered equity one of the most important success indicators for the University of Waterloo under my leadership. What these areas have in common is that they’re all about unlocking and mobilizing the full potential of each and every University of Waterloo student.
As a STEM-intensive university, we know that we’ve got our work cut out for us on the equity side. Some of our strongest programs are traditionally male-dominated for reasons that are shaped by social factors like implicit bias. We need to clear better, broader paths for women to pursue STEM fields like engineering and math so we can overcome these social barriers that have no place in a 21st-century innovation university.
We’re making solid progress, much of which is celebrated in these pages, but we have to grow the momentum.
That’s why, when I was invited to serve as one of 10 global university presidents on the United Nations’ HeforShe IMPACT 10x10x10 initiative, I enthusiastically agreed.
As part of that global campaign spearheaded by Emma Watson — and in addition to other recent equity efforts like setting up our Equity Office and appointing a Special Advisor on Women’s and Gender Issues — I’ve committed the University of Waterloo to three core equity benchmarks. We’ll meet or exceed these benchmarks by the time the campaign wraps up in five years’ time. (Read more about our commitments.)
I’m also proud to showcase some of our outstanding emerging and established researchers in this issue — who in addition to being world-changing scientists, engineers and scholars, are also women.
How much more talent and innovation can Waterloo and other Canadian universities unlock by giving women a truly equal footing to compete for their ideas? How many more Waterloo startups would make it big if we had a full talent pipeline of women in Waterloo’s STEM disciplines? How many more female leaders in higher education, private enterprise, and politics would make our country a better place if they felt as free and safe as men to pursue their wildest dreams?
I want to find out.
FERIDUN HAMDULLAHPUR | @UWaterlooPres
