Occasional updates, comments, and reflections from President Feridun Hamdullahpur
To be relevant and truly distinctive, universities around the world must have a unique role to play in society. We need to educate and train generations of talented citizens with a renewed purpose as we wrap it together with a dedication to enabling curiosity-driven discoveries from our exceptional researchers and faculty members. That’s why universities are vital to the economic health of nations.
That is exactly what we have been doing right here at the University of Waterloo from day one.
I had the honour of once again joining more than 3,000 business and government officials at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland this past week. With it came Insights and observations on the state of the world economically, socially and politically; and connections with other universities, research institutions and industry partners.
Though I could write an entire book about the activities and discussions at the WEF, I wanted to take the opportunity to share some of my thoughts on my recent time in Davos and the future state of post-secondary education, Canada and the University of Waterloo.
Change and disruption is shifting our world and we must be prepared to face the challenges of our society and lead. I know what our University is capable of because of the students, faculty, staff, alumni and community members who have made Waterloo the dynamic institution it is today.
Our population is aging. This demographic shift is affecting the majority of Western nations and creating profound challenges. This and other factors – from mobility and accessibility to the efforts to battle cancer – are creating a number of opportunities to find solutions and supports. Universities have a leading role to play in meeting these challenges head on. The University of Waterloo is leading the way.
This week the University hosted the Waterloo Innovation Summit which brought leaders to campus to discuss how a boom in health technology is transforming health care.
Canada has a problem.
We play an outsized role in the world as drivers of artificial intelligence knowledge and advancement, but we aren’t seeing it pay off on the global stage–not in the headlines, and not yet in the marketplace. Even as Canada cements its role as the big thinkers behind one of the world’s most dynamic and disruptive technologies, companies are having a difficult time capitalizing on that advantage.
I am pleased to share some preliminary work on the core elements of our 2020-2025 Strategic Plan: the Mission, Vision and Values. These elements have been developed with your valuable input from extensive consultations in fall 2018. They reflect the feedback we heard and are being shared with University leadership for input.
The development of the University’s 2020-2025 Strategic Plan continues and I am pleased to share the progress we’ve made following the completion of the consultation phase in the fall.
There is nothing quite like the holiday season at the University of Waterloo. We’ve had a tremendous year as we’ve reached new milestone after milestone including Professor Donna Strickland’s Nobel Prize, our 200,000th graduate and being named one of Canada’s Top 100 Employers for the third consecutive year.
This Remembrance Day we remember more than the wars of the past. We remember the lives lost, the sacrifices made and the innocent people forever impacted on and off the battlefields where our brave men and women fought.
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