Waterloo Stratford Campus Grand Opening Event

Good morning everyone.

Thank you for attending today’s special celebration.

The grand opening today of the University of Waterloo Stratford Campus marks the culmination of a significant investment in making this building and campus a reality.

We are very proud of the unique partnership between the university, various levels of government, and the private sector that has mobilized a great vision and has brought us all to this important occasion.

As you’ve heard from Ginny, we have shared some remarkable successes in the six years that have passed since that first meeting at the Southwest Economic Assembly got this marvelous project moving.

Mayor Dan Mathieson approached the University of Waterloo with a truly wonderful idea, and today we are celebrating the next milestone, the opening of this amazing facility here.

And as we mark each of these achievements, we are reminded that it could have only happened here, with Waterloo and Stratford coming together.

What do I mean by that?

The founding truth of the University of Waterloo is the recognition that the frontiers of knowledge will be where technology merges with other disciplines, addressing some of the most important issues of our time.

Since our beginnings some 55 years ago, the University of Waterloo has sought to create an environment that combines the best in science, technology and the humanities in a way that stays relevant to the lives of Canadians in a rapidly changing world.

The University of Waterloo recognized early on that open-mindedness, diversity, collaboration, and integration were the building blocks of innovation, and we have spent our history creating connections between formerly unconnected ideas and disciplines inside and outside the university.

This tradition of innovation everywhere, every day, has primed the University of Waterloo for our interconnected and rapidly changing world.

A changing world that is resulting in a diverse mixture of markets, talents, competitors, and contributors for the next generation of scientific discoveries, disruptive technologies, and innovation environments.

And digital media has emerged as one of the fertile places where there is unprecedented opportunity for creativity and growth. This is a sector that creates value by blending content, technology, and applications.

It’s been said that digital media will become a $2.2-trillion industry worldwide within the next five years.

And today, here, in Stratford, we stand poised not just to ride the digital media wave – we stand ready to create a new digital landscape in Canada and around the world.

But why here?

Well, as the president of a research university, I’m expected to speak about innovation every chance I get.

But today we must pay credit to something without which innovation would not exist.

That is imagination and creativity.

Imagination leads to creativity.

If we are not creative, we are not innovative.

And the performing arts are one of the most compelling examples of human creativity we have.

Technological innovation at Waterloo is supported at its very core by a rich history of social sciences, humanities, and fine arts research that speaks directly to these issues.

And so Waterloo’s innovation culture necessarily intersects with the performing and creative arts culture so strongly established in Stratford.

When you bring together artists, creators, IT experts, digital media leaders, engineers, and a host of people from every conceivable discipline, you build critical mass.

You can’t help but look forward. You can’t help but converge. You can’t help but drive the next generation of digital media.

The goal of the University of Waterloo’s efforts in Stratford is to marry Waterloo’s innovation culture with Stratford’s strengths in arts and culture.

Over the past six years this is exactly what we have done.

Now, the real work and the real excitement begins.

Students and innovators are voting with their feet.

We currently have 98 students enrolled in the Global Business and Digital Arts undergraduate program, and 19 graduate students in the digital media programs.

The undergraduate program initiated this year drew a pool of 400 applications for 50 spaces. So we launched a double cohort, the largest of its kind for an inaugural class at Waterloo.

And this is just year one.

The Waterloo Stratford Campus is already becoming the go-to place for digital media by offering innovative academic and research in the growing digital space.

This campus will enable research and commercialization opportunities to revolutionize and advance the digital economy.

And we’re able to do that thanks to the support of so many people here today, and some who are here in spirit.

The City of Stratford, the governments of Ontario and Canada, Open Text, and all our partners invested in the Waterloo Stratford Campus: because we know the value of partnership, and believe in the power of post-secondary education.

Together we celebrate the lifting power of partnership with industry and other academic institutions while fostering a community of innovators.

Together we will drive the next generation of digital media technologies, applications, and content models.

The past few years have shown that by working together, we can do great things for Perth County, for the Region of Waterloo, for the province of Ontario and for Canada.

Our partners have demonstrated their commitment to advancing higher education as well. We thank them for their partnership and generous support:

Mayor Dan Mathieson and Stratford’s City Council;

John Wilkinson, former MPP for Perth Wellington.

Dan and John’s vision and tireless efforts over the past six years have been instrumental in making this project a reality.

Tom Jenkins of Open Text. From this campus’s earliest days, Tom and Open Text have been strong supporters.

Christie Digital, with its long history of support for the University of Waterloo, and the latest gesture – this three-story Christie MicroTile Wall – is truly the jewel in this building’s crown and the strongest testament yet to their support.

And while we’re on the topic of this amazing facility, I need to thank once again ZAS architects and Bondfield Construction for bringing this building to life.

Finally, the energy and support that come from the people of Stratford. This community has welcomed us with open arms.

The University of Waterloo is grateful for the partnership and generosity we’ve received from our friends in Stratford.

We are inspired by your leadership and vision; and we are committed to building a bright future for this community – which we are now, today more than ever, so proud to call home.

Thank you.