Pictured at the ribbon-cutting ceremony in October 17, 2012 were Jana Zacharias, Master of Digital Experience Innovation (MDEI) student, Douglas Peers, Dean of Arts, Tom Jenkins, Executive Chairman and Chief Strategy Officer, Open Text, Dan Mathieson, Mayor, City of Stratford, Feridun Hamdullahpur, Ginny Dybenko, Executive Director, Stratford Campus,Dave Muscat, Senior Director of Sales Canada, Christie Digital Systems, andJean-Francois Tremblay, Bachelor of Global Business and Digital Arts student.
Today marks the 5-year anniversary of the official opening of the University of Waterloo Stratford Campus.
From the initial beginnings of just 100 Global Business and Digital Arts students and 19 Master of Digital Experience Innovations students, the campus now sits at a total student population of 611 – all of whom are passionately carving their way in the changing landscape of digital media and creative business practices.
The programs’ unique mix of creativity, technology and business has proven its success. The employment rate for undergraduate alumni in the digital media landscape is 91%, with companies such as Amazon, Scotiabank, Telus Digital, Deloitte and more.
“This is really way beyond our wildest dreams…”
says Christine McWebb, Academic Director. “What we hear from them [students] is that they chose this because they don’t want to take a program in just one discipline. They really want to branch out and study different related disciplines in one program.”
McWebb sees no reason why the phenomenal growth experienced over the last five years at the Stratford campus won’t continue into the next five.
Look for more coverage of our 5-year anniversary in the Stratford Campus fall 2017 newsletter.