A Message from the President
We are living in an age of momentum, of progress and innovation, where the keys to success lie with the ability to create new knowledge and discover new ideas. Everything we know about today's economy, global competitiveness, health and social well-being tells us that investment in our human capital, particularly in the higher education of our citizens, is one of the wisest and most prudent investments any society can make.
A university education provides graduates with more than just a body of knowledge or an area of expertise. It provides the tools for a life of continuous learning, the skills of creativity, problem-solving and leadership. Never has a university education been more important or valuable.
This year at the University of Calgary, we are celebrating 40 years of growth and momentum. We began four decades ago as a university for Calgary, to serve the educational needs of students living in this city. As we grew in size, we were a university in Calgary and we worked to establish our credibility and reputation. We are now a university from Calgary, taking our place among the best in Canada and around the world. And we are doing it in a distinctively Calgary way - by working with strategic partners, taking risks and moving boldly and quickly to address the needs of our students and community.
We have taken great strides. Our research funding has increased from $172 million to $282 million in four years; we are now 7th in Canada. This significant growth is a testament to the talents of our faculty, staff, research technicians and assistants, and graduate and undergraduate students. We are now responsible for about 8,000 jobs and more than $800 million in economic impact in Calgary alone.
Our commitment to our students is unrelenting. Over the past two years we have invested record amounts in enhancing the student experience, including a step that no other university has ever taken. We gave our students $2.6 million to invest - as they saw best - in the quality of their education. They have invested well.
The U of C represents a new generation of universities. It draws from the past and designs the future. But it lives and breathes in the present. Through the U of C, students become vitally connected to the world they inhabit - a world of ideas, of challenges, of possibilities, of relationships.
I invite you to become part of our momentum and build for yourself a future bright with promise and potential.
The U of C. This is now.
Harvey P. Weingarten
President and Vice-Chancellor