A farewell column from President Franco Vaccarino
Curving Toward Hope
Category: President’s Message
Public Universities are Investments in our Shared Future
Some 1.4 million full- and part-time students arrived at university campuses across Canada this fall, including almost 30,000 students on our U of G campuses. For those students and our wider society, our collective investment in Canada’s public university system will yield numerous returns – in ways that go well beyond strict dollars and cents.
Toward a more sustainable future
It’s among the most pressing challenges of our time. How to ensure environmental sustainability and mitigate our human impact on this planet? Environmental sustainability is in this institution’s DNA. From our founding colleges to today’s campuses, wise resource stewardship has been a constant in our research and teaching. Experts here study everything from the effects
‘Adaptable Minds’ Key to Improve Life
In the film The Martian, Matt Damon’s astronaut character improvises to survive, including adapting his botany smarts to grow food on the red planet while awaiting rescue. The movie is about the adaptability of the human spirit – a favourite theme of mine. We often fear the unknown, and still we are driven to explore,
‘Fuel of excellence’ required to Improve Life
Any researcher or scholar knows that bright ideas are a dime a dozen, especially on a campus full of bright people such as this one. For ideas that actually make an impact in the world, you need both the spark of innovation and the fuel of excellence. Ask Bonnie Mallard, a pathobiology professor in the
Improving life is our shared promise
Looking around our campuses in Guelph, Ridgetown and Toronto, I see people engaged in learning, teaching and discovery. Those pursuits are important in their own right — and hardly a surprise. As a post-secondary institution, we’re all about education and research. But there’s something else humming through those endeavours. From a laboratory on the main
Reflective thinking can help transform the world
Slow down. How often do you hear that these days? We live in a fast-changing world, one that often seems to value quick reaction over deep reflection. Who has time to slow down in a world where we measure time in tweet- and Instagram-sized chunks? Certainly we all have to be more nimble and ready
Fostering a global U of G network
I went all the way to Israel only to find myself at home. Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne invited me, along with Malcolm Campbell, U of G’s vice-president (research), on a provincial life sciences trade mission to Israel in May. Malcolm Campbell, U of G’s vice-president (research), also attended. While there, I signed a cooperation agreement
Fostering connections leads to innovation
Two works of art hang side by side on my office wall. One is Requiem for a Planet by David Bierk, a play on an image by Italian Baroque painter Pietro da Cortona. The other, Life Adrift in the Ocean by U of G fine art professor Jean Maddison, depicts a DNA strand and a
Who are we, and who do we want to be?
This fall, U of G will begin a strategic renewal process — it’s been 20 years since we last updated our strategic vision. Where do we see ourselves today? What does this University stand for, and how will we chart tomorrow’s path? As you know, the University has many respected traditions and long-standing areas of