University of Toronto / en The University of Toronto celebrates its 190th birthday /news/university-toronto-celebrates-its-190th-birthday <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">The University of Toronto celebrates its 190th birthday</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2017-03-15-birthday.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=eobPHCPm 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/2017-03-15-birthday.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=5zw9ayEG 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/2017-03-15-birthday.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=ixK5Zqgs 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2017-03-15-birthday.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=eobPHCPm" alt> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>ullahnor</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2017-03-15T11:00:12-04:00" title="Wednesday, March 15, 2017 - 11:00" class="datetime">Wed, 03/15/2017 - 11:00</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">茄子直播 celebrates its 190th birthday today with cupcakes (photos by Krista Boniface)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/our-community" hreflang="en">Our Community</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/st-george" hreflang="en">St. George</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/university-toronto" hreflang="en">University of Toronto</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>How many 茄子直播 alumni have won the Nobel Prize?&nbsp;Which well-known writer attended 茄子直播's School of Aeronautics way back in 1918? And who's&nbsp;the celebrity featured in a parody&nbsp;茄子直播 Scarborough Instagram account?</p> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__3811 img__view_mode__media_large attr__format__media_large" src="/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/birthday2.jpg?itok=HTdu0u8T" style="width: 255px; height: 453px; margin: 10px; float: left;" typeof="foaf:Image"></p> <p>In honour of the university's 190th birthday today,<em> 茄子直播 Magazine</em> has put together a quiz to test your knowledge of all things 茄子直播. It's the kind of stuff you really ought to know.&nbsp;</p> <h3><a href="http://magazine.utoronto.ca/blogs/u-of-ts-190th-birthday-quiz/">Try the quiz</a></h3> <p>If you've come to&nbsp;campus in&nbsp;blue, white, or spirit gear,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.facebook.com/events/187021608454345/">Student Life is asking folks</a>&nbsp;to&nbsp;share how they're celebrating using the hashtag,&nbsp;<a href="http://twitter.com/hashtag/hbdUofT?src=hash&amp;lang=en">#hbdUofT</a>&nbsp;for a chance to win&nbsp;prizes.&nbsp;</p> <h3><a href="http://twitter.com/hashtag/hbdUofT?src=hash&amp;lang=en">Keep an eye on today's festivities</a></h3> <p>The university was founded by charter in&nbsp;1827&nbsp;as&nbsp;King's College, the first institution of higher learning in the colony of&nbsp;Upper Canada. Initially controlled by the Church of England, it took on the present name in 1850 upon becoming a secular institution.</p> <p>Today&nbsp;190 years later, 茄子直播&nbsp;has 12 distinct colleges, two satellite locations in Scarborough and Mississauga, more than 86,700 students and 14,000 faculty&nbsp;members, and it is considered a&nbsp;global leader in research and teaching. Recent surveys have shown 茄子直播 ranks among the top 10 in the world for<a href="/news/u-ts-grads-are-top-ten-world-employability-survey-says"> student employability</a>&nbsp;and ranked top 10 internationally by&nbsp;<a href="/news/u-t-ranked-top-10-internationally-six-subjects-qs-ranking">QS World University Rankings</a><a href="/news/u-t-ranked-top-10-internationally-six-subjects-qs-ranking">&nbsp;in six subjects</a>.&nbsp;</p> <h3><a href="/news/u-t-top-canadian-university-16th-best-world-us-news-world-report">See U.S. News &amp; World Report ranking</a></h3> <h3><a href="/news/sterling-reputation-propels-u-t-global-ranking">Overall QS ranking</a></h3> <h3><a href="/news/u-t-again-top-25-best-global-universities">Times Higher &nbsp;Education ranking</a><br> <br> <img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__3819 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" src="/sites/default/files/birthday3a.jpg" style="font-size: 13px; width: 750px; height: 500px;" typeof="foaf:Image"></h3> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Wed, 15 Mar 2017 15:00:12 +0000 ullahnor 105784 at The university focuses on building presence in western GTA at 茄子直播 Mississauga /news/university-focuses-building-presence-western-gta-u-t-mississauga <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">The university focuses on building presence in western GTA at 茄子直播 Mississauga</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2017-03-14-brampton.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=E_wqnT4K 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/2017-03-14-brampton.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=nYN5KTBH 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/2017-03-14-brampton.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=OSpkAIxG 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2017-03-14-brampton.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=E_wqnT4K" alt="UTM"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>ullahnor</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2017-03-14T16:10:40-04:00" title="Tuesday, March 14, 2017 - 16:10" class="datetime">Tue, 03/14/2017 - 16:10</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">The University of Toronto Mississauga opened in 1967 and now serves 15,000 undergraduate and graduate students (photo by Paul Orenstein)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/city-culture" hreflang="en">City &amp; Culture</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/mississauga" hreflang="en">Mississauga</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/university-toronto" hreflang="en">University of Toronto</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/cities" hreflang="en">Cities</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>The university will continue to build its presence in the western GTA by continuing its investments at the University of Toronto Mississauga campus rather than pursuing the opportunity for a new site in Brampton.</p> <p>茄子直播鈥檚 decision comes after extensive consultations with faculty and academic leadership in response to provincial plans for a new university site in the rapidly expanding,&nbsp;city of Brampton. &nbsp;</p> <p>鈥淲e looked at it seriously, and Brampton did a good job making its case,鈥 said <strong>Andrew Thomson</strong>, University of Toronto鈥檚 chief of government relations.&nbsp;</p> <p>鈥淲e decided to continue focusing on providing access to the university in the western GTA through UTM. &nbsp;We will continue to expand our reach in the region, where implementation of many new initiatives are already underway,鈥 he added.&nbsp;</p> <p>The Ontario government last fall called for proposals for two new university campuses, one in Brampton and the other in Milton, as a way to increase access to higher education.</p> <p>The University of Toronto opened Erindale College in 1967 with 150 students. Renamed in 1998, 茄子直播 Mississauga has been an active partner in promoting growth and opportunities in the region over the past 50 years, and now serves 15,000 undergraduate and graduate students across multiple faculties.</p> <p>茄子直播 Mississauga continues to welcome an increasing number of students from Brampton into its academic programs. &nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Tue, 14 Mar 2017 20:10:40 +0000 ullahnor 105781 at 茄子直播 President Meric Gertler talks about career success and family in Globe and Mail feature /news/u-t-president-meric-gertler-talks-about-career-success-and-family-globe-and-mail-feature <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">茄子直播 President Meric Gertler talks about career success and family in Globe and Mail feature</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2017-02-28-gertler.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=7RVFtJoY 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/2017-02-28-gertler.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=5dAOkEud 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/2017-02-28-gertler.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=45mhXyi0 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2017-02-28-gertler.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=7RVFtJoY" alt="Meric gertler"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>ullahnor</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2017-02-28T16:06:41-05:00" title="Tuesday, February 28, 2017 - 16:06" class="datetime">Tue, 02/28/2017 - 16:06</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">President Meric Gertler is featured in Globe and Mail series called, Halftime (photo by Christopher Wahl)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/city-culture" hreflang="en">City &amp; Culture</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/urban" hreflang="en">urban</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/cities" hreflang="en">Cities</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/president-meric-gertler" hreflang="en">President Meric Gertler</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/university-toronto" hreflang="en">University of Toronto</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/planning" hreflang="en">planning</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>University of Toronto President <strong>Meric Gertler&nbsp;</strong>is featured in a <em>Globe and Mail </em>series called&nbsp;Halftime,&nbsp;which features people from across Canada talking about their fifth decade.</p> <p>The series&nbsp;highlighted President Gertler's work as an internationally renowned urban planning and policy expert. He&nbsp;reflects&nbsp;on career success, family life and the importance of taking risks.&nbsp;</p> <p>President Gertler&nbsp;says&nbsp;he could never have predicted heading 茄子直播 and taking on such a big leadership role in the academic world. He says he's glad he focused on becoming a scholar first.</p> <p>鈥淚t was really important for me to achieve what I wanted to achieve as a scholar in my field and have that kind of global recognition at a certain point,鈥 he says in the feature.&nbsp;</p> <p>President Gertler,&nbsp;<a href="/news/order-canada-awarded-university-toronto-president-faculty-members">named a member</a> of the Order of Canada in 2015, said success in his&nbsp;40s was 鈥渇eeling like my work was having some kind of impact, both in terms of the direction of my discipline, so shaping some major debates and the evolution of the field. But also having an impact in terms of public policy. To me, that has always been important.鈥</p> <p>As a child, he developed his interest in cities because of his dad who was a planner for the City of Toronto.&nbsp;</p> <p>鈥淚 remember looking at these very cool models of parts of the city,鈥 he says. 鈥淥ne of the hot issues then, as it continues to be now, was what would the waterfront of Toronto look like in the future? There were all these futuristic, spacey models, none of which came to pass, of course. But just imagining future living environments was really exciting.鈥</p> <h3><a href="/news/u-t-president-meric-gertler-joins-waterfront-toronto-board">Read about President Gertler joing the Waterfront Toronto board</a></h3> <p>What made him&nbsp;happy in his&nbsp;40s?</p> <p>鈥淢y kids, who were eight and five when I started my 40s,鈥 he says. 鈥淭hey were pretty small and developing into real people, so that was a huge amount of fun. Professionally, I would say becoming recognized in the wider world. It was really in my 40s that I felt like my impact in my discipline was really registering.鈥</p> <p>If he could go back and give himself advice two decades ago?</p> <p>鈥淚 would tell myself maybe take a few more risks. I was always very cautious and careful and studied and considered. It has worked out pretty well but you always reflect on what opportunities you might have passed up by not taking a few more risks in terms of the work that you do or the activities you get involved in.鈥</p> <h3><a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/relationships/40-40-hindsight-meric-gertler-reflects-on-his-fifth-decade/article34158829/">Read more of the interview</a></h3> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Tue, 28 Feb 2017 21:06:41 +0000 ullahnor 105272 at 2016 moments we loved at 茄子直播 /news/2016-moments-we-loved-u-t <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">2016 moments we loved at 茄子直播</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2016-08-12-rosie-Olympics-gold_1.jpg?h=b237a125&amp;itok=4LD3ZYFd 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/2016-08-12-rosie-Olympics-gold_1.jpg?h=b237a125&amp;itok=NDNppZae 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/2016-08-12-rosie-Olympics-gold_1.jpg?h=b237a125&amp;itok=eXRNxnCu 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2016-08-12-rosie-Olympics-gold_1.jpg?h=b237a125&amp;itok=4LD3ZYFd" alt="Rosie wins gold at Rio"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>Romi Levine</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2016-12-20T11:44:01-05:00" title="Tuesday, December 20, 2016 - 11:44" class="datetime">Tue, 12/20/2016 - 11:44</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">茄子直播's Rosie MacLennan winning gold at the Rio Olympics was one of the highlights of 2016 (photo by David Ramos via Getty Images)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/romi-levine" hreflang="en">Romi Levine</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-legacy field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Author legacy</div> <div class="field__item">Romi Levine</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/city-culture" hreflang="en">City &amp; Culture</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/university-toronto" hreflang="en">University of Toronto</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/research-innovation" hreflang="en">Research &amp; Innovation</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/citizen-lab" hreflang="en">Citizen Lab</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/summer-olympics" hreflang="en">Summer Olympics</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-subheadline field--type-string-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Subheadline</div> <div class="field__item">Olympic medals, pop culture royalty, jaw-dropping research and everything in between</div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>We cheered on our Olympic athletes, made scientific breakthroughs deep in the Earth and high above the clouds, became Instagram famous and cooked up a storm.</p> <p>To say 2016 has been an eventful year would be an understatement.</p> <p>Here are just a few of the amazing things University of Toronto students, faculty, staff and alumni have gotten up to in the past year.</p> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__2846 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" src="/sites/default/files/Kylie.jpg" style="width: 750px; height: 500px;" typeof="foaf:Image"><br> <em>Kylie Masse wins bronze in the women's 100-metre backstroke at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games (photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)</em></p> <h4><strong>The gold standard</strong></h4> <p>茄子直播鈥檚 incredible athletes <a href="/news/u-t-athletes-make-big-impression-rio2016">made a big impression</a> at the Olympic Games in Rio this summer&nbsp;with alumna and student&nbsp;<strong>Rosie MacLennan </strong>successfully defending her gold in trampoline, and Varsity Blues swimmer <strong>Kylie Masse</strong>, a student in the&nbsp;Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education winning bronze in the women鈥檚 100-metre backstroke.&nbsp;茄子直播 alumna <strong>Shelley Gautier</strong> scored <a href="/news/u-t-s-shelley-gautier-wins-bronze-rio-2016-paralympic-games">a bronze medal for Canada in paracycling</a> at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.</p> <p>Vice-President and Principal of 茄子直播 Scarborough, <strong>Bruce Kidd</strong>, an&nbsp;Olympian himself, said he鈥檚 incredibly proud of the athletes continuing the university鈥檚 <a href="/news/photo-gallery/u-t-celebrates-rio-2016">Olympic legacy</a>.</p> <p>鈥淚t鈥檚 been thrilling to watch 茄子直播 students and alumni compete so brilliantly, courageously.鈥</p> <p>The university's grads were once again among the world's more employable 鈥 and 茄子直播's impact on the world stage, from&nbsp;ground-breaking&nbsp;research to innovative teaching propelled&nbsp;it to <a href="/news/u-t-has-one-world-s-best-graduate-employability-outcomes">the top of global rankings lists</a>.</p> <p>And who can forget the incredible achievements of 茄子直播 faculty like<strong>&nbsp;Deborah Cowen</strong>, whose work spanning urban planning and politics, citizenship, contested spaces and social justice, earned her <a href="/news/deborah-cowen-receives-trudeau-fellowship">a prestigious&nbsp;Trudeau Fellowship</a> and&nbsp;Professor<strong> Molly Shoichet</strong>, a world-renowned researcher and leader in the use of biomaterials to enhance stem cell delivery for treating disease conditions from stroke to blindness, who received&nbsp;the <a href="/news/molly-shoichet-awarded-2016-till-mcculloch-award">Till &amp; McCulloch Award</a>.</p> <p>Twenty-five 茄子直播 researchers were named as <a href="/news/25-top-u-t-scholars-named-canada-research-chairs">Canada Research Chairs</a> this year. A majority 鈥16 of them 鈥 were women.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__2847 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" src="/sites/default/files/Weeknd.jpg" style="width: 750px; height: 500px;" typeof="foaf:Image"><br> <em>鈥婽he Weeknd helped to raise money for the university鈥檚 efforts to create Ethiopian studies. (Photo by Taylor Hill/Getty Images for Hangout Music Festival)&nbsp;</em></p> <h4><strong>A dose of pop culture</strong></h4> <p>茄子直播 earned some pop culture cred this year&nbsp;with two alumni starring in some of this year鈥檚 biggest TV shows 鈥 <strong>David Sutcliffe</strong>, who plays Rory鈥檚 dad on <em>Gilmore Girls</em> <a href="/news/u-t-grad-rory%E2%80%99s-dad-actor-david-sutcliffe-gilmore-girls-revival">spoke to <em>茄子直播 News</em> </a>writer <strong>Geoffrey Vendeville</strong> about his time at 茄子直播 and what college he thinks his on-screen daughter would have attended.</p> <p><em>Kim鈥檚 Convenience</em>鈥檚 <strong>Paul Sun-Hyung Lee</strong>, <a href="/news/actor-paul-sun-hyung-lee-former-u-t-drama-student-stars-cbc-comedy-kim-s-convenience">reflected&nbsp;on his time at 茄子直播鈥檚 drama program</a>. He said&nbsp;his first year 鈥渋gnited inside of me a passion for the performing arts that I鈥檇 never had before.鈥</p> <p>We were incredibly thankful for Grammy-award winning star <a href="/news/weeknd-backs-u-t-s-bid-launch-north-america-s-first-ethiopian-studies-program">The Weeknd鈥檚 $50,000 donation</a>, which will&nbsp;help 茄子直播 launch Ethiopian studies.</p> <p>Remember <a href="/news/pikachu-sightings-and-rumours-jigglypuff-pokemon-go-university-toronto">Pok茅mon GO</a>? Students, staff and faculty 鈥 across the three campuses 鈥 spent some of the hottest summer days glued to their phones, trying to catch the monsters that popped up on their screens. Crowds huddled around 茄子直播 Pok茅Stops 鈥 locations where players could&nbsp;download items to&nbsp;help in&nbsp;their quest 鈥 and lures, stops that attracted&nbsp;Pok茅mon, and those hunting them.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>茄子直播 even made an appearance in <a href="http://ca.hellomagazine.com/royalty/02016110730824/norway-prince-haakon-princess-mette-marit-in-canada-gallery/4/"><em>Hello Magazine</em></a> when their Royal Highnesses Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway <a href="/news/norway-crown-prince-and-princess-visit-u-t-hart-house">paid a visit to Hart House</a> as part of their four-day trip to Canada. We also had a visit from the <a href="/news/croatian-president-visits-u-t-tours-lab-and-meets-students">first female president of Croatia</a>.</p> <p>Mike Babcock, head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs, dropped by OISE <a href="http://www.oise.utoronto.ca/oise/About_OISE/Toronto_Maple_Leafs_head_coach_Mike_Babcock_shares_leadership_lessons_at_OISE.html">to share leadership lessons</a> with educators.</p> <p>And don鈥檛 forget about the time Drake <a href="/news/u-t-drizzy-elusive-artist-opens-about-contact-festival-champagnepapi-and-more">visited the 茄子直播 Scarborough campus</a>鈥ell, kind of.</p> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__2848 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" src="/sites/default/files/genetic%20wiring.jpg" style="width: 750px; height: 500px;" typeof="foaf:Image"><br> <em>This map shows how genes interact in groups to shed light on the genetic roots of diseases.</em></p> <h4><strong>Awe-inspiring research</strong></h4> <p>The year began with <a href="/news/prime-minister-justin-trudeau-backs-commercialization-stem-cell-research-u-t-and-partners">Prime Minister Justin Trudeau</a> touring the lab of 茄子直播's<strong> Peter Zandstra</strong>, executive director of Medicine by Design,&nbsp;to announce a $20-million grant to back commercialization of stem cell research by 茄子直播 and its partners. (And before the year was up,&nbsp;the commercialization of stem cell research was winning&nbsp;<a href="/news/bayer-versant-back-commercialization-stem-cell-therapies-toronto-we-go-where-science-best">major backing from the private sector</a>.)</p> <p>This was a year of incredible discoveries from <a href="/news/team-led-u-t-researchers-discovers-energy-source-sustaining-microbial-life-deep-beneath-earth%E2%80%99s">signs of life kilometres underground</a> by Earth Sciences Professor&nbsp;<strong>Barbara Sherwood Lollar </strong>to 茄子直播 research by Associate Professor&nbsp;<strong>Harald Pfeiffer</strong>&nbsp;and his team at the Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics (CITA) playing an instrumental role in the <a href="/news/einstein-proved-right-ligo-u-t-astrophysicists-detect-gravitational-waves">detection of gravitational waves</a>&nbsp;in space.</p> <p>We even questioned whether dinosaurs were <a href="/news/did-dinosaurs-have-lips-ask-university-toronto-paleontologist">able to pucker up</a> through research by 茄子直播 Mississauga palaeontologist <strong>Robert Reisz</strong>.</p> <p>The 鈥渉acktivist hothouse鈥 that is 茄子直播鈥檚 <a href="/news/watching-watchers-u-t-ron-deibert-blazing-new-trails-citizen-lab">Citizen Lab</a> continued&nbsp;making headlines from<em><a href="http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2016/11/how-bill-marczak-spyware-can-control-the-iphone"> Vanity Fair </a></em>to <em><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/30/technology/governments-turn-to-commercial-spyware-to-intimidate-dissidents.html?_r=0">The New York Times</a>&nbsp; </em>and <a href="http://www.snappytv.com/tc/3433939">CNN International</a>&nbsp;about abuses of power online, including being the subject of a <a href="/news/canadian-documentary-black-code-based-research-u-t-s-citizen-lab-premiers-tiff">Canadian documentary, <em>Black Code</em>.</a></p> <p>茄子直播鈥檚 <a href="/news/u-t-sequence-genomes-10000-people-year-%E2%80%9Cinformation-new-oil%E2%80%9D-say-university-toronto-scientists">massive project</a> to sequence the whole genomes of 10,000 people per year will help us understand complex diseases while a <a href="/news/landmark-map-reveals-genetic-wiring-cellular-life">new map</a> visualizes the genetic network of a cell. And who could forget <a href="http://news.engineering.utoronto.ca/person-on-a-chip-u-of-t-engineers-create-lab-grown-heart-and-liver-tissue-for-drug-testing-and-more/">the beating heart on a chip</a>&nbsp;and Canada's <a href="/news/canadas-first-hand-forearm-transplant-takes-18-u-t-surgeons-and-five-years-planning">first hand and forearm transplant.</a></p> <p>Scientists and environmentalists at the university took some serious steps to tackle climate change.&nbsp; While researchers helped&nbsp;to solve&nbsp;the puzzle of <a href="/news/u-t-scientists-emissions-fuel">converting CO鈧 emissions to fuel</a>, experts attended the 鈥<a href="/news/saving-planet-carbon-dioxide-u-t-hosts-gathering-experts-climate-change">Woodstock of carbon dioxide</a>鈥 to figure out how to save the planet. 茄子直播 Scarborough's <strong>Nick Eyles </strong>also <a href="/news/running-empty-nick-eyles-explores-california-drought">explored the California drought</a> for the CBC and researchers have discovered&nbsp;<a href="/news/rice-crops-can-save-farmers-money-and-cut-pollution-new-research-u-t">鈥渟uperstar鈥 varieties of rice</a> that can reduce fertilizer loss and cut down on environmental pollution in the process.&nbsp;</p> <p>茄子直播 Mississauga Assistant Professor <strong>Jennifer Stellar</strong> found the <a href="/news/putting-stock-awe-u-t-research">power of positivity can go a long way</a> 鈥 and it鈥檚 good for your health. Another 茄子直播 study found&nbsp;that an enagement ring's value drops if there's an&nbsp;<a href="/news/engagement-ring-fail-what-doomed-diamonds-tell-researchers-about-consumers">鈥渦nhappily ever after.鈥</a>&nbsp; But be warned, the better you feel about your partner, the <a href="http://www.utm.utoronto.ca/main-news/how-feeling-good-about-your-lover-might-be-bad-your-sexual-health">higher the risk to your sexual health</a>.</p> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__2849 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" src="/sites/default/files/swarmbots.jpg" style="width: 750px; height: 500px;" typeof="foaf:Image"><br> <em>Engineering PhD student Justin Kim has built nine robots not much larger than a thumb that exhibit 鈥渟warm intelligence.鈥 (photo by John Guatto)</em></p> <h4><strong>Clever bots</strong></h4> <p>From a swarm of tiny robots that <a href="/news/wisdom-crowds-u-t-phd-student-builds-swarm-intelligence-robots">could be used to save lives</a> to a smartphone that <a href="/news/artificial-intelligence-u-t-new-algorithm-learns-directly-human-instruction">could tell you if you鈥檙e having a bad hair day</a>, students and faculty at 茄子直播 are on the front lines of innovation when it comes to robotics and artificial intelligence.</p> <p>So it's not surprising that the best and brightest gathered at 茄子直播 to ponder the future of AI at the <a href="/news/2016-marks-important-turning-point-artificial-intelligence-u-t-conference">Machine Learning and the Market for Intelligence conference</a> 鈥 including everyone鈥檚 favourite astronaut Chris Hadfield.</p> <p>鈥淭he sky is not the limit," he said. "I鈥檝e lived above the sky, and I know it鈥檚 just the start of our opportunities.鈥</p> <p>But don鈥檛 worry, 茄子直播 experts say we <a href="/news/u-t-experts-weigh-how-canada-should-keep-technology">don鈥檛 have to surrender to the robots just yet</a>.</p> <p>If you鈥檙e planning on belting out some carols during the holiday season, let this 茄子直播 created program help you turn your favourite photos into <a href="/news/have-yourself-ai-xmas-u-t-computer-science-researchers-create-neural-karaoke">a jolly sing-a-long</a>.</p> <p>Hosting a New Year's Eve dinner party&nbsp;and want the perfect wine and cheese pairing? There鈥檚 a <a href="/news/xmas-gift-u-t-research-algorithm-behind-perfect-wine-and-cheese-pairings">茄子直播 made algorithm for that</a>.</p> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__2854 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" src="/sites/default/files/fcb.jpg" style="width: 750px; height: 500px; margin: 10px;" typeof="foaf:Image"><br> <em>茄子直播 alumni Karimah Gheddai and Shaimaa Atef are city builders to watch. (Photo by Romi Levine)</em></p> <h4><strong>In the 6ix</strong></h4> <p><em><a href="http://torontolife.com/city/will-want-live-toronto-2066/">Toronto Life</a>&nbsp;</em>came to <a href="/news/u-t-experts-imagine-city-50-years-toronto-life-anniversary-issue">茄子直播 experts</a> when they wanted to envision what the city would look like in 50 years. Denser and more diverse was the answer.</p> <p>茄子直播鈥檚 mapping experts told&nbsp;incredible stories about Toronto鈥檚 <a href="/news/mapping-city-what-toronto%E2%80%99s-waterways-can-tell-us">waterways</a>, <a href="/news/mapping-city-smart-transport-data-pave-way-driverless-future">highways</a>, <a href="/news/mapping-city-how-green-space-could-make-happy-kids">schools</a>, access to <a href="/news/mapping-city-busting-conventional-wisdom-food-deserts">food</a> and <a href="/news/mapping-city-how-transit-can-fix-access-jobs-toronto">jobs</a>.</p> <p><a href="/news/future-city-builders-0">A new generation of city builders</a>&nbsp;was&nbsp;hard at work ensuring that Toronto stays liveable as it continues to grow at warp speed.</p> <p>And a group of 茄子直播 ethnographers watched&nbsp;the city change through the eyes of&nbsp;<a href="/news/change-and-resistance-kensington-market-u-t-lab-tells-community-s-story">shop owners and residents in Kensington Market</a> while a group of 茄子直播 students was busy&nbsp;<a href="/news/finding-home-u-t-students-carve-space-syrian-newcomers">making sure Syrian newcomers felt at home</a>.</p> <p>All three campuses kept a local focus with a new <a href="/news/u-t-joins-city-toronto-social-procurement-pledge">social procurement policy</a> while <a href="/news/fresh-and-local-maclean%E2%80%99s-shows-foodies-what%E2%80%99s-new-u-t">cooking up</a> some gourmet, <a href="/news/uoftbts16-dig-year-s-delish-food-choices">locally-sourced food</a> to satisfy 茄子直播 foodies.&nbsp;</p> <p>At 茄子直播's downtown Toronto campus, Convocation Hall played host as <a href="/news/photo-gallery/citizenship-ceremony-convocation-hall">500 new citizens were sworn in</a>. Convocation ceremonies brought stars&nbsp;like <a href="/news/uoftgrad16-anti-doping-crusader-dick-pound">Dick Pound</a>, the international face of the fight against doping,&nbsp;and Degrassi鈥檚 <strong><a href="/news/uoftgrad16-degrassi-co-creator-linda-schuyler">Linda Schuyler</a></strong> to 茄子直播.</p> <p>We also had several visits by elected officials from all three levels of government such as federal&nbsp;<a href="/news/photo-gallery/finance-minister-bill-morneau-u-t">Finance Minister Bill Morneau</a>, <a href="/news/photo-gallery/premier-kathleen-wynne-delivers-judy-lamarsh-lecture-women-leadership-u-t-s">Premier <strong>Kathleen Wynne</strong></a>, Mayor John Tory and Science Minister <strong><a href="/news/meet-u-t-newest-canada-research-chairs">Kirsty Duncan</a></strong>.</p> <p>At 茄子直播 Scarborough,&nbsp;The Environmental Science and Chemistry Building&nbsp;has been&nbsp;<a href="/news/leed-gold-sustainable-design-awarded-u-t-research-building">recognized as the gold standard</a>&nbsp;for sustainable building design.</p> <p>And, after much public consulation, the university&nbsp;chose a winning team to transform&nbsp;the downtown Toronto campus. Get ready, Toronto, for <a href="/news/transforming-u-t-s-downtown-toronto-campus">a more pedestrian-friendly </a><a href="/news/transforming-u-t-s-downtown-toronto-campus">campus&nbsp;</a>with parking headed&nbsp;underground at King鈥檚 College Circle.&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Do you have a favourite moment of 2016? We鈥檇 love to hear about it!&nbsp;</strong></p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Tue, 20 Dec 2016 16:44:01 +0000 Romi Levine 102728 at #UofTGrad16: Disabilities advocate, jazz musicians and global affairs enthusiast join 茄子直播鈥檚 Class of 2016 /news/uoftgrad16-disabilities-advocate-jazz-musicians-and-global-affairs-enthusiast <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">#UofTGrad16: Disabilities advocate, jazz musicians and global affairs enthusiast join 茄子直播鈥檚 Class of 2016</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2016-11-04-convocation-lead.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=wBwPIe8Y 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/2016-11-04-convocation-lead.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=YwobL4b7 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/2016-11-04-convocation-lead.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=4pMP94Fj 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2016-11-04-convocation-lead.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=wBwPIe8Y" alt="photo of graduating student"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>ullahnor</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2016-11-03T18:22:34-04:00" title="Thursday, November 3, 2016 - 18:22" class="datetime">Thu, 11/03/2016 - 18:22</time> </span> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/jennifer-robinson" hreflang="en">Jennifer Robinson</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-legacy field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Author legacy</div> <div class="field__item">Jennifer Robinson</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/our-community" hreflang="en">Our Community</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/convocation-2016" hreflang="en">Convocation 2016</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/students" hreflang="en">Students</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/university-toronto" hreflang="en">University of Toronto</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>When a person starts to profoundly lose their vision, there are a number of resources available to help them physically adapt 鈥 like how to navigate the city using a cane or a guide dog. But what about their mental well-being?</p> <p><strong>Kathleen Forestell</strong> from the University of Toronto鈥檚 Class of 2016 wants to ensure those resources are there.</p> <p>The 29-year-old from Ottawa, who is receiving her MEd in counselling psychology from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) on Tuesday, says she believes the mental health of people undergoing dramatic life changes needs to be addressed.</p> <p>Forestell wants to be an advocate for Canadians with disabilities. She&nbsp;is one of more than 4,600 students graduating this fall from 茄子直播. From Nov. 7 to Nov. 9, the university will award undergrad and graduate degrees to students from all three campuses. When combined with spring convocation, 茄子直播鈥檚 Class of 2016 is more than 18,000 strong.</p> <p>Helping Forestell take her final steps as a 茄子直播 student across the stage at Convocation Hall will be her guide dog, Tiffany, a two-year-old black Labrador retriever.</p> <p>鈥淚鈥檓 going to very proud to walk across the stage with her,鈥 she says. 鈥淚 want people to see, 鈥榊es, we鈥檙e here, and yes, you can do this, too!鈥欌</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><iframe allowfullscreen frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JifJAffU08M" width="560"></iframe></p> <p>Read about more of our amazingly inspiring graduates below:</p> <hr> <p><strong>The Advocate</strong></p> <p>Being a mental health advocate for people learning to live with disabilities is not an academic discussion for Forestell, it鈥檚 a lived experience. Two years ago, after moving to Toronto to pursue her postgraduate studies, her vision dramatically worsened.</p> <p>鈥淚t was just like 鈥榞reat timing,鈥欌 Forestell explains.</p> <p>Legally blind since birth, the former Canadian Para Alpine Ski Team World Cup racer has fearlessly zoomed down the slopes of the Matterhorn and was once clocked at 100 kilometres an hour as she crossed the finish line 鈥 relying solely on her skills, confidence and a ski guide.</p> <p>With just 20 degrees of peripheral vision, she excelled as a top athlete. Losing more of that field of vision has been a staggering loss 鈥 especially as she adjusted to life in a new city and university life.&nbsp;</p> <p>What that experience is like is complicated, she says. There鈥檚 the physical change but 鈥測ou鈥檙e also dealing with loss and grief. What you鈥檙e used to experiencing is not your experience anymore. For me, there was a lot of anxiety. When I was outside, I would feel things sneaking up on me [like quiet bicycles] ... I was constantly being surprised.鈥</p> <p>Her mother, who often came to visit,&nbsp;was a great emotional support&nbsp;and her professors at OISE found ways to accommodate her that didn鈥檛 involve vision fatigue. Recorded materials or talking books from the library helped her do research, but 鈥渢he best thing ever鈥 was the decision by one prof to allow her to give oral presentations rather than write papers.</p> <p>鈥淚 had to learn how to learn again,鈥 she says simply. 鈥淚t was really challenging. I鈥檓 just glad I made it through!鈥</p> <p>Her vision has now stabilized, and she鈥檚 moved from using a white cane to working with Tiffany as she gets out and about in the city.</p> <p>She鈥檚 now job searching and looking for the right job to be an advocate for people with disabilities.</p> <hr> <p><strong>The Smooth Jazz Hands</strong></p> <p>The looseness of jazz improvisation is 鈥渓ike talking and having a conversation... just with instruments. It offers a lot of creativity and freedom,鈥 says alto saxophonist <strong>Anthony Argatoff</strong>.</p> <p>Graduation is fast approaching but he and fellow graduands <strong>Victor Vrankulj</strong> (jazz bass) and <strong>Andrew Miller</strong> (jazz drums) are looking towards the future and the CD release party for their avant-garde/improvised music ensemble <a href="http://www.bellwether4.com/">Bellwether4</a> in December in Hamilton, Guelph and Toronto.</p> <p>Why the Hammer and Guelph? Well, it turns out they have humming improv jazz scenes, says Argatoff. Much like where he hails from in Kelowna, B.C.</p> <p>On November 7, his family will be in the office to cheer him on as he officially receives his Bachelor of Music in Performance. He鈥檚 enjoyed the four-year jazz program so much his own brother (tenor sax) is now taking it, too, as well as a growing number of fellow Kelownians.</p> <p>鈥淚t鈥檚 a really special place. I鈥檓 just really grateful I came here,鈥 says Argatoff. There is always a community of musicians at 茄子直播 ready to hang out and play 鈥渁ll the time鈥 and the professors, who are professional musicians themselves, are always available to talk anytime and offer advice.</p> <p>鈥淭he faculty was outstanding with lots of one-on-one opportunities,鈥 agrees fellow fall graduand and jazz guitarist <strong>Christopher Platt</strong>, who switched to 茄子直播 after studying jazz performance at Mohawk College with Vrankulj.</p> <p>For Platt (below), the path to jazz started when he first picked up a guitar at the age of 12. At first the blues had him in their grip with Muddy Waters, Buddy Guy, Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan among his favourites.</p> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__2405 img__view_mode__media_large attr__format__media_large" height="453" src="/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/Chris-Platt-promo-pic.jpg?itok=NJOoDDzu" typeof="foaf:Image" width="680" loading="lazy"></p> <p>鈥淏ut I just wanted to consume more and more music and jazz was the next obvious step for me. I just kept going deeper down the rabbit hole,鈥 he says, naming American jazz guitarist Wes Montgomery as a strong influence on his playing.</p> <p>Now, he lists Brazilian jazz as his latest musical obsession. 鈥淪o much of it is so sad and some is quite joyous. I like the sad stuff,鈥 says Platt.</p> <p>Like Argatoff, he鈥檚 focused on finding gigs through his <a href="http://www.chrisplattmusic.ca/">website</a> and has several side projects on the go with various musicians around the city.</p> <p>鈥淭oronto is the place to be in Canada [for jazz]. In the states, it would be New York... but New York just seems to be so... like Toronto on steroids,鈥 he says with a laugh, noting a lot of people he knows have gone down to the Big Apple to test their chops. He may do it at some point, but he鈥檚 in no rush to leave the community network of musicians he鈥檚 built up here.</p> <p>As for his time at 茄子直播, 鈥淚 don鈥檛 get tied to nostalgia. When it鈥檚 over, I kind of leave it in its place.鈥</p> <p>The he adds: 鈥淚鈥檒l miss this. You鈥檙e just consumed by music all the time. You鈥檙e constantly rehearsing and having jam sessions late into the night... You can only really get that by going to school.鈥</p> <hr> <p><strong>The Global Thinker</strong></p> <p><strong>Wenjie (Shirley) Wu</strong> has got her eye on the world.</p> <p>Originally from China, she鈥檚 a true citizen of the world after spending her teenage years in Japan and later moving to Canada at the age of 17.</p> <p>鈥淎fter living in different countries, I鈥檓 interested in how different people and countries see and interact with each other,鈥 says the trilingual Wu who speaks Mandarin, Japanese and English.</p> <p>It was that interest that drew her like a magnet to 茄子直播鈥檚 Munk School of Global Affairs two years ago. And on Monday, she officially graduates with her Master of Global Affairs, which she completed alongside the Collaborative Master鈥檚 Program in Asia-Pacific Studies.</p> <p>鈥淚 really liked being here. I鈥檒l miss our Munk school, which has such a nice environment,鈥 says Wu, noting the impressive number of events Munk hosts where a roster of internationally respected thought leaders speak on pressing global issues.</p> <p>Her time at 茄子直播 has also been filled with hanging out with fellow classmates who are passionate and engaged in their studies, as well as a dream internship at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) where she worked on the Canada desk in Washington, DC.</p> <p>Although Asia has been her main area of focus in studies, her classes at Munk broadened her country interests with projects on Brazil, Bangladesh, Hungary, Mexico, Uruguay, Syria and others. At the IMF, she also had the chance to do work on Canada and Caribbean countries too.</p> <p>Munk also taught her analytical methods and practical management skills with an immersion in the latest thinking on global issues, which will be crucial in launching and sustaining her career as an international policy researcher. This adds to her practical work experience in the non-profit and higher education sectors and her BA in international relations and economics earned at the University of British Columbia.</p> <p>鈥淢y dream job is kind of hard to say,鈥 she says, 鈥渂ut anything that involves policy research maybe in a think-tank, government organization or international organization would be great.鈥</p> <p><strong><em>For the full schedule of #UofTGrad16 convocation ceremonies, visit </em></strong><a href="http://www.convocation.utoronto.ca/events"><strong><em>http://www.convocation.utoronto.ca/events</em></strong></a><strong><em>.</em></strong></p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Thu, 03 Nov 2016 22:22:34 +0000 ullahnor 102226 at 茄子直播 joins the city of Toronto in social procurement pledge /news/u-t-joins-city-toronto-social-procurement-pledge <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">茄子直播 joins the city of Toronto in social procurement pledge</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/ECB%20main.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=lG-qk4UW 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/ECB%20main.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=YUEb5fuw 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/ECB%20main.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=aYTGnUHI 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/ECB%20main.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=lG-qk4UW" alt="photo of Environmental Science and Chemistry Building at 茄子直播 Scarborough"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>Romi Levine</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2016-10-24T12:02:51-04:00" title="Monday, October 24, 2016 - 12:02" class="datetime">Mon, 10/24/2016 - 12:02</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">Environmental Science and Chemistry building at University of Toronto Scarborough (photo by Ken Jones)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/romi-levine" hreflang="en">Romi Levine</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-legacy field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Author legacy</div> <div class="field__item">Romi Levine</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/city-culture" hreflang="en">City &amp; Culture</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/university-toronto" hreflang="en">University of Toronto</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/u-t-scarborough" hreflang="en">茄子直播 Scarborough</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/food-services" hreflang="en">Food Services</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/ttc" hreflang="en">TTC</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/toronto" hreflang="en">Toronto</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/anchorto" hreflang="en">AnchorTO</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-subheadline field--type-string-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Subheadline</div> <div class="field__item">AnchorTO brings the city鈥檚 largest public institutions together for 鈥榖uy local鈥 strategy</div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Nothing beats spending a sunny afternoon at a nearby farmer鈥檚 market, picking up fresh produce grown only a few kilometres away.&nbsp;</p> <p>The&nbsp;鈥渂uy local鈥 philosophy has been&nbsp;spreading beyond the farmer鈥檚 market to restaurants and&nbsp;boutiques 鈥&nbsp;and now to Toronto鈥檚 public institutions like&nbsp;the University of Toronto. &nbsp;</p> <p>U&nbsp;of T&nbsp;Scarborough, for example, is working with its food services provider Aramark to find ways to source local food.</p> <p>鈥淭here are a tremendous number of farms around the campus,鈥 says <strong>Andrew Arifuzzaman</strong>,&nbsp;chief administrative officer of 茄子直播 Scarborough. 鈥淲e鈥檒l be bringing local farms in, talking about what they need to become suppliers to Aramark.鈥</p> <p>茄子直播's downtown Toronto campus already sources and buys local food. Since the campus' food services began operating in-house, those volumes have increased, according to <strong>Anne Macdonald</strong>, director of ancillary services.</p> <p>In that same vein of "buying local," 茄子直播 Scarborough&nbsp;has also partnered with an organization called Hammer Heads, which hires local apprentices for on-campus construction projects, most recently at&nbsp;the Environmental Science and Chemistry building and at&nbsp;<a href="http://www.utsc.utoronto.ca/aboutus/highland-hall">Highland Hall</a>.&nbsp;</p> <p>The university's downtown Toronto campus is now hoping to do something similar.</p> <p>茄子直播 is looking to expand its community engagement with local businesses and workers by teaming up with the Atkinson Foundation and&nbsp;anchor institutions&nbsp;such as the City of Toronto and&nbsp;public sector organizations like the TTC, Ryerson University and Toronto Public Library. Anchor institutions are&nbsp;public or non-profit organizations&nbsp;rooted in their community, hence the name of the initiative, AnchorTO.&nbsp;</p> <p>Along with 茄子直播, 13&nbsp;institutions have signed on, pledging to research and create a plan for sourcing and utilizing local goods and services 鈥 a practice called social procurement.&nbsp;</p> <p>鈥淚t is to our benefit to ensure that the community is as successful as it can be because it鈥檚 essentially a symbiotic relationship,鈥 says <strong>Sheila Brown</strong>, 茄子直播鈥檚 chief financial officer.</p> <p>For 茄子直播鈥檚 Director of Procurement Services&nbsp;<strong>Renata Faverin</strong>, it鈥檚 important that AnchorTO takes a collaborative approach to procurement.&nbsp;</p> <p>鈥淚t鈥檚 about working on projects and identifying ways, always within our regulations, to encourage participation and further economic development for our disadvantaged communities, our smaller suppliers,鈥 she says.</p> <p>Implementing new procurement strategies will be complicated, guided by the legal framework already in place, says Brown.</p> <p>鈥淲e must do everything in accordance to the current rules, which are complex, and the current rules in Ontario,鈥 she says.&nbsp;</p> <p>Arifuzzaman believes&nbsp;all that hard work pays off for the university and the community at large. That's what he&nbsp;hopes will happen in Scarborough.</p> <p>鈥淐reating opportunities for local suppliers makes Scarborough more attractive to live work and play,鈥 he says. 鈥淚t creates a whole system 鈥 a micro ecosystem of economic growth and prosperity.鈥</p> <p><strong>Other Toronto organizations signed on to AnchorTO:</strong></p> <p>Atkinson Foundation<br> City of Toronto<br> Centennial College<br> George Brown College<br> Metrolinx<br> Ryerson University<br> Seneca College<br> Toronto Public Library<br> Toronto Transit Commission<br> Toronto Community Housing<br> United Way Toronto and York Region<br> University of Toronto<br> University of Toronto Scarborough</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Mon, 24 Oct 2016 16:02:51 +0000 Romi Levine 101485 at Improving student mental health: Q & A with Professor Catherine Sabiston /news/improving-student-mental-health-q-kpe-associate-professor-catherine-sabiston <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Improving student mental health: Q &amp; A with Professor Catherine Sabiston</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2016-09-28-mparc.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=Yug4S07j 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/2016-09-28-mparc.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=rBIy5tY1 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/2016-09-28-mparc.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=Cds-AgM4 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2016-09-28-mparc.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=Yug4S07j" alt="Photo of exercising student"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>ullahnor</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2016-09-28T16:01:43-04:00" title="Wednesday, September 28, 2016 - 16:01" class="datetime">Wed, 09/28/2016 - 16:01</time> </span> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/katie-babcock" hreflang="en">Katie Babcock</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-legacy field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Author legacy</div> <div class="field__item">Katie Babcock</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/city-culture" hreflang="en">City &amp; Culture</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/exercise" hreflang="en">Exercise</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/mental-health" hreflang="en">Mental Health</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/depression" hreflang="en">Depression</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/university-toronto" hreflang="en">University of Toronto</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/u-t" hreflang="en">茄子直播</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/students" hreflang="en">Students</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Professor <strong>Catherine Sabiston</strong>&nbsp;at&nbsp;茄子直播鈥檚 Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education&nbsp;believes the key to a province-wide mental health strategy lies in well-designed physical activity and wellness programs.</p> <p>Sabiston conducts research at 茄子直播鈥檚 Mental Health and Physical Activity Research Centre (MPARC), one of the first research facilities in Canada to integrate the study of physical activity and mental health. She has designed student-led physical activity programs 鈥&nbsp;resulting in long-term, convenient, cost-effective and preventative measures for better health and well-being.</p> <p>With the <a href="http://oucha.ca/pdf/2016_NCHA-II_WEB_SPRING_2016_ONTARIO_CANADA_REFERENCE_GROUP_EXECUTIVE_SUMMARY.pdf">Ontario University and College Health Association's survey</a> this week finding a rise in rates of anxiety, depression and suicide attempts among&nbsp;college and university students across Ontario, Sabiston talked&nbsp;about the issue and her research.</p> <p><strong>Why are rates of anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts increasing among university students?</strong></p> <p>University students are facing increasing pressures to succeed, and they ultimately have a fear of failure. This is the first time that many of these young adults have dealt with independent responsibilities and goals. In addition, many students have lifestyle habits that are not conducive to restorative mental health, including poor sleep, less exercise and sub-par diets. These behaviours have known negative effects on mental health, yet they are not recognized in the bigger picture of academic success.&nbsp;</p> <p>Also, students face changing social environments 鈥 different peers in a wide range of classes, group assignments that require dependence on others, changes in friendships and autonomy from family. These social challenges can contribute to poor mental health. In this age of social media the immediacy and overload of information, combined with the stress of academia, also weigh heavily on students.<br> &nbsp;&nbsp;<br> <strong>What kind of support does MPARC offer?</strong></p> <p>MPARC offers two separate programs to help students increase their physical activity, learn self-regulation skills and monitor their lifestyles. MoveU.HappyU is a six-week supervised exercise program for students who are seeking relief from high levels of stress, negative moods and worry. Students can be referred by health and wellness clinicians and can start the program at any time.</p> <p>We also offer a program called Secondary Prevention and Rehabilitation Kinesiology (SPARK). This is a 12-week program offered twice a year for students who are on medication for depression and/or anxiety, and who are followed by a clinician at 茄子直播鈥檚 Health and Wellness Centre. This program also offers supervised exercise and behavioural counselling. Both programs are offered at convenient times and at a central location, and they set students up for long-term success 鈥&nbsp;the programs ultimately help students feel confident in using the <a href="http://physical.utoronto.ca/health-and-exercise-psychology-unit">university's fitness facilities</a>.&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>What has your research shown so far?</strong></p> <p>We have had 22 students complete the MoveU.HappyU program during our pilot year. Over 70 per cent of the students felt that the program met their needs, and the majority rated the program as 鈥渉ighly enjoyable, interesting and of high importance.鈥 Importantly, many students felt they did not need psychological services beyond the program. Our findings also show that anxiety and depression symptoms decreased, and students felt they had more emotional control.&nbsp;</p> <p>Positive mood and life satisfaction increased over the six-week MoveU.HappyU program. These findings are encouraging and demonstrate the immediacy of the effects of physical activity on mental health. The SPARK program has just started and the first group of students will be completing the program this fall.</p> <p><strong>How could the MPARC approach be extended to a province-wide strategy?</strong></p> <p>This program could easily work in other universities across Ontario and Canada. We have program materials, and we also have strategies for training physical activity program ambassadors and behavioural counselling specialists. Students could use the universities鈥 sport and recreation spaces, and universities could support this kind of programming by offering dedicated hours for mental health programs. This would be a cost-effective, feasible and sustainable way to reduce the burden on health, wellness and psychological services on campuses.</p> <h3><a href="/news/u-t-opens-mental-health-and-physical-activity-research-centre">Read more about MPARC</a></h3> <p>&nbsp;</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Wed, 28 Sep 2016 20:01:43 +0000 ullahnor 101226 at TO Health! builds online health sciences hub in Toronto /news/health-builds-online-health-sciences-hub-toronto <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">TO Health! builds online health sciences hub in Toronto</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2016_09_12_vivek_goel_1140.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=KaaR6MJe 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/2016_09_12_vivek_goel_1140.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=h9P7Nf6Z 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/2016_09_12_vivek_goel_1140.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=rJ86ozmM 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2016_09_12_vivek_goel_1140.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=KaaR6MJe" alt="Vivek Goel seated in his office"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>Romi Levine</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2016-09-12T13:40:53-04:00" title="Monday, September 12, 2016 - 13:40" class="datetime">Mon, 09/12/2016 - 13:40</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">Vice-President Research and Innovation Vivek Goel is co-chair of TO Health! (Photo by Johnny Guatto)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/romi-levine" hreflang="en">Romi Levine</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-legacy field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Author legacy</div> <div class="field__item">Romi Levine</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/city-culture" hreflang="en">City &amp; Culture</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/health" hreflang="en">Health</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/toronto" hreflang="en">Toronto</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/university-toronto" hreflang="en">University of Toronto</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/public-health" hreflang="en">Public Health</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/innovation" hreflang="en">Innovation</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/research-and-innovation" hreflang="en">Research and Innovation</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/vivek-goel" hreflang="en">Vivek Goel</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-subheadline field--type-string-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Subheadline</div> <div class="field__item">茄子直播鈥檚 VP research and innovation, Vivek Goel, announced as co-chair of the organization </div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Boosting Toronto鈥檚 reputation as a leader in health sciences means bringing the industry online.&nbsp;</p> <p>That鈥檚 according to <a href="http://www.tohealth.ca/">TO Health!</a>, an industry-led organization that looks to strengthen the city鈥檚 health sciences 鈥渃luster.鈥</p> <p>Clusters are geographical regions where certain sectors (like technology, culture or finance) are thriving thanks to an interconnected web of private and public sector groups.&nbsp;</p> <h4><a href="/news/ontario%E2%80%99s-thriving-%E2%80%9Ccluster%E2%80%9D-regions-can-grow-our-economy-institute-competitiveness-and">Read more about clusters here&nbsp;</a></h4> <p>TO Health! is hoping its online forum, called <a href="http://engage.tohealth.ca/">Toronto Health Hub</a>, can connect and strengthen ties between businesses, government, academics and research institutes. It鈥檚 a one-stop-shop for the latest news, events and hot-topics in the industry.&nbsp;</p> <p>鈥淭his is a way for us to really understand where the news is coming from in the Toronto region,鈥 says TO Health! director and 茄子直播 alumna&nbsp;<strong>Ella Korets-Smith</strong>.</p> <p>The University of Toronto's&nbsp;<strong>Vivek Goel</strong>, vice-president, research and innovation, has been appointed co-chair of the TO Health! initiative.&nbsp;</p> <p><em>茄子直播 News</em> spoke with Goel about his new appointment and the value of successful clusters. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <hr> <p><strong>What鈥檚 the Toronto Health Hub all about?&nbsp;</strong></p> <p>Toronto Health Hub is a platform built off of a technology developed by a local company, Pressly.com .</p> <p>One of our biggest challenges is that we have so many organizations and entities that it鈥檚 really hard to keep up with what鈥檚 going on.&nbsp;</p> <p>The idea of the Hub is to create a virtual space that will connect all these different groups 鈥 the public and private sector, academia, governments. Listed there will be things like events that are coming up, new reports, opportunities for financing. It鈥檚 really meant to be a place where any user can go to find out what鈥檚 happening in the region. Through that we will be able to do a better job of capturing the activity and better presenting to the outside world the range of activities that are happening in the region.&nbsp;</p> <p>Because we are a much larger community with literally thousands of people, you have to have some tools to make those personal connections.&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>It鈥檚 like the Facebook for the health science professionals in the region鈥</strong></p> <p>Pressly.com is a social platform so it has those connection features to it. It allows for sharing of reports and so on. I think the platform enables for a lot more connectivity than Facebook alone would have allowed for. It is definitely around building a social community using tools while enabling a physical cluster.&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>It seems like a great way for students and grads to connect with people in the health sciences industry as well鈥&nbsp;</strong></p> <p>Absolutely. And in fact, a lot of what students and new graduates need is to know where the events are. The idea is for all these groups that are running different activities to have one place to market them and raise awareness on what鈥檚 happening.&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Why is it important for TO Health! to have academic representation in its leadership?</strong></p> <p>TO Health! is a group that got pulled together primarily by industry but with engagement with universities and research hospitals in the region. Former 茄子直播 president <strong>David Naylor</strong> was one of the original co-chairs.&nbsp;</p> <p>What this organization is really about is taking all the wonderful things that are happening in many different parts of the city whether it鈥檚 in hospital research institutes, university or in industry settings or in government.&nbsp;</p> <p>It鈥檚 not anything one sector 鈥 whether it鈥檚 the academic side or the industry side or the government&nbsp;鈥&nbsp;can do on its own. So it is important in terms of the leadership, the co-chairs are really coming from the private sector and the public sector.&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>What鈥檚 the value in thinking of the health sciences industry in Toronto as a 鈥渃luster鈥?</strong></p> <p>The research is pretty clear that globally, the most intense innovation and development work is happening in geographic regions where there are strong clusters that really bring together a number of different elements.</p> <p>First and foremost is talent 鈥 you have the people that have whatever the required skills are for a particular area. In the health sciences area, we have a significant amount of talent. We graduate about 10,000 students in health sciences areas alone in all universities and colleges in the Toronto region every year. We are&nbsp;also attracting talent globally to the very diverse city we have.</p> <p>Second, you need to have a concentration of industry that can build the ecosystem. We need big players 鈥 we have the head offices of major companies and we have small companies 鈥 medical device and biotech companies 鈥 and we have different types of startups.&nbsp;</p> <p>The final piece is having access to capital to help you grow your technology and businesses that will be able to develop and apply the technology to our community and take it globally.&nbsp;</p> <p>Clusters are really important because they bring these and many other elements together in a defined area and you have that interaction between people. The more we are doing things virtually, the more you have the need for some places that have that connectivity. That鈥檚 why you see this pattern globally of moving to these intense clusters in different area.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Mon, 12 Sep 2016 17:40:53 +0000 Romi Levine 100406 at 茄子直播 has flagship role in Ontario post-secondary education, says provincial report /news/heqco-report <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">茄子直播 has flagship role in Ontario post-secondary education, says provincial report</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/convocation-1140.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=Oncet9Jc 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/convocation-1140.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=NfFTeuhd 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/convocation-1140.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=s6GQK93r 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/convocation-1140.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=Oncet9Jc" alt="Graduates at Convocation 2016: A top-tier university like 茄子直播 reflects well on the entire system, says the HEQCO report (Ken Jones photo)"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>lavende4</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2016-07-12T10:20:37-04:00" title="Tuesday, July 12, 2016 - 10:20" class="datetime">Tue, 07/12/2016 - 10:20</time> </span> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/our-community" hreflang="en">Our Community</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/post-secondary-education" hreflang="en">Post-secondary education</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/ontario" hreflang="en">Ontario</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/university-toronto" hreflang="en">University of Toronto</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/meric-gertler" hreflang="en">Meric Gertler</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/heqco" hreflang="en">HEQCO</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>The University of Toronto has a 鈥減owerful flagship role鈥 to play as Ontario鈥檚 one internationally ranked top-tier university, says a new report by the provincial agency dedicated to improving the quality of higher education.</p> <p>The new report by the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario takes stock of provincial efforts to establish clear distinctions among the province鈥檚 20 universities and recommends further action to differentiate the research and teaching efforts of individual schools.</p> <p>The Ontario government has made differentiation a key policy, negotiating strategic mandate agreements in 2014 with institutions that ask them to identify factors that make them unique in the system.</p> <p>The new report urges the Ontario government to 鈥渕ove strongly and boldly鈥 to encourage greater differences among schools, and singles out 茄子直播 as an important resource for the whole province. Having a top-tier university, 鈥渞eflects well on the entire system and, like a rising tide, lifts all boats,鈥 the report finds.</p> <h2><a href="http://www.heqco.ca/en-ca/Research/ResPub/Pages/The-Differentiation-of-the-Ontario-University-System-Where-are-we-now-and-where-should-we-go.aspx">Read the HEQCO report here</a></h2> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>茄子直播 president <strong>Meric Gertler</strong> welcomed the report鈥檚 findings.</p> <p>鈥淭his analysis confirms 茄子直播鈥檚 flagship position within the Ontario system, as an institution of research and teaching that is recognized around the world,鈥 he said.&nbsp; 鈥淲e need to do all we can to attract the best minds to our campuses, to provide the best learning environment to our students and give them the kinds of opportunities that prepare them well for lifelong success.&nbsp;This report acknowledges that a one-size-fits-all funding model makes it increasingly difficult for us to deliver on this commitment.鈥</p> <p>The report recommends 鈥渟eizing the opportunity to restructure funding and enrolment expectations to ensure that Toronto continues to be able to play its unique and powerful flagship role for Ontario.鈥</p> <p>In addition to 茄子直播, the report singles out six other 鈥渞esearch-intensive鈥 universities, and groups four others as 鈥渋n-between鈥 or regional institutions. Nine others it describes as 鈥渕ostly undergraduate鈥 institutions that emphasize teaching and learning.</p> <p>It concludes that 鈥渢he most promising strategy is to concentrate research resources 鈥 infrastructure, sponsored funding and graduate education 鈥 into the already more research-intensive universities that attract the greatest student demand.鈥</p> <p>The new report also looks at differences in the 鈥渢eaching mission鈥 of individual universities using measures such as equity of access, graduate outcomes and demand. It concludes that schools that serve student bodies with more complex needs should get the support needed to meet that demand.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>鈥淚n a differentiated system, institutions build on their areas of expertise, allowing each to make its optimal contribution,鈥 HEQCO president and CEO Harvey Weingarten said in a statement. 鈥淥ntario has the opportunity to show international leadership in building a postsecondary system that is more cohesive, more sustainable and of higher quality.鈥</p> <p>&nbsp;The report cautions that the distinctions it makes are not a form of ranking. 鈥淒ifferentiation describes how institutions are different, not which are better,鈥 it states. &nbsp;</p> <p>In a time of budget restraint, the report sees differentiation as a way to increase choice, leverage institutional strengths and avoid expensive duplication. 鈥淒ifferentiation is a strategy for spending existing resources with greater impact and better outcomes,鈥 it states.&nbsp; At the same time, it is critical of the provincial funding formula that is based on per student funding and as such only rewards enrolment growth.</p> <p>Such a standardized approach is the 鈥渃onventional default in public-sector funding schemes,鈥 because it is easy to administer and easy to defend as fair, but 鈥渋s not a particularly powerful approach to driving differentiation,鈥 it finds.</p> <p>The report, 鈥楾he Differentiation of the Ontario University System: Where are we now and where should we go?鈥 was written by Martin Hicks and Linda Jonker and builds on the research done by HEQCO on this topic over the past six years.&nbsp;HEQCO was created by the Ontario government more than a decade ago to conduct research, evaluate the postsecondary education system and provide policy recommendations to the province.&nbsp;</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Tue, 12 Jul 2016 14:20:37 +0000 lavende4 14644 at Competition looks into St. George campus renewal /news/competition-looks-st-george-campus-renewal <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Competition looks into St. George campus renewal</span> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>sgupta</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2015-09-21T11:02:00-04:00" title="Monday, September 21, 2015 - 11:02" class="datetime">Mon, 09/21/2015 - 11:02</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">(photo by Arthur Kwiatkowski)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/arthur-kaptainis" hreflang="en">Arthur Kaptainis</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-legacy field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Author legacy</div> <div class="field__item">Arthur Kaptainis</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/top-stories" hreflang="en">Top Stories</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/university-toronto" hreflang="en">University of Toronto</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/st-george-campus" hreflang="en">St. George campus</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/landmark-committee" hreflang="en">Landmark Committee</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-subheadline field--type-string-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Subheadline</div> <div class="field__item">All invited to unveiling in Convocation Hall</div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>The historic core of the University of Toronto will be changing 鈥 while it stays the same.</p> <p>Four architect-led teams are set to unveil their strategic plans on renewing and restoring the heart of the St. George campus in a special gathering on Sept. 28 in Convocation Hall.</p> <p>The general public as well as 茄子直播 students, faculty, staff, alumni and stakeholders are invited to the event, which starts at 6 p.m. and runs to 9 p.m. No registration is required.</p> <p>A question and answer session follows the presentation. An exhibition will also be on view at the J. Robert S. Prichard 茄子直播 House at 21 King鈥檚 College Circle during the remainder of the week.</p> <p>Consultation is an essential element of the project.</p> <p>鈥淲e need to make our central campus open spaces work for the 21st-century 茄子直播 community,鈥 said Professor <strong>Donald Ainslie</strong>, principal of University College and co-chair of the Landmark Committee overseeing the competition. 鈥淭his means we need to hear from you.鈥</p> <p>The request for qualifications issued by the Landmark Committee stresses the need for a balance of functionality and preservation. Improving the pedestrian experience is the first of eight priorities the potential bidders are instructed to keep in mind.</p> <p>Others are: enhancing green space; creating animated public areas; supporting events with appropriate infrastructure; eliminating surface parking from King鈥檚 College Circle, Hart House Circle and Tower Road; limiting traffic on these roads; creating gateways and signage to improve pedestrian navigation; and allowing for discreet operation of delivery, removal and other necessary services.</p> <p>Addressing accessibility is a crucial element. A pedestrian plaza outside Convocation Hall and an event space in front of the 茄子直播 house are mentioned as desirable improvements. Matters as pragmatic as bicycle parking and as visionary as the placement and maintenance of public art fall under the aegis of the project.</p> <p>Nevertheless, reconciling open spaces with a burgeoning campus population remains the main challenge, as the first weeks of classes make clear.</p> <p>鈥淪tudents have arrived en masse and everywhere you turn you see another demonstration of the importance of our central green spaces,鈥 Ainslie said.</p> <p>鈥淪tudents have been playing pick-up Frisbee or softball on the front campus. Booths from campus groups lined Hart House Circle for the UTSU Clubs Fair during Orientation.</p> <p>鈥淣ice weather has meant that the Sir Daniel Wilson quad is a favourite spot for hanging out into the wee hours. The back-campus fields have been filled with team practices and intramural games.</p> <p>鈥淎t the same time, students going to classes are crowded onto narrow sidewalks and have to take extra care to avoid cars and bicycles, leaving them unlikely to notice the important historical buildings that surround them and the messages they symbolize.鈥</p> <p>After public feedback has been collected and considered, an evaluation committee including representatives of the Landmark Committee and university operations will choose a winning team, which will consult with the University to prepare a comprehensive design.</p> <p><strong>Sco<strong>tt </strong>Mabury</strong>, vice-president of university operations, is co-chair of the Landmark Committee. An announcement is expected in November.</p> <p>For more information on this project go to <a href="http://landmark.utoronto.ca">landmark.utoronto.ca.&nbsp;</a></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-picpath field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">picpath</div> <div class="field__item">sites/default/files/2015-09-21-landmark-con-hall.jpg</div> </div> Mon, 21 Sep 2015 15:02:00 +0000 sgupta 7293 at