UWinnipeg President releases Campus Development Plan and challenges all to make ‘four dimensions of sustainability’ integral to learning, research, university operations
WINNIPEG, MB – Dr. Lloyd Axworthy, President & Vice-Chancellor of The University of Winnipeg, today released UWinnipeg’s Campus Development Plan and challenged students, faculty, staff and community members to develop a fully sustainable campus – one that meets the needs of the “four dimensions of sustainability: ecological, economical, social and cultural.”
Axworthy made his remarks in his State of the University Address, held this morning before a capacity crowd in the newly-renovated Convocation Hall. The address served as the kickoff event to the university’s 40th Anniversary Homecoming & Reunion Weekend that runs through this Sunday, and coincides with the public release of the University’s Campus Development Plan.
“Our ultimate goal is to create a truly sustainable campus,” Axworthy said, “a campus that acts upon its local and global responsibilities to protect and enhance the health and well-being of humans and ecosystems. In doing so, we will meet the needs of current generations in such a way that ensures that future generations can meet their needs.”
The 45-minute presentation was a visionary speech by Axworthy – one that blended the institution’s accomplishments of the past with its goals for the future. He reflected on the areas where the university has already established itself as a leader, such as the influential Institute of Urban Studies, the interdisciplinary Environmental Studies program and the innovative Student-Designed Majors.
Looking forward, Axworthy stressed the need for action on the recent recommendations of the Access Task Force to make post-secondary education more available to people who normally do not attend university. He called for solution-driven research to address our most pressing sustainability problems and to create a “participatory culture” in educational programming with no barriers to artistic expression and civic engagement.
He also addressed the task of fulfilling the goals of the university’s recently-announced graduate studies programs, the benefits of the proposed Science Complex, the need for continued dialogue and partnerships with the community, and the establishment of a Model School of Science for inner-city children situated within the proposed Richardson College for the Environment.
“The strategy I am proposing is large,” Axworthy said, “however, the vision of an ecologically, economically and socially healthy university community with a thriving culture of cooperation and a notable ability to adapt to the demands of the coming age is the lens through which all activity undertaken on campus must be taken.
“This comes down to our own personal human development,” he continued, “a notion embedded in the idea of sustainable development. Our intention here is to support our students, faculty, staff, administrators and neighbours to continuously develop individually so that we might continually develop as an institution.”
To provide the road map for the future, UWinnipeg released its Campus Development Plan as a working document for further discussion and review. The Campus Development Plan – which is the culmination of campus and community consultations that began in 2004 and continued through 2005 and 2006 – proposes a holistic approach to campus and community development that breaks down barriers between the university and the neighborhood.
Key proposed projects, many of which are already underway, include an enhanced theatre, a new fitness centre open to the campus and community, affordable mixed housing and an expanded daycare to benefit both University of Winnipeg students and members of the community. Axworthy added that the group that developed the plan will be going back to the community for further consultation and follow-up in the near future.
Excerpts from Dr. Axworthy’s address may be seen at The University of Winnipeg’s website, at: http://www.uwinnipeg.ca/index/axworthy-address-excerpts-070913. The full text of his address may be viewed at http://www.uwinnipeg.ca/index/axworthy-address-070913. The complete Campus Development Plan may be seen, at: http://www.uwinnipeg.ca/index/campus-development-plan.
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Located in the heart of downtown, The University of Winnipeg is a compact, diverse, multi-cultural academic community committed to access and excellence. Home to more than 9,200 full- and part-time students, UWinnipeg has been ranked by our graduates in the Top-10 of all Canadian universities when asked about their “Entire Educational Experience” (MacLean’s Graduate Survey, June 2006). The Globe & Mail Report Card 2006 gives the University of Winnipeg an overall “A” grade in the areas of quality of education, teaching quality, class sizes, faculty-student interaction and the availability of faculty outside of classroom hours. Find out why. Visit www.uwinnipeg.ca.
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