Statements

In the wake of my reappointment as SFU president, I wanted to share some reflections about the continued importance of post-secondary education and what gets me excited to go to work in the morning.

When the Province of British Columbia asked Simon Fraser University to establish the first new medical school in Western Canada in 55 years on our Surrey campus, I knew both the weight of that commitment and the exciting opportunity that came with it.

The Burnaby Mountain Gondola, which will take transit riders from the Production Way Millennium Line Station up to SFU's Burnaby campus, is an excellent example of how SFU and the community are working to make a difference for everyone.

Back in May, I had the privilege of being the keynote speaker at a conference entitled “Women Lead the Way” for the B.C. chapter of the Canadian Federation of University Women. Here are a few thoughts from that speech.

Next month, thousands of British Columbians will be celebrating their university degrees. In a fast-changing job market, many of them are no doubt asking themselves if all their hard work will have been worth it.

President Joe Biden’s visit to Canada this week comes at a time when our neighbour and most valued trading partner is re-thinking economic policy in a way that has important implications for the Canadian economy and the contribution research universities make to its success.

I became president of SFU in September 2020, several months into the global COVID-19 shutdown. Because of that, I’ve spent most of my time as president connecting with the SFU community and our partners through Zoom screens, phone calls and emails. As the world has slowly opened up over the past year, I have enjoyed getting to spend more time on our campuses, seeing people face-to-face again—and most recently, travelling.

I was honoured to speak at the Vancouver Institute about how embracing difference at all levels of the university—from teaching and research to community engagement—can help universities carve out that path and contribute to the larger public good as we enter a post-COVID world.

Public transit makes life better for the whole community. Transit connects people to work, to school and to each other. It moves more people, more quickly than cars. It reduces congestion, sprawl and air pollution.

Universities and the academic community are uniquely positioned to play an important role in a just recovery. By leveraging our resources and human capital, we have an opportunity to affect transformative change, and build a more caring and humane society emerging from this crisis.

At the close of a very challenging year, it’s important to take stock of the lessons learned during the worst health and economic crisis in living memory.