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President's Message
Thirty-eight years ago, in an era of tumultuous change, a new academic spirit was born on Burnaby Mountain. In 1965, Simon Fraser University challenged conventional wisdom and invited its charter students to help forge a unique institution where dialogue replaced didacticism, and intellectual drive and determination trumped academic formality. If there was any lingering doubt in the public’s mind about the philosophy and future of this fledgling school, the bold geometry of Arthur Erickson’s architecture served to drive the message home: here was a university to be reckoned with. Today, SFU consistently ranks as one of the nation’s leading comprehensive universities, with an international reputation for innovative teaching, research, and community outreach. Now three years into my term as president, I remain grateful to the students, staff and faculty who continue to distinguish this institution by their exceptional talent and effort. Their achievements, highlighted in this report, are convincing evidence that SFU continues to blaze new academic trails, and to provide an unconventional learning environment that stimulates and supports discovery and diversity. In the classroom, the laboratory, and even in the international arena, SFU is continually setting new standards of excellence. This year, for example, will mark the initiation of a major curriculum review aimed at increasing the emphasis on writing and quantitative skills, as well as breadth of study, for undergraduates. The new curriculum standards, to be implemented in the fall semester of 2006, will deliver the foundation necessary to ensure success for students, regardless of their academic specialty. Increasingly, national funding agencies are recognizing the value and integrity of the outstanding research conducted at this university. SFU ranks first among Canadian comprehensive universities in Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and Canada Council grants, and finishes second in science and engineering grants and awards per full-time faculty. Finally, SFU continues to strengthen its international partnerships in an effort to better prepare students to live and work in a global context. In addition to its many existing overseas field schools and co-op programs for students, and exchange programs for students and faculty, SFU International is supporting new innovations such as the Staff Mobility Initiative to facilitate staff exchanges or attachments to partner universities around the world, and a unique undergraduate program in international studies that will focus on intelligence and security, ethnic conflict, and international law. Beginning in September 2005, SFU will mark its 40th anniversary with a year-long celebration. In just four decades, this institution has earned an enviable position in the ranks of leading academic institutions in North America, and indeed, the world. I hope you will join us in recognizing this remarkable accomplishment. Sincerely,
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