Bradley Shaw / Mary-Elizabeth Flynn

Bradley Shaw's academic abilities earned him a University of Guelph Entrance Scholarship when he first entered U of G in 1995. But it's his commitment to serving the University and his fellow students that has led to accolades and earned him the respect of many, including Board of Governors member Mary-Elizabeth Flynn. Shaw worked with Flynn on the Campus Master Plan Steering Committee, which she chaired and which will guide future planning and development. Their efforts will result in a new vision of the campus of the future.

Growth...People...Facilities...Knowledge

The University of Guelph is committed to growing with quality, attracting outstanding faculty and staff, providing them with the best facilities and generating innovative and worthwhile knowledge. These are our guiding principles as the University participates in a province-wide commitment to accommodate an enrolment surge over the next 10 years. At U of G, we began planning for this three years ago by establishing a Planning Steering Group and four "planning clusters" consisting of faculty, staff and students. Through extensive community consultation and participation, we decided that within the next decade, the University will grow to 18,000 students while maintaining our character as an accessible, caring, mid-sized residential university. In addition, by 2002, we will accommodate some 3,000 students at the new University of Guelph-Humber in Toronto.

The Campaign for the University of Guelph

The University of Guelph has embarked on an ambitious capital campaign focused on the theme "The Science of Life and the Art of Living." It aims to raise $75 million for three goals — increasing student bursaries and scholarships; attracting outstanding talent to the campus; and building new and better facilities for students, faculty and staff. The University's vision is a bold one: to be the leader in a knowledge-based society and an emerging biology-based economy. Such leadership will require rigorous scientific inquiry and a profound understanding of the interrelated social, ethical, cultural and intellectual dynamics of 21st century life. More than $60 million (or 80 per cent) has already been raised, with $5 million of that donated by the University's faculty, staff, students and retirees. For details, see www.uoguelph.ca/campaign.
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Commitment to Accessibility and Excellence

The University has increased its spending on student assistance by nearly 300 per cent over the last six years, and the percentage of student assistance based on need has increased from five to almost 60 per cent of the total $16-million commitment.

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We're recruiting the best people

To meet our student enrolment projections, we must hire 120 new faculty over this decade. In addition, 35 per cent of current faculty and 20 per cent of staff will retire in the next 20 years. The University is working to develop an effective and sustained approach to recruitment and retention of the highest-quality faculty and staff. We are also reviewing options for research/laboratory start-up packages for new faculty, developing ways to support sessional lecturers, and improving faculty training programs. See www.uoguelph.ca/facultyjobs.
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Our research creates knowledge

In response to funding opportunities introduced by the federal and provincial governments — such as the Canada Research Chairs program — the University developed a strategic research plan centred around its institutional strengths: food; biotechnology; communities and families; health and well-being; culture and society; advanced analysis; and environments. As we plan for enrolment growth and academic quality, we are guided by our strategic research plan and mindful of the complementary need to expand and renovate research facilities on the campus. Equally important, the University continues to encourage high-quality scholarship and creative work, both basic and applied, in all program areas and works to promote and integrate the research and teaching needs of the institution.
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Campus plan reflects values

The University is also looking ahead 20 years through a detailed review of its campus master plan, which dates back to 1964. It's an opportunity for the U of G community to create a physical blueprint for the future that will reflect our current mission, strategic directions and values. The Campus Master Plan Steering Committee, headed by U of G Governor Mary-Elizabeth Flynn, has produced a plan with more than two dozen planning proposals. See www.pr.uoguelph.ca/masterplan.
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New facilities will enhance teaching and research

To accommodate more students, U of G is building new facilities. Construction began in summer 2002 on a 373,000-square-foot science complex on Gordon Street that will feature state-of-the-art teaching, research and office space. Reaching skyward in the heart of the campus is a 1,500-seat classroom complex, a high-tech, hub of teaching and learning for students from all colleges and disciplines. Both projects received funding from the provincial government's SuperBuild program, which provides universities and colleges with capital funding in support of enrolment growth. In future, the University of Guelph also plans to create a social science complex and expand facilities for the humanities, the Ontario Veterinary College, the School of Hospitality and Tourism management, and plant agriculture, among others. See www.uoguelph.ca/toward2010.shtml.
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Gifts support people

(over $250,000)

• $250,000 from Novartis Animal Health in support of the Ontario Veterinary College's Small Animal Clinic.

• $320,000 from the Donner Canadian Foundation towards the establishment of the Food Safety Network, Canada's most comprehensive science-based source of information on food safety.

• $500,000 from the University of Guelph Alumni Association for the new classroom complex.

• $750,000 from the Scottish Studies Foundation toward the creation of a Chair in Scottish Studies, the first such chair in North America.

• $1 million from Peter Hannam to support soybean research through grants to faculty and students.

• $1 million from the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce for the science complex.

• $1 million from Bill and Anne Brock to establish one of the largest doctoral scholarships in Canada. Valued at up to $120,000, the scholarship will be awarded to exceptional candidates for graduate studies at the University of Guelph.

• $1.8 million from the Dairy Farmers of Ontario supporting numerous dairy research projects.

• $1.9 million from U of G students — $1.3 million to build a sports dome and $600,000 to support a financial aid endowment for students in need.

• $2 million from George Jackowski to fund innovative research in life sciences and other new immunochemical technologies.

• A $4.7 million match by Hewlett-Packard (Canada) Ltd. towards the expansion of engineering and computer science facilities at the University of Guelph.

• Another $6.2 million from Hewlett-Packard for the science complex.