PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
Welcome everyone to the latest issue of View, the University of Windsor’s digital Alumni magazine.
The reimagined View Magazine allows us all to connect, celebrate and be inspired by stories that build pride in our alumni, current students, faculty, staff, donors and friends.
Over the past two years, we have continued to work together to respond to COVID-19. It was exciting to see students, staff and faculty coming back to campus in greater numbers this spring, and I look forward to ramping up operations to full capacity over the summer and into the fall. I couldn’t be more proud of how those on campus, and all of our off-campus partners, have stepped forward to support and encourage our students, deliver our programs, continue to engage in research and innovation, and ensure that the important work that is undertaken across the University of Windsor continues.
In 2021 alone, University of Windsor nursing, education, and social work students collectively offered more than 550,000 hours of service in the community. Nearly 5,000 online and 1,014 face-to-face course sections were offered; 5,403 students graduated; 1,010 students undertook paid full-time co-ops and internships (a 19 per cent increase over the past five years), $37-million in research funding was obtained (a 60 per cent increase since 2017); and over 1,189 peer-reviewed articles were published by our faculty, staff and students (the highest one-year count in UWindsor history).
In the surrounding community, we are excited about the evolving relationship with our City and about building on the important connections with our municipal partners throughout the region. This also involves continuing to expand and enhance community-engaged partnerships in support of student experience, our academic programs, external engagement and collaboration, and our research and knowledge mobilization efforts. As part of this, we are committed to enhancing our presence in downtown Windsor and to supporting the continued growth of the regional innovation ecosystem.
The University of Windsor has more than 145,000 alumni around the globe and we are so proud of all that they have accomplished. We are grateful to the Alumni Association which has so generously invested in the future of our renewed university campus over the past year in many ways, and especially through two major capital projects that are nearing completion: the Lancer Center and the Transforming Windsor Law Project.
To our donors, thank you for everything you do for the University of Windsor. During the past year your support exceeded $7.7 million. This represents a more than 30% increase over the previous year. We are excited about moving forward to better tell our story, to inspire others and truly have an impact locally, nationally and globally. It’s our visionary donors who will help to make that a reality.
As an institution, we have launched our next strategic planning process which will inform short- and long-term goals for the University of Windsor. This year, I invite you all to be part of an evolving conversation about the kind of university we want to be – the kinds of values we want to champion and embody, and the goals we want to set for ourselves. Despite all of the challenges and difficulties, our efforts over the past year reflect a powerful commitment to each other, to learning and knowledge creation, and to this community.
Aspire: Together for Tomorrow, is the University of Windsor’s strategic planning process – the first institutional strategic plan in over 10 years. This is a chance to reflect on all that we have learned and all the ways that we have changed, in order to think about who and where we want to be in the next 5-10 years. I hope that all of you – from on campus and beyond – will join us in this important Strategic Planning process.
Over the coming months, we will be holding numerous large-scale and smaller, more focused consultation events to support our planning and hear from campus and external communities. Much more information is available on our Aspire website engageuwindsor.ca.
Together, we are building a culture of greater respect, accountability, equity and belonging for everyone while also continuing to enhance our commitment to academic excellence, student success, public accountability, community engagement, and impact.
I look forward to engaging you in our next chapter.
DR. ROB GORDON President and Vice-Chancellor
WELCOME FROM KEN ALEXANDER
UNIVERSITY OF WINDSOR ALUMNI ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT
This June we will welcome 4,000 new graduates to the University of Windsor Alumni Association family!
Even with the challenges of the last two years, our Alumni have continued to serve their communities as role models, sector leaders and ambassadors around the world, exhibiting the capabilities and excellence of University of Windsor graduates.
At the Alumni Association, we are excited to (finally!) resume our in-person engagement calendar, and look forward to showcasing new and innovative virtual offerings to connect with alumni in various geographic areas. Our Board of Directors has been hard at work, and our committees have found creative solutions to ensure we are supporting students, alumni, and the community throughout the pandemic.
Recognizing alumni, engaging with graduates, and providing meaningful education and personal learning opportunities are ways the Alumni Association brings important services to the alumni family. We are proud of the affinity relationships we have with TD Insurance, Manulife and MBNA. These partnerships have allowed us to provide important financial support to students through scholarships, event funding, and contributions to the emergency student relief fund. In addition we have made contributions to Ukrainian relief efforts with a gift of $5,000 to support student scholarships.
Enhancing and diversifying our engagement opportunities is one of the pieces of the Alumni Association’s new Strategic Plan. Over the past year, the board began to implement new initiatives aimed at reaching its three new strategic priorities. This plan was created after alumni surveys and focus groups were conducted with stakeholders across the country. The three priorities are: To provide meaningful connections to current and future alumni for career support, mentorship, and networking. To provide innovative opportunities for alumni to remain connected and engaged with UWindsor, embracing any geographic location. To cultivate pride in UWindsor, inspire and recognize alumni. As we all prepare for sunnier days ahead, I wish you and your loved ones a wonderful, safe, and healthy summer. We look forward to connecting with you throughout the next few months and then in the fall as we start the 2022-23 academic year. If you would like to share some of your idea on how we can connect please email us at alumni@uwindsor.ca. KEN ALEXANDER, BPA'87, LLB'92 President, Alumni Association
401 Sunset Avenue
Windsor, Ont., Canada
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