Our Communities are United in Optimism and Unconventional Transformations

To be the university of the future, we need to draw on our past and once again, with the support of this community, we can act in unconventional ways to achieve something great in the decades ahead.

Economic recovery and a more just society

As an institution of higher learning, it is our job to help the next generation think about the long term. We want our students and alumni to be active and engaged citizens in our communities.

The pandemic has exposed and heightened our attention to the systemic ways our society oppresses racialized people and other marginalized groups. The University of Waterloo will continue to play an important role in both economic recovery and a more just society.

While we invent new technologies, we must also consider their purpose and how they are deployed. We must remain committed to deep questions of equity as we embrace a revolution in artificial intelligence and robotics.

The University is committed to working with our community partners in confronting the history of colonialism that has and continues to challenge so many people today. We must advance our efforts to combat racism and implement recommendations from the Truth and Reconciliation commission.

We must also harness the vitality of this community and strength of our partnerships to address the climate crisis. The University will continue to search for innovative solutions to achieve our targets for carbon neutrality and capitalize on climate research across multiple disciplines to ensure sustainable futures for all humanity.

We will work with our community and partners across the country to ensure that we are all better prepared and more resilient to withstand future health threats. Leveraging our region’s rich history in manufacturing, combined with expertise in robotics and AI, we can produce here the critical supplies that we need, and not rely on fragile supply chains. We can work together with health providers to develop a model health system, that focuses on the determinants of health, keeping people healthy in the community, while providing high quality and sustainable health services to those in need.

Waterloo: the University of the future

These urgent and collective responses to the pandemic demonstrate our capacity to take meaningful action on major challenges. We have a real opportunity to build upon our shared history to address local and global challenges in ways we haven’t before.

As we mark the University’s 65th anniversary this year, we look forward to building on our legacy as the unconventional university of the future. With a local community like ours, we are well on our way.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Dr. Vivek Goel

Dr. Vivek Goel is the University of Waterloo's seventh President and ViceChancellor. He is a distinguished scholar with extensive achievements in research, teaching and leadership across both public and private sectors.