University of Calgary celebrates year of successes on Eyes High journey

2015 Community Report highlights concrete progress and growing momentum

It was a day of celebration, reflection and a look ahead as President Elizabeth Cannon delivered the University of Calgary’s annual Community Report on Wednesday.

“Every year I am inspired by the dedication of our incredible students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends,” says Cannon. “We continue to deliver tangible proof that our collective efforts are yielding meaningful progress on our Eyes High journey to become one of Canada’s top five research universities, where research and innovative teaching go hand in hand, and where we fully engage the communities we both serve and lead.”

The University of Calgary is one of 15 research-intensive universities in Canada. The university tracks its Eyes High progress using 41 metrics, measuring a range of areas from graduate employment to research funding to financial health. Of the 41 metrics, 33 incorporate comparative data from top five peer institutions. This year, the university achieved top-five status in an impressive 24 metrics.

“The University of Calgary has had a trajectory of success over the past year, and I hope that Calgarians, and indeed all Albertans, share our pride,” added Cannon. “Every day, we provide high-quality education for our students, address some of the world’s most challenging problems through research and scholarship, and play an important role in driving prosperity and innovation in our province.”

“Today I announced that we will build on the university’s tremendous momentum by hiring 100 new professors over the next two years to revitalize and broaden teaching, research and scholarship across the institution. This is a significant investment in our future, and our future students.”

“I’m pleased to congratulate the University of Calgary on the launch of the 2015 Community Report,” said Mayor Naheed Nenshi. “We are richer because the University of Calgary is here in this city, where two thirds of alumni live and work. I am thrilled to be a University of Calgary alumnus and to be the mayor of a city that is lucky enough to have the University of Calgary in it.”

For the fourth year in a row, the University of Calgary is Canada’s top university under 50 years as ranked by both the Times Higher Education (THE) 100 Under 50 and the Quacquarelli Symonds Limited (QS) World University Rankings. On the global stage, the university sits in the top 25 on the Top 100 Under 50 and is among the top 10 in the QS Top 50 under 50.

Highlights from the University of Calgary 2015 Community Report — The Year in Review:

• Thanks to a generous donation from a family of community leaders, UCalgaryStrong was launched in September 2014 to foster the development of young people across all aspects of well-being and mental health
• Two new residence buildings opened on campus for the 2015-16 academic year
• In 2014, the University of Calgary moved up three places to rank sixth in the country for research institutions, according to Re$earch Infosource
• The university’s first Canada Excellence Research Chair (CERC) — leading nanotechnology researcher Steven Bryant — relocated to Calgary to focus on materials engineering for unconventional oil reservoirs
• Donors contributed a record $226.2 million in the fiscal year 2014-15, a huge endorsement from the community
• The university community raised $433,512 for the United Way of Calgary
• The university earned two top workplace awards: the WorldatWork Alliance for Work-Life Progress 2015 Seal of Distinction, and Alberta’s Top Employers

In addition to highlighting this past year’s achievements, Cannon outlined plans for the year ahead, which will be one of celebration as the University of Calgary marks its 50th anniversary on April 29, 2016 and officially launches a $1.3-billion fundraising campaign — Energize: The Campaign for Eyes High — which will inspire discovery, creativity and innovation for generations to come.

Over the next year the university will also open the Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning; launch a campus-wide mental health strategy and an institutional sustainability strategy; develop an aboriginal strategy; host the 2016 Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences, bringing 8,000 scholars from across the country to campus; and launch the remaining three of six research strategies.

Read the 2015 University of Calgary Community report.

NT5