Annual Review - University of Toronto Scarborough

The University of Toronto Scarborough is poised at an
exciting new threshold. New students, new faculty, new
programs and the impressive, new $78-million Instructional
Centre, which has expanded our academic learning spaces
by 25 per cent – all these have changed the face of the
UTSC campus from what it was just a few short years ago.
but, as you will see on the pages of this Annual Review,
these developments are just the beginning…
the North Campus is the
$170-million Aquatic Centre
& Field House Complex, which
will be built for our students
and the surrounding community,
and for the upcoming Pan Am
games in 2015.
UTSC hAS CoMe INTo ITS owN AS A
CoMPReheNSIve, ReSeARCh-INTeNSIve UNIveRSITy.
Many factors have contributed to this transformation:
U of T’s Towards 2030 plan and the evolution of the
tri-campus model, a growing student population
and strategic hiring, as well as promising new
partnerships and research. These changes are the
result of the convergence, both organically and
by design, of strong plans from all levels of UTSC.
we know that UTSC must be well positioned to
respond to growing student demand. Demand for
university student spaces in the greater Toronto
Area is projected to increase by 35,000 over the
next 20 years. This is a challenge that will require
innovative funding solutions and partnerships.
As part of our strategic planning process, we
identified the need to build a sustainable platform
at UTSC, a solid foundation that will provide the
resources and facilities required to create an
ideal teaching, learning and working environment.
And we’ve made good progress in these areas.
our spectacular Instructional Centre adds a
plethora of new lecture halls, labs and student
spaces, alongside innovative food service options
on campus. It is the first development to take
place on our North Campus, an area of 100 acres
of undeveloped land that will be critical to our
future plans. Another exciting development for
The new Complex would not be possible without
our partnership with the three levels of government,
as well as UTSC students who voted strongly in
favour of its support.
when I asked John Aruldason, president of the
Scarborough Campus Students’ Union, about his
thoughts regarding the strong student support
for this new athletics facility, his answer resonated
with me: “we wanted to leave the campus a better
place.” It’s a response that says a lot about our
students and UTSC.
These new buildings – along with the master
plan calling for additional improvements in transit
and new academic and cultural facilities – are
also helping us realize our vision of the university
as an intellectual and cultural hub for our region
and beyond.
In addition to growing our undergraduate offerings,
a top priority at UTSC has been to expand our
research and graduate capacity. we believe that
this is an important aspect of the intellectual
and research landscape of UTSC and also adds
uniqueness and depth to the undergraduate
experience.
we launched our environmental Science PhD
program in 2010 – the first tri-campus doctorate
administered at UTSC (see page 15). And I’m thrilled
about our current progress towards launching
ANNUAL ReVIew 2010 3