Root

UTS Board Report
On Being a Good UTS Citizen
Our students have the responsibility to use their talents in the best and most productive ways possible.
Jim Fleck ’49
Board Chair, UTS
Jamie Day Fleck
In February 2015, I participated in a ceremony
in which I was promoted to Companion of the
Order of Canada. Curiously enough, this put me
in mind of Japan, where I lived many years ago.
Japan honours National Living Treasures: artists
and artisans who are accomplished in their own
rights but who also train and nurture apprentices.
This imperative to pass on knowledge and skills
can be understood more broadly, too – and in a
Canadian context. The Order of Canada’s motto –
“they desire a better country” – implies that the
recipients are citizens who have a shared value
in contributing to making this country a better
place. I believe that along with the honour also
comes the responsibility to ensure continuity
and ongoing improvement by passing on those
values to the next generation.
Current students, like those who
came before, have the opportunity
and responsibility to impact the
UTS community – and the world
beyond – in positive ways.
On Canada Day, I had the privilege of
officiating at a citizenship ceremony in which
entire families, as well as individuals, became
new Canadians. For many, it was a truly
momentous occasion. I was struck by how
proud the recipients were in the attainment of
citizenship and all the rights that come with it.
But citizenship is much more than a list of things
we are allowed to do, laws we must obey, and
taxes we must pay. It is a covenant between
individuals and the country they share. It is a bond
between us and those who went before – and
those yet to come. It includes a commitment to
making a difference; to helping others; to building
inclusive and safe communities; to casting a vote
and having an influence over who governs us.
Good citizenship also entails being mindful of a
cluster of national characteristics that define us as
Canadians: open-mindedness, tolerance, a “safetynet”
orientation to society, accepting differences,
flexibility, and a spirit of volunteerism.
And what does it mean to be a citizen of UTS?
Our students enter a school that has been shaped
and formed by generations of students. As a meritbased
institution, students through the decades
have been selected for admission on the strength
of their talents and attributes. With that comes a
responsibility to use those talents and attributes
in the best and most productive ways possible –
both personally and in service of the community.
Current students, like those who came before,
have the opportunity and responsibility to impact
the UTS community – and the world beyond – in
positive ways.
That world has changed in ways that were
unimaginable when I graduated from UTS in 1949.
The ability of people to travel and to communicate
has expanded exponentially, making us part of
a global community – essentially, citizens of the
world. It is incumbent upon today’s UTS students
and, indeed, upon us all, to keep our horizons
wide, and our hearts and minds open: to heed
the call of good citizenship. n
10 THE ROOT • FALL 2015