view . fall 2010
3
dear
viewer
alan wilDeman
President and Vice-Chancellor
The Fall 2010 semester marks the beginning of the year when the
University of Windsor will pass a milestone. It is the year we will see
the one hundred thousandth student graduate. While this is a milestone
for the University, and an occasion to celebrate the efforts of students,
faculty and staff, we recognize we have not done it alone. It has also been
made possible by our alumni and friends who donate their money and
volunteer their time; our community and partners who provide a variety
of supports such as study placements for students in a wide range
of academic programs; and of course our governments who provide
funding for our country’s excellent postsecondary education system.
Given the number of stakeholders involved with postsecondary
education, there is no shortage of analysis of universities and how
they are changing. There is debate about the influence of the private
sector on university research, about the impact of the internet
and technology on how courses are delivered, about the cost of
a university education - only to name a few. Universities are large
public institutions, so it is no surprise that there is great discussion
about what they are doing and how they run.
In a 2009 study by the Canadian Millenium Scholarship Foundation,
an analysis of aggregate numbers across all disciplines and occupations
suggested that people with a university education have lifetime
earnings that are close to three quarters of a million dollars higher
than those with only high school education. Furthermore, university
based research contributes ideas and innovations to all sectors of the
economy. And a university education is also a window of time when
you can broaden your knowledge in anything from history to literature,
mathematics to biology, or physics to philosophy. It has been said that
an educational system isn’t worth a great deal if it teaches people how
to make a living but doesn’t teach them how to make a life.
But as universities are changing and debated, one thing that
is constant for the University of Windsor is our mission to enable
people to make a better world. A milestone of one hundred thousand
graduates lets us pause and think about just how much our own
University has meant for the lives of so many people and for the
world. This issue of
VieW
lets us connect the fulfilling of our mission
back to the contributions of our alumni and friends. By the time
the incoming class of 2010 graduates, there will have been over
one hundred and ten thousand people holding one of our degrees.
Through investments in scholarships for students, facilities, and
programs outside of the classrooms, our donors and volunteers are
lining the track as each new student crosses the finish line.
On behalf of the University of Windsor, I thank all of our
supporters. You deserve to share the limelight and share the pride.
Dr. Alan Wildeman
