were considered to be valuable characteristics the University might further nurture. More breadth in education
throughmulti- and inter-disciplinary studywas considered valuable for those in technical occupations.
There was considerable interest in evening professional development programs. Depending on the scope of the
company, needs were different – for some it was manager training on new technologies, for others, training in
human resources or other management skills. Affordability and access to education, and the importance of
removing barriers so that greater numbers of community members can contribute to innovation and change, was
identified as an important challenge.
As in all sectors, collaboration, leadership, and innovation were viewed as key contributions universities make to
their communities. Thereweremany examples of partnerships identified, through a variety of courses, grants, and
research projects, and participants showed strong interest and offered many suggestions for enhancing existing
partnerships. Industry advisory committees and other partnersmight consult regarding curricular currency. Industry
experts could offer regular seminars to students, and take part in formal networking opportunities. Some noted
that longer co-opswould enable students to havemore of an impact and hone their skillsmore effectively. MITACs
programs were identified as particularly easy and successful work partnership opportunities. Representatives from
municipal government expressed interest in an annual presentation toCity Council regarding theUniversity, aswell
as in exploring possibilities for research-related internships for University students. Possibilities for sharing
infrastructure (e.g. lab space) were also of interest. An online forumwhich could connect faculty and studentswith
community and industry, to help address community problems, was alsoproposed.
Specific research, curricular, andprogram suggestions:
•
Greenhouse technologies
•
Sustainable energy
•
Manufacturing
•
Leadership inno-carbon economy
•
Improvement in currency of technologies towhich
undergraduates are exposed
•
More field experience
•
Eveningprogramming for ongoingprofessional
development
•
Water resourcemanagement
•
More focus onGreat Lakes andwater
•
Brewing anddistilling science andpractice –
employees currently being imported fromEurope
•
Bio/agriculture – includingquality and regulatory
requirements
•
Aeronautical engineering
•
Expanded internships inmunicipal government
•
Solutions to local poverty
•
More cross-disciplinary training in engineering
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