President's Impact Brochure

I M P A C

The world has unlimited challenges and opportunities, and nothing proceeds without both vision and action.

So dream that big dream of a better world, and build it.

Richard Florizone President’s Convocation Speech, 2018

NOBODY DOES ANYTHING ALONE: it’s something I’m fond of saying. Over the last five and a half years we demonstrated the power of that approach whether responding to challenges or pursuing opportunities.

Guided by our mission and values, bringing people together in new ways, we showed that we could achieve great things for Dalhousie, Atlantic Canada and the world. We have achieved record enrolment, research income and fundraising; strengthened academic programs and our physical campus; advanced research and innovation of vital importance to the region and the world; and made real progress in creating a Dalhousie where all truly belong.

This is what we—faculty, students, staff, retirees, Board, Senate, alumni, donors, government and industry partners—have achieved together. These successes are yours, representing the promise and potential of our university and region.

Thank you for the immense privilege of serving as Dalhousie University’s 11th president. I can assure you, the best is yet to come.

PROGRESS & REACHED NEW HEIGHTS IN ENROLMENT, RESEARCH INCOME AND FUNDRAISING

• Achieved record enrolment of 18,846 in 2017/18 academic year • Increased research funding by 40 per cent over the last decade, surpassing $150M annually • Secured over $200M in charitable gifts over the past five years, exceeding any other five-year total in Dalhousie’s history

ENHANCED ACADEMIC QUALITY AND STUDENT SUCCESS • Achieved full accreditation of all 52 externally accredited programs • Offered experiential learning in 100 per cent of our undergraduate programs, and grew co-op placements by 25 per cent in the past five years • Developed and launched On Track program to boost student retention

SUPPORTED AND CELEBRATED OUR AWARD-WINNING FACULTY AND STUDENTS • Recognized four new Dalhousie Rhodes scholars in five years, bringing our total to 91 • Canada’s top science prize—the Herzberg Gold Medal—won by a Dal faculty member in three of the past five years

STRENGTHENED DALHOUSIE AND ATLANTIC CANADA THROUGH BOLD NEW PARTNERSHIPS

• Secured $227M for the Dal-led Ocean Frontier Institute (OFI), in partnership with Memorial University, University of Prince Edward Island and leading national and international collaborators in research, government and industry • Played a leadership role in attracting $300M+ in federal and private sector support for the Ocean Supercluster, positioning Canada— and Dalhousie—as a global leader in the ocean economy

TRANSFORMED OUR PHYSICAL CAMPUS • Completed $310M in capital construction, including LeMarchant Place, Wallace McCain Learning Commons, Collaborative Health Education Building, Dalplex Fitness Centre, Dentistry Clinic, Student Learning Commons and BioMass Thermal Plant on our Agricultural Campus, and broke ground on a major expansion and revitalization of the Dal Arts Centre • Finalized the historic $64M IDEA project on our Sexton Campus, renewing or expanding almost half of all space

MADE SIGNIFICANT, MEASURABLE GAINS IN DIVERSITY AND INCLUSIVENESS • Strengthened supports for historically underrepresented students, including increased funding for the IB&M initiative, and new investment in Imhotep’s Legacy Academy • Made significant progress in hiring of targeted groups, including closing the gap on Indigenous staff hires • Demonstrated our firm commitment to respond to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission through curriculum changes and ongoing partnership with Indigenous peoples • Initiated a renewal of our symbols and re-examining of our history, to build a more inclusive future

INTO OUR THIRD CENTURY Dalhousie will continue to confidently advance our mission on a global scale, particularly in areas of unique strength and relevance to our region, and across all of our academic disciplines as befits a truly worldclass research university.

Dalhousie’s future is bright. It has been remarkable, and a true privilege, to help that future take shape over my five and a half years as president. At the dawn of Dalhousie’s third century, I can assure you: the best is yet to come.

Richard Florizone President & Vice-Chancellor Fall 2018