Initiatives and Projects for 2012–2013 Campaign Launch On September 15, 2012, we welcomed more than 500 members of the U of T Engineering community to An Afternoon of Engineering Innovation to celebrate the launch of the Engineering component of the Boundless campaign. Attendees participated in a plenary session in Convocation Hall featuring an undergraduate panel, followed by two industry and alumni panels on entrepreneurship and energy. Guests also attended faculty lectures on topics such as biomedical engineering, sustainable aviation and photonics, and explored the research of 20 graduate students during a poster session. The event concluded with a reception in the lobby of the Bahen Centre for Information Technology. In tandem with the launch, we distributed a special campaign issue of Skulematters, our alumni magazine.
Centre for Engineering Innovation & Entrepreneurship In April 2013, the Faculty announced the selection of Toronto-based Montgomery Sisam Architects, in joint venture with the British firm of Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios, as the architects for the preliminary design of the Centre for Engineering Innovation & Entrepreneurship (CEIE). Both architectural firms are known for their commitment to sustainability, and the new state-of-the-art facility will be designed to the highest LEED standards. The building will include carefully planned spaces for learning, group work and research, including a marquee 500-seat auditorium, unique in the world in its design to optimize audience engagement. A multidisciplinary research cluster will help promote a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship throughout the building and provide exceptional opportunities for student placements and teaching. CEIE will accelerate innovation, foster collaborative learning and instil in our students an entrepreneurial spirit. For additional information on the CEIE, please see the Space chapter.
Biz Skule Expansion The Faculty’s successful alumni speaker series, Biz Skule — which features alumni who have pursued careers in business, finance and entrepreneurship — has gone global. In February 2013, we hosted Biz Skule at Google Headquarters in Mountain View, California with George Babu (EngSci 0T0) as speaker. We plan to expand Biz Skule events in more cities abroad in the 2013–2014 fiscal year.
Alumni Engagement Strategy 2012–2013 was a year of planning for the Alumni Relations Office. We identified several strategic priorities, including how best to define and measure alumni engagement. Looking ahead, three annual performance indicators will help us assess engagement: number of donors, number of event attendees and number of volunteers. Using these measures, the percentage of engaged alumni in the 2012–2013 fiscal year was 9 per cent (based on the number of contactable alumni). Our goal is to double engagement over the course of the Boundless campaign — whether through volunteering, participation in events or philanthropy. The Alumni Relations Office also underwent reorganization and recently hired an Alumni Engagement and Partnerships Officer. This role will identify volunteer opportunities across the Faculty and match them to alumni. Our combined efforts will allow us to provide increased volunteer opportunities, measure alumni engagement and better understand how alumni move through engagement cycles.
Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering | Annual Report 2013 | Chapter 7: Advancement | 71