It’s been an exhilarating ride of late for our Laurentian community.  We’re thriving in a period of significant growth and stirring change. We have experienced a surge in both Canadian and foreign enrolment. 

We’ve enjoyed a national swell of recognition for our specialized programs and research centres.  Laurentian faculty are leading the world in knowledge growth, having been ranked as the top primarily undergraduate research university in the country for two years in a row.  We’re building on that reputation, pursuing several new purpose-driven research chairs in the year ahead.

We continue to expand our capacity by playing to our particular strengths in environmental studies, health sciences, mineral exploration and mining, and we’re forging dynamic partnerships to bring new projects on-stream.

We’re carving out our stake as a university of choice, one of our key strategic targets, and we’re advancing in our goal of improving student engagement.  The latest national Maclean’s rankings show Laurentian up four places in the overall rankings -- the largest increase of any Canadian university.  The magazine also included Laurentian among a short list of three universities whose assets and action plans have placed them “on the radar.”

We’ve just marked our 50th anniversary, celebrating our past while building--literally and figuratively--for the future.  Indeed, there’s been a real estate boom on the Laurentian campus: 80 million dollars in new construction and campus upgrades in the past 5 years.  Of course, it’s not just the buildings: it’s the vision that’s truly exciting.