Vic put Frye’s words into action Tuesday night, launching its “Imagination Unbound” campaign – a $60 million fundraising effort – at a ceremony at the Isabel Bader Theatre. The event attracted alumni, students, faculty, staff and friends in the community, led by Victoria University President Paul Gooch, Vic Chancellor Wendy Cecil and U of T Chancellor David Peterson.

The Vic campaign is part of the U of T’s $2-billion Boundless campaign, announced last November by U of T President David Naylor.

Gooch, speaking directly to the students in the audience, said “it’s all about your education. It’s our raison d’être.” When the campaign is concluded it will confirm “beyond dispute” that a Vic education is the best in the country.

The evening began with a rousing opening fanfare, composed by Aaron Tsang and conducted by Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds, both of the U of T’s Faculty of Music. Vic Chancellor Cecil also introduced a video of selected alumni, faculty and students who explained why Victoria University has been – and always will be – a major part of their lives.

President Gooch has crafted a bold plan for the two colleges that make up Victoria University. At Victoria College this plan will transform undergraduate education in Canada and see Vic not only reaffirm its founding liberal arts missions but enhance the student experience beyond the classroom.  Victoria College’s outstanding Vic One program, Gooch noted, has received applications from would-be students from 23 countries.  At Emmanuel College, Victoria University’s theological college, this transformation includes expansion of Master of Pastoral Studies to include the Muslim Studies Program, the first of its kind in Canada.

The President said “thanks to you, our alumni and friends, we are 70 per cent of the way” towards the goal of $60 million – or about $43.5 million.  That includes a lead gift of $4 million from Blake Goldring Vic 8T1 and Judy Goldring Vic 8T7 for the new Goldring Student Centre, a much-needed hub for student activity on campus. Ground breaking for the centre occurred last May. Vic students voted to provide $7 million for the centre through a $200 annual per student fee.

To date, nine donors have each given more than $1 million to the Vic campaign.

Blake Goldring told the audience he was “doubly proud” to be a part of the campaign because attending Vic is about both an education and forming relationships.  With 80 per cent of Vic students commuting to the University, the Goldring Student Centre, slated to open in 10 months, will be “an oasis, a home away from home” where students can exchange ideas and socialize.

The funds raised through the campaign will be translated into remarkable learning experiences with the best instructors and into celebrating student achievement through programs that inspire learning outside the classroom and around the world. And it will remove financial barriers to success with scholarships, bursaries and awards.

Kate Bruce-Lockhart, U of T’s 2012 Moss Scholar, said Vic has given her a “myriad of opportunities to grow in both an academic and personal capacity.” A Vic education, she said, means caring not just about GPAs “but the world around us.”

Victoria University last year celebrated its 175th anniversary and has earned a distinguished reputation for excellence and creativity in higher education. It has more than 3,500 students and faculty across two colleges – Victoria College and Emmanuel College. Victoria College is a vital part of U of T’s Faculty of Arts and Science and includes the renowned Centre for Reformation and Renaissance Studies and the Northrop Frye Centre.

At Emmanuel College, Victoria University’s theological college, about 175 students engage in a wide variety of theological and religious inquiries, in both Christian and Muslim studies, preparing for careers in ministry, chaplaincies, music, social service agencies and undergraduate and graduate teaching.

Chancellor Cecil said “a consistent thread at Vic has been community, from Frye to the present day.” And though the campaign will end, “nothing stops with us.” The sense of community will continue through the generations at Vic.

The Imagination Unbound campaign is led by an outstanding team of volunteers including honorary co-chairs Blake Goldring, the Honourable Hal Jackman and Norman Jewison.  The campaign executive includes President Gooch, Chancellor Cecil, Paul Huyer, Chair  of the Board of Regents, David Silcox, Chair of the Alumni Affairs and University Advancement Community and Deborah Scott, Executive Director of Advancement.

The President’s Advisers for the campaign are Jane Brushey-Martin, Lawrence Ho, Marnie Kinsley, Stephen Lister, Randall Oliphant, Molly Rundle, Frank Tsui, Helen Vari, Ann Wilson and David Wilson.

Cecil thanked the “dynamic and dedicated team” of campaign executives and advisers “who will take our success to the next level.”

Chancellor Peterson, whose term ends in a few months, told the audience he has been to 157 convocations and shaken 61,000 hands, and meeting Kate Bruce-Lockhart confirmed his passionate view that she and students graduating from U of T “will truly change the world.”

The campaign, unprecedented for a faculty of arts and science in Canada, will strengthen the University’s capacity to prepare global citizens and to meet the most pressing global challenges of the 21st century. It is a major component of Boundless: the Campaign for the University of Toronto – the largest fundraising initiative ever by a Canadian university.

Boundless, launched in November 2011, has already raised more than $1-billion towards its $2-billion goal. In a packed Great Hall at Hart House, which serves as a hub for arts and culture at U of T’s downtown campus, guests were excited to hear of the campaign’s success thus far: to date, donors have contributed $142-million, which is 57% of the Faculty’s $250-million goal.

The campaign launch coincided with the annual Arts & Science scholarship reception – a celebration of students’ academic excellence.

Professor Meric Gertler, dean of the Faculty of Arts and Science, outlined some of the impacts that the campaign would have on current and future students: “We will seek philanthropic support to expand our innovative undergraduate programs that promote interdisciplinary thinking, first-year learning communities, international learning experiences and research opportunities. We will also seek to bolster our scholarship endowment to ensure access and opportunity to our undergraduates, and attract the best domestic and international graduate students. Combined with the past generosity of visionary donors, this new support will strengthen our efforts to ensure that all qualified candidates, regardless of their financial means, can pursue their academic dreams here.”

Chancellor David Peterson spoke about the vital role that the Faculty plays on the world stage. In a recent survey by the Times Higher Education’s World University Rankings, U of T was ranked 10th in the world for Arts and Humanities and 18th for physical sciences and social sciences.

“This campaign is our chance to strengthen this capacity—to realize a vision of leadership in Canada and the world, and to give future generations the gift that this great, good place has given so many of us,” said Peterson.

The Faculty of Arts and Science is today home to the largest concentration of graduate students and almost 75% of undergraduate students on the St. George campus.

“The accomplishments of our Arts and Science alumni are due in part to the training and perspective they gain from this faculty – with its brilliant teachers and outstanding resources – but also from the benefit of being a part of the wider University of Toronto community, with its own broad strengths across a remarkable range of disciplines,” said David Palmer, vice-president of advancement.

Read more: the campaign for the Faculty of Arts & Science.

This milestone is more than just a number—it reflects a strong belief in the importance of our campaign by the public and our community. The thousands of people who have generously contributed to this landmark have made a remarkable investment in higher education and research at the University of Toronto. Institution-wide, we are setting the pace for fundraising in Canada, while broadening our impact on the world stage.

We owe great thanks not only to our donors, but also to the many volunteer leaders who have helped make this achievement possible. The most successful universities in the world—and the philanthropic initiatives that fuel their success—depend on the passionate advocacy of volunteer leaders whose tireless efforts help validate the University’s institutional ambitions and attract meaningful philanthropic investment. Every day, alumni, volunteers and donors strengthen
U of T by encouraging alumni engagement, connecting U of T with key industry and government stakeholders, and liaising with and mentoring our students. They make the University a better place and we are grateful for their involvement and their critically important role in helping us reach such a significant campaign milestone.

Since November 20, significant momentum has been building for the Boundless campaign. Innis College, the Faculty of Law and the Faculty of Arts and Science successfully launched divisional campaigns, U of T broke ground on the Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport and celebrated the opening of the renovated Lassonde Mining Building, which houses new student design studios, teaching spaces and a rooftop meeting room. The next event on the Boundless calendar is the highly anticipated campaign kick-off at Victoria University. Other divisional launches are being planned across our campuses, colleges and faculties, and we encourage our alumni and friends to become involved with and attend these events.

In the coming weeks, we will be sharing news of recent benefactions to the University, including a remarkable investment in merit-based student awards, a pacesetting gift to the Institute of Human Development, and a major endowment in the humanities. We look forward to sharing more details about these and other gifts soon.

Passing the halfway mark on our campaign is a major milestone and an occasion to celebrate. We wish to thank our alumni, volunteers and friends for their continued support of University’s exceptional faculty whose commitment to excellence is unparalleled and our outstanding students who will become the next generation of community builders, informed citizens, and global leaders. We look forward to building on the momentum this support has provided as we move towards our historic $2-billion goal.

Tanz and Schipper have personal reasons for supporting the ground-breaking research being conducted at the Tanz Centre. Both men lost their mothers to Alzheimer’s disease and are only too aware of the tremendous physical, emotional, and financial toll the disease exacts on family and friends. Having witnessed his mother gradually lose her memory and other cognitive functions after she was diagnosed with the disease in 1983, Mark began looking into the science of Alzheimer’s, and what he found distressed him. “I was hoping there would be a cure – something that would slow the disease down. Unfortunately there was virtually no research being done in Canada.”

Fast-forward three decades and Canada’s research landscape looks very different. The Tanz Centre is a powerhouse at the global forefront of brain disease research. Led by Professor Peter St George-Hyslop, an internationally pre-eminent scientist, the Tanz Centre has made many of the world’s most important discoveries about the genetics of Alzheimer’s disease, as well as key discoveries that have increased our understanding of Parkinson’s and other diseases.

St George-Hyslop and the Tanz Centre’s research scientists have made international news twice for discovering genes related to the production of amyloid-beta peptide, a substance that accumulates in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients and is thought to be a key factor in the progression of the disease. Tanz researchers are examining how to diagnose Alzheimer’s earlier. “We know by the time the disease comes to clinical attention, it has been present for 10 years or more,” St George-Hyslop says. “We want to be able to detect the presence of disease at the preclinical level.”

With our aging population, few Canadian families today remain untouched by neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s. By age 85, one in three Canadians will eventually develop Alzheimer’s disease. Neurodegenerative diseases could surpass cancer as the second leading cause of death by 2040.

Thanks to the pioneering vision and pathbreaking philanthropy of individuals like Mark Tanz and Lionel Schipper we have every reason to be optimistic. Medical breakthroughs like those being made at U of T’s Tanz Centre have the potential to halt or at the very least significantly slow the progression of Alzheimer’s. With new skills, new ideas and new tools, the Tanz Centre is poised to find the answers to prevent, control, and treat some of the most devastating neurodegenerative diseases affecting Canadians today — providing comfort, support and dignity to patients and easing the burden of caregivers and families.

In a packed and energized Flavelle House, the iconic heritage building at the Faculty of Law and future anchor to the new building, guests were delighted to hear the exciting news of the campaign’s success to date. The project has received incredible support from the University of Toronto, as well as from Faculty of Law alumni and friends. More than $37 million has been raised, which has propelled the Building Campaign forward to 70% of the overall goal.

In particular, the law firm community has provided unprecedented support for the Faculty of Law building campaign. Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP and Torys LLP, with gifts of more than $2 million each, have set new benchmarks for law firm giving in Canada. The campaign has also received several individual alumni gifts of $1 million or more, including from former U of T Chancellor Henry N. R. Jackman, John Schumacher and David Asper.

“Nothing is as important to the future of this incredible institution as physical renewal,” said Mayo Moran, Dean of the Faculty of Law. “We are so grateful for the extraordinary generosity of the law firms and individuals who have come forward so early in the campaign to support our aspirations.”

The constrained physical facilities have been limiting the Faculty of Law’s potential as a research and leadership centre locally, nationally and internationally. Three external reviews—and critical student feedback—have identified the limitations as a serious issue.

The new building will increase space by 50 per cent, to 66,000 square feet, and will have three distinct elements: a multi-storey wing on Queen’s Park Crescent; an extensive interior renovation to the Bora Laskin Law Library; and a light renovation to Flavelle House.

This state-of-the-art building will enable the law school to continue to compete for top law students and world-renowned faculty. The expanded facilities add much-needed contemporary teaching, learning, research and collaborative space not only for JD and graduate programs, but also for professional and continuing education courses, and ground-breaking new initiatives such as the Global Professional LLM, and Internationally Trained Lawyers Program.

Designed by Toronto firm Hariri Pontarini, the new structure completes a cultural and architectural renaissance along Philosopher’s Walk and in the Avenue Road and Bloor Street quadrant, which includes the ROM’s Michael Lee-Chin Crystal and the Royal Conservatory’s Telus Centre for Performance and Learning.

The Faculty of Law is set to build on its tradition of educating leaders and global citizens in a truly world-class environment.

The Goldring Centre would have remained a dream without the dedication and commitment of many generous benefactors, beginning with the catalytic naming donation from the Goldring family, initiated by the late Warren Goldring (BA 1949 UC, LLD Hon. 2003), and continued by his children Blake Goldring (BA 1981 VIC) and Judy Goldring (BA 1988 VIC). Ron Kimel (BA 1966 UC) and the Kimel family, together with the Province of Ontario, also made remarkably generous gifts and grants that enabled the project to proceed. Together, these and other donors have contributed $51 million toward the $58-million goal for the Centre.

The groundbreaking ceremony also noted the generous contributions of the late A. Gordon Stollery (MSc 1972) donor to the Faculties of Arts & Science and Kinesiology and Physical Education, and until his untimely passing in December, the Chair of the Goldring Centre campaign. Stollery was represented at the ceremony by his daughters Tori, Lindsay and Cailey Stollery, who spoke to their father’s commitment and passion for (and own impressive accomplishments in) high performance sport. Stollery will be succeeded in the role of campaign chair by Honorary Lieutenant-Colonel Kevin Reed, who will oversee the final push toward the finish line.

“We are so grateful for the initiative and foresight of the Goldring family, who kick-started the project with their generous lead gift,” says Professor Ira Jacobs, dean of the Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education, under whose jurisdiction the Goldring Centre will reside. “Their support, together with the generosity of the Kimel and Stollery families and the investment by the Province of Ontario, will help create a magnificent legacy in the decades to come for scores of athletes, coaches, researchers, students, and the greater community.”

The Goldring Centre will house the Kimel Family Field House featuring international-level basketball and volleyball courts, a relocated and expanded David L. MacIntosh Sport Medicine Clinic, a range of sport and exercise research labs, and a strength and fitness centre accessible to all U of T students. It will also be a place where U of T’s growing list of key partners – including the Canadian Sport Centre Ontario, Swim Canada and the Ministry of Health Promotion and Sport – can converge in support of the region’s top athletes.

“The Goldring Centre will build upon a proud tradition at the University of Toronto—a culture of fostering and nurturing innovation and of creating and sharing knowledge,” says President David Naylor. “The result will be dramatic breakthroughs in many disciplines, a pool of remarkably talented graduates, a growing number of new products and services, and not least, we hope, many proud spots for Canadian athletes on podiums around the world.”

Good evening ladies and gentlemen and thank you Chancellor Peterson.  It has been such a privilege to be in the company of these extraordinary volunteers, such as the three Chancellors here tonight.  And, David Peterson, you have been a wonderful travelling companion for all of us in administration, all of the alumni, and all of the friends of this University.

When the University of Toronto opened its doors in 1827, the muddy little town of York was not even a city, and farmland and forest sprawled just beyond the campus.  How things have changed.

Today, we welcome thousands of amazing students from scores of countries to three distinctive campuses, a dozen hospitals, and countless other sites of learning and discovery here at home and around the world.  The little colonial outpost is now a vibrant megalopolis – and also the world’s most diverse region.

That said, some things were already taking shape all those decades ago.  We had aspirational students, remarkable professors, and dedicated staff who then, as now, made it all possible.  As well, even a hundred years ago, the support of our alumni and friends was beginning to lift this University.  Without philanthropy, we could not have rebuilt University College after the Valentine’s Day fire of 1890 – or, as the Chancellor reminded us – erected this Hall in 1907, or opened Hart House in 1919.

These foundations – built by a confluence of talent, imagination, dedication and generosity – sustain us still.  And they account meaningfully for the fact that the University now has a truly global reputation and footprint.

On that subject of institutional reputation – always fraught – I would suggest that two main factors, over time, shape how a university is viewed world-wide.

The first is the perceived quality of the university’s alumni.  That’s tied obviously to the strength of our students.  And you’ve seen already from the video, from those amazing performances by the students from the Faculty of Music, just how strong our student body is.  We are fortunate to have some 500,000 alumni in more than 170 countries, with concentrations in unexpected places from Hollywood to Hong Kong.  It’s an exceptional group of people.  And there is no continent nor any walk of life where Toronto alumni are not in leadership roles.

The second reputational factor is the quality of the faculty, and this tends to be measured, perhaps reductively, by the quality of their research and scholarship.  Throughout the last century, our professors and their students, supported by our staff, developed insulin and the electron microscope, discovered the chemical laser and stem cells, reinvented literary criticism, theorized modern media and the digital age, roamed the world to uncover ancient civilizations, invented the glycemic index – so widely used in every kitchen – and pioneered in fields as diverse as organ transplantation and computer graphics.

A simple statistic says it all.  Today, in total research output, when the tally is made, the top three universities in the world, in order, are Harvard, Tokyo and Toronto.

Underneath that simple statistic is the unbelievable creativity of today’s faculty, students and staff, joined on a bright line of excellence to their predecessors.  A sampling, if you will– a quick biopsy:  They’ve studied the cognitive psychology of loneliness, and developed earthquake-resistant building materials. They’ve made startling revelations of cyber-spying and state-level internet censorship, and are working on novel therapies for Alzheimer disease. They’ve explored how bullies abuse cyber-space to torment their victims, and figured out car parts made out of plant materials.  They’ve been cross-mapping Islamic and western legal traditions, discovering micronutrients for malnourished children in developing countries, and found new forms of artificial intelligence …

The list is endless.

And now it’s no surprise that when professors around the world are surveyed, time after time, in discipline after discipline, the University of Toronto is the Canadian leader and a serious global competitor.

Let me try to explain why and how this matters.  I’ll start with something really practical – artificial hips or knees – there are probably a few of them in the house tonight!   A very common surgical procedure.  The benefits are wonderful.  But, with no disrespect to the professionals involved, the science behind our treatment of advanced arthritis is, frankly, pretty primitive.  We saw through bones.  And then we hammer in a prosthetic joint made of metal with a ceramic or plastic cap. How much better it would be if arthritic joints could be stimulated to resurface themselves by simple injections – it’s entirely feasible.

And imagine as well the change if, instead of relying on drugs or in extremis an organ transplant – the same techniques could be used to promote healing and regeneration of damaged internal organs.  Here in Toronto, we have one of the world’s greatest concentrations of stem cell scientists, tissue engineers, transplant experts, and brilliant clinicians in every discipline.  The possibilities for reinventing multiple fields of medical care – right here, right now – are absolutely boundless.

Let’s shift to a bigger challenge.  Tens of millions of people around the globe are rising out of poverty each year.  It’s a wonderful trend.  But how will we meet their new energy demands without creating havoc in the world economy, ecological chaos, or recurrent conflicts over access to fossil fuels?

One intriguing answer is to emulate plants and algae.  They have been the Earth’s most ingenious and efficient producers of clean power for over 3 billion years.  And scientists estimate that through artificial photosynthesis a bottle of water and some sunshine could power a normal sized home.

Let’s say that doesn’t work – imagine transforming any roof or wall into an energy harvesting surface with nano-engineered spray-paint….Or new solar cells with advanced optics that double and triple the efficiency of current technologies, while simplifying them for home use.  All these are currently areas for cutting-edge research at your University.

But even energy, complex though it is, is arguably simple compared to some of our other shared challenges.  We have a wonderful urban context here.  And cities are clearly engines of prosperity and magnets for domestic and trans-national migration alike.  In fact, across the world approximately a million people a week are moving from villages and farms into cities.  But cities can also be foci of alienation, poverty, pollution, crime and despair.  The development of successful and sustainable cities is clearly one of the keys to humanity’s future.

It’s one of those big, complex and multi-disciplinary challenges.  And there are others like it.  Arguably, even more fundamental to our future is protecting the potential of the world’s children.  Years ago – back when I was a medical student – things were simple.  We had nature and nurture.  Genetic shuffling at conception gave you a set of cards, and you played them for your entire life.  Now, thanks to epigenetics, we understand that a range of factors, including the mother’s diet during pregnancy, can permanently switch genes on or off.  And we also know that great teaching in early childhood can change brain wiring, and lift the trajectory of a child’s life.

When it comes to addressing these types of complex global challenges –  urbanization or healthier human development – there are very few institutions in the world with the size, or the breadth and depth of excellence to make a real difference.  The University of Toronto is one of those very few institutions.

As I wrap up, let me anticipate and address two skeptical questions.

Question 1:  ‘Sure, Professor, all this research strength translates into strong teaching and mentorship for graduate and professional programs.  What about undergraduates?’

In some institutions, I’m sorry to say, the research stars do skate away.  Our faculty members, in contrast, have a remarkable commitment to undergraduate instruction.  At any one time, more than 90 per cent of the professoriate who have won major research distinctions are teaching undergraduates.  With your support, we can accelerate the expansion of opportunities for undergraduates to interact with these types of faculty in small-group sessions or through participating with them in research on every imaginable topic.

Question 2:  ‘You’ve shown us some practical stuff, but a lot of research is pretty esoteric.  How is it relevant?  What do students get out of it?’

What students get is exposure to the boundless curiosity of superbly-trained minds.  In natural science, this is the research that changes everything – it illuminates our world, and enables whole new lines of human endeavour.  In the humanities and social sciences, these lines of inquiry speak to timeless questions of meaning and identity, and they establish the foundations for successful societies. Taken together, this continuum of fundamental and applied inquiry across disciplines, is what creates so many learning opportunities for our students.  It’s the touchstone for the creative and critical thinking skills that can help our students to be successful no matter where they live and work.

And by the way, like you I hear the chorus of calls for ‘job-ready’ graduates – I sometimes call these Stepford  baccalaureates.  But let’s remember:  The world is moving fast.  We are preparing our students for careers that have not even been invented.  And we are also, I hope, preparing them to be the leaders who invent those new careers.

I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about how to frame this marriage of teaching and research, of learning and scholarship.  I still can’t think of better words than those coined by a friend, University Professor Ted Chamberlin of the Department of English.

Speaking in this hall a few years ago, Professor Chamberlin asked rhetorically what universities really do, and he answered:  “We tell stories: old stories about evolution and the decline and fall of the Roman empire, about the Big Bang and the Great War, about justice and freedom, supply and demand, economy and efficiency. And we make up new stories. We call the old ones teaching, and the new ones research.”

What I love about Ted Chamberlin’s description is its humanity and its emphasis on narrative.

So, yes, I proudly noted that we’re third worldwide in total publication output, but none of this is really about academic papers.  And yes, I am proud that we lead the country by a big margin in generation of intellectual property and spin-out companies. But it’s also not about patents and profits.   It’s about people – and their individual journeys … About those of us on faculty here, telling old stories, and with the help of our students and staff, writing new ones … And it’s also very much about our students, tomorrow’s alumni, preparing to write their stories in a world full of big challenges that our generation has left them.

Ultimately, the support that so many inside and outside this Hall have so generously provided, and the support that, through this campaign, we are seeking in the years ahead, is itself in aid of a narrative – one of hope, of questioning, of imagining, and above all, unlocking the boundless potential of the next generation to make the world a slightly better place.  Thank you.

Main photo credit: (C) Gustavo Toledo Photography

University of Toronto President David Naylor made the announcement at a ceremony in Convocation Hall at the downtown St. George campus. With this new campaign, U of T will explore the boundless possibilities of its community of alumni, students and faculty for global leadership and societal impact. (Enjoy photos from the launch.)

“Canada must have universities that can achieve two related goals: conduct the advanced research that will help solve the grand challenges humanity now faces, and offer the best and brightest students an exceptional education to help them build a better world. No university in Canada is better positioned to meet those objectives than the University of Toronto,” said Naylor.

The campaign’s goal is $2 billion in philanthropic support, of which nearly half—$966 million—has been secured.  The campaign has two central pillars:

• Preparing global citizens will foster international fluency and leadership skills among the University’s almost 80,000 undergraduate and graduate students – by raising funds to support student awards and build learning environments that nurture creativity, collaboration, critical thinking, disciplinary excellence, interdisciplinary inquiry and global perspectives.
• Meeting global challenges will support path-breaking research and teaching that generates solutions for healthy, sustainable and successful societies, while also strengthening the essential foundation of basic research. Funds raised will support the University’s world-class minds, attract a new generation of “rising star” faculty and make critical enhancements to programs and infrastructure.

Notwithstanding recent investments in higher education in Ontario, U of T’s total revenue per full-time student is about 41 per cent lower than the average for publicly funded peer institutions in the U.S.

“The fact that we are able to compete with—and in many cases outperform—our peers, both in Canada and around the world, speaks to the excellence of our students, faculty and staff,” said Naylor.

Over the last decade, U of T has consistently ranked among the top 30 universities in the world—and consistently among the top three for scholarly output.

The university’s previous campaign, which closed in December 2003, raised $1 billion and remains the most successful campaign in Canadian history. The campaign played a vital role in vaulting the University of Toronto into the top ranks of universities worldwide. Now, nearly eight years later, the university is ready to build on this foundation, to advance groundbreaking research and teaching, seize on new opportunities and broaden our impact on the global issues that matter most to Canadians.

“This is an extraordinary milestone for the university,” said David Peterson, chancellor of U of T.  “With input from across our community, we have developed an eloquent, bold vision for a world-leading university in the 21st century. We will look to our global network of friends and alumni – who now number more than 500,000 across 174 countries – to join us in this exciting campaign. With their generosity and involvement, we will work together on fundamental questions that will shape the course of human knowledge and experience and prepare our students for leadership in an increasingly borderless world.”

Watch the campaign video below:

(Photo credit: ©2011 Gustavo Toledo Photography)