statements

President Joe Biden’s visit to Canada this week comes at a time when our neighbour and most valued trading partner is re-thinking economic policy in a way that has important implications for the Canadian economy and the contribution research universities make to its success.

I became president of SFU in September 2020, several months into the global COVID-19 shutdown. Because of that, I’ve spent most of my time as president connecting with the SFU community and our partners through Zoom screens, phone calls and emails. As the world has slowly opened up over the past year, I have enjoyed getting to spend more time on our campuses, seeing people face-to-face again—and most recently, travelling.

I was honoured to speak at the Vancouver Institute about how embracing difference at all levels of the university—from teaching and research to community engagement—can help universities carve out that path and contribute to the larger public good as we enter a post-COVID world.

Public transit makes life better for the whole community. Transit connects people to work, to school and to each other. It moves more people, more quickly than cars. It reduces congestion, sprawl and air pollution.

Universities and the academic community are uniquely positioned to play an important role in a just recovery. By leveraging our resources and human capital, we have an opportunity to affect transformative change, and build a more caring and humane society emerging from this crisis.

At the close of a very challenging year, it’s important to take stock of the lessons learned during the worst health and economic crisis in living memory.