ANNUAL REPORT
DR. SARA DIAMOND, OCAD UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT
Thank you for joining us at the online home of Canada's “university of the imagination,” located in the vibrant city of Toronto, the cultural capital of Canada. OCAD University is the single largest and most comprehensive art, design and media university, or set of art, design and media programs in Canada. Inspired by the value of a specialized education, Canadian artists founded this institution independently, in 1876. Today we continue to draw from our legacy of the Group of Seven and from almost 135 years of groundbreaking achievements.
As well as our historical focus on art, design, media and cultural and social theory, OCAD University bridges these fields, engaging our most compelling contemporary themes and knowledge sets: digital media and design, sustainability, health and wellness, cultural diversity and Aboriginal cultures. We do this through cross-disciplinary programs and research within OCAD U and in concert with industry, not-for-profit, university and college partners, at home and abroad. OCAD U has forged strong ties with industry leaders in the creative, information and communication technology sectors, in healthcare and in sustainable green technology. This has positioned us as a key player in Ontario’s innovation economy as well as Canada’s.
Our alumni are independent artists and designers and serve as leaders in business, social enterprise, research labs and government. I was recently asked to share my thoughts on the value of art, design and media education on The Agenda, with Steve Paikin. You can view that interview here.
In 2010, the Government of Ontario passed new legislation changing our institution’s name from the Ontario College of Art & Design to OCAD University. The name change adds value to what we offer our current students and our alumni, whose successes comprise our legacy and foster positive change.
Our new name acknowledges our history, the expanded wealth of our undergraduate and graduate degrees and our accelerating research capabilities. At OCAD U we retain a focus on studio-based learning and integrate research into undergraduate and graduate education. Students entering the university continue to engage in acute creative, aesthetic and technical learning; they also have access to a dynamic set of critical, theoretical, scientific and historical knowledge and methods.
OCAD U offers six undergraduate programs in Design and Art, leading to the Bachelor of Fine Arts and Bachelor of Design degrees. In 2011/12, OCAD U will offer programs in Liberal Studies leading to a Bachelor of Arts. The institution also offers five graduate studies programs, which culminate in a Master of Arts, a Masters of Fine Arts, a Master of Design, or an Executive Master of Design.
Our Annual report highlights our strategic plan, program, research and capital acquisition highlights, and can be viewed here. Please explore our website to learn about our programs and activities.
— Dr. Sara Diamond
Read more:
"The Rules: Sara Diamond - Ontario art school leader comes full circle" (Report on Business section of The Globe and Mail, April 13, 2010), by Diane Jermyn.
"The Rules: Sara Diamond" video (Report on Business section of The Globe and Mail, April 13, 2010), produced by Diane Jermyn and Rosa Park.
"Will Canada miss the next wireless revolution?" (Report on Business section of The Globe and Mail, May 4, 2009), by President Diamond.
"Designing our way to a stronger economy" (Report on Business section of The Globe and Mail, January 2009), by President Diamond.
"Shape-shifter In the City: OCAD's New Direction" (Canadian Art magazine, Winter 2008) including an interview with President Diamond.
"Designs on the Economy" President Diamond's keynote address to The Economic Club of Toronto, October 2008.
A Brief Biographical Note: Dr. Sara Diamond, OCAD University President
Dr. Sara Diamond is the President of OCAD University, Canada’s “university of the imagination”. She holds a PhD in computer science along with degrees in new media theory and practice, social history and communications.
While retaining OCAD University's traditional strengths in art and design, Diamond has guided her university in becoming a leader in digital media, design research and curriculum through the Digital Futures Initiative, new research in Inclusive Design, health and design, as well as in sustainable technologies and design. She also played a leading role in OCAD University's establishment of the unique Aboriginal Visual Culture Program. Currently, she serves on the Ontario Ministry of Culture’s Advisory Council on Arts & Culture, the Board of Directors of the Toronto Arts Council Foundation, ORANO (Ontario’s high-speed network), the board of National Centre of Excellence GRAND, IO (Interactive Ontario), and SACUR with the Association of Universities and Colleges. She is founding Chair of the Mobile Experience Innovation Centre and current co-chair (with RBC). She is a visualization, wearable technology and mobile media researcher, artist and designer. She is co-principle investigator on the Centre for Information Visualization/Data Driven Design, an OCAD U/York University major initiative.
Dr. Diamond was the Artistic Director of Media and Visual Art and Director of Research at the Banff Centre, where she created the Banff New Media Institute (BNMI) in 1995 and led it until 2005. In this role she assisted with the development, incubation and support of many of Canada's leading new media companies. Diamond created and was the Editor-in-Chief of www.horizonzero.ca, an online showcase for new media art and design in collaboration with Heritage Canada and The Banff Centre. At the Banff Centre she created international think tanks and collaborations in ICT, digital media and science research with artists, designers and scientists from Latin America, Africa, Asia, Central and Western Europe and the USA, as well as Canada. She developed www.codezebra.net, a performance and media art, fashion and software collaboration environment. Diamond continues to write about digital media history, digital media and design strategy for peer reviewed journals and curates for festivals and galleries.
Last Modified:1/24/2012 12:57:33 PM
Imagination Is Everything
