Dear members of the OCAD U community,
A very warm welcome to you all as we usher in the 2022-23 academic year. Yesterday, we greeted more than 750 undergraduate students in Butterfield Park, our first in-person O-Day event in two years, and more than 100 graduate students. Seeing everyone’s smiling eyes and faces, talking with students and answering their questions in the “ask me anything” sessions, it’s clear that this year feels different.
One could say that this difference can be attributed to the sheer numbers present on our OCAD U campus. Proximity to each other is something we haven’t felt in a long time.
But I believe it’s more than this. There’s a greater shared sense of purpose that comes when people experience a life-changing occurrence together. And the continuing COVID-19 is just that. It upended our experience and understanding of the world and reminded us that through collective action we can make a difference in everyone’s lives.
At OCAD U, we saw firsthand the creativity of both our faculty and our students as they put passion to purpose, took risks to experiment under constrained circumstances and created significant connections with each other and the broader community.
So, as we begin this new year, let’s continue to evolve and emerge as that essential creative hub in Toronto, unafraid to extend the nature of what a postsecondary educational institution is supposed to be.
This fall we are launching our new six-year Academic and Strategic Plan. This plan puts forth a vision to be a vibrant community of bold, curious and compassionate artists, designers and scholars who are imagining and creating a joyful, equitable and sustainable world. This vision has never been closer to fruition than right now.
With this plan in hand, we have the tools to forge meaningful, change-making partnerships and launch initiatives that will drive positive impact—whether it’s through our collective efforts to pursue environmental sustainability, to decolonize and indigenize art and design education and advance equity, to improve learning access and outcomes through exchange, innovation and experimentation, or to cultivate the personal and professional growth of our students.
Indeed, we have already begun this work. Some of these initiatives include:
- Providing new spaces for students to create and experiment, such as the new Interdisciplinary Art Studio at 100 McCaul St. and new digital maker-space with state-of-the-art equipment at 205 Richmond St. W., to be available this fall.
- Expanding experiential learning opportunities available through OCAD U LiVE, our very own VOD streaming service for students by students that builds skills applicable to the media arts industry, and career launcher programs through the RBC Centre for Emerging Artists and Designers.
- Launching Canada’s first co-operative online marketplace and educational platform where artists and designers can sell their work and develop the skills they need to thrive in an evolving economy.
- Co-creating new spaces for innovation and learning with community leaders like DESIGNwith, a new design incubator launched earlier this year in partnership with Cadillac Fairview.
- Launching a search for our new Executive Director, Indigenous Engagement (Oshkaabewis) who will support the University in maintaining and growing relationships with various Indigenous communities through reconciliation and mutual respect.
- Leading a mental health initiative to support the health and well-being of art and design university students across Canada, to be announced shortly.
- Establishing a joint Task Force on Affordability between administration and the OCAD Student Union to bring combined focus and generate solutions to combat rising costs of education and living in Toronto.
- Launching faculty-led collaborative international learning courses that saw students travel to France, The Bahamas, and the upcoming trip to Trinidad and Tobago, to participate in projects in partnership with local community organizations and institutions.
- Establishing the new Creative Centre for Climate Action, in partnership with the City of Toronto, where we will draw on creative vision, sustainable design and artistic practice to imagine and enact new approaches for challenging the climate crisis.
- Co-organizing the fourth annual democracy summit, DemocracyXchange in early 2023, which will bring together hundreds of leaders, policymakers, activists and thinkers to connect and discuss the most important ideas for making our democracy stronger and more inclusive.
These are just a few of the exciting projects and work our incredible faculty, staff and students are tackling. There is more to come as we all work together to fully implement our new Academic and Strategic Plan over the next six years.
So, to our new students, faculty and staff, a warm welcome again! You are joining our OCAD U community at a fortuitous time when we are poised to make good on many of our ambitions for ourselves and the world.
In the meantime, I hope you will contribute to our community mural, located in the main lobby of 100 McCaul St. We created this mural as a place where we can mark this moment—a space to share how you got through COVID-19 during these past two years, or recognize your networks of support, and share what you are looking forward to during this academic year. So, visit the mural to add your voice!
I wish you all the very best for a wonderful new year. I look forward to seeing you all around campus.
Take care,
Ana Serrano
President and Vice-Chancellor
OCAD University