Help Ryerson’s president champion excellence: ryerson.ca/pacefund

This is just the beginning

By Mohamed Lachemi

President and Vice-Chancellor

MY FIRST VISIT TO RYERSON was to interview for an assistant professor position in the Department of Civil Engineering. It was 1998, and I was living in Quebec, where I was a postdoctoral fellow and research associate at the Université de Sherbrooke. A friend had told me about the job at Ryerson and suggested I apply, though my Canadian experience was entirely in Quebec and I was not familiar with Toronto.

I was excited to be called for an interview and flew from Montreal to Pearson Airport, where I caught a bus for downtown, making my way to the Chelsea Hotel on Gerrard. First thing in the morning I got into a cab in front of the hotel and asked the driver to take me to Ryerson University. The driver gave me a somewhat puzzled look, then drove me one block east, and said, “here it is.”

Now, as president of Ryerson, I am reminded of this story as I reflect on the 70/25 anniversary—70 years as an institution, 25 years as a university. I feel privileged to have spent the past 20 years living the journey of amazing growth and success for Ryerson. The evolution of our university and its emergence as a leading centre of innovation and applied learning, community engagement and excellence in scholarly, research and creative activity is astounding.

As alumni, each of you has your own Ryerson story. Whether you are a member of the class of 1950 or the class of 2018, you have shaped the Ryerson we know today. The anniversaries we mark this year are a celebration of your decision to attend Ryerson, your experience as a student and your success as a graduate. You have helped bring our university to the remarkable standing it enjoys today. We honour your place in our history.

What’s ahead for the next 25 years? No one knows for sure, but I can guarantee that the culture of inventiveness that shaped today’s Ryerson is as strong as ever. It is embedded in our culture, and will take us places we cannot even imagine.

Please join us at one of our celebration events this year, or just come for a visit. You know where we are.