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TRENT CONTENTS Native Studies 30th Anniversary Editorial Association President's Message President's Page Letters to the Editor Build 2000 News Trent's Outstanding Research Record Convocation 2000 Photo Collage Reunion Weekend Chapter Images What's New in Academic Programs Women's Rugby Storeyline Sunshine Sketches In Memoriam Ancient History & Classics Alumni Eminent Grounds for Eminent Service

by Bonnie Patterson Forgive me for referencing, as so many others have, the turning of a new millennium. When you read this article, as one of Trent University's almost 23,000-strong alumni in various locations around the world, another new year's celebration will just be underway at Trent. A new "academic" year that is! September sparks in all of us some very special feelings and remembrances about returning to school. The Fall of 2000 will see over 1,480 new students enter our doors ready and eager to start full or part-time studies in Peterborough or Oshawa. So too, in June of 2000, your alumni ranks rose by over 1,000 new members, and as Trent's president, that is a thousand good reasons to celebrate. This century's first members of your group will now be experiencing a combination Trent-withdrawal and world-immersion. They have cause to be excited and optimistic. After several years of Trent study, they are beginning a new phase in their life journey. I am confident that their time at Trent will have them well-equipped for their new roles, new challenges and many successes. I am grateful that so many of you took the time to complete the surveys sent to recent Ontario university graduates. As part of our growing accountability exercises, these survey findings are critical to Trent's provincial government funding success and our relevance as perceived by other members of the public. I am pleased that statistics from our latest survey indicate that Trent graduates find work, and yet again reinforce a core message that a liberal education does prepare students for employment in the 21st century workforce. Our graduates of 1997 have an overall employment rate nearing 93 per cent six months after graduation, and that rose to nearly 96 per cent two years after graduation. In the majority of programs surveyed, Trent did even better than the provincial average. (Our results, and those by university program, are available from Trent's Web site at www.trentu.ca/news/pressreleases /kpi.html) I believe Trent graduates are in great demand by employers because of the high-quality education you received and your ability to respond to today's rapidly-changing workplace demands. Alumnus Don Tapscott '66 (who heads our current fund-raising campaign) and a group of leading high-tech CEOs have publicly added their voices to promote the increasing value of a liberal arts education in the digital economy. Their powerful statement supported an earlier testimony endorsed by Ontario's chancellors, an initiative stimulated by our very own Chancellor, Peter Gzowski. Congratulations and thanks to all of them and to you for helping us spread the message that education shouldn't be restrictive, but mind-expanding. at's the Trent way! Accolades are also in order for your fantastic achievement with the Beyond Our Walls campaign. At the time of writing, the alumni division had exceeded its goal of $1.5-million by more than $80,000. A great accomplishment and a real boon for Trent. Meanwhile, our "space odyssey" of Symons Campus expansion began in the Spring under the capable coordination of Professor Skip Maxwell. Many of you will be familiar with Prof. Maxwell and know that he'll do a great job chairing the steering committee for Build 2000, Trent's program to expand and renovate facilities on Symons Campus to accommodate growth and increase efficiency of space utilization. Early stages of Build 2000 included meetings of the committee, assisted by a number of reference groups representing members of the Trent community with interests in aspects of the construction and renovation program, and the selection of architects to update the campus master plan. Made possible by SuperBuild financing from the Province of Ontario as well as private and federal funding, Build 2000 will be completed over the next three years. It primarily involves the design and construction/renovation of three major components of Trent's physical plant: science facilities, First Peoples' House of Learning/humanities/college facilities, and residence/conference facilities. I hope you read about this project in the special May issue of our Trent Report, and you might wish to follow Build 2000 progress on the web at www.trentu.ca/build2000. There's been more great news for research at Trent, with word that the University has been allocated up to eight research chairs under a new federal government program. These new chairs represent up to $6.7-million in new funding for Trent researchers over the next five years. In addition, each of the new chairs will be eligible for up to $125,000 for infrastructure and equipment related to their work. We are quite excited about a new academic program initiative and congratulate those involved in making it happen! We've received the approval for our third PhD program, this one a joint Trent-Carleton PhD program in Canadian Studies to begin in September 2001. This program will be the first interdisciplinary doctoral program in Canadian Studies in Canada and represents a cornerstone in our highest levels of study at Trent. There is so much about Trent, and our people, that makes me proud. Forgive me for bragging, but you do continue to make my day every day!