trentmagazine.ca

Last fall Trent University surveyed nearly 8,000 alumni representing the classes of 1989 to 2000. The positive response rates are indicative of the passion and strength of feeling that all of you have for Trent. The results also let us know that your success continues to be impressive and that we are on the right track.

Over 90 per cent of you told us that you were satisfied with the level of education you received and would recommend Trent to your children, family and friends applying to colleges and universities. While I am very pleased with the response, it did not surprise me. I continually hear extraordinary comments about the influence that Trent's supportive learning environment has had on our graduates and continues to have on our students. This is a credit to the quality of our faculty, the opportunities we have fostered for faculty-student interaction, and our staff who provide many support systems that create a stimulating environment at Trent. That support includes the tremendous willingness of Trent alumni to continue to be involved in their university. Combined, these provide the "value-added" for which Trent was ranked the number one primarily undergraduate university in Canada and for which we can be proud.

It is vital to our future that we build on these strengths. As we face external pressures, we must be positioned to respond positively to the communities we serve, in ways that enhance the university experience. And the pressures are manyÐfrom increasing competition for research dollars and funding to the critical need to attract and maintain the very best faculty.

Universities are about to face the biggest increase in enrolment demand since the sixties. At the same time, many of our faculty are reaching retirement age-we estimate that Trent will need about 75 new faculty by 2005, with an additional 75 faculty required between 2006 and 2010. As we enter this period of the provincial government's budget cycle Ontario universities are hopeful that decisions will be made to address our urgent need to begin the hiring process immediately.

One of the things that will help us attract and retain the highest quality faculty are appropriately equipped and modern spaces for teaching and research.

We have already taken the first step by planning for the renewal of Symons Campus. Trent's original Master Plan, developed by the late Ron Thom in the sixties, served us well during a time of limited enrolment growth and declining investment in universities. As we prepare for the next decade's growth, it was vital to update the existing plan. Following an extensive consultation process, both within the Trent community and in the greater Peterborough community, the Board of Governors at its February meeting approved an updated Master Plan for Symons Campus. It ensures that our campus renewal reflects contemporary needs while protecting and enhancing our architectural and environmental legacy.

The rejuvenation and expansion of our science complex will be the first sign of campus revitalization. A partnership of two award-winning architectural firms, Shore Tilbe Irwin & Partners and Teeple Architects Inc., has been retained to design a new science wing and science complex renovations. Construction will begin later this summer.

All this brings us to an exciting new era at Trent. Thank you for continuing to proudly acknowledge the significant part that Trent has played in your life. We look forward to moving into the future together.

This page is maintained by the Trent University Alumni Association.