University of Guelph: Alastair Summerlee
One of the great things about working on a university campus is the many opportunities it affords a person to find insight and perspective when you need it most.
The relative importance of things became startlingly clear to me during the April 3 Last Lecture, and I have alumnus Jeff Lozon, student Holly Shrumm and Prof. Maurice Nelischer to thank for my much-needed mental reset. Their ‘last lectures’ reminded me of the role of reflection, the need to emphasize successes and the importance of being open to learning from everyone and everything.
The Last Lecture is all about getting students to look ahead. We want them to embrace all of the unknowns and the adventures and opportunities the future will bring and be confident that the years spent at Guelph have aptly prepared them for whatever comes their way.
It is also a time for students to look back on how their entire experience at Guelph has shaped them to be the people they are today.
When they look back at their time here, it will be the achievements and memorable learning experiences that stand out, not the minor scrimmages and concerns. For these are the things worth remembering. I decided to apply the same philosophy to my own recollections of this academic year. That is not to say that I will disregard the challenges, but it is important to give precedence to the positive things that have happened.
And our triumphs are numerous indeed. To highlight just a few:
- Guelph was named “Research University of the Year” for the fourth year in a row, and we received top marks in the 2007 University Report Card published by the Globe and Mail.
- The University community raised more than $424,000 for the United Way during its annual campaign, exceeding the campus goal by more than $24,000.
- The University also met its goal of raising $100,000 for the Masai Project to help build an AIDS clinic in Lesotho, Africa, and launched a Zerofootprint calculator, that allows faculty, students, staff and alumni to measure their ecological footprint and reduce their collective impact on the environment.
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