A message from Dr. Annette Trimbee, president and vice-chancellor

I discovered this portrait recently on one of my walks through campus. I couldn’t help but smile and imagine what was on Dr. MacEwan’s and the artist’s minds when it was created.

The second work in a collection of two, The Joy Project captures what I sense MacEwan has always been, a place of celebration and deep connections. We are rooted and bold at the same time.

Our 50th anniversary is an opportunity to reflect on our past, present and future. Over the fall, we heard from so many of our alumni and former university community members who shared wonderful stories of their memories of MacEwan. The end of term also provides us with an opportunity to consider what we have accomplished. As I think back on the past 12 months, I am struck by how much we have been able to achieve together.

Artist Robert Chelmick’s The Joy Project (2 of 2), 1995.

As the calendar turns to 2022, I am optimistic about the future, while being mindful of the changing pandemic situation and the uncertainty it brings. We will continue to mark our 50th year and the strategic vision we created together, Teaching Greatness: Strategic Vision 2030, will guide us over the next decade. Our new vision will come to life through the decisions and actions of people at our university.

I look forward to more opportunities to celebrate our wonderful campus life. We had a great reminder this fall of the joy in our community as we celebrated our first in-person convocation in two years. Later in November, we were inspired with the victory of our MacEwan Griffins women’s soccer team. I am so proud to be able to share in that celebration with our community. As MacEwan Griffins forward Grace Mwasalla said in the video capturing the national championship, “We are the best in the nation.”

MacEwan Griffins women’s soccer team visits Edmonton City Hall. Read the story.

This month, as part of our 50th anniversary celebrations, I had the opportunity to participate in the opening of our time capsule created in 1993 by the MacEwan students’ association. In it was a letter written by Dr. Gerry Kelly, who served as MacEwan’s second president from 1981 to 1995. Separated by almost 30 years, Dr. Kelly and I share the experience of being president of this wonderful institution. While a great deal of life has happened over those 30 years, including several major world events and the evolution of MacEwan from a college to a university, reading his letter I see similarities in how we view MacEwan, our campus and our community. As I think back on our successes this year, I see reflected in them much of the hopeful vision Dr. Kelly had for our university back in 1993

Listen to Dr. Gerry Kelly read an excerpt from his 1993 time capsule letter

In his letter Dr. Kelly wrote, “Although change is the current theme of our times, I don’t think we’ve become any less concerned about people.” His hope was that our campus would continue “to have a positive impact on the human dimension of our community.” I am struck by how these sentiments remain at the core of MacEwan and are strong elements in our new strategic vision.

 A selection of time capsule contents on display. Read the story. 

Throughout the process of developing Teaching Greatness, you emphasized that MacEwan’s strength is our faculty, exceptional teachers focused on student experience, who meet students where they are at. We are an institution with strong connections to the community, and we strive to empower graduates with life skills that prepare them to take on the world.

Writing in 1993, Dr. Kelly expressed the impossibility of predicting the future. I don’t think he could have imagined that we would be opening the time capsule wearing masks during a pandemic. What we have learned over the past 20 months of a pandemic, and through the process of developing the strategic vision, is the need to embrace flexibility, be nimble and respond to unfolding challenges and opportunities. Teaching Greatness will guide us in our decisions as we respond to whatever the future will bring. It will help us to be ready to meet students where they are today and to create graduates who are ready to meet the challenges of tomorrow.

In 1993, we were just learning the buzzword “telecommuting” and beginning to imagine what the possibility of working from anywhere might mean for our workplaces. Over the past 20 months, as we have lived some of those visions, what we’ve perhaps come to realize is that while the conveniences of a virtual workplace have their benefits, what will never change is a focus on people.

It has become more apparent that our dedication to people, our place and building relationships in our community is more important to us than ever. While we have all managed to embrace the virtual work and learning environment, got creative and found new connections, I know we’ve also all missed the interactions of being on our campus. We’ve heard from our students how much they want to return to the rich campus experience and how joyful those experiences can be for all of us.

Our campus experience is so important to our work and learning experiences because we are defined by the community that surrounds us in Ward O-day’min. With more time on campus this fall, I know that I have felt a greater appreciation for how our place influences us and sparks our imagination.

I was particularly reminded of this during our November in-person convocation celebration. Convocation is one of the most important events for a university. I was inspired to see our students cross the stage, happy for their parents and family to cheer them on and proud to see faculty join us in celebrating the accomplishments of our graduates. I’d like to thank everyone who took the time to make these momentous days a reality, whether as one of our talented event planners, as a member of our stage party or as a volunteer.

November Convocation ceremonies at the Winspear. Read more.

As we close this year, I am grateful to each of you for all that we have accomplished. I am excited for what is on our long-term horizon and all that we can achieve together, shaped by our new strategic vision.

I hope you find joy and gratitude over the holidays.

Dr. Annette Trimbee
President and Vice-Chancellor