Audio version

Mohamed Lachemi’s vision

Ryerson will become the destination of choice for creative and original thinkers

The last 20 years have been a transformational time for Ryerson and its new president, Mohamed Lachemi.

When Lachemi moved into the president’s office last April, he brought with him nearly 20 years of experience at Ryerson. Most recently he was the second-in-command – provost and vice-president, academic. Before that he held increasingly more responsible academic leadership roles starting as a professor of civil engineering and progressing to dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Architectural Science.

Now, he even has experience as the parent of a student as one of his daughters attends the university.

During that same time, the university’s physical presence in the city has grown, from the Ted Rogers School of Management on Bay Street to a new lab and biomedical business incubation space at St. Michael’s Hospital. More recently, Ryerson has expanded with modern, spacious labs for science researchers and more than 80 students and postdoctoral fellows at the MaRS building near Queen’s Park.

Ryerson’s curriculum has also expanded to meet the needs of students and society. Graduate education was introduced in 2000 and there are now nearly 50 programs and 2,600 graduate students. A hands-on learning model continues to develop in all faculties.

Thanks in part to the success of the DMZ, Ryerson now has 10 innovation zones to help students create initiatives and ventures with social and economic impact.

Ryerson has also moved into the community – and onto the world stage – looking at global challenges and delivering smart, scalable solutions.

“Toronto is a successful worldclass city in the heart of a progressive country, and has earned an international reputation for many things – including diversity, talent and quality of life,” says Lachemi. “Toronto is Ryerson’s field lab for learning, discovery and engagement. We are known as a citybuilder and we must continue to expand our influence.”

Students are changing lives – building greenhouses in the Arctic to provide reasonably priced, healthy foods for local use – other students are doing volunteer work in Asia, Africa and South America.

Alumni are blazing a path to the future – Digital Media graduate Maayan Ziv created an app to crowdsource accessibility information in cities around the world.

“Ryerson is widely recognized as a citybuilding university with a learning model for the 21st century,” says Lachemi. “We can be very proud of our accomplishments. But our work together is not done. In fact, it is just beginning.

“We want to be recognized as a global urban innovation university. We want to be known for having re-defined partnerships based on equality, trust, recognition and knowledge sharing,” he says.

The future

For Lachemi, Ryerson’s successful shift to a global innovator will be signalled by:

• An exponential increase in reputation;
• An increase in the value of a Ryerson degree;
• The best in the world coming here to study, teach and work;
• Ryerson becoming the leader in experiential and work-integrated learning, and the most sought-after community and industry partner.

In order to reach these goals, Ryerson will continue to put the focus on students, take into consideration the needs of society and potential employers, and unleash the power of strategic partnerships.

“We must engage with the people we value most highly – our students and alumni, our faculty and staff, and our strategic partners. Ryerson’s academic plan – Our Time to Lead – will guide us.”

In his installation address, Lachemi challenged the community to “respond to a changing world that asks us not just to keep up – but to constantly aim higher.

“Where we are going is clear,” says Lachemi. “Ryerson will become the destination of choice for creative and original thinkers, innovators and partners, dreamers and people of action.”

WINTER 2017 • Ryerson University Magazine 13