Canada’s Sesquicentennial will occur on July 1, 2017. This is an important occasion for the University, particularly given the significant role it has played in the formation and development of our nation throughout its history. At the same time, the Sesquicentennial provides an opportunity for the University’s community to bring its intellectual resources to bear on questions of our past and future.

To mark Canada’s 150th birthday, the University will hold a number of events throughout 2017, including activities connecting the University with local communities, undergraduate-focused academic initiatives, and divisional and unit-level academic conferences thematically linked to the Sesquicentennial. University events will be publicized through a dedicated website.

I am pleased to announce the creation of Canada’s Sesquicentennial Initiatives Fund to support academic initiatives tied to the Sesquicentennial. These may take the form of conferences, workshops, panels, or guest speakers, with all events taking place during the 2017 calendar year. The value of Provostial funding per initiative will be a maximum grant of $2,500, and must be matched by the division or academic unit leading the event. Appointed tenure and teaching stream faculty as well as permanent status librarians are invited to submit a proposal of 250 words or less, together with a budget, to canada150@utoronto.ca by February 29, 2016. Proposals will be evaluated by the faculty and librarian members of the Sesquicentennial Steering Committee, chaired by Professor Donald Ainslie, Principal of University College.

The Steering Committee will support Sesquicentennial academic programming and activities, while facilitating alignment to institutional priorities and objectives and providing information about funding opportunities. For more detail, please see the Committee’s Terms of Reference. The Committee would like to hear from faculty, academic units, student groups, and others contemplating leading an initiative or dialogue tied to the Sesquicentennial.

For more information, contact Donald Ainslie at uc.principal@utoronto.ca or Mae-Yu Tan at maeyu.tan@utoronto.ca.