It is my great pleasure to welcome you all back to a new academic year in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering. We step into the next few months strong, refreshed and energized. Certainly the excitement and zeal of our new students is contagious, and we welcome all 1,354 undergraduates and more than 650 graduate students. They are a remarkable group.
They join us from 57 countries and from all continents. Collectively, our incoming first-year undergraduate students have an Ontario Secondary School average of 90.6% — the highest in the history of the Faculty. What a glowing tribute to our reputation and their dedication.
I am also pleased that 23% of the new students are female, a rewarding outcome of our ongoing effort to improve gender balance. Many of our new students come from nine provinces and one territory, and 30% join us from countries around the world. It is this diversity — in Canada, and from nations around the world, that will contribute to our multiculturalism and global outlook.
We have attracted the best to be among us. And we will continue to offer the finest Engineering education in Canada.
U of T Engineering prides itself on being ahead of the curve in the education we offer our students. We want to make certain that upon graduation, they are ready, not just to take up careers in the most exciting, in-demand and promising fields, but to become leaders in them. That is why we have launched new minors in Engineering Business, and Robotics and Mechatronics, as well as certificates in Global Engineering and Engineering Business. These innovative offerings will future-proof our students in a competitive marketplace looking to hire the most qualified candidates.
Together, new and established students, faculty and staff, we will work in the coming year to enhance our reputation and to continue our pursuit of excellence. We will celebrate our diversity, listen well to new ideas and help each of us become the best we can be. Most of all, we will contribute globally and locally by offering our best ideas to a world in need. Let us step into the new term with that ideal, the ideal of all engineers, fuelling our progress.
Best wishes and welcome,
Dean Cristina Amon
Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering
