uAlberta President calls for AB universities to lead new era in Canadian PSE

“Universities are among the most enduring institutions in society because they are educators, generators of new ideas, and engines of social, cultural and economic prosperity,” writes University of Alberta President David Turpin for the Edmonton Journal. But perhaps just as importantly, he adds, universities demand critical inquiry and “hold us all to account.” Turpin goes on to trace the University of Alberta’s history as an institution of the public good, arguing that one of the reasons Canada’s universities enjoy so much trust among Canadians is their “freedom to undertake curiosity-driven research, research that may have no immediate utility, but from which we know all major social, scientific and technical innovations flow.” The editorial concludes with a call on Alberta’s public and private sectors to collaborate to “provide leadership in research, teaching, service, community engagement and international partnership. Let us, together, play a leadership role in building a better Canada.” Edmonton Journal