Ontario's newest university celebrates an exciting first year

OSHAWA, Ont. - Students, staff and faculty at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology will resume regular classes next week with a special sense of pride, as they celebrate UOIT's first anniversary and a year of tremendous achievement.

Since officially opening its doors on Sept. 4 of last year, Ontario's only laptop-based university has made its mark as one of the country's most technologically advanced and student-focused post-secondary institutions. More than 1,800 students will attend the university this fall, compared with about 940 last September. They will be enrolled in 14 degree programs, as well as a variety of exciting program options and specializations - some of them unique in Canada. That's up from a total of nine undergraduate degree programs last year. New programs for 2004-05 are Mechanical Engineering, Energy Systems Engineering, Nuclear Power, Medical Laboratory Science, and Concurrent Education and Science.

"UOIT has been a phenomenal success," said Dr. Gary Polonsky, the university's President and Vice-Chancellor. "I'm humbled by how hard our faculty, students and staff have worked to fulfil our vision for excellence. After an incredible first year, we're well on our way to becoming one of Canada's leading centres of learning and research."

In its first year, UOIT was the only university in the province to experience an increase in applications. The number of Ontario high school students who selected the university as their first choice for this fall jumped by 60 per cent, while applications from outside the province's secondary school system rose by more than 175 per cent over the previous year.

The university's eventful first year was packed with a number of other key accomplishments:

• In July, the university signed a memorandum of agreement with the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities to secure funding for the current phase of its capital expansion. In a report to the ministry, independent auditor Dr. Ralph Benson commended the university for the profound success it achieved in its first year, meeting or surpassing major milestones in several areas.
• Construction was completed on two additional academic buildings and a state-of-the-art library, to be shared with Durham College. The university also unveiled its professional-grade, year-round Campus Tennis Centre, and broke ground on a new twin-pad ice arena, funded in part by the City of Oshawa.
• At the university's historic, first convocation ceremony on June 4, former Ontario Liberal leader Lyn McLeod was installed as its Founding Chancellor and Dr. Gary Polonsky officially became its Founding President and Vice-Chancellor.
• At the same event, the university's first graduates - 56 teacher candidates from the Bachelor of Education program - crossed the stage to receive their degrees.
• UOIT played a significant role in accommodating Ontario's double-cohort high school graduating class in 2003, accepting 940 students - almost 250 more than originally expected.
• The university joined SHARCNET, one of the world's most powerful high-performance computing consortia. UOIT's membership in the Ontario-based group will allow it to perform leading-edge computational research that would not have been possible previously.
• UOIT and Durham College concluded technology agreements with IBM Canada Ltd., Bell Canada and Nortel Networks valued at $100 million. The partnerships will ensure that students at the university continue to use leading-edge technology that gives them a competitive edge in the job market.

"Four years ago, this university was a glorious dream," said Dr. Polonsky. "Now it's a glorious reality, and students from across the province and around the world are taking notice. We've got a great future to look forward to."

About the University of Ontario Institute of Technology

As the province's newest university, the University of Ontario Institute of Technology provides a unique combination of academic knowledge, vibrant student life, leading-edge research, and hands-on skills. The university offers career-focused undergraduate degree programs in the fields of business and information technology, health sciences, social science, applied science, the pure sciences, engineering, and education. It is also developing leading-edge research and graduate programs, and is Ontario's first laptop-based university. Sharing selected services with Durham College, UOIT welcomed its first students in September 2003. To find out more, visit www.uoit.ca or call 1.866.844.8648.

About Ontario Tech University
A modern, forwarding-thinking university, Ontario Tech advances the discovery and application of knowledge to accelerate economic growth, regional development and social innovation. We inspire and equip our students and our graduates to make a positive impact in a tech-focused world. For us, it’s not only about developing the next tech breakthrough. Understanding and integrating the social and ethical implications of technology differentiates us as university. Learn more at ontariotechu.ca.

Media contact
John Schofield
Communications and Marketing
Ontario Tech University
905.721.3111, ext. 2162
John.Schofield@dc-uoit.ca