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I am delighted to welcome you as we prepare to begin another academic year together. I hope the summer months provided you with opportunities for rest and rejuvenation with family and friends. My very busy summer was bookended by two meaningful occasions – my younger nephew turned 18 and graduated from high school–all in the same week in May; and I spent time just this last week visiting with a 104-year-old friend and renowned retired professor, whose mind remains as sharp as ever and who spent part of our in-person conversation sitting in a yoga pose that I dare any one of us to attempt successfully.

As I learned from their experiences in education and reflected on both the summer and the new start to this academic year, I began thinking about all of the incredible research and work that happens at OISE – across disciplines and fields - and how all of this work contributes, worldwide, to important aspects of what we term education, considered broadly. Our new Academic Plan [] points to new directions while holding fast to core values, and speaks to expansive views and actions around learning and teaching for human development and well-being.

The worlds that my nephew and the professor inhabit may seem quite different at a quick glance: my nephew, often perched in his desk chair coding and creating with his friends; the professor in his recliner holding court with visitors in his sunroom. But their curiosity and verve, and sharp wit and appreciation for art and turns of phrase –my latest thank you card from my nephew begins with “Greetings to you in the North!”—are but a few of their many similarities.

As we talked this summer about my life and work in Canada and the current state of the world, in both conversations the question of ‘what will happen next’ arose. My nephew is excited about starting college, making new friends and learning new things; and my professor friend is excited about a weekly discussion seminar he leads on Zoom and taking a road trip to the Maritimes in Canada as he did with his children decades ago. “Meet me!” he exclaimed.

Many of us have experienced despair over the past year. In a world grappling with global conflicts, technological changes and shifting educational landscapes, it's natural to feel overwhelmed by the complexity of challenges we face. But there is an air of possibility and hope to the beginning of a new school year. What unites us at OISE is our shared commitment to education as a force for positive change in the world. As educators, researchers, and leaders I invite you to join me in holding fast to hope; and continuing to work on multiple fronts towards better worlds for us all.

This year, I encourage you to embrace every opportunity for conversations and collaborations that enrich your work and strengthen your impact on the communities we serve. Our commitment to multidisciplinary approaches extends from classrooms and labs to community spaces and clinics, from local initiatives to global engagement through our work with schools, school systems, communities, institutions, and organizations.

Thank you for your unwavering commitment to OISE's mission and to building community with one another. I look forward to seeing you on Bloor St and in our surrounding local, provincial, national, and global communities, as we deepen our excellent work and broaden our impact. And I look forward to seeing you at our OISE new school year gatherings and events, now underway as we begin to collectively implement our new academic plan.

Greetings to you at OISE! I can’t wait to meet you–for the first time for some, and for others, again–as our fall term begins.