Jean-Marc Mangin, Executive Director
Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences

The Federation of the Humanities and Social Sciences announced last Friday at the Royal Society of Canada (RSC) annual meeting in Banff that the University of Calgary has been awarded Congress 2016.  The announcement was warmly welcomed by a national audience of over 150 RSC fellows. 

The announcement came after a yearlong process which saw the Federation receiving and reviewing strong bids from across the country. The University of Calgary presented a bid that offered the full package -- a vision for Congress that will celebrate its 50th anniversary and connect all of our disciplines in the search for meaning and relevance, an alignment with the ambitious research strategy pursued at the University, a mobilization of university leaders from administrators to students, stunning new facilities (an Institute for Teaching and Learning will open near the Taylor Digital Library, which is the most technologically advanced library in North America) and strong partnerships with the city.

The 8,000+ delegates that will attend Congress 2016 will discover one of Canada's most multicultural and vibrant urban communities and a University with real buzz and energy. This is an institution with a strong sense of what it has become over its 50-year journey and of its contributions to Calgary and to the nation. Hosting Congress lines up with the University’s Eyes High strategic vision of innovating, inspiring and promoting creativity and discovery.  

I was very pleased to participate this week in a celebration at the University of Calgary with Daniel Maher, who headed up the team that put the bid together. In her remarks, Dr. Elizabeth Cannon, President and Vice-Chancellor of the University, highlighted the inclusive nature of the effort, stating that now that the bid has been accepted, the "real work is just beginning". Indeed, Congress 2016 will take place in little over 900 days! The University of Calgary will now work with the Federation in articulating a theme and the inter-disciplinary programming for Congress. A preliminary program will be unveiled by May 2015.

Images courtesy of Jae Im.