President's Welcome: Inspiring lives of leadership and purpose.

Laurier is a jewel among Canadian universities. We are a mid-sized, multi-campus university with a reputation for excellence in teaching, scholarship and research. We are also well-known for our campus vitality, sense of community and passionate school spirit. Our traditions are rich and deep, dating back 100 years to our founding in 1911; and our students, faculty, staff and alumni have a real sense of belonging to the “Laurier family.”

All of this came through loud and clear in the research and consultation conducted during our Envisioning Laurier initiative in 2007-08. This rich store of opinion and data became the basis for the collaborative development of Laurier’s new statement of Values, Vision, Mission and Guiding Principles. 

Shortly after this document was approved, work began on how best to capture its essence in just a few words. Academic excellence is certainly at the heart of Laurier’s mission and vision — it is the imperative without which nothing else matters. But along with academic excellence, two words emerged repeatedly: leadership and purpose. Laurier is a university that encourages and supports its students, faculty, staff and alumni to take a leadership role in all aspects of their lives. Laurier is also a community that encourages and supports its people to live lives that are meaningful and engaged. 

In short, Laurier is about Inspiring lives of leadership and purpose.

These six words are the foundation for telling the Laurier story. More than a marketing slogan, Inspiring lives of leadership and purpose will be the theme that shapes what we say and communicate about Laurier. It will also serve as a lens through which we view new initiatives, new programs and new directions so they remain linked with, and rooted in, the compelling vision that is uniquely Laurier’s.

Laurier is a remarkable university with a long tradition of inspiring lives of leadership and purpose. I encourage you to join me in telling the Laurier story to the world.

Dr. Max Blouw
President and Vice-Chancellor
Wilfrid Laurier University