A message from Laurier President and Vice-Chancellor Max Blouw

The 2012 Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences has wrapped up after eight extraordinary days on the campuses of Wilfrid Laurier University and the University of Waterloo.

It was a tremendous and unqualified success.

More than 7,400 delegates attended from across Canada and abroad; nearly 70 academic associations convened; and hundreds of lectures and research presentations were held. Many events were designed to engage the wider public, including 10 "Big Thinking" lectures that attracted capacity crowds.

Throughout it all I heard nothing but compliments from delegates and officials who went out of their way to express their gratitude for such a stimulating and well-run event. From my perspective, every aspect of Congress was planned and executed to the highest standards.

An event of this size and complexity doesn't happen without an enormous amount of planning, commitment and teamwork.

I wish to take this opportunity to thank the more than 600 volunteers, staff and faculty who worked so hard to organize Congress on behalf of Laurier and the University of Waterloo. Many staff and faculty took on time-consuming and often stressful roles in addition to their regular duties.

On the Laurier side, I would like to acknowledge the outstanding leadership shown by our core Congress team: Dan Dawson, Congress logistics convenor; Sheldon Pereira, Congress project coordinator; Eleanor Ty, Congress academic co-convenor; and Mike Carroll, Congress co-chair.

I would also like to acknowledge the many Laurier faculty members who served as local arrangement coordinators and contributed in other ways to the nearly 70 academic associations represented at Congress.

Finally, I would like to thank the many departments, staff, faculty members and students from across the university who contributed to the success of Congress 2012. In particular I would like to acknowledge the work of the following departments, each of which played a core role in planning and implementing Congress 2012: Performance Facilities, Food Services, Information Technology Services, Conference Services, Residential Services, Physical Resources, the Registrar's Office, Ceremonies and Events, Parking and Transportation Services, Student Affairs, the Student Leadership Centre, Human Resources, Alumni Relations, the Diversity and Equity Office, Athletics and Recreation, the Laurier Bookstore, and Communications, Public Affairs and Marketing.

I extend my heartfelt appreciation to everyone who contributed to Congress 2012. This high-profile event was a great opportunity to showcase our university to a national audience, and in true Laurier spirit you did an outstanding job!

Max Blouw

Wilfrid Laurier University