The top stories of 2018

The Ryerson Pow Wow returned after 20 years, and became one of the defining events of Ryerson’s 2018. Photo by Kaytee Dalton; Ryerson’s women’s volleyball team won its first-ever national title. Photo by Alex D’Addese; Through ShapeLab, student teams created art installations for King Street. Photo by Alia Youssef.

Seventy years old and just getting started, Ryerson University entered its eighth decade with a flurry of activity. The year saw the Ryerson community break new ground in sports, research, and entrepreneurship; tackle difficult questions about a rapidly changing world; and take important steps towards truth and reconciliation with our Indigenous communities. Here are some of the stories that defined Ryerson in 2018.

Ryerson turned 70... and is just getting started
In 1948, the Ryerson Institute of Technology opened, offering a practical education in the new industries that had appeared during the war. In 1993, the school became a university opening the door to graduate degrees. This year, Ryerson marked its 70/25 “Double Anniversary,” and while its borders have expanded and its ambitions increased, its commitment to innovative, hands-on education has remained consistent.

A year of cutting-edge research
Ryerson’s faculties and professors strengthened the university’s reputation as a hub for innovative research. Yellowhead Institute, Canada’s first Indigenous-led think tank, opened in the Faculty of Arts with a mandate to support First Nations self-governance. Shelagh McCartney led a Ryerson research partnership with the Indigenous community to improve housing.  Ryerson-incubated startup Headache Sciences Inc., with funding from the Norman Esch Awards, aims to revolutionize how migraines are diagnosed. Ryerson researchers Ruth Panofsky, Robert Burley, and Lorraine Janzen Kooistra were named Fellows of the prestigious Royal Society of Canada.

We are the champions!
The Ryerson Rams women’s volleyball team made history, winning the U SPORTS national championship for the first time in program and university history. After playing a perfect season with a 19-0 record, the team went on to claim their first-ever Quigley Cup at the Ontario University Athletics Championship, propelling them to the national championship where they won gold against the Alberta Pandas.

Students give new shape to King Street
ShapeLab, a fourth-month experiential learning initiative, invited Ryerson students to create interactive art installations for the King Street Transit Pilot. Student teams connected with real-world mentors (Ryerson faculty, city staff, private-sector professionals) to add vibrancy to Toronto’s entertainment corridor. Installations included life-sized 3D pin-art boards and a drum machine whose sound waves created artificial light.

No reconciliation without truth
This year at Ryerson saw new initiatives to support Indigenous learners, faculty and staff, and to promote Indigenous knowledge. In January, the university celebrated the presentation of its  (PDF file) community consultation report in response to the 2015 Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. In June, a contextualizing plaque was unveiled at the statue of Egerton Ryerson on Gould Street, explaining the educator’s role in fostering the Residential School System. In September, the Ryerson Pow Wow returned after a 20-year absence.

English professor Sarah Henstra receives Governor General’s Literary Award
Ryerson English professor Sarah Henstra won Canada’s most prestigious literary award for her novel The Red Word. The book tackled the difficult issue of rape culture on a U.S. college campus, and its release in 2018 caught the zeitgeist. “I write Y.A. novels, and I write about young people,” said Henstra in an interview shortly before her win. “I think a reason I gravitate to that age group in my writing is because I’m around it all the time. I feel connected to that age group in a way that I don’t think I would if I weren’t in a classroom with them.”

Getting comfortable with the uncomfortable at the White Privilege Conference
Held at Ryerson from May 9 to 12, the White Privilege Conference Global raised difficult questions about how to make a more equitable and inclusive society. In advance of the event, we spoke to activist Ritu Bhasin and academic John Powell about the roles that institutions and structures play in racial hierarchies. We also covered powerful, provocative keynote speeches by journalist Desmond Cole about the politics of white supremacy, and artist/filmmaker Shirley Cheechoo about the aftermath of residential schools.

Ryerson University names Janice Fukakusa as new chancellor
A banking executive, diversity leader, and longtime member of the Ryerson community, Janice Fukakusa began a three-year term as Ryerson's chancellor on October 10, 2018. The chancellor, who is the ceremonial head of the university, acts as an ambassador for Ryerson on local, national and international levels, presides at all convocations and confers university degrees. Fukakusa is Ryerson’s fifth chancellor, and the first female to hold the title.

President Mohamed Lachemi’s second anniversary – reflections on the future of Ryerson
Marking two years as Ryerson’s president on April 4, Mohamed Lachemi looked ahead to Ryerson’s future. From exceptional students and programs to big future plans, Ryerson is on the way to becoming a truly global institution.

$1-million gift funds entrance awards for future engineers
A new donation from George and Helen Vari Foundation is the largest-ever single donation to FEAS to be dedicated to entrance awards, ensuring future engineers are able to begin their education. It brings the foundation’s total giving to Ryerson to more than $6 million.

Tattoo company fosters a new kind of art
Inkbox, a unique tattoo business cofounded by Ryerson grad Braden Handley, reached a new level of success with $10 million in funding. The business specializes in “temporary tattoos” (they prefer “semi-permanent tattoos”), but not the kitschy stick-and-peel kind: their beautiful designs are created by talented artists, and dyed directly in the skin. The business began life at Ryerson’s Fashion Zone in February 2015, where they patented a $15 tattoo kit and launched a successful Kickstarter campaign.