Category: Re: University

  • Re: University | Join the Conversation Before It’s Too Late

    Re: University | Join the Conversation Before It’s Too Late

    Hello Everyone,

    The Re: University team here! I know you didn’t expect to hear from us this week, but we just passed the 100-day mark until the Re: University conference and the excitement is getting real. For those of you who don’t know, we are hosting the conference in the Marriott Ottawa on January 28th and 29th. 

    Our full agenda will be released soon but we have begun announcing our speakers and themes. Our two-day agenda is focused on exploration and action.

    •  Day One looks outward and forward. Through provocative plenaries, global case spotlights, and rapid-fire exchanges, participants will examine how universities are adapting to shifting financial realities, emerging technologies, and new models of teaching and learning. The focus is on ideas: what’s possible, what’s working elsewhere, and what change might look like in practice. 
    • Day Two turns those ideas into strategy. Sessions will focus on the “how” of transformation, think: governance, funding models, partnerships, and culture change. Participants will dig into what it takes to move from experimentation to execution and build institutions that are both resilient and ready for the future. While we may be biased, it is an incredible lineup so far. 

    So if you haven’t already, you should check out who is on the agenda so far here.

    We also wanted to give you a heads up that we are 90% sold out of tickets so if you are planning to come, please make sure to get your ticket soon.

    The university is the focal point of this conference, although we have others attending from the college sector,  and we are so happy to say we have representatives from nearly 50 Canadian universities. If your institution isn’t on this list, we would love you to be part of the conversation:

    Algoma University

    Ambrose University

    Brock University

    Capilano University

    Carleton University

    Concordia University

    Dalhousie University

    Emily Carr University of Art and Design

    Kwantlen Polytechnic university

    Lakehead University

    McMaster University

    Memorial University of Newfoundland

    Mount Allison University

    Mount Royal University

    Mount Saint Vincent University

    Nipissing University

    Northeastern University

    Ontario College of Art & Design University

    Ontario Tech University

    Pacific Coast University for Workplace Health Sciences

    Queen’s University

    Saint Mary’s University

    Simon Fraser University

    St. Francis Xavier University

    St. Jerome’s University

    Thompson Rivers University

    Toronto Metropolitan University

    Trent University

    Université de l’Ontario français

    Université de Moncton

    Université de Montréal

    University College of the North

    University of Alberta

    University of British Columbia

    University of Calgary

    University of Guelph

    University of Guelph-Humber

    University of Manitoba

    University of Northern British Columbia

    University of Ottawa

    University of Regina

    University of Saskatchewan

    University of Toronto

    University of Victoria

    University of Waterloo

    Western University

    Wilfrid Laurier University

    York University

    Yorkville University

    We have been asked who should attend this conference and although it is open to anyone with an interest in the future of postsecondary education, we wanted to give you an idea of who will be joining these conversations. 

    40% of these attendees come from the President, Vice-President and Associate Vice-President portfolios, another 40% are Deans and Deputy Deans. The remaining 20% come from a wide range of roles such as CAOs, Special Advisors, Managers, Directors, Professors and many other important roles. We have attendees from institutions coast to coast with representatives also from colleges and polytechnics along with government, associations and various industry stakeholders. And not to forget our partners who we know are looking forward to meeting you all. Check them out here.

    Whoever you are, if you are passionate about the future of the university in Canada then now is the time to get involved in the conversation. 

    We hope to see you there,

    The Re: University Team

    Thank you to our partners:

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  • Re: University is on. Are you in?

    Re: University is on. Are you in?

    Hi everyone — pardon the summer interruption, but we’ve got news worth breaking the quiet for.

    You may recall that earlier this year, we announced something new: a national conference dedicated to helping Canadian universities rethink what they are and what they could be. We called it Re:University. We said it would be the conference that couldn’t have been an email. We meant it.

    Re:University will take place January 29–30, 2026, in downtown Ottawa. Two full days, bringing together hundreds of university leaders and impactful industry and government voices from across Canada, with some brave perspectives from abroad. A lot of hard questions. And, most importantly, some real answers.

    As I put it recently: Canadian universities won’t prosper unless they act with ambition (no one cuts their way to greatness), embrace experimentation (the old ways won’t get us where we want to go), and commit to dissemination (share what works, and what doesn’t).

    Re:University is our attempt to put those principles into practice. We want to give the sector a space to think new thoughts, to learn from both bold successes and instructive failures, and to build toward models that are better aligned with the challenges and possibilities of the 2020s.

    So, two things:

    First: If you’ve been involved in a reinvention story, institutional or program-level, we want to hear from you. Daring initiatives, experiments in delivery, innovative partnerships, tough decisions with real lessons. Success is not a requirement. We’re equally interested in failure because learning from what didn’t work is how we build better.

    Second: Tickets are now on sale (reuniversity.higheredstrategy.com). There are a limited number of Early Bird tickets, and space is limited (really — AI-CADEMY sold out quickly), so don’t wait.

    We already know the old playbook is running out of pages. Flat revenues, rising costs, rigid structures. People are tired. Innovation is often more slogan than substance. But some institutions are finding new ways forward, experimenting, adapting, making hard decisions and learning from them.

    This conference is about putting those lessons on the table. Moving beyond admiring the problems, and into working on the solutions. You’ll hear from institutions that have executed real turnarounds, from financial officers who stabilized budgets without gutting their mission, from private universities doing what publics often can’t (but maybe should), and from leaders building new academic models, cross-sector partnerships, and service strategies.

    You’ll also hear from our industry partners who are offering transformational approaches to experiential learning, supporting WIL, improving institutional operations, driving commercial collaboration, and advancing research and innovation.

    This isn’t a conference of passive panels and polite applause. Expect provocative plenaries, high-impact keynotes, and case spotlights. Expect to wrestle with questions like: “What would you stop doing tomorrow if you had the courage?” and “If you could build a university from scratch, where would you even begin?”

    There will also be protected space for institutions to talk to each other and to connect over what’s working, what’s not, and where we go next. If we’ve learned anything from the Recovery Project and AI-CADEMY, it’s that some of the best thinking happens not just on stage, but over coffee, in workshops, and in the shared realization that, “Oh s$!t, you’re dealing with that too?”

    We’re especially proud to be presenting Re:University with the RBC Thought Leadership Office as our Title Partner. Over the past year, we’ve worked together to convene a series of cross-Canada roundtables on the future of post-secondary education. As an engagement leader and catalyst for national postsecondary dialogue, our partnership reflects a shared commitment to turning insight into action and supporting bold, collaborative thinking about what comes next.

    If you’re also interested in partnering with us at the conference, please take a look at our Conference Partnership & Exhibitor Prospectus or reach out to explore creative and bespoke ways to get involved.

    We’ll be releasing more details on speakers and sessions throughout the fall. But for now: block your calendar. Book your flight. We’ll see you in Ottawa.

    And until then, please, resume your well-earned vacations.

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