TRU joined the Research Universities’ Council of British Columbia on Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2011. President Dr. Alan Shaver spoke about what this announcement means for our University.

Good morning everyone.

It is an honor for Thompson Rivers University to be part of The Research Universities Council of British Columbia; a council which hosts some of the finest educational institutions in the world. We have much to learn from our peers, and I anticipate with satisfaction the interesting conversations at many levels within TRU that will result from this membership. Each university in this council has a unique perspective on research, but we all have one thing in common: we are striving to make the world a better place by generating new knowledge and understanding in our students and in our communities. Thank you to my RUCBC colleagues, for all that our students, faculty and staff will learn in the coming years.

Although it is not widely known, TRU has a strong tradition of research and innovation. As a University College, we were the first of our kind to be recognized by the National Science and Engineering Research Council.

Today TRU houses seven research centers, and hosts an Annual Undergraduate Student Innovation and Research Conference. Our faculty includes nationally renowned investigators working on problems that have the potential to improve our everyday lives such as improving medicines, understanding ecosystems, forging links between art and science, mapping the frontiers of electronic learning, and providing fresh collaborative ways to support communities. These are only a few of the areas our people are exploring.

When I say OUR people, I mean that in the broadest sense of the word. At Thompson Rivers University, we have always embraced research as a method of interactive student learning. Students learn through experiential interactions with their world. Our students face an ever more complicated world with big challenges. Through research and intellectual activity they have the opportunity to be active participants in the quest for new knowledge, and in the formulation of answers to the unknown questions of our future. On their journey here they move beyond text books and engage in learning that will change our world. Together, our students, faculty and staff are helping to define a research experience which is useful and accessible to all.

Today’s announcement of TRU’s membership in the RUCBC acknowledges over four decades of curiosity, innovation, creativity and, most importantly, learning. It promises an even brighter future.