Change and beyond: Connecting the dots at McMaster after 125 years

This article was originally published in McMaster University’s Alumni Blog in 2012.

September 2012 will be a start of another exciting year for McMaster. Not only has my alma mater reached another milestone by celebrating its 125th birthday, a new academic year would mean another 8 months of opportunities, growth and challenges.

September 2012 will also be the first year where my relationship with McMaster enters a new phase; I would return not as a student, but as an alumna.

It is common to feel bittersweet and nostalgic, if one were to summon and reflect on all the memories accumulated during their time McMaster. As a 2012 graduate, I had the advantage of revisiting a familiar face and walk on familiar grounds, as if nothing has changed at all.

But things have changed. As a new McMaster student, there is much in store for you:

You will witness firsthand the development of the new Wilson Building for Studies in Humanities and Social Science, a liberal arts building worth $65-million. The building will be the new kid on the block, as an expansion of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, to house new centres for research.

You will be the first to experience the newly renovated Phoenix Bar and Grill, a favourite amongst McMaster students for their pub fare. The new Phoenix, looking very much like Hogwarts, will re-open its doors to all at the Refectory in the fall, after completing its relocation from the Wentworth House.

Change goes beyond what we could see. Structural, not only infrastructure, changes are also underway. Following from President Patrick Deane's letter to the community, Forward with Integrity, McMaster will create opportunities for service-learning and experiential education, strengthening its connection with the Hamilton community. By heading Dr. Deane's call to action, McMaster will present rich opportunities for community-based learning and interaction. This change in education experience, to include more dialogue and exchange with communities beyond McMaster, it is certainly something worth celebrating.

McMaster has its own share of celebrities. In the London Olympics, McMaster athletes Jeremiah Brown '07 and Doug Csima '07 did the nation and McMaster community proud by earning team Canada a silver medal in the men's eight rowing event.

Moving beyond the sports podium, McMaster students will be stepping on the Letterman stage in September. Of Gentlemen and Cowards, a pop-rock band comprising of McMaster engineering and sociology students, garnered the most votes in a competition against 22 bands to win a chance to perform on David Letterman's Late Night show.

This change, checkpoints, achievements - whichever way you choose to call it - are more than markers of distinction; it tells a story of an 125-year old institution that is constantly evolving. It is going strong and will continue to find ways to keep changing for the better.

Because (recent) history informs the present, you need to look back in order to move forward as you begin charting your own course at McMaster.

As the late Steve Jobs once said, “You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future."

And on that note, welcome to McMaster. We look forward to having you.