Founded in 1827, the University of Toronto is Canada's leading research-intensive university. With roughly 70,000 students, 3,000 faculty and over 300 undergraduate programs, Maclean's magazine notes in its annual report that 'Canada's top-ranked Medical-Doctoral university is a place where learning is the order of the day'. Spanning three campuses in the Greater Toronto Area and Mississauga, it houses 14 professional faculties, 32 libraries, 7 colleges and has links to 9 teaching hospitals.

A liberal arts education is the heart of the undergraduate curriculum at Toronto, and the Faculty of Arts and Science has more students than any other faculty. The education of students for the professions has always been an important part of the University's role, and the University accordingly maintains a wide range of professional faculties. The University's insistence on the importance of research in all disciplines has made it the major centre for graduate education in Canada. In many fields it produces a majority of the nation's doctoral candidates. The quality and range of the programs - undergraduate, graduate and professional - attract students from all parts of the province, from around the country and from abroad.

To support its work of teaching and research, the University has collected a library that is the largest in Canada and among the best in the world. The University maintains many laboratories and specialized aids to research. The University of Toronto Press Inc. is the chief institution of its kind in Canada and one of the most important scholarly publishers in North America.

Vision and Purpose of the University

The Vision for the University is to be a 'leader among the world's best public teaching and research universities in its discovery, preservation and sharing of knowledge through its teaching and research and its commitment to excellence and equity'. It takes as its purpose the fostering of an academic community where the learning and scholarship of every member will flourish, where there is vigilant protection for individual human rights, and a firm dedication to principles of equal opportunity, equity and justice.

Within the unique context of the University of Toronto, there is a commitment to the rights of freedom of speech, academic freedom, and freedom of research. Integral to this is the right to raise deeply disturbing questions and provocative challenges to and about our larger society and the university itself. In the Statement of Purpose, the University commits to this 'human right' — 'It is this human right to radical, critical teaching and research with which the University has a duty above all to be concerned; for there is no one else, no other institution and no other office, in our modern liberal democracy, which is the custodian of this most precious and vulnerable right of the liberated human spirit.' In supporting and protecting this human right the University is dedicated to building on its past achievements to enhance its research and teaching.

Research @ UofT

The University is committed to the promotion of high quality research. To ensure this it provides an environment that is conducive to research. A quick visit to any of the three campuses emphasises this commitment with many new buildings underway such as The Terrence Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research and the Centre for Biological Timing and Cognition on the St. George site; The Hazel McCallion Academic Learning Centre and the Centre for Applied Bioscience and Biotechnology on the Mississauga campus; and the Academic Resource Centre at the Scarborough campus.

The University's career expectations of faculty are directly tied to research, publication and related professional contributions; while also insisting that this work is integrated into the undergraduate and graduate teaching within the faculties, schools and programs. A commitment to research also means an ability to move quickly and act flexibly when new areas of research begin to emerge. In particular, the University actively seeks to bring in new faculty who work at the edges of their field, or offer unique interdisciplinary mixes.

Research collaboration is promoted and faculty are encouraged to work with other universities, industry, business, professional organizations, public sector institutions, as well as local, national and international governmental organizations. This commitment to research shows in the funding that the University obtains. It receives the largest share of funding of any Canadian university from the three main research councils. In 2004 alone, researchers at the University of Toronto received over $675 million in external research funding, with grants being awarded to over 2500 individual faculty members.

Teaching @ UofT

The University of Toronto is committed to the student experience; therefore teaching and learning are at the heart of our mission as a public university. With undergraduate and graduate student enrolment on the increase, the University of Toronto is responding by expanding its programs to meet the needs and interests of both the incoming students and the wider society in which they will be working. For instance, this year students will be able to major in sexual diversity studies or take a minor in environmental ethics. New teaching buildings such as the Communication, Culture and Information Technology centre at the Mississauga campus offer state of the art teaching facilities with laboratory and study space for the growing population of students.

The University is committed to ensuring its students receive a broad education of superior standard that produces graduates who are able to think clearly, judge objectively and contribute constructively to their society. We set the highest academic standards and attract students whose abilities and aspirations match the programs that are on offer. With a student population whose diversity meets or exceeds that of the multicultural city of Toronto, the University has developed important resources to fulfill the needs both of students and teachers through bodies such as the Office of Teaching Advancement and the Academic Skills Centre.

Good teaching is also a central aspect of the career expectations the University holds for its faculty. Opportunities are available to recognise excellence in teaching and to encourage professional development. Education at the University of Toronto is seen as an enriching experience for students that will assist them in the realisation of their lifelong goals and career development.

Community @ UofT

The University of Toronto is situated in the largest city in Canada and is one of its largest employers. The city itself is recognised as one of the most multicultural in the world and the safest city in North America for its metropolitan size. As the intellectual, cultural and economic center of Canada, it offers intimate access to decision makers in all areas and at all levels. It is an exciting, vibrant city that provides all of the amenities of other large North American cities, set in a clean and safe environment. The University maintains many ties with the local community and is recognised as a leader for employment policy and equity initiatives.

At the University of Toronto, creating a diverse and equitable workplace is one of the key principles of its leaders. In his remarks to the Governing Council upon his appointment as President, David Naylor stated that 'universities are magical places of innovation and imagination, criticism and creativity, dreams and discoveries' and that in addition to excellent faculty and students, and talented staff 'we are situated in two diverse and dynamic cities in the finest province [which] acts as a magnet for talent and affords myriad opportunities for international outreach'. This commitment to excellence, equity and outreach are not simply empty rhetoric; but are part of a much larger commitment to equity by the University throughout its recent history and onwards, into the future goals that it sets.

In its most recent academic framework, this commitment to equity as a means to enrich the University and local community is re-affirmed. It recognises changing migration patterns, the large and diverse population that results, and the impact on teaching, learning and research. In its Mission the University of Toronto affirms its commitment to being an 'internationally significant research university, with undergraduate, graduate and professional programs of excellent quality.'

We encourage you to visit our website at www.utoronto.ca and explore the many ways in which our rich heritage and bright future work together to create exciting and challenging opportunities for teaching, research and participation in the wider community.