Ryerson University Wins Bid to Host Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences in 2017

News
March 6, 2014

Canada’s largest conference on the humanities and social sciences coincides with Canada’s 150th anniversary

TORONTO, March 6, 2014 --- Ryerson University will host the 2017 Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences, Canada’s largest interdisciplinary conference for academic scholars. The Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences will make this announcement tonight at an event tonight celebrating the future of the humanities.

Congress will be held from May 27 to June 2, 2017, attracting some 9,000 academic scholars, researchers, policy makers and practitioners from across the country to share findings, refine ideas and build partnerships that will shape the Canada of tomorrow.

“Ryerson is proud to host the 2017 Congress, and we look forward to welcoming scholars to our campus experience,” said President Sheldon Levy. “I want to thank our partners, particularly Tourism Toronto, for supporting our bid, and the Faculty of Arts for its leadership in bringing the nation’s academic discourse to the heart of our city.”

Ryerson is well-positioned to host this high-profile event. The new Student Learning Centre set to open in 2015, Ryerson Image Centre, Ted Rogers School of Management, AMC theatres and existing classrooms offer state-of-the-art lecture facilities for Congress delegates. The iconic Mattamy Athletic Centre at the Gardens will serve as the heart of the event as home to the Congress expo, registration and receptions during the seven-day event.

The university’s Faculty of Arts played a leadership role in putting together a successful bid for Congress 2017. "We are excited about championing the Humanities and Social Sciences at Ryerson,” said Dean Jean-Paul Boudreau, Faculty of Arts. “We look forward to delivering Congress in new ways, by centrally involving digital media to communicate research and by engaging our international research community.”

The conference, which coincides with Canada’s 150th anniversary, will inspire academic scholars across all disciplines to link their research to the ideas of nation, metropolis, diversity and imagination. It will also bring its research out of the classroom to the public by holding events such as its Big Thinking series throughout Toronto thereby expanding the reach and inclusion in the Congress.

“We are looking ahead with great excitement to the 2017 Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences at Ryerson,” said Antonia Maioni, President of the Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences. “Grounded in a vibrant, multicultural Canadian metropolis, the Congress at Ryerson will offer an exciting exchange of ideas by researchers from a wide array of disciplines. The Toronto public will have multiple opportunities to interact with these researchers at Ryerson, at participating institutions across the downtown core and online to discuss ideas shaping the Canada of 2017 and beyond.”

Congress will be a tremendous boon to Toronto’s tourism economy as well. Tourism Toronto will be an active partner during the 2017 conference.”Winning a major meeting for such a prestigious group is not only a boost to the local economy, but a testament to Toronto’s reputation as an important centre of research and learning,” said David Whitaker, President and CEO of Tourism Toronto. “We look forward to welcoming them in 2017.”

About the Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences
The Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences works to promote the value of research and learning in the humanities and social sciences. Created in 1996, its membership comprises over 80 associations, 79 institutions and six affiliate organizations, representing 85,000 researchers, educators and students across Canada. For more information about the Federation, visit ideas-idees.ca

About Ryerson University
Ryerson University is Canada's leader in innovative, career-oriented education and a university clearly on the move. With a mission to serve societal need, and a long-standing commitment to engaging its community, Ryerson offers more than 100 undergraduate and graduate programs. Distinctly urban, culturally diverse and inclusive, the university is home to more than 38,000 students, including 2,300 master's and PhD students, nearly 2,700 faculty and staff, and more than 155,000 alumni worldwide. Research at Ryerson is on a trajectory of success and growth: externally funded research has doubled in the past four years. The G. Raymond Chang School of Continuing Education is Canada's leading provider of university-based adult education. For more information, visit www.ryerson.ca

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