Toward 2018: Great ideas start shaping a great bicentennial year for Dal

Dalhousie’s 200th anniversary is still over two years away, but students, faculty and staff already have hundreds of ideas about how to celebrate. And that’s exactly how organizers want it.

During a recent series of “Toward 2018” pop-up events, held in October and November, almost 500 students, faculty and staff joined in the conversation about the 200th anniversary. And almost 400 people took the time to share their ideas in writing.

“We’re delighted with the response to date,” says Catherine Bagnell Styles, assistant vice-president of Communications and Marketing and project lead for the anniversary. “It’s an indication of the level of enthusiasm and interest in our 200th.”

Dalhousie will become one of only a handful of Canadian universities that have celebrated a bicentennial. Such a milestone presents an opportunity to share some of the school’s best stories on a broad canvas, reinforce Dal’s standing as one of Canada’s leading universities, and to connect with as many people as possible.

“We wanted people on each of our campuses to tell us how we should mark the 200th,” says June Davidson, project manager for the 200th anniversary. “Regardless of which campus we were on, a number of common themes emerged. One of the strongest themes revolved around celebrating the university’s history, while also looking forward, and demonstrating growth and global impact.”

Other themes that emerged include:
•    Be inclusive; celebrate diversity,
•    Bring globally-recognized speakers to campus,
•    Demonstrate corporate social responsibility,
•    Engage alumni worldwide, leading to and during 2018,
•    Strive to better integrate campuses through activities and events,
•    Host a celebratory party.

Specific ideas were many, varied, creative and thoughtful. Among them: complete volunteer work for 200 Canadian charities; travel to Castine, Maine, to demonstrate our thanks for that community’s role in Dal’s history; launch a credit course called, “The History of Dalhousie”; host a “City/Campus Collaboration” conference; create a Dal-branded railcar that travels the country; develop on-campus art that reflects Dal’s legacy; introduce 200 scholarships for 200 refugee students; hold a campus and community masquerade ball.

Planning for the 200th anniversary, which is still in its early stages, involves faculty, students, staff, alumni and retirees.

Ideas can still be submitted at dal.ca/200years. A call for volunteers will be coming in early 2016.