Over 7,000 delegates to attend 2012 Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences
Ottawa, Ontario, May 3, 2012—The Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences (CFHSS), Wilfrid Laurier University and the University of Waterloo are pleased to announce that His Excellency, the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada, will give a keynote address on the opening day of the 2012 Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences at 12:15 on May 26, 2012 in Waterloo at Wilfrid Laurier University’s Maureen Forrester Recital Hall.
Congress 2012, which is expected to draw more than 7,000 academics, students, practitioners and policy-makers from Canada and abroad, will be hosted by Wilfrid Laurier University and the University of Waterloo from May 26 to June 2, 2012. The Governor General’s address, entitled “Democratizing knowledge: The key to progress,” will be part of the Big Thinking lecture series, which will be open to the public throughout Congress.
“It is an incredible honour to have the Governor General of Canada and former president of the University of Waterloo open more than eight days of illuminating and groundbreaking talks, events and sessions in the Kitchener-Waterloo area,” said Graham Carr, President of the Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences. “This public lecture will give attendees a forum to discuss how the research community can contribute to finding innovative solutions to Canada’s most pressing issues,” he added.
The Governor General believes that the creation and sharing of knowledge is critical if we are to effectively and equitably address today’s complex, global issues. It is hoped that the discussion of cross-sector collaboration and social innovation at Congress 2012 will encourage students, researchers, employees and citizens alike, as we strive for greater prosperity and quality of life for all.
The Canada Foundation for Innovation is organizing a panel to follow the Governor General’s event, bringing together academic leaders to discuss the institutional challenges of community engagement.
CFHSS has been working with the United Way of Canada, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and ResearchImpact, which are engaged in a joint project, the Community-Campus Connections Initiative. Its purpose is to support a culture of collaboration and to marry the resources of communities with those of post-secondary institutions to address persistent social and economic challenges Canadians face today.
Sponsorship of the Big Thinking speaker series is provided by the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada and the Canada Foundation for Innovation.
About the Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences
Organized by the Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences, the Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences is the largest interdisciplinary conference in Canada. It brings together more than 70 scholarly associations in the humanities and social sciences. The University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier University are co-hosting the 81st Congress from May 26 to June 2, 2012 under the theme of “Crossroads: Scholarship for an Uncertain World”.
Congress brings together top experts in a variety of research areas. Journalists interested in being accredited should email media@fedcan.ca to be added to the Congress 2012 media list.
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FOR MORE INFORMATION
Alison Hebbs
Director, Policy and Communications
ahebbs@fedcan.ca
613-282-3489