Walter Gordon Symposium — Revisiting the Role of the Academy in the Public Policy Arena

Public trust in academic institutions is under scrutiny. As societal challenges intensify, there’s an urgent need for academia to bridge gaps between scholarly research and public engagement. On Friday, March 15, join scholars, policy-makers, and community leaders to explore strategies for reinforcing the academy’s relevance and responsibility in contributing to public discourse and policy-making.

The Walter Gordon Symposium is named after the Hon. Walter Gordon, who was Minister of Finance and President of the Privy Council under the government of Lester B. Pearson. The annual series, which began in 1990 under the leadership of then head of the College, Ann Saddlemeyer, was designed to present a topic of immediate Canadian significance to an interested audience drawn from academic, corporate and government worlds. 

The graduate students organizing this year's symposium are: Noah Khan, Alison D’Cruz, Mina Zahine, Margie De Leon, Setayesh Yazdani and Adhithya Krishnan.

The event is co-sponsored by Massey College and the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy with support by Tom Axworthy (Massey’s Chair in Public Policy) and Carolyn Tuohy (Distinguished Fellow, Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy and Senior Fellow, Massey College).

Agenda

8:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. - Registration in foyer and Breakfast in Common Room

9:00 a.m. to 9:15 a.m. - Opening Remarks in Upper Library

• Junior Fellows Adhithya Krishnan and Margie De Leon

9:15 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. - Panel 1 (Setting the Stakes) in Upper Library

• Peter Loewen
• Senior Fellow Mel Cappe
• David Wolfe
• Junior Fellow Adhithya Krishnan (Moderator)

10:45 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. - Coffee break in Junior Common Room

11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. - Panel 2 (Academic Experiences) in Upper Library

• Mina Tadrous
• George Fallis
• Senior Fellow Carolyn Tuohy
• Junior Fellow Setayesh Yazdani (Moderator)

12:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. - Lunch

2:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. - Keynote in Upper Library: Glen Jones, High Education, OISE

• introduction by Junior Fellow Alison D’Cruz

2:30 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. - Break

2:45 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. - Panel 3 (Policy-maker Perspectives) in Upper Library

• Maurice Bitran
• Brian Lewis
• Senior Fellow David Zimmer
• Anshoo Kamal
• Junior Fellow Mina Zahine (Moderator),

4:15 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. - Break

4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. - Panel 4 (Rapporteur Remarks) in Upper Library

• Junior Fellows: Noah Khan, Alison D’Cruz, Mina Zahine, Margie De Leon, Setayesh Yazdani & Adhithya Krishnan

Registration

FREE

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Video Feed

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