Congress sets participation records

The nine-day Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences, which concluded June 5, brought more than 7,000 delegates – nearly 1,000 from outside Canada – and saw more than 5,000 research papers and public lectures presented on our campus. Having played host to Congress on two previous occasions (1953 and 1978), Western set its sights on putting on the best yet. With the involvement of approximately 1,000 Western faculty and staff members from across campus, Congress 2005 was a tremendous success.

More than 70 academic societies held their annual meetings as part of the Congress, and there were special concerts and performances, exhibits at the McIntosh Gallery and the Serge A. Sauer Map Library, and outstanding plenary speakers, including Michael Ignatieff (Human Rights), Ronald Wright (History of Progress), Jane Urquhart (Sense of Place), Rashid Khalidi (Resurrecting Empire) and Gwynne Dyer (War and Globalization). Participants agreed this was “the best Congress ever,” and we owe tremendous thanks to Dr. Peter Neary, Academic Convener; Susan Grindrod, Logistics Convener; Ruth Harland, Congress Coordinator, and their superb team.

In addition to attracting the highest percentage of international participants in the event’s 74-year history, the Congress at Western also drew a record-high 342 members of the general public to campus. They came to hear about new research and take part in discussions on a wide range of political, cultural and social issues. As the largest convention in London history, the Congress also injected an estimated $6.5 million into the local economy.

Donald Fisher, President of the Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences, said it best: “Western has a first-rate team that is used to exceeding expectations. Congress 2005 is another stellar performance.”

A photostream from this event is available.

 

To share your views please reply to Paul.Davenport@uwo.ca

 

This page was last updated on June 28, 2005
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