![[Photo] Indira V Samarasekera](images/President.jpg "[Photo] Indira V Samarasekera")
MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
Welcome to the University of Alberta!
As one of Canada’s top universities, the University of Alberta boasts a vibrant and engaging community of learning and discovery. Our founding president, Henry Marshall Tory, proclaimed that the university would be dedicated to "the uplifting of the whole people." I am proud that we continue to be guided by this promise today, more than 100 years later.
One example is the Kenya Ceramic Project, an international health pilot project founded by U of A students and alumni, which brings innovative water filters and wood burning stoves to rural areas of Kenya, where many people do not have access to clean drinking water and struggle to find fuel to cook food. Closer to home, the SHINE Youth Clinic, which is fully run and managed by U of A students, provides free health services to Edmonton's underserved youth. These are just two of many projects, which have made a profound difference locally and globally, thanks to our students' remarkable creativity, commitment and leadership.
Furthermore, our alumni are leaders in the realms of politics, business, science and the arts, and beyond. Fuelled by passion and creativity, they are innovators, entrepreneurs and agents of social change. Nobel Prize Laureates, Prime Ministers and Academy Award Winners all have University of Alberta degrees on their resumes.
The University of Alberta is here to help you find what inspires you and succeed. Whether you are a new or returning student, I encourage you take advantage of your time here to explore ideas with an open mind, learn new skills, and expand your worldview. Discover where your passion and talents lie, and do your utmost to transform the world for the better.
Yours sincerely,
Indira V Samarasekera, O.C.
President and Vice-Chancellor
