The Gertler Years: A Legacy to Remember
St. George Campus (photo by Johnny Guatto)
By John Lorinc
Over the past 12 years, President Meric Gertler has positioned U of T as a global powerhouse in research, sustainability and student opportunity
As a young urban geographer in the early 1990s, Meric Gertler found himself pondering an intriguing riddle: Why do certain city-regions excel economically? The special sauce, he and other geographers suggested, lay in tight clusters of social connections among companies, universities, investors and government officials.
At the time, the idea that a dense weave of knowledge and capital could drive innovation and prosperity was cutting edge. Now, it’s widely accepted. So, when Gertler, formerly U of T’s dean of arts and science, became president in 2013, he was keen to apply this idea to a large university. How, he wondered, could U of T do more to bolster the social and economic life of the Toronto region, and how could a diverse university community draw on those same lessons?
Over the past 12 years, Gertler, who is widely respected for his analytical expertise and understated approach, has transformed these insights about regional development into a leadership agenda for a post-secondary institution. Under his watch, U of T has expanded its international impact, boosted philanthropic support, reduced its carbon footprint and cemented its reputation as a global hub for research, entrepreneurship and innovation.
–
