The University as a Research Institution One of the university's central purposes is research aiming at the creation of new knowledge. Our research orientation distinguishes us from other post-secondary institutions. We should take advantage of the University of Toronto's status as a major research institution to develop in our students an appreciation and a capacity for research. This orientation should animate our undergraduate curriculum and it should be a prominent feature of the first-year academic experience. Exposure to faculty engaged in the creation of new knowledge through courses delivered and sustained by research-oriented faculty can only be beneficial to our students.
Research figures prominently in our report in another sense.
Given how central research is to their scholarly work, it is surprising how little use university faculty make of the extensive research on post-secondary education, pedagogy and related matters. We have tried to root our ideas and recommendations in the research literature. We see first year as an integral component of the university experience, focussing on the oftentimes difficult transition from high school to university. For students this means recognizing and accepting responsibility to learn, developing analytic, evaluative and other skills, acquiring knowledge in Arts and Science courses and becoming involved with the UTM campus and with the University of Toronto's traditions. We are firm and united in support of our recommendations.