I know you have it in you.
Richard Florida, author of The Rise of the Creative Class, recently ranked London among the Top 10 most creative cities in Canada. Western is a key driver in that ranking, helping fulfill what Florida calls the “3Ts of economic development” – technology, talent and tolerance.
In a global context, Florida, in fact, is quite bullish on Canada. Forget Brazil, India and China. He ranks Canada, particularly southwestern Ontario and Calgary, as the biggest competitors for creative talent being squeezed out of the United States by ever-tightening budgets and a general anti-intellectual strain infecting everything from pop culture to politics.
And the guy loves what a big university does for a city.
“The strength of the university has always been the ability to mobilize the talent and creative energy of all its participants — faculty members, researchers, administrators, graduate and undergraduate students,” Florida said. “When institutions draw upon the collective creative energy of thousands of people, new ideas are generated and new talent is created on campuses and potentially in their communities, as well.”
So if Western can do that for London, think what Western can do for itself.
The people who call Western home might not have every answer to the challenges facing this university. But we have a lot of them. Problem is we don’t always know where to look or who to ask.
Hence, why I come to you today: I want to know your Big Idea.
Think a parking garage will solve our parking woes? Or do you know what country represents the next great untapped resource for international students? Perhaps you have a new menu item for The Spoke? Or have figured out a better (and quicker) way to get out of the Springett Lot after work?
Think we need mandatory volunteer service as a graduation component? Or do you insist we need to get the Middlesex College bells ringing again? How about that idea you had to get students safely across Western Road when classes are in full swing at the new Ivey Building next year?
Simply stated: Do you have a better way?
Let us know.
In 500 words or less, let us know that big idea for a better Western you have kept to yourself or only shared with colleagues over coffee. This spring, Western News will compile and publish the ideas as part of a Big Ideas special edition of the paper.
It took about two minutes in my first editor’s chair to learn meaningful solutions are not a top-down pursuit. The answers to any organization’s challenges are not in the hands of one person. They don’t come out of one particular office and are not generated out of one particular meeting.
The answers are all around.
Keep in mind, Big Ideas can solve large dilemnas, small problems and even minor annoyances. They can make a place safer or make it run smarter. And sometimes, they simply make us look better.
Too often in my career, I have seen my company go outside, looking to a high-profile (and, in turn, high-priced) consultant to come in and tell us what we needed when all they needed to do was listen to their own people.
We have wonderful solutions discussed every day, just in smaller groups. Help us expand the conversation a bit.
For some of the ideas we get, Western News will report on them deeper, asking across campus and the city to see what it would take to implement them. For others, we’ll illustrate them to show what Western would look like if the idea was put into place. Still others, we will run word-for-word.
I am excited to see your ideas.
Follow Western News editor Jason Winders on Twitter @WesternEditor or contact him at newseditor@uwo.ca.