Brock University will host the Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences in 2014, an honour granted recently after a competitive bidding and review process.
“Winning a bid to host Congress 2014 is like winning a bid to host the intellectual Olympics,” stated Noreen Golfman, president of the Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences (CFHSS). “Congress will help put both Brock and the surrounding region on the map as an international destination for knowledge and research.”
Board members from the Federation made their decision based on factors like state-of-the-art facilities, energetic staff and significant community support.
“This is one of the greatest opportunities to showcase our University and research community,” said Liette Vasseur, vice-president of Research at Brock. “This is a great occasion to promote our Niagara region and regional partners. Furthermore, it will enhance our profile as a research-intensive university in a region with a great quality of life in a beautiful setting. Brock is very happy to have been selected as the host for 2014.”
Congress representatives noted that they were impressed with the well-orchestrated site visit, citing the enthusiasm and support of community partners as a key contributor in their evaluation of Brock’s bid.
Vasseur noted partners in Brock, St. Catharines and Niagara were essential to making the bid a success.
The event has the potential to generate economic spinoffs of upwards of $10 million to the local host region — requiring some 17,000 to 20,000-room nights in local hotels and University residences.
Organized annually by the CFHSS, congress brings together thousands of scholars, students, practitioners and policy makers in a different city each year to share ideas, debate and enrich their research. As such, it is the largest multidisciplinary academic gathering in Canada, attracting delegates from every province and territory and from around the world.
Brock hosted congress in 1996. Hosting the congress in 2014 will coincide with celebrations for the University’s 50th anniversary, as well as the culmination of events commemorating the bicentennial of the War of 1812.
Congress 2009 was hosted by Carleton University in Ottawa. Congress 2010 will be hosted by Concordia University in Montreal from May 28 to June 4, 2010.
