Throughout his life, Chancellor Emeritus Lynton “Red” Wilson ’62 believed Canada needed leaders who could look beyond the challenges of today and think strategically about the opportunities of tomorrow. 

A new gift from Wilson to McMaster University will help students develop that ability.     

McMaster is creating the Futures Institute at Wilson College through an $8-million gift from the late Red Wilson and the Wilson Foundation. The institute will help students recognize early signals of change, explore plausible futures and develop the skills needed to make thoughtful decisions in an increasingly complex world. Drawing on evidence-based research, students will learn how political, social, economic, environmental and technological changes shape the choices facing communities, organizations and governments. 

At its heart is a new undergraduate certificate in futures thinking and social innovation, along with an annual symposium that will bring together students, leaders and researchers to examine emerging issues and help map Canada’s path forward.  

This investment builds on Wilson’s transformative support of McMaster, including his landmark $50-million contribution in 2022 that established the Wilson College of Leadership and Civic Engagement.

“Red Wilson understood that leadership begins with the ability to see beyond the immediate moment,” said McMaster President Susan Tighe. “For more than 60 years, he supported McMaster with remarkable generosity and vision.” 

“This gift ensures future generations of students will have the opportunity to develop the perspective and skills needed to help Canada navigate uncertainty.”  

Teaching the skills to see beyond tomorrow

The Futures Institute will give students practical tools to understand long-term forces, spot early signals of change and think through a range of possible futures. Students will learn strategic foresight methods that are critical for planning in private, public and civic sectors.  

“The Futures Institute will encourage students to think further ahead as they navigate diverse issues,” said Jeremiah Hurley, dean of Social Sciences and co-lead of Wilson College. “Its emphasis is on what may be emerging, not just what is unfolding today, prompting students to explore longer-term questions such as the future of health-care policy in Canada or how our relationship with the U.S. could shift in the next 10 years.”  

“Imagining the different plausible futures shows us what happens when diverse voices are asked to think systematically about tomorrow,” said Sean Corner, acting dean of Humanities. “The Futures Institute will make this kind of long-range thinking central to our students’ education.”  

Building capacity across campus

The planned futures thinking and social innovation certificate will be open to students across faculties. Its coursework draws from influential thinkers and practical tools in the field, helping students see how key decisions in the past changed the country’s trajectory and how similar turning points lie ahead. 

The Futures Institute will expand Wilson College’s existing residency program through an executive-in-residence, who will bring futures thinking practitioners and leaders directly into campus life. Through talks, workshops and mentorship, they will help students understand how scenario planning and foresight methods guide governments, businesses and organizations through disruptive change.  

The gift will support the leadership and programming needed to embed futures thinking across McMaster.  

Sanjay Khanna, a strategic foresight advisor, consultant and previous lecturer in McMaster’s Public Policy Program, will serve as the Institute’s inaugural director. His work spans strategy, public policy, climate change, planetary health, technology, design and social resilience, helping governments, businesses, universities and non-governmental organizations use foresight methods to navigate uncertainty and plan for long-term change. His experience will help connect the institute’s work with expertise across McMaster’s faculties and research communities.  

“The challenges that will shape Canada’s future do not fit neatly within a single discipline,” said Khanna. “The Futures Institute will bring together students, researchers and community leaders to explore emerging issues, test assumptions and think carefully about how decisions made today may shape the decades ahead.” 

Lara Campbell, academic director of Wilson College and history professor, says the institute is a natural next step.  

“Wilson College was founded on the principle that Canada needs thoughtful and prepared leaders,” said Campbell. “The Futures Institute will teach students not just to understand the present but to think ahead with care and discipline.”