Every Friday, students, faculty and staff will have a new reason to show their McMaster colours.
Maroon Fridays invites members of McMaster’s communities to wear maroon — or other McMaster spirit wear — while celebrating the people and ideas helping bring to life Bolder Together, the university’s new strategic plan.
The Campus Store is joining in with MacMerch of the Month, featuring a different item at a special price each month. In October, Bolder Together T-shirts will be available for $10, and long-sleeve T-shirts featuring the classic McMaster logo for $15.
Each Friday, McMaster community members wearing spirit wear will be surprised with a prize. The first winners were spotted on Friday, Sept. 18 and their photos shared on McMaster’s Instagram account.
The initiative will also feature members of McMaster’s communities whose work reflects the priorities and values of Bolder Together. The first community member featured is Jennifer Heisz, professor in the Department of Kinesiology and director of the NeuroFit Lab.
Heisz has a particularly close connection to the strategic plan. She served on the Strategic Oversight Committee, which helped guide the development of Bolder Together by providing broad direction and accountability. The committee included representatives from all six Faculties, as well as students, postdoctoral fellows, staff, alumni and members of Senate and the Board of Governors.
She was also a panellist at the September launch of Bolder Together, where she joined a discussion about Research That Transforms Lives, one of the plan’s four priorities.
Kinesiology professor Jennifer Heisz served on the committee that guided the development of Bolder Together, and was a panellist at the September launch of the strategic plan. (Georgia Kirkos, McMaster University)
Her own research examines the connections between physical activity, brain health and mental health, with a focus on helping people live healthier lives across the lifespan.
“For me, research transforms lives when it moves beyond generating knowledge and changes what people can do with that knowledge,” says Heisz. “The opportunity is to connect that excellence more directly to the challenges people face in their everyday lives.”
That approach is also reflected in Heisz’s work with the new McCall MacBain Kinesiology and Healthspan Institute which is now home to the Physical Activity Centre of Excellence (PACE), which brings research into the community. People benefit from research-informed physical activity, while researchers learn directly from their experiences about what works in the real world.
“PACE is a great example of research coming to life in the community,” says Heisz. “It creates a valuable cycle where research informs practice, and practice helps shape better research.”
For President Susan Tighe, Maroon Fridays are a simple way to connect the strategic plan to everyday life on campus.
“Bolder Together is about the work we do every day and the impact we can have together,” says Tighe. “Maroon Fridays are a simple way to celebrate our community, share the stories behind our work and show what it means to be part of McMaster.”
The initiative will continue to feature members of the community whose work connects to the priorities and foundations of Bolder Together, offering a look at the people behind the plan and the ways they are putting its ambitions into action.
So whether it is a favourite McMaster sweatshirt, a Bolder Together T-shirt or a classic Mac logo, the invitation is simple: Wear your maroon, show your Mac spirit and celebrate the people making a difference at McMaster.
Not on campus? Not a problem. Community members working remotely are also welcome to wear their McMaster gear.