do whatever was necessary to do so. Mathematics (best
symbolized by the extraordinary brilliance of Jim Arthur) was
exceptionally strong, and I could not imagine our letting the
Fields go anywhere else. I also saw it as symbol of our broader
aspirations to assert the pre-eminence of the University of
Toronto as Canada’s leading research university.
…
Despite challenging budgetary times, knowing that
the Fields had special external funding and that it would
attract a constant stream of great scholars at no cost to the
University, allocating resources was an easy call. I also saw
it as attracting new resources as much as spending them.
…
We knew it was the right thing to do and history has judged
us well. And that win inspired other wins as colleagues
raised their sights and aimed for the stars. Simcoe Hall was
judged as having been value added instead of a dead weight
Early Days and Near
Mishaps
by Bradd Hart
...
A
FTER THE INSTITUTE MOVED to Toronto, one of Fields’
strongest supporters and users was George Elliott. The
joke was that when John Chadam showed up the first day
the Institute opened, he found George conducting a seminar.
George would often take matters into his own hands when
he didn’t think things were being done correctly. Feeling that
it was a great oversight that the lecture room did not have a
wooden pointer, he acquired a very long stick which stood
for many years in the lecture room. On another occasion, the
cleanliness of the Institute’s backyard became an issue. At
that time there was a small enclosed area immediately behind
the Institute for its use. The garbage bins for the bookstore
were unfortunately located immediately on the other side of
the wall, and packing peanuts from the bins would blow onto
the grass behind the Institute. George could not convince the
University of Toronto cleaning staff to do anything about this
and so one day he brought a vacuum cleaner from home,
12
in the process and that helped reposition the administration
as well. In the end, it turned out that winning Fields was an
important turning point for the University and we have never
looked back.
…
I remain enormously proud that the Fields Institute is on
the University of Toronto campus and doing so well.
10
The Fields Institute is supported by 9 Principal
Sponsoring Universities from across Ontario.
11
The current Fields Institute building at 222
College St. was built specifically for the
Institute as part of the University of Toronto’s
winning bid to host.
plugged it in on the back patio and proceeded to vacuum the
back lawn.
The model theory program in 1996–97 was a smashing
success that people in our field continue to remember to this
day. Here is one representative remark that highlighted the
vision of the Institute both literally and figuratively. A colleague
from Paris, shortly after arriving said “this is fantastic —
anything I want to know and anyone I want to talk with — I
just walk out of my office and take a look around!”
I am sure that many people have said something about
Andrew Wiles' lecture; let me add a couple of personal
remarks. I attended with a group of people including a friend
from the economics department, Karen. She was quite taken
by the event and said it felt like a rock concert. I was just
praying that this wouldn’t set mathematics and the Fields
Institute back twenty years! When Wiles began speaking, in
Latin, for a good 45 seconds, I was sure all hope was lost. He
then gave a comedic pause, and said “For those who don’t
speak Latin …” and he read Fermat’s margin note. The rest
was brilliant and brought the house down. Afterwards, at the
reception at the Fields, most mathematicians were either too
shy or too intimidated to talk with Wiles. I looked over and
who was talking to Wiles? My friend Karen! She asked “How
often do you get to talk with a rock star?”...
The Fields back entrance is accessible via a
bridge across a moat.
13
The Fields Institute houses Donald
Coxeter’s piano.
14
The Fields building was originally meant to have a
domed library at its entrance with an oculus looking
into the heavens, but this was scrapped due to
budget constraints.
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