Lucianna Ciccocioppo / en Renowned scholar Juna Kollmeier named director of 91³Ō¹Ļā€™s Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics /news/renowned-scholar-juna-kollmeier-named-director-u-t-s-canadian-institute-theoretical <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Renowned scholar Juna Kollmeier named director of 91³Ō¹Ļā€™s Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/TED2019_1_Photo%20credit-Bret%20Hartman-TED.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=GPceJ5qQ 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/TED2019_1_Photo%20credit-Bret%20Hartman-TED.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=OQjMRmxn 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/TED2019_1_Photo%20credit-Bret%20Hartman-TED.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=eG26Nu2l 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/TED2019_1_Photo%20credit-Bret%20Hartman-TED.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=GPceJ5qQ" alt="&quot;&quot;"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>Christopher.Sorensen</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2021-03-31T10:25:48-04:00" title="Wednesday, March 31, 2021 - 10:25" class="datetime">Wed, 03/31/2021 - 10:25</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">Juna Kollmeier, who will become the new director of CITA on July 1, is an observationally oriented astrophysicist whose research focuses on supermassive black holes, the Milky Way and the intergalactic medium (photo by Bret Harman/TED)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/lucianna-ciccocioppo" hreflang="en">Lucianna Ciccocioppo</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/global-lens" hreflang="en">Global Lens</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/alumni" hreflang="en">Alumni</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/astronomy-astrophysics" hreflang="en">Astronomy &amp; Astrophysics</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/canadian-institute-theoretical-astrophysics" hreflang="en">Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-arts-science" hreflang="en">Faculty of Arts &amp; Science</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/ted-sargent" hreflang="en">Ted Sargent</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/united-states" hreflang="en">United States</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p class="Heading" style="border:none; margin-top:16px">Renowned astrophysicist <b>Juna Kollmeier</b>, <a href="https://carnegiescience.edu/scientist/juna-kollmeier">on faculty at the Observatories of the Carnegie Institution for Science</a>, has been named the new director of the 91³Ō¹Ļā€™s <a href="https://www.cita.utoronto.ca/">Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics</a> (CITA), a research centre focused on the origin and evolution of the universe and other phenomena discovered by modern astronomy.</p> <p class="Body" style="border:none; margin-bottom:11px">An observationally oriented theorist ā€“ uncommon in astrophysics ā€“ Kollmeier is the founding director of the Carnegie Theoretical Astrophysics Center and director of the <a href="https://www.sdss.org/future/">Sloan Digital Sky Surveys</a> (SDSS-V). A scientist committed to public outreach and the ā€œinalienable right to physicsā€ for everyone, she studies how structures grow and evolve in the universe, and focuses on supermassive black holes, the Milky Way and the intergalactic medium. Her 2019 <a href="http://ted.com/talks/juna_kollmeier_the_most_detailed_map_of_galaxies_black_holes_and_stars_ever_made">TED Talk</a> has attracted more than 2.6 million views and, among other documentaries, she was in an episode of the series <a href="https://search.alexanderstreet.com/preview/work/bibliographic_entity%7Cvideo_work%7C3572815"><i>Genius</i> by Stephen Hawking</a>.</p> <p class="Body" style="border:none; margin-bottom:11px">ā€œI am thrilled to welcome Juna Kollmeier to the 91³Ō¹Ļ to take on this important leadership role,ā€ says <b>Melanie Woodin</b>, dean of the Faculty of Arts &amp; Science, which is home to CITA. ā€œThis appointment is truly an outstanding ā€˜brain gainā€™ for Canada. An impressive scholar, passionate scientist and mentor, she is also brilliant at engaging the public in understanding our universe. She will undoubtedly advance CITAā€™s remarkable research and novel discoveries in astrophysics and cosmology to new frontiers.ā€</p> <p class="Body" style="border:none; margin-bottom:11px">Kollmeierā€™s appointment is the result of a comprehensive, global recruitment process and underscores the universityā€™s commitment <a href="https://www.artsci.utoronto.ca/news/gender-equity-and-leadership-as-dean-woodin-featured-women-make-more-half-u-ts-deans">to diversifying leadership</a> across disciplines. When she begins on July 1, 2021, Kollmeier will be the first woman to lead CITA.</p> <p class="Body" style="border:none; margin-bottom:11px">ā€œCITA is Canadaā€™s hub for research and discovery in theoretical astrophysics,ā€ says Kollmeier. ā€œIt's been a tremendous global force, has contributed to cosmology, to our understanding of black hole growth and evolution, to star formation and to high energy astrophysics. I think 91³Ō¹Ļ shines brightly as a place where excellence thrives and grows. This is an incredible opportunity to lead an incredible organization.ā€</p> <p class="Body" style="border:none; margin-bottom:11px">Kollmeier holds a bachelor of science in physics with honours from the California Institute of Technology, and a master of science and PhD in astronomy ā€“ both from The Ohio State University, where, in addition to her thesis work, she designed, built and deployed instrumentation parts for two telescopes as part of the Ohio State Astronomy Instrumentation Lab team. She was an Institute for Advanced Study Visiting Professor in 2015-16 and a Fulbright Scholar, and received Hubble and Carnegie-Princeton Fellowships. She is a <a href="https://cifar.ca/">CIFAR Fellow</a> and, most recently, has been selected the 2022 International Solvay Chair in Physics.</p> <p class="Body" style="border:none; margin-bottom:11px">ā€œShe is an exceptional scientist, mentor and collaborator,ā€ says <b>Norman Murray</b>, current director of CITA. ā€œI'm excited that she will help advance our mission to expand Canadaā€™s capacity in theoretical astrophysics and grow our national and international networks, as our post-doctoral fellows go on to teach and innovate at many other leading universities.ā€</p> <p class="Body" style="border:none; margin-bottom:11px">Kollmeier replaces Murray, who is completing his third term as director. She says she is looking forward to joining an extraordinary community of scholars at 91³Ō¹Ļ this summer.</p> <p class="Body" style="border:none; margin-bottom:11px">ā€œWe are arriving at an incredibly exciting point in the overall history of astrophysics, where we have these rich datasets. And they allow us to explore a variety of deep questions, all open questions that are on the verge of breaking apart,ā€ she says. ā€œJoining this community will take my own research to the next level, and that's tremendously exciting.ā€</p> <p class="Body" style="border:none; margin-bottom:11px"><b>Ted Sargent</b>, 91³Ō¹Ļā€™s vice-president, research and innovation, and strategic initiatives, says Kollmeier is a globally celebrated scholar.</p> <p class="Body" style="border:none; margin-bottom:11px">ā€œHer appointment exemplifies the outstanding calibre of researcher 91³Ō¹Ļ continues to attract,ā€ Sargent says. ā€œUnder Professor Kollmeierā€™s leadership, CITA will continue to achieve transformative discoveries, build national and global networks, and will continue to advance as one of the worldā€™s leading theoretical astrophysics research hubs.ā€</p> <p class="Body" style="border:none; margin-bottom:11px">91³Ō¹Ļ alumna <b>Wendy Freedman</b>, an astrophysicist at the University of Chicago, hired Kollmeier as the first theorist at the <a href="https://obs.carnegiescience.edu/">Observatories of the Carnegie Institution for Science,</a> when Freedman was its director.</p> <p>ā€œJuna is remarkably bright and enthusiastic about whatever she does, and it's hard not to get caught up in her infectious enthusiasm for whatever problem sheā€™s working on,ā€ says Freedman. ā€œShe's unusual in that she has a real interest in observations, not just the theory. And she chooses projects that interface very well with what observers are doing, and what you can learn from the observations. It's a great niche area where she can bring together groups of theorists and observers to initiate new projects that can benefit from that kind of analysis. I was delighted when I heard the news. It struck me as a really good match.ā€</p> <p>ā€œJuna is very knowledgeable and knows lots of people,ā€ says colleague Matias Zaldarriaga, a cosmologist at the Institute for Advanced Study. ā€œAnd I think that's a very good combination for someone leading CITA, to recruit and attract people with a wider range of research topics, and to create an atmosphere where people can collaborate and learn new things. She will bring this breadth of interest and expertise that I think will be very noticeable and very attractive to a lot of people.ā€</p> <p style="margin-bottom:15px">Hans-Walter Rix, director at the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Heidelberg, Germany, has known Kollmeier since her time at graduate school. ā€œEven back then it was very obvious she just was in a different category than most grad students,ā€ says Rix. ā€œThis is a fantastic appointment for CITA because I think it is a role that fits her ambitious capabilities. She brings a vision and an energy that will be a tremendous boost for the place.ā€</p> <p style="margin-bottom:15px">As the first woman to lead CITA, Kollmeier will have a formidable impact, says McGill Universityā€™s Victoria Kaspi, physics professor and director of the McGill Space Institute.</p> <p>ā€œI think she'll be a tremendous role model and a mentor to the next generation of women in astrophysics and in STEM in general,ā€ says Kaspi. ā€œIn addition, she also is an incredibly creative, versatile person, and she has tremendous energy and drive. I think she is going to shake the place up and bring CITA to new heights.ā€</p> <p class="Body" style="border:none; margin-bottom:15px">Meg Urry, director of the Yale Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics, and a former president of the American Astronomical Society, says she has seen ā€œJunaā€™s impressive leadership up close.ā€ Urry serves on the executive committee of the advisory council of the SDSS-V project. ā€œThat she is a distinguished theorist selected to lead this important institute ā€“ well, it shows Juna is a star on all fronts.ā€</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Wed, 31 Mar 2021 14:25:48 +0000 Christopher.Sorensen 168952 at Karen Chapple named director of 91³Ō¹Ļ's School of Cities /news/karen-chapple-named-director-u-t-s-school-cities <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Karen Chapple named director of 91³Ō¹Ļ's School of Cities</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/karen%20chapple%20-%20horizontal.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=p2JakhIa 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/karen%20chapple%20-%20horizontal.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=FeySeBJq 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/karen%20chapple%20-%20horizontal.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=2h1RLDAX 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/karen%20chapple%20-%20horizontal.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=p2JakhIa" alt="&quot;&quot;"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>Christopher.Sorensen</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2020-12-08T16:27:31-05:00" title="Tuesday, December 8, 2020 - 16:27" class="datetime">Tue, 12/08/2020 - 16:27</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">Karen Chapple, a renowned urban planning and data science academic, will become director of 91³Ō¹Ļ's School of Cities on July 1, 2021 (photo by Shoey Sindel)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/lucianna-ciccocioppo" hreflang="en">Lucianna Ciccocioppo</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/our-community" hreflang="en">Our Community</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/school-cities" hreflang="en">School of Cities</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/cities" hreflang="en">Cities</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-arts-science" hreflang="en">Faculty of Arts &amp; Science</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/global" hreflang="en">Global</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/trinity-college" hreflang="en">Trinity College</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Urban planning and data science academic <strong>Karen Chapple</strong> has been named the new director of the&nbsp;School of Cities&nbsp;at the 91³Ō¹Ļ, where she will continue to amplify the schoolā€™s successes in helping cities and regions grow sustainably as they face increasingly complex challenges in todayā€™s world.</p> <p>Chapple is currently professor and chair of city and regional planning at the University of California, Berkeley, where she holds the Carmel P. Friesen Chair in Urban Studies. She is also an affiliated faculty member at Berkeleyā€™s School of Information and was previously the senior faculty adviser at the universityā€™s&nbsp;Division of Data Sciences. She holds a bachelor of arts in urban studies from Columbia University, a master of science in city and regional planning from the Pratt Institute and a PhD from&nbsp;Berkeley. She was also on faculty at the University of Minnesota and the University of Pennsylvania.</p> <p>Renowned for her community engagement and innovative use&nbsp;of analytic methods including data science, Chappleā€™s research focuses on inequalities in the planning, structure and governance of regions in the U.S. and Latin America, with a focus on economic development and housing. She co-founded the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.urbandisplacement.org/">Urban Displacement Project</a>, an online research hub examining patterns of residential, commercial and industrial displacement, as well as policy and planning solutions. Chapple was recognized with a Fulbright Global Scholar Award to explore expanding the Urban Displacement Project to cities in Europe and Latin America. Her scholarship on climate change and tax policy won the UC-wide competition for the Bacon Public Lectureship, which highlights evidence-based public policy and creative thinking for the public good. In addition, Chapple received the 2017 UC-Berkeley Chancellorā€™s Award for Research in the Public Interest.</p> <p>ā€œOn behalf of the 91³Ō¹Ļ, I am delighted to welcome Karen Chapple as the new director of the School of Cities,ā€ said 91³Ō¹Ļ President <strong>Meric Gertler</strong>. ā€œThe school plays an important role in bringing together 91³Ō¹Ļā€™s extensive community of urbanists to tackle the pressing problems confronting the worldā€™s cities. Phenomena such as growing income polarization and social exclusion, lack of affordable housing, aging infrastructure and declining sustainability predate the current pandemic. But COVID-19 has exacerbated all of these challenges.</p> <p>ā€œ91³Ō¹Ļ has an important leadership role to play in addressing these issues, and I very much look forward to working with Karen as we collectively strive towards a brighter urban future. I would like to take this opportunity to offer my sincerest thanks to <strong>Matti Siemiatycki</strong> for leading the school since its launch in 2018, building strong partnerships with our communities, and positioning it well for future success."</p> <p>As the innovation centre for the new science of cities, the School of Cities is a solutions incubator for urban-focused researchers, educators, students, practitioners and the general public to explore the complex global challenges facing urban centres. A living laboratory, the school leverages urban data to improve policy and decision-making, and collaborates with city leaders around the world to make local decisions that have real impact.</p> <p>ā€œToronto is one of the very best cities in the world in terms of cultural diversity and an exemplary public sector. Canada always looks stellar from the U.S. side of the border,ā€ said Chapple. ā€œIt's also the right time for an innovative centre like the School of Cities to build on President Gertlerā€™s vision of connecting the community to the university, connecting the dots between urban institutes across the world, and leading with urban solutions to counter threats against democracy and to fight climate change.ā€</p> <p>Chapple has been published widely and her recent books include&nbsp;<em>Planning Sustainable Cities and Regions: Towards More Equitable Development&nbsp;</em>(Routledge, 2015), winner of the&nbsp;John Friedmann Book Award&nbsp;from the American Collegiate Schools of Planning;&nbsp;<em>Transit-Oriented Displacement or Community Dividends? Understanding the Effects of Smarter Growth on Communities</em>&nbsp;(with Anastasia Loukaitou-Sideris, MIT Press, 2019); and&nbsp;<em>Fragile Governance and Local Economic Development: Theory and Evidence from Peripheral Regions in Latin America</em>&nbsp;(with Sergio Montero, Routledge, 2018).</p> <p>ā€œKaren Chapple is an outstanding scholar who will advance the successes and ambitions of the School of Cities not only in Canada but also around the world,ā€ said <strong>Melanie Woodin</strong>, dean of the Faculty of Arts &amp; Science. ā€œI am excited to have her join us here at Arts &amp; Science, where she can engage with our faculty, students, staff and alumni to work toward more sustainable and prosperous growth for cities that is also inclusive and just for its citizens and for society. I am also grateful to Matti Siemiatycki for his leadership and for guiding the schoolā€™s success.ā€</p> <p>Chapple has been a visiting scholar at New York Universityā€™s Center for Urban Science and Progress, University College Londonā€™s Centre for Advanced Spatial Analytics, Polytechnic University of Madrid, the University of Sydney, the University of Buenos Aires&nbsp;and the Universidad de los Andes.</p> <p>Her project funders include Microsoftā€™s C3.ai Digital Transformation Institute, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, Facebook and the Ford Foundation, among many others.</p> <p><img class="migrated-asset" src="/sites/default/files/Henry%20Chapple%20in%20Billings.jpg" alt>ā€œIā€™m thrilled that Karen Chapple will be joining the 91³Ō¹Ļ to lead the School of Cities,ā€ said Siemiatycki, the schoolā€™s interim director. ā€œKaren is a noted urban scholar with a tremendous track record in research focused on equitable development and the planning of sustainable cities. I have no doubt she will make significant contributions in our communities through her leadership of the school during what will be a critical next few years.ā€</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Siemiatycki will continue to serve as interim director until June 30, 2021.</p> <p>Chapple begins her post at 91³Ō¹Ļā€™s School of Cities on July 1, 2021 and will hold her academic appointment as professor with tenure in the&nbsp;department of geography and planning. While sheā€™s new to 91³Ō¹Ļ, she is proud of a family connection: her great-grandfather <strong>Henry Chapple</strong> graduated from Trinity College with a medical degree in the mid-1880s.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Tue, 08 Dec 2020 21:27:31 +0000 Christopher.Sorensen 167781 at With support from The Weeknd, 91³Ō¹Ļ's Ethiopic program soars past $500,000 endowment goal /news/support-weeknd-u-t-s-ethiopic-program-soars-past-500000-endowment-goal <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">With support from The Weeknd, 91³Ō¹Ļ's Ethiopic program soars past $500,000 endowment goal </span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/Mulugeta%20Woodin.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=8dc98TOz 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/Mulugeta%20Woodin.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=Jra8Pu2a 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/Mulugeta%20Woodin.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=8U-hcZAz 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/Mulugeta%20Woodin.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=8dc98TOz" alt="&quot;&quot;"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>Christopher.Sorensen</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2020-11-02T12:12:13-05:00" title="Monday, November 2, 2020 - 12:12" class="datetime">Mon, 11/02/2020 - 12:12</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">Bikila Award president Tessema Mulugeta presents Arts &amp; Science Dean Melanie Woodin with The Weekndā€™s cheque for $30,000 ā€“ pushing the Geā€™ez courseā€™s endowment past the $500,000 goal (photo by Diana Tyszko)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/lucianna-ciccocioppo" hreflang="en">Lucianna Ciccocioppo</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/our-community" hreflang="en">Our Community</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/centre-medieval-studies" hreflang="en">Centre for Medieval Studies</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/ethiopic" hreflang="en">Ethiopic</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-arts-science" hreflang="en">Faculty of Arts &amp; Science</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/near-middle-eastern-civilizations" hreflang="en">Near &amp; Middle Eastern Civilizations</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/new-college" hreflang="en">New College</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/u-t-scarborough" hreflang="en">91³Ō¹Ļ Scarborough</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>The future of the 91³Ō¹Ļā€™s Ethiopic program ā€“ the only one of its kind in North America and among a handful in the world ā€“ just got brighter.</p> <p>The endowment that makes the program possible has surpassed its goal of $500,000&nbsp;thanks to another gift from Toronto native, <strong>Abel Tesfaye</strong>, the international, award-winning singer, songwriter and recording producer known as&nbsp;The Weeknd. This support enables 91³Ō¹Ļ to offer at least one Ge'ez language course each year.&nbsp;</p> <p>ā€œOur heartfelt thanks to The Weeknd for his ongoing commitment to Ethiopic studies at 91³Ō¹Ļ,ā€ said Professor <strong>Melanie Woodin</strong>, dean of the Faculty of Arts &amp; Science. ā€œThis gift means the endowment celebrates a significant fundraising milestone. For us, it signifies an important partnership with the Ethiopian-Canadian community, one we hope to continue to grow.</p> <p>ā€œWe share a vision and an understanding of the value in preserving the Geā€™ez language. The impact of The Weekndā€™s continued support is truly appreciated, for current and future faculty, students and alumni.ā€</p> <p>Ethiopic studies at 91³Ō¹Ļ&nbsp;<a href="/news/u-t-launches-class-ancient-ethiopian-language-very-nature-university">launched three years ago with a course on Geā€™ez</a>, an ancient language used primarily for liturgical Christian services. Currently, 91³Ō¹Ļ is the only university in North America, and one of the very few universities in the world, that regularly offers a course on Geā€™ez. Itā€™s part of the Semitic group of languages, including Hebrew, Arabic and Aramaic, and remains a fundamental language for classical studies&nbsp;such as Latin and Greek.</p> <p>The program, jointly run by the Faculty of Arts &amp; Scienceā€™s department of Near and Middle Eastern civilizations&nbsp;and the&nbsp;Centre for Medieval Studies, was just shy of reaching its fundraising goal when The Weeknd,&nbsp;recently named one of <em>Time Magazineā€™s</em> 100 Most Influential People of 2020, made a $30,000 gift.</p> <p>This is The Weekndā€™s second donation to 91³Ō¹Ļ in support of the Ethiopic program.&nbsp;<a href="/news/weeknd-backs-u-t-s-bid-launch-north-america-s-first-ethiopian-studies-program">His first was a $50,000 gift in 2016, as part of the fundraising drive led by the&nbsp;Bikila Award</a>&nbsp;ā€“ an Ethiopian-Canadian organization that fosters academic and business excellence and encourages volunteerism ā€“ to galvanize its community to support the new endowment.</p> <p><img class="migrated-asset" src="/sites/default/files/group%20with%20masks%20and%20cheque.jpg" alt></p> <p><em>From left: Bikila Award president Tessema Mulugeta, Bikila board member Behailu Atnafu, The Weekndā€™s parents Walelegne Teshome and Samrawit Hailu, Faculty of Arts &amp; Science Dean Melanie Woodin and Professor Michael Gervers&nbsp;(photo by Diana Tyszko)</em></p> <p>Tessema Mulugeta, president of Bikila, called it ā€œa pivotal moment in our history here in Torontoā€ while recently presenting The Weekndā€™s cheque&nbsp;together with board member Behailu Atnafu and The Weekndā€™s parents, Samrawit Hailu and Walelegne Teshome, to Woodin on a fall day at the Faculty Arts &amp; Science.</p> <p>ā€œ91³Ō¹Ļā€™s Ethiopic studies will illuminate to the world the hidden, untouched millennial scripts in Geā€™ez&nbsp;and uncover rich texts of philosophy, grammar, mathematics, astronomy, history, medicine and law,ā€ said Mulugeta. ā€œDuring this modern age, current and future generations of 91³Ō¹Ļ students can continue to access Ethiopiaā€™s past and unlock tantalizing deposits of wisdom from distant eras of human history.ā€</p> <p>For Professor <strong>Michael Gervers</strong>, who teaches Ethiopian history at 91³Ō¹Ļ Scarborough and the St. George campus, more than 40 years of scholarly research, including digitizing church manuscripts in Ethiopia, has emphasized ā€œhow significant and important this culture is.ā€ He gave the first gift in 2015 to launch the endowment campaign.</p> <p>ā€œI spent decades in Ethiopia and saw that almost every single church I went to had manuscripts that nobody was reading except the monks and priests for their daily or weekly services. But there was all this other literature just sitting there.ā€</p> <p>Gervers explained that not many people are aware that the king of Ethiopia converted to Christianity before the Roman emperor Constantine did in Byzantium. ā€œIt goes right back to somewhere around 333 to 340 CE. And you canā€™t have a religion without a book,ā€ said Gervers.</p> <p>With Ethiopia having a written historical tradition older than any other country in Africa, thatā€™s a lot of books. In fact, itā€™s been recently discovered that the oldest complete Gospel manuscript in the world is from Ethiopia, opening up a plethora of new scholarship questions.</p> <p>Undergraduate student <strong>Saba Ebrahimpour</strong>, a member of&nbsp;New College who's studying Ge'ez, said itā€™s very important for her to read the literature in its original language.</p> <p>ā€œWhen I was studying for this course, I was going through the Bible in the English translation&nbsp;and the professors were teaching us how to translate it,ā€ she said.&nbsp;ā€œI compared the two languages, and there were some differences between the two.ā€</p> <p>Ebrahimpour searched for other sources but found there werenā€™t any. And she said there are few professors who can teach Geā€™ez,&nbsp;ā€œSo 91³Ō¹Ļ has a very big job to do.ā€</p> <p>Ge'ez will be a significant component of graduate student <strong>Arshan Hasan</strong>ā€™s research&nbsp;ā€“ and this first course is a vital start.</p> <p>ā€œOf the classical Semitic languages, Ge'ez is one of the most understudied despite it being one of the most unique,ā€&nbsp;said Hasan. ā€œIt has a unique script in its family that really needs to be taught alongside the language, rather than self-taught. Grammatically it is so remarkable and so different from its sister languages while also still being very familiar.</p> <p>ā€œIt reopens many lost horizons.ā€</p> <p><img class="migrated-asset" src="/sites/default/files/Arshan%20Hasan.jpg" alt></p> <p><em>Geā€™ez student Arshan Hasan (photo courtesy of Arshan Hasan)</em></p> <p>Highlighting, remembering and teaching the history, languages and cultures in this cradle of civilization in the Horn of Africa are just some of the reasons Ethiopians in Canada have supported and continue to give to 91³Ō¹Ļā€™s program.</p> <p>ā€œWe were and are people of many literatures,ā€ said Mulugeta. ā€œThe study of Geā€™ez will help us make sense of ourselves, our early civilizations, our beliefs and cultures&nbsp;and, most importantly, our interconnectedness in the world.ā€</p> <p>The program, and particularly the Geā€™ez course, has put 91³Ō¹Ļ ā€œon the map because we're doing it and nobody else is,ā€ said Gervers. ā€œThe Ethiopic program at 91³Ō¹Ļ has enormous potential.ā€</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Mon, 02 Nov 2020 17:12:13 +0000 Christopher.Sorensen 166300 at Studentsā€™ Indigenous human rights clinics receive US$100,000 from American College of Trial Lawyers /news/students-indigenous-human-rights-clinics-receive-us100000-american-college-trial-lawyers <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Studentsā€™ Indigenous human rights clinics receive US$100,000 from American College of Trial Lawyers</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2019-03-27-law-students.jpg?h=74018a31&amp;itok=x4tHlO8L 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/2019-03-27-law-students.jpg?h=74018a31&amp;itok=4MhUMeVK 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/2019-03-27-law-students.jpg?h=74018a31&amp;itok=SBfM2dNG 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2019-03-27-law-students.jpg?h=74018a31&amp;itok=x4tHlO8L" alt="Photo of PBSC students"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>lanthierj</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2019-03-27T13:06:50-04:00" title="Wednesday, March 27, 2019 - 13:06" class="datetime">Wed, 03/27/2019 - 13:06</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">Pro Bono Students Canada, pictured above at a conference in May, will receive a US$100,000 grant to assist with two pilot clinics (photo courtesy of Faculty of Law)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/lucianna-ciccocioppo" hreflang="en">Lucianna Ciccocioppo</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/our-community" hreflang="en">Our Community</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/alumni" hreflang="en">Alumni</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/awards" hreflang="en">Awards</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/current-students" hreflang="en">Current Students</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-law" hreflang="en">Faculty of Law</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/human-rights" hreflang="en">Human Rights</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/indigenous" hreflang="en">Indigenous</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p><a href="https://www.probonostudents.ca/">Pro Bono Students Canada (PBSC</a>), an organization&nbsp;founded and headquartered at the 91³Ō¹Ļ Faculty of Law, has been recognized with the 2019 <a href="https://www.actl.com/home/awards-competitions-grants/emil-gumpert-award">Emil Gumpert Award</a> for its groundbreaking proposal to pilot two Indigenous human rights clinics in Ontario.</p> <p>The award, given by the American College of Trial Lawyers (ACTL), comes with a US$100,000 grant.</p> <p>ā€œThese pilot clinics are needed, important and timely,ā€ said&nbsp;<strong>Kim Snell</strong>, the organization's interim national director. ā€œThis generous award allows us ā€“ PBSC and our partners ā€“ to make a real step forward in redressing the human rights of Indigenous Peoples. We are so grateful to the ACTL for believing in our vision.&nbsp;</p> <p>ā€œWe will build clinics that will make us all proud.ā€</p> <p>The PBSC clinics are to be located&nbsp;in Toronto and Ottawa at the Ontario Federation of Indigenous Friendship Centres (OFIFC). They will be staffed by law student volunteers and pro bono human rights lawyers who will provide culturally sensitive legal services to Indigenous Peoples in a safe and welcoming clinical setting.</p> <p>The legal services offered will include:</p> <ul> <li>Assisting clients to identify, draft and file human rights complaints with provincial and federal human rights bodies</li> <li>Providing pro bono representation to clients in mediations or at hearings before human rights tribunals</li> <li>Developing and delivering public legal education workshops</li> <li>Assisting community organizations to document systemic human rights abuses, over time creating an evidentiary foundation for advocacy, law reform and litigation, with and on behalf of Indigenous communities.</li> </ul> <p>ā€œThe college is proud to facilitate the creation by Pro Bono Students Canada of these pilot Indigenous Human Rights clinics,ā€ said <strong>Jeffrey S. Leon</strong>, ACTL president and a 91³Ō¹Ļ Law alumnus. ā€œPromoting access to justice is fundamental to the collegeā€™s mission to maintain and improve the administration of justice in Canada and the United States.&nbsp;</p> <p>ā€œWe recognize the particular importance at this juncture in Canadian society of providing culturally sensitive legal representation, as part of the truth and reconciliation process for those Indigenous individuals who are in need of legal services. This imaginative project captures the spirit and essence of our Emil Gumpert Award and we are so pleased to be able to provide financial assistance for this most worthwhile endeavour.ā€</p> <p>PBSCā€™s legal and community partners, such as the OFIFC, are an integral part of this project. The OFIFC is the largest urban Indigenous service network in Ontario. In addition, McCarthy TĆ©trault LLP, one of Canadaā€™s leading firms and PBSCā€™s national law firm partner since 2004, will provide lawyers to represent Indigenous clients pro bono at human rights mediations and tribunals.</p> <p>Other important partners include the Canadian Human Rights Commission, the Ontario Human Rights Commission, the Human Rights Legal Support Centre (Ontario), Thomson Reuters, the 91³Ō¹Ļ Faculty of Law, Osgoode Hall Law School at York University and the University of Ottawa Faculty of Law.</p> <p>PBSC will be honoured at a ceremony on April 24 at the 18<sup>th</sup> annual symposium sponsored by the Advocates Society and ACTL.</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Wed, 27 Mar 2019 17:06:50 +0000 lanthierj 155817 at Indigenous languages art installation unveiled at 91³Ō¹Ļ's Faculty of Law /news/indigenous-languages-art-installation-unveiled-u-t-s-faculty-law <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Indigenous languages art installation unveiled at 91³Ō¹Ļ's Faculty of Law</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/IMG_7846-lead.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=_v8o9Y_R 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/IMG_7846-lead.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=UEdZOYC3 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/IMG_7846-lead.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=bjsW06lG 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/IMG_7846-lead.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=_v8o9Y_R" alt="photo of Rochelle Allan and 91³Ō¹Ļ law students"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>Christopher.Sorensen</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2019-02-01T16:38:10-05:00" title="Friday, February 1, 2019 - 16:38" class="datetime">Fri, 02/01/2019 - 16:38</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">Rochelle Allan, left, acting manager of the Indigenous Initiatives Office, views the language installation with 91³Ō¹Ļ law students (photo by Lucianna Ciccocioppo)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/lucianna-ciccocioppo" hreflang="en">Lucianna Ciccocioppo</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/city-culture" hreflang="en">City &amp; Culture</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/alumni" hreflang="en">Alumni</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-law" hreflang="en">Faculty of Law</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/indigenous" hreflang="en">Indigenous</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/truth-and-reconciliation" hreflang="en">Truth and Reconciliation</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Five long, horizontal wood plaques with crisp black lettering are now displayed one above the other on a&nbsp; wall in the Jackman Law Building at the 91³Ō¹Ļ's Faculty of Law.</p> <p>They are part of a language art project produced by 91³Ō¹Ļ's Indigenous Law Studentsā€™ Association, together with alumna <strong>Amanda Carling</strong>, who is on leave as manager of the Indigenous Initiatives Office (IIO), and <strong>Rochelle Allan</strong>, who is currently its acting manager.&nbsp;</p> <p>Each plaque displays the name ā€œIndigenous Law Students Association,ā€ in font type Aboriginal Sans, in the Michif, Oneida, Cree, Kwakā€™wala and Anishinaabemowin languages. They are made of different types of wood, such as pine, oak, cedar and maple, to reflect the trees native to the Indigenous community the language represents. And there is plenty of wall space to add more language plaques, as the Indigenous law studentsā€™ community grows and changes each year.</p> <p>ā€œA lot of us didnā€™t grow up around these languages and have very complicated relations with that, so representation&nbsp;ā€“&nbsp;seeing it in places and hearing it spoken ā€“ can be very emotional,ā€ said Allan after she acknowledged the traditional land with a statement (<a href="#Land acknowledgment">see below</a>) that she read in Anishnaabemowin.</p> <p>ā€œThis installation is really great, but itā€™s a small piece of 100 years of work by Indigenous people to protect, preserve and to resist all of the powers that be within this territory who have tried to erase us for so long.ā€</p> <p>The installation was unveiled Jan. 25&nbsp;to mark the International Year of Indigenous Languages, as proclaimed by the United Nations.&nbsp;</p> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__10083 img__view_mode__media_large attr__format__media_large" height="453" src="/sites/default/files/IMG_7847-crop.jpg" typeof="foaf:Image" width="680" loading="lazy"></p> <p><em>Indigenous Law Students Association language plaques (photo by Lucianna Ciccocioppo)</em></p> <p>Law student <strong>Conlin Delbaere-Sawchuk</strong>, who is MĆ©tis, said language representation in the law school ā€œis part of our commitment to bringing Indigenous issues to the forefront, particularly in law, and it serves as a reminder that these languages, like the people, are alive and well.ā€</p> <p>Associate Professor <strong>Douglas Sanderson</strong>, an alumnus and a member the Beaver Clan of the Opaskwayak Cree Nation, said reconciliation is about taking major steps forward, but he stressed small steps are important too.</p> <p>ā€œAt the law school we often see Indigenous culture at the point of conflict with the law, but in the background Iā€™ve been working to try to have Indigenous culture present, not just in the case law, but to hear our languages in the hallways, and hear the drums, and smell the sweetgrass and see the signs with our writing,ā€ he said.</p> <p>ā€œSo getting used to hearing those sounds and singing those songs is a step in growing together as a culture, and as a people, and itā€™s how we will achieve reconciliation.ā€</p> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__10084 img__view_mode__media_large attr__format__media_large" height="453" src="/sites/default/files/IMG_7836-crop.jpg" typeof="foaf:Image" width="680" loading="lazy"></p> <p><em>Traditional Indigenous foods, such as bannock, were served in a celebratory lunch for everyone as part of the unveiling (photo by Lucianna Ciccocioppo)</em></p> <p>Alumnus <strong>John Borrows</strong>, a&nbsp;professor at the University of Victoria law school who is currently here to teach an intensive course, said he was pleased to see what was happening and what was being honoured with the installation. Borrows is Anishinaabe from the Cape Croker community in Ontarioā€™s Bruce Peninsula.</p> <p>ā€œLanguage is life,ā€ said Borrows. ā€œThe ways to understand who we are and whatā€™s possible are formulated by our relationship with language. And those languages are formed by the ecologies that weā€™re from. So as we revitalize language, we find ourselves understanding more about the natural world of which weā€™re a part in Algonquin Haudenosaunee language groups.ā€</p> <p><strong><a id="Land acknowledgment" name="Land acknowledgment"></a></strong>Borrows went on to say he was happy to understand the various languages the speakers spoke in their remarks, something he had to learn as an adult while teaching at the University of Minnesota law school, home to three academics who spoke and taught Anishinaabe.</p> <p>ā€œThe work I am seeing here, and up and down the walls as eventually others will be added, is a very exciting thing...and warms my heart,ā€ he said.</p> <hr> <p><strong>Land Acknowledgement in Anishnaabemowin:</strong></p> <p>Maanda aki gii-dibendaanaawaa giw Huron-Wendat miinwaa Petun Nitam Anishinaabeg. Seneca miinwaa dash gwa Anishinaabeg Desnaang teg bezhig emkwaan wampum gchi-pizowin nendmoowin aawan maamowi sa nji gonda Naadek ezhi-maamowiziwaad miinwaa dash Anishinaabe Nswi Ishkoden debendgik ji-mina-maamowi nakaazong miinwaa ji-maamowi gnowenjigaadeg kina gegoo eteg gaataaying Gchi-gmiing.</p> <p>Gchi-oodenaang gewii zhi-naaknigaade nji sa maanda gchi-kwiinwin ezhnikaadeg nji sa gchi-gimaanaang oodi Canada miinwaa dash gewii Mississaugas oodi Credit, ezhi-kenjgaadeg wi sa Gchi-oodenaang giishpinajigewin. Gchi-oodenaang pane gii-aawan gaa-nji-aash-toon-geng nji sa ntam Anishinaabeg.</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Fri, 01 Feb 2019 21:38:10 +0000 Christopher.Sorensen 152346 at 91³Ō¹Ļ launches $30-million campaign to help law students financially /news/u-t-launches-30-million-campaign-help-law-students-financially <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">91³Ō¹Ļ launches $30-million campaign to help law students financially</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2018-09-28-law-main-resized.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=7HIuwpPA 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/2018-09-28-law-main-resized.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=RNL2GGV2 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/2018-09-28-law-main-resized.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=GO4Kcvpv 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2018-09-28-law-main-resized.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=7HIuwpPA" alt="Photo of Faculty of Law campaign"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>noreen.rasbach</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2018-09-28T10:19:21-04:00" title="Friday, September 28, 2018 - 10:19" class="datetime">Fri, 09/28/2018 - 10:19</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">The Faculty of Law launched its Campaign for Excellence without Barriers on Thursday (photo by Dhoui Chang)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/lucianna-ciccocioppo" hreflang="en">Lucianna Ciccocioppo</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/our-community" hreflang="en">Our Community</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/alumni" hreflang="en">Alumni</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-law" hreflang="en">Faculty of Law</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/financial-aid" hreflang="en">Financial Aid</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/graduate-students" hreflang="en">Graduate Students</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/rotman-school-management" hreflang="en">Rotman School of Management</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-subheadline field--type-string-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Subheadline</div> <div class="field__item"> <br> </div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>The 91³Ō¹Ļ's&nbsp;Faculty of Law has announced a $30-million campaign to significantly deepen the financial aid pool and enhance the law student experience<strong>. </strong></p> <p>The Campaign for Excellence without Barriers, with a specific goal of raising $20 million for student financial aid, is the largest bursary-focused campaign at any Canadian law school.&nbsp;The money raised also&nbsp;supports co-curricular programming for students, such as legal clinics, mental health initiatives, and professional opportunities while in law school.</p> <p>Increasing accessibility to the Faculty of Law for students who merit admission is a&nbsp;top priority. The Faculty of Law awards bursaries only on the basis of financial need, and to those students who need it most. Increasing the financial aid pool helps support applications by top candidates with financial need, alleviates stress for students during law school, and helps graduates make career decisions based on their choice and passion ā€“ often in social justice and public service areas, benefitting our communities.</p> <p>ā€œIt's fundamental that we continue to get the very best students interested in studying law here no matter their backgrounds,ā€ says Professor <strong>Edward Iacobucci</strong>, dean of the Faculty of Law. ā€œWe need to have a diverse profession that reflects the range of experience that weā€™re so proud of in this country. I think a great deal would be lost if financial obstacles prevented a broad range of people from attending the Faculty of Law.ā€</p> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__9354 img__view_mode__media_large attr__format__media_large" height="453" src="/sites/default/files/2018-09-28-Campaign-resized-53_0.jpg" typeof="foaf:Image" width="680" loading="lazy"></p> <p><em>Thursday's campaign event was attended by former Ontario lieutenant-governor,&nbsp;former 91³Ō¹Ļ chancellor and Faculty of Law alumnus&nbsp;<strong>Hal Jackman,</strong>&nbsp;third from left, and 91³Ō¹Ļ President <strong>Meric Gertler </strong>(photo by Dhoui Chang)</em></p> <p>To date, 91³Ō¹Ļ Law alumni and other supporters have given more than $24 million to the campaign for students, including $14.8&nbsp;million for student financial aid.&nbsp;</p> <p>ā€œFor a number of Canadians, the choice to go to law school or not is dependent on whether they can afford it,ā€ says <strong>Alexandra McLennan</strong>, a JD candidate. ā€œFor me, financial aid has made possible what initially seemed impossible. I would not be able to attend law school without this support. I would encourage future donors to consider the impact of their monetary donation on a future studentā€™s life.ā€</p> <p>ā€œThe impact of receiving the bursaries is immense,ā€ says&nbsp;<strong>Maressa Singh</strong>, a student in the JD/MBA program. ā€œIt alleviates financial stress and allows me to focus on my studies. I absolutely would not be able to attend law school without the help of the student financial aid program.ā€</p> <p>ā€œIā€™m here at the Faculty of Law because other people believed in me,ā€ says <strong>Wanekia Dunn</strong>, a JD candidate. ā€œI wouldnā€™t be here if it werenā€™t for their generosity. Donor support is critical to my being able to complete my law degree.ā€&nbsp;</p> <p><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" height="422" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/npjsWbmrSKc" width="750"></iframe></p> <p>A number of factors, including declining government support for post-secondary institutions, have created a sobering reality for many Canadian law schools. The Faculty of Lawā€™s tuition fees, $36,720 for 2018-19, make possible a world-class academic experience and robust co-curricular programming, such as <a href="https://www.law.utoronto.ca/centres-programs/legal-clinics">clinical</a> and <a href="https://www.law.utoronto.ca/programs-centres/programs">internship</a> opportunities, <a href="https://www.law.utoronto.ca/academic-programs/jd-program/combined-programs">combined degree programs</a>, <a href="https://www.law.utoronto.ca/student-life/career-development-office">career services</a>, to name a few, in addition to <a href="/news/u-t-ranked-among-10-best-world-law-times-higher-education" target="_blank" title="Law School Ranking">one of the best legal educations in the world</a>.</p> <p>Campaign Co-Chair <strong>Mark Wiseman</strong>, an alumnus of the LLB/MBA program who is&nbsp;global head of active equities for Blackrock and chair of Blackrock Alternative Investors, says: ā€œI am pleased to be a campaign co-chair because Iā€™m an ardent supporter of the Faculty of Lawā€™s vision. I understand first-hand the imperative to deepen financial aid. I received financial assistance during law school, and I worked throughout my studies.ā€</p> <p>Co-Chair <strong>Melissa Kennedy</strong>, an alumna of the LLB program who is&nbsp;executive vice-president and chief legal officer at Sun Life Financial, says: ā€œI am a proud alumna and owe much to the law school which I believe has helped my career and I know has forged many lifelong friends. Like many students, I both worked to pay for my education and received financial aid, so I understand the importance of deepening financial aid at 91³Ō¹Ļā€™s Faculty of Law.ā€</p> <p>&nbsp;ā€œStudent financial aid is important because it is an investment in the leaders of the future, who will have to tackle the challenges that our community faces,ā€ says first-year student <strong>Ahmed Elahi</strong>. ā€œHence, investing in students is tantamount to investing in the future.ā€</p> <p>Adds first-year student&nbsp;<strong>Sarah Feutl: </strong>"To donors: Thank you, thank you, thank you. Your gifts allow me to focus on my schooling without the constant weight of financial stress on my shoulders.&nbsp;The money you donated gives me a level of freedom to choose jobs and activities that will help me shape the well-rounded lawyer I one day hope to be.ā€</p> <p>The campaign is expected to wrap up by December 2019. ā€œThe momentum for the Campaign for Excellence without Barriers has been tremendous. Through their generosity, our alumni have dramatically opened up opportunities for many brilliant and talented law students, and we are truly grateful,ā€ says&nbsp;Iacobucci.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Fri, 28 Sep 2018 14:19:21 +0000 noreen.rasbach 143836 at 91³Ō¹Ļ alumna, women's-rights advocate Sheilah L. Martin nominated to the Supreme Court /news/u-t-alumna-women-s-rights-advocate-sheilah-l-martin-nominated-supreme-court <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">91³Ō¹Ļ alumna, women's-rights advocate Sheilah L. Martin nominated to the Supreme Court</span> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>rasbachn</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2017-11-29T17:46:05-05:00" title="Wednesday, November 29, 2017 - 17:46" class="datetime">Wed, 11/29/2017 - 17:46</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">Sheilah L. Martin's nomination means there will now be four 91³Ō¹Ļ Faculty of Law alumni on Canada's highest court (photo courtesy of University of Calgary)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/lucianna-ciccocioppo" hreflang="en">Lucianna Ciccocioppo</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/our-community" hreflang="en">Our Community</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/alumni" hreflang="en">Alumni</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-law" hreflang="en">Faculty of Law</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Justice&nbsp;<strong><a href="https://pm.gc.ca/eng/news/2017/11/29/honourable-sheilah-l-martin">Sheilah L. Martin</a></strong>,&nbsp;an alumna of 91³Ō¹Ļ's Faculty of Law,&nbsp;has been nominated to be the newest justice on the Supreme Court of Canada,&nbsp;Prime Minister Justin Trudeau&nbsp;<a href="https://pm.gc.ca/eng/news/2017/11/29/prime-minister-announces-nomination-honourable-sheilah-l-martin-supreme-court-canada">announced today</a>.</p> <p>Martin, who received a doctorate of judicial sciences from 91³Ō¹Ļ&nbsp;in 1991, is an academic, practitioner, judge and women's-rights advocate. She was one of the first women to be called to the Alberta bar in non-sexist language.</p> <p>Her nomination brings the total number of 91³Ō¹Ļ law alumni currently on the highest court to four, along with Justices<strong>&nbsp;Rosalie Silberman&nbsp;Abella</strong>,&nbsp;<strong>Russell Brown</strong>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<strong>Michael Moldaver</strong>.</p> <p>Martin, appointed to the Courts of Appeal of Alberta, the Northwest Territories, and Nunavut in 2016, pursued her doctoral work at 91³Ō¹Ļ under the supervision of&nbsp;<strong><a href="https://www.law.utoronto.ca/faculty-staff/full-time-faculty/bernard-dickens">Bernard&nbsp;Dickens</a></strong>, co-director of the international reproductive and sexual health law program and now professor emeritus of health law and policy, and Justice <strong>Katherine Swinton</strong>. Martin's&nbsp;thesis was titled ā€œLegal Controls On Human Reproductions In Canada: A History Of Gender Biased Laws And The Promise Of The Charter.ā€</p> <p>ā€œWe are so very proud of our alumna Justice Sheilah L. Martin on this prominent nomination today,ā€ said Faculty of Law Dean&nbsp;<strong>Edward Iacobucci</strong>. ā€œShe has had a rich variety of experiences as a scholar, practitioner, advocate and jurist, and has earned a glowing reputation as an intelligent and thoughtful leader. The SCC appointment is a crowning achievement in her outstanding career. I extend to her our warmest congratulations.ā€</p> <p>A Montrealer by birth, Martin graduated with common and civil law degrees from McGill University in 1981, and a master of laws from the University of Alberta in 1983.</p> <p>Martin moved to Alberta and was called to the bar there in 1989, where she typed in the word ā€˜personā€™ over ā€˜manā€™ in the professional oath, to be more inclusive, as reported in the&nbsp;<em>Calgary Herald.</em></p> <p>Education, equality and Indigenous rights were significant passions in her illustrious 30-year career, as was diversity and increasing the number of under-represented groups in law schools and the legal profession.</p> <p>As an academic in the mid-1990s, she lectured, served as acting dean and then dean of the University of Calgaryā€™s Faculty of Law, where she taught courses in commercial transactions, feminist legal theory and advanced constitutional law.</p> <p>From 1996 to 2005, she moved into private practice in Calgary, working on a variety of critical issues for Canada. She dedicated pro bono hours for the Womenā€™s Legal Education and Action Fund and the Alberta Association of Sexual Assault Centres in cases before the Supreme Court of Canada.</p> <p>In 2000, she was an expert witness in the Thomas Sophonow Inquiry, for her knowledge in the area of compensation for the wrongfully convicted.</p> <p>At the invitation of the Assembly of First Nations National Chief Phil Fontaine, she joined the team working on remedies for the Indigenous victims of Canadaā€™s infamous residential schools system, and her contribution, alongside others, helped to arrive at the ground-breaking and monumental Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement.</p> <p>Her commitment to teaching and education followed her into her career on the bench, and she has been lauded for her advocacy work. She has received the Distinguished Service Award for Legal Scholarship, the Law Society of Albertaā€™s Certificate of Merit, and the YWCAā€™s Advancement of Women Award.</p> <p>ā€œI am pleased to announce the nomination of Justice Sheilah L. Martin to the Supreme Court of Canada,ā€ said Trudeau in a media release. ā€œI am confident that, with the wealth of experience she has gained over a distinguished thirtyā€‘year career, she will be a valuable addition to the Supreme Court, an institution well respected in Canada and around the world for its strength, independence, and judicial excellence.ā€</p> <p>Martinā€™s appointment, once finalized, will fill the vacancy when Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin retires and steps down on Dec. 15.</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Wed, 29 Nov 2017 22:46:05 +0000 rasbachn 123374 at 91³Ō¹Ļ law professor one of five to receive Trudeau Fellowships /news/u-t-law-professor-one-five-receive-trudeau-fellowships <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">91³Ō¹Ļ law professor one of five to receive Trudeau Fellowships</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2017-09-19-macklin-resized.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=jeklXd3G 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/2017-09-19-macklin-resized.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=6SDX6hHb 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/2017-09-19-macklin-resized.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=ns8ru0rl 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2017-09-19-macklin-resized.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=jeklXd3G" alt="Photo of Audrey Macklin"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>rasbachn</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2017-09-19T13:42:20-04:00" title="Tuesday, September 19, 2017 - 13:42" class="datetime">Tue, 09/19/2017 - 13:42</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">Audrey Macklin will use her Trudeau Fellowship to research why Canadians stepped up to sponsor refugees in the last few years (photo by Lisa Lightbourn)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/lucianna-ciccocioppo" hreflang="en">Lucianna Ciccocioppo</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-legacy field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Author legacy</div> <div class="field__item"> Lucianna Ciccocioppo</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/our-community" hreflang="en">Our Community</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-law" hreflang="en">Faculty of Law</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/centre-criminology-sociolegal-studies" hreflang="en">Centre for Criminology &amp; Sociolegal Studies</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p><strong>Audrey Macklin</strong>, director of the 91³Ō¹Ļ's Centre for Criminology &amp; Sociolegal Studies, is one of five scholars in Canada to receive a 2017 Pierre Elliott Trudeau Fellowship, in recognition of her outstanding scholarship and pro bono work advocating for immigrant and refugee rights.</p> <p>ā€œI will be using my Trudeau funds to support research into why thousands of Canadians have decided to sponsor refugees in the last couple of years,ā€ says Macklin, who is also professor and chair in human rights at 91³Ō¹Ļ's Faculty of Law and teaches at the School of Public Policy &amp; Governance.</p> <p>ā€œI want to learn more about the sponsorsā€™ backgrounds, motivations, experiences and reflections,ā€ she says. ā€œThat means inquiring not only into what sponsors do for refugees, but what the refugee sponsorship does for the sponsors. I ask how the project of making refugees into citizens remakes the citizenship of sponsors.ā€</p> <p>The Trudeau Fellowships, valued at $225,000 each over three years, are awarded each year to researchers in the social sciences and humanities who are productive and committed to communicating their work to the greater public.</p> <p>The interdisciplinary nature of Macklinā€™s base at 91³Ō¹Ļ ā€“ at the intersection of social sciences, humanities and law ā€“ will support and enrich her project.</p> <p>ā€œI know I will benefit from the advice and expertise of my colleagues from other disciplines as we move forward. This is a perfect place for me to be in terms of pursuing the Trudeau Fellowship.ā€</p> <p>ā€œThis project opens up a new research direction," says Macklin.&nbsp;ā€œAs a legal scholar, I am mainly at my desk, reading, thinking and writing. The core of this project is empirical;&nbsp;I want to gather evidence from the field. Working with terrific social scientists from 91³Ō¹Ļ and York University, along with talented graduate students, we have launched an online survey of private sponsors of Syrian refugees. Thanks to the Trudeau Fellowship, we can amplify our reach, and expand into individual interviews and focus groups.&nbsp; Our project has already attracted inquiries from researchers in other countries, who look to the Canadian model of private refugee sponsorship with great interest.ā€</p> <p>The <a href="http://www.trudeaufoundation.ca/en/foundation">Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation</a> is an independent, non-partisan charity established in 2001. Its fellowships are awarded to notable scholars focusing on issues in four key areas: human rights and dignity; responsible citizenship; Canada in the world; and people and their natural environment.</p> <p>Macklin is the eighth 91³Ō¹Ļ scholar to receive the notable fellowship, and the third at the Faculty of Law.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Tue, 19 Sep 2017 17:42:20 +0000 rasbachn 116425 at #UofTGrad17: Law grads look back, forge ahead /news/uoftgrad17-law-grads-look-back-forge-ahead <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">#UofTGrad17: Law grads look back, forge ahead</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2017-06-26-law-grads.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=coUDULCW 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/2017-06-26-law-grads.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=NWTAMlHA 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/2017-06-26-law-grads.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=h7msDB1D 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2017-06-26-law-grads.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=coUDULCW" alt="law grads"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>ullahnor</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2017-06-09T17:37:55-04:00" title="Friday, June 9, 2017 - 17:37" class="datetime">Fri, 06/09/2017 - 17:37</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">Class of 2017 law grad Zachary Al-Khatib (third from left) participated in the Grand Moot in front of well-known Canadian jurists with classmates, from left to right, Giorgio Traini, Sarah Bittman, Victoria Hale (photo by Holly Sherlock)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/lucianna-ciccocioppo" hreflang="en">Lucianna Ciccocioppo</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-legacy field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Author legacy</div> <div class="field__item">Lucianna Ciccocioppo</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/city-culture" hreflang="en">City &amp; Culture</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-law" hreflang="en">Faculty of Law</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/convocation" hreflang="en">Convocation</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/convocation-2017" hreflang="en">Convocation 2017</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>For <strong>Zachary Al-Khatib</strong>, highlights of his time&nbsp;at 91³Ō¹Ļ's Faculty of Law included mooting in front of some of Canada's most distinguished jurists.</p> <p>ā€œI was extremely privileged to get to moot in front of some of Canadaā€™s most distinguished jurists: Justices <strong>[Rosalie Silberman] Abella</strong>, [Russell] Brown, and [Michael] Moldaver of the SCC in the Grand Moot, Justice [Malcolm} Rowe of the SCC in the Gale Cup finals, and Justice [George R.] Strathy, the Chief Justice of Ontario, in the Callaghan Moot. We had the chance to practice in front of many of the best litigators in the country.ā€</p> <p>The law student, who grew up in&nbsp;Inuvik, Edmonton and Damascus, also has a&nbsp;history and English degree from the University of Alberta, plus a degree in classical Arabic and Islamic law from Syria. He&nbsp;is part of the Class of 2017, among the many students who graduated Friday from the Faculty of Law.</p> <p>Altogether, 91³Ō¹Ļ's Class of 2017 is made up of more than 18,000 students, almost 14,000 graduating in 27 ceremonies running from June 6 to&nbsp;June 22.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>Al-Khatib will be clerking at the Alberta Court of Appeal this year, and then at the Supreme Court of Canada next year for Justice Abella.&nbsp;<br> <img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__4954 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" src="/sites/default/files/sinead_charbonneau_0.jpg" style="width: 300px; height: 400px; margin: 10px; float: left;" typeof="foaf:Image"><br> <strong>Sinead Charbonneau</strong> (left&nbsp;with her mother) is&nbsp;from the WS'ANEC' territory, Lkwungen, and Wyomilth peoples of the Coast Salish Nation. She came to 91³Ō¹Ļ after completing&nbsp;her undergraduate degree at the University of Victoria&nbsp;in womenā€™s studies and Indigenous studies and worked on a cross-disciplinary project during&nbsp;law school as part of a&nbsp;fellowship with the Jackman Humanities Institute.&nbsp;</p> <p>Up next, she will be articling with the Office of the Children's Lawyer.</p> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__4953 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" src="/sites/default/files/2017_david_st_bernard-300x400.jpg" style="width: 300px; height: 400px; margin: 10px; float: right;" typeof="foaf:Image">JD/MBA graduate <strong>David St. Bernard</strong>&nbsp;(right) says finishing law school felt like ā€œa long time coming.ā€ Most of his classmates had already graduated with their JD. Before coming to law school, he had&nbsp;already completed two undergraduate degrees from York University, first in kinesiology, then in psychology.</p> <p>He counts ā€œLooking Ahead: Blurred Lines of Technology, Body and Mindā€ with Professor <strong>Ben Alarie </strong>and Adjunct Professor <strong>Dan Debow</strong> as a stand-out, favourite course.</p> <p>ā€œLooking Ahead was a great mix of contemporary tech issues and legal principles that was like no other law course I encountered.ā€</p> <p>After the bar exam, says St. Bernard, ā€œI plan to take a much needed breather, then article at Bennett Jones LLP.ā€</p> <h3><a href="https://www.law.utoronto.ca/news/class-2017-ready-celebrate-0">Read more about the Faculty of Law's Class of 2017</a></h3> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Fri, 09 Jun 2017 21:37:55 +0000 ullahnor 108272 at #UofTGrad16: Business legend Gerry Schwartz /news/uoftgrad16-business-legend-gerry-schwartz <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">#UofTGrad16: Business legend Gerry Schwartz</span> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>lanthierj</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2016-06-03T15:44:52-04:00" title="Friday, June 3, 2016 - 15:44" class="datetime">Fri, 06/03/2016 - 15:44</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">(all photos by Steve Frost: Frost Photo)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/jennifer-robinson" hreflang="en">Jennifer Robinson</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/lucianna-ciccocioppo" hreflang="en">Lucianna Ciccocioppo</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/lucianna-ciccocioppo" hreflang="en">Lucianna Ciccocioppo</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-legacy field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Author legacy</div> <div class="field__item">Jennifer Robinson and Lucianna Ciccocioppo</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/city-culture" hreflang="en">City &amp; Culture</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/convocation" hreflang="en">Convocation</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/convocation-2016" hreflang="en">Convocation 2016</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/honorary-degree" hreflang="en">Honorary Degree</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Youā€™d think the board room would be the preferred location of choice for a captain of industry. But for <a href="http://www.convocation.utoronto.ca/gerry-schwartz"><strong>Gerry Schwartz</strong></a>, the energizing nature of university campuses is a magnet. They keep drawing him back.</p> <p>From helping hand-pick provocative works of art to adorn the walls of Harvardā€™s business school to providing advice to past presidents of 91³Ō¹Ļ, Schwartz has, in many ways, never left school.<br> Today, 91³Ō¹Ļ will recognize him with a&nbsp;Doctor of Laws, <em>honoris causa</em> for his tremendous business and philanthropic achievements in Canada and abroad, as well as his longstanding close relationship with 91³Ō¹Ļ ā€” including a daughter who is an alumnus.</p> <p>ā€œItā€™s wonderful to be recognized by something that I really care about,ā€ explains the chairman of the board, president and CEO of Onex, one of Canadaā€™s largest and most successful private equity firms.</p> <p>ā€œ91³Ō¹Ļ is it for Toronto. It is the intellectual heart of the city. Itā€™s where I am, if not who I am,ā€ says the graduate of the University of Manitoba and Harvard.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><iframe allowfullscreen frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lA8AjxqpcZA" width="560"></iframe></p> <p>The honorary degree is Schwartzā€™s fourth but ā€œI have no desire to collect degrees. The ones I have are from institutions that are very special to me ā€” only ā€” and thatā€™s all I want.ā€</p> <p>His contributions to 91³Ō¹Ļā€™s vision and success have been far reaching. From 1986 to 1994, he served on the universityā€™s Governing Council and provided valuable counsel to the president as a member of the Executive Committee from 1992 to 1995.</p> <p>In 1996, he and his wife <strong>Heather Reisman</strong>, the founder, chair and CEO of Canadian book giant Indigo, also supported Canadaā€™s first endowed chair for nursing research, in partnership with the 91³Ō¹Ļ and Mount Sinai Hospital.</p> <p>ā€œI grew up in Winnipeg in a pretty socialist family,ā€ Schwartz says. ā€œThe idea of helping people and reaching out ā€” not just reaching in ā€” was how I grew up. Itā€™s not very special. It was just part of life.</p> <p>ā€œHeather and I have just come to find that supporting something financially . . . we get more out of it than we put in.ā€</p> <p>In particular, Schwartz is deeply involved with 91³Ō¹Ļā€™s Faculty of Law. He provided valuable support for the construction of the new Rosalie Silberman Abella Classroom, has enriched the experience of countless students of constitutional law with his support for the annual visits of Justice Aharon Barak of the Supreme Court of Israel and supported the endowment of the Prichard Wilson Chair in Law and Public Policy.</p> <p>ā€œGerry Schwartz has made contributions to business and community that are each remarkable in their own right, and collectively are nothing short of exceptional,ā€ says <strong>Ed Iacobucci</strong>, dean of 91³Ō¹Ļā€™s Faculty of Law. ā€œWe are very pleased to be able to bestow this honour on someone who so deeply deserves it.ā€</p> <p>He also tries to make it back every year to personally meet the three recipients of the Gerald W. Schwartz Medals, which are awarded by the Faculty of Law to JD/MBA students with the highest overall academic achievement in a combined program.</p> <p>Some of those students, like gold medal winner <strong>Mark Wiseman</strong>, best known as president and CEO of the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, have even become his good friends, Schwartz says.</p> <p>ā€œWhen I went to law school . . . I didnā€™t intend to be a lawyer long term,ā€ he says.</p> <p>But in looking back, he says he can see how the lessons he learned in law school have had a profound impact on how heā€™s approached his business and his life. Itā€™s made him ā€œmore measuredā€ in his decision-making and taught him that life is full of unintended consequences.</p> <p>Asked what wisdom heā€™ll share today in his convocation speech, he politely declines, preferring to save his thoughts for his fellow graduating students. But he promises to be quick ā€” no hook will be needed to drag him off the stage!</p> <p>Gerry Schwartz will speak today at the 10 a.m. ceremony for graduands from the Faculty of Law, Munk School of Global Affairs and School of Graduate Studies. A video of his speech will be available on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/universitytoronto">91³Ō¹Ļā€™s YouTube channel</a> following the event.</p> <p><img alt="photo of Gerry Schwartz in convocation robes" class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__1091 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" src="/sites/default/files/2016-06-03-schwartz-embed.jpg" style="width: 750px; height: 499px; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;" typeof="foaf:Image"></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Fri, 03 Jun 2016 19:44:52 +0000 lanthierj 14198 at