Senior College / en Eager to learn new things and stay connected, 91łÔąĎ’s Senior College goes virtual /bulletin/eager-learn-new-things-and-stay-connected-u-t-s-senior-college-goes-virtual <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Eager to learn new things and stay connected, 91łÔąĎ’s Senior College goes virtual</span> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>sungjimi</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2020-04-28T12:02:24-04:00" title="Tuesday, April 28, 2020 - 12:02" class="datetime">Tue, 04/28/2020 - 12:02</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>For many retired librarians and faculty, the 91łÔąĎ’s&nbsp;<a href="https://seniorcollege.utoronto.ca/">Senior College</a>&nbsp;provides a welcome opportunity to continue a journey of lifelong learning – through weekly seminars, excursions, book clubs and more.&nbsp;&nbsp;All retired faculty and librarians automatically become members of Senior College upon their retirement from the University.&nbsp;</p> <p>But when the COVID-19 outbreak was declared a global pandemic in March, all in-person events were cancelled, including the group’s final two weekly seminars and annual colloquium scheduled for April.</p> <p>“We were disappointed, of course, but we took it in stride,” says <strong>Harold Atwood</strong>, principal of Senior College. “We had to do it protect our members. We’re all retirees and in the age group that’s particularly vulnerable to the virus. We realized we couldn’t put people at risk.”</p> <p>For <strong>Vennese Croasdaile</strong>, who has been the group’s administrator for the last six years, it was most disappointing not to be able to see the group’s members in person regularly. “I’ve gotten really fond of them and they of me,” she says. “They’re a great group of people. I love speaking to them.”</p> <p>Croasdaile wasn’t going to let the year’s big events fizzle away as the doors on campus were shut to non-essential activities. She was already accustomed to the “new normal” of video conferencing, thanks to her church, which had moved its meetings and services online. Leveraging her professional background in information technology, Croasdaile was able to convince Atwood and the rest of the members that they could continue their activities via video conferencing platform Zoom.</p> <p>[[{"fid":"14131","view_mode":"default","fields":{"format":"default","alignment":""},"type":"media","field_deltas":{"1":{"format":"default","alignment":""}},"link_text":null,"attributes":{"height":453,"width":680,"class":"media-element file-default","data-delta":"1"}}]]</p> <p><em>Vennese Croasdaile.</em></p> <p>A number of training sessions were quickly set up and Croasdaile and Atwood found that the majority of the members were eager to learn the technology.</p> <p>“It was a bit of a learning curve, but most of the group are happy to work and meet in this way,” says Atwood.&nbsp;</p> <p>Croasdaile emphasized the tenacity of the members, many of them innovators in their fields.</p> <p>“In one of my recent Zoom training sessions, we had a member who had recently turned 90 years old and she never gave up,” she says.&nbsp;&nbsp;“They may be retired, but they’re librarians or professors. Many of them have paved the way for Canadians in their respective fields, so they’re not hesitant to try new things.”</p> <p>According to Croasdaile, the members are still continuing to use email to communicate with each other, but are appreciating the ability to see each other. “When they come online and see each other, there’s just a delight on their faces!” she says.</p> <p>Although her job is technically administrative, Croasdaile makes it a point to keep in touch with and call members, especially if they’re regular attendees but haven’t been in touch for a while.&nbsp;</p> <p>“Vennese has been checking up on the older members to see how they’re doing – the ones who are more vulnerable and isolated,” says Atwood. “She sees how they’re managing and keeps us all up to date on how everyone’s doing. She really cares and has a genuine interest in making a connection.”</p> <p>“Senior College plays an important part in keeping retired faculty members active in our academic community,” says <strong>Heather Boon</strong>, 91łÔąĎ’s vice-provost, faculty and academic life. “It’s wonderful to see them joining the rest of the 91łÔąĎ community by connecting and engaging virtually during these challenging times. My kudos to Vennese and the executive committee for taking the lead in the online transition.”</p> <p>Croasdaile says that continuing these online events for Senior College not only helps the members, but it enriches her life too. “These meetings are very important to the members and they’re important to me too,” she says. “Because we’ve been connecting in this way, the group members now feel more motivated to check in with everyone. It’s inspired other ways that they can touch base with each other and enhanced our already strong sense of community.”</p> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-caption field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Eager to learn new things and stay connected, 91łÔąĎ’s Senior College goes virtual</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="lazy" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/20200415_124554.jpg?h=fc3bc3e6&amp;itok=nMyzqOjM 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/20200415_124554.jpg?h=fc3bc3e6&amp;itok=A0Lgk8fj 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/20200415_124554.jpg?h=fc3bc3e6&amp;itok=aPTBh6KU 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/20200415_124554.jpg?h=fc3bc3e6&amp;itok=nMyzqOjM" alt="The Senior College book club meets online through Zoom" title="The Senior College book club meets online through Zoom"> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-cutline field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">The Senior College book club recently met online as seen in this Zoom screenshot.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden clearfix"> <ul class="links field__items"> <li><a href="/news/tags/senior-college" hreflang="en">Senior College</a></li> <li><a href="/news/tags/our-faculty-staff" hreflang="en">Our Faculty &amp; Staff</a></li> <li><a href="/news/tags/librarians" hreflang="en">Librarians</a></li> <li><a href="/news/tags/coronavirus" hreflang="en">Coronavirus</a></li> </ul> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Jenny Rodrigues</div> <div class="field field--name-field-hide field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> Tue, 28 Apr 2020 16:02:24 +0000 sungjimi 164302 at Teaching in the community: Free course introduces Toronto residents to 91łÔąĎ's most famous scholars /news/teaching-community-free-course-introduces-toronto-residents-u-t-s-most-famous-scholars <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Teaching in the community: Free course introduces Toronto residents to 91łÔąĎ's most famous scholars</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/Anne-Innis.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=MzToc8dx 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/Anne-Innis.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=sAthBWFS 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/Anne-Innis.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=C7y0PMuU 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/Anne-Innis.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=MzToc8dx" alt="Photo of Anne Innis Dagg"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>Romi Levine</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2017-11-23T11:45:38-05:00" title="Thursday, November 23, 2017 - 11:45" class="datetime">Thu, 11/23/2017 - 11:45</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">Anne Innis Dagg tells students about her research and about her parents Harold Innis and Mary Quayle Innis (photo by Romi Levine)</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/romi-levine" hreflang="en">Romi Levine</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/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/humanities" hreflang="en">Humanities</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/senior-college" hreflang="en">Senior College</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/seniors" hreflang="en">Seniors</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>On a Wednesday night in November, students file into a small classroom at 91łÔąĎ’s Innis College, eagerly anticipating the start of a weekly lecture.</p> <p>But this isn’t your typical university class. There are no assignments, exams or&nbsp;tuition, and the average attendee is decades older than the undergrads who usually fill the seats.</p> <p>The students are here for a ten-week course offered twice a year called University in the Community. The&nbsp;free program is aimed at Torontonians who have never been to university, but is open to anyone.</p> <p>It’s an initiative by non-profit adult education organization Workers’ Educational Association, in partnership with 91łÔąĎ’s Innis College and <a href="http://seniorcollege.utoronto.ca/">Senior College</a>, a community of retired academics and librarians at the university.</p> <p>“University in the Community … is helping you explore the questions about the nature of the world you live in that are at the heart of university inquiry,” says&nbsp;<a href="http://www.provost.utoronto.ca/awards/uprofessors.htm">University Professor</a>&nbsp;Emeritus&nbsp;<strong>Peter Russell</strong>, of the department of political science in the Faculty of Arts &amp; Science and principal of Senior College. “For people who for one reason or another don't get to university, it's a fabulous opportunity for them to have that experience in a university setting.”</p> <h3><a href="http://universityinthecommunity.ca/">Learn more about University in the Community</a></h3> <p>People come from all over the city to take the classes, many of whom are newcomers to Canada or immigrated long ago.</p> <p>“We are quite a United Nations,” says University in the Community student <strong>Nenke Jongkind</strong>.</p> <p>The courses have amassed a loyal following since they started in 2003.</p> <p>For Severino Centritto, who has participated in the program for 13 years, University in the Community has helped him stay fluent in English, fight fake news with critical thinking and speak more knowledgeably about issues that affect him.</p> <p>“It's a course without pressure and that is great because we learn more when we are not pressured,” he says.</p> <p>This year, students are learning about members of the 91łÔąĎ community who helped the university become a world-renowned academic institution&nbsp;– including Sir <strong>Frederick Banting</strong> and <strong>Charles Best</strong>, who co-discovered insulin, and trailblazing social historian <strong>Natalie Zemon Davis, </strong>a professor emerita in the department of history.</p> <h3><a href="/news/natalie-zemon-davis-receives-national-humanities-medal">Read more about Natalie Zemon Davis</a></h3> <p>“You see the banners on St. George with the names of people when you come into the university,” says <strong>Joanne Mackay-Bennett</strong>, University in the Community’s program co-ordinator. “You may recognize the names but you don't really know what they were known for or what they did.”</p> <p>On this particular evening, students learned about famed communications theorist and 91łÔąĎ professor <strong>Harold Innis</strong> and his wife, economic historian and dean of women at University College <strong>Mary Quayle Innis</strong>. They were joined by the Innises' daughter <strong>Anne Innis Dagg</strong>, who is a famed zoologist and is writing a biography about her mother, and John Bonnett, an associate professor at Brock University who wrote a book about Harold Innis.</p> <p>As an Innis scholar, teaching a class at Innis College, “was always on my bucket list,” says Bonnett.</p> <h3><a href="/news/teaching-community-u-t-brings-journalism-writing-expertise-regent-park-residents">Read about another 91łÔąĎ community teaching initiative in Regent Park</a></h3> <p>Innis Dagg was looking forward to telling the class about her mother, who often gets overshadowed by her father’s celebrity.</p> <p>“She was a completely amazing women,” says Innis Dagg.</p> <p>In return for sharing their expertise, professors and other guests learn a lot from students.</p> <p>“They are really interesting Canadians, interesting citizens of our city, having experiences and challenges that are interesting to hear about and discuss,” says Russell, a regular University in the Community speaker and a fan favourite.</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> Thu, 23 Nov 2017 16:45:38 +0000 Romi Levine 122771 at