When UWindsor students reach out to touch alumni, Shae Kavanaugh hopes they take the call.

The two-time UWindsor graduate (BA 2010, JD 2013) now heads up the Alumni and Friends Phonathon in her role as coordinator of the Annual Giving Program. Student canvassers will begin placing calls Sunday, February 28, in what she terms a key opportunity to connect with grads.

“I understand the importance of the support we get from our alumni and other donors,” says Kavanaugh. “When I was a student myself, I received scholarships that allowed me to concentrate on my studies. That’s why I am now so passionate about raising the funds that can help our students find success.”

Contributions to the program are key to giving students access to post-secondary education, including the state-of-the-art facilities and resources that prepare them for rewarding careers.

“The University of Windsor could not provide the wonderful learning experiences it does without the support of our generous donors,” Kavanaugh says. “Our current students are eager to share their stories with past students, and those continuing connections are at the heart of what we do.”

Teams of students will take to phones evenings from Sunday to Thursday.

Love, longing, remembrance—songs that evoke these emotions are timeless. A recital Sunday will present eternal love songs by Alessandro Scarlatti, Ludwig van Beethoven, Gabriel Fauré, Peter Tchaikovsky and Ralph Vaughan Williams sung by tenor Brian Pfaltzgraff accompanied by his wife pianist Carita Pfaltzgraff.

Sunday’s program is entitled “Jeder Atemzug für Dich: A Musical Realization of Goethe’s Willkommen und Abschied.” The 1771 poem—translated in English as Welcome and Farewell—dates to the proto-Romantic period of Germany’s greatest writer.

“In an era when constant, global communication is facilitated by Facebook and cellphones, the sentiment in Willkommen und Abschied feels as immediate now as when Johann Wolfgang von Goethe meditated on his abiding love for Friederika Brion von Sessenheim,” says Brian Pfaltzgraff. “Separation and time do nothing to ameliorate the intense burst of emotion that accompanies the most meaningful relationships of our lives: some people remain a part of us forever.”

Find full program details on the event webpage.

An associate professor of voice at Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa, he has performed over 30 leading operatic roles and an even wider range of concert works. Carita Pfaltzgraff joined the college’s music faculty in 2008 as a private voice instructor.

Their recital will begin at 2:30 p.m. February 28 in the Heritage Room, Assumption Hall. Tickets are $15, with a student rate of $5. Order by phone at 519-253-3000, ext. 4212, or purchase online at http://web2.uwindsor.ca/music/tickets/. Tickets are also available at the door.

The Lancer track and field team will have the home venue advantage for the Ontario University Athletics championship meet, February 26 and 27 in the St. Denis Centre.

Heading into the weekend, the Lancer men are atop the Canadian Interuniversity Sport rankings and the women sit strong in seventh. All the action can be seen live at www.oua.tv starting on Friday at 3 p.m. and at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday. Find a complete schedule of events, from pentathlon to pole vault, on the program website.

The women’s volleyball team will open its playoff campaign Friday in Hamilton against the McMaster Marauders. Game time is set for 6:30 p.m. Fans can catch the game live on www.oua.tv.

The basketball teams will close out their regular season at home in thunderous fashion, with games in the St. Denis Centre against the Lakehead Thunderwolves on Saturday and the Algoma Thunderbirds on Sunday.

The women’s squad is currently tied for first in the OUA West with a 13-5 record. Prior to the 6:30 p.m. tip-off of Saturday’s game, the team will honour graduating senior Anna Mullins. Sunday’s game will begin at 2 p.m.

The men will look to extend their seven-game winning streak that has brought them to 12-6 and the divisional lead. The Lancers will recognize graduating seniors Alex Campbell and Kahame Msiska before Saturday’s contest at 8:30 p.m. Sunday’s game has a 4 p.m. tip-off time.

Read a full preview of the weekend’s action at goLancers.ca.

Food and Catering Services is offering a class next month to train attendees in the Japanese art of making sushi rolls.

Executive chef Paolo Vasapolli and sous chef Drew Verdam will team with sushi chef Brian Fung to teach the class, which will offer hands-on instruction in four types of sushi rolls, as well as a sampling of sake and specialty teas.

It’s set for 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, March 10, in the University Club room, Vanier Hall.

Tickets are $30 and space is limited; purchase them in advance from the catering office, room 12, Vanier Hall: cash only, please. For more information, phone 519-253-3000, ext. 3395 or 3273.

Accreditation by the Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing is a testament to the continued quality of the UWindsor BScN program and its faculty, students and graduates, says dean Linda Patrick.

The association issued the maximum seven-year term accreditation for the UWindsor educational unit, as well as its collaborative BScN program with Lambton and St. Clair colleges.

“Thank you to everyone who worked so hard to ensure the accreditation process was a success,” Dr. Patrick said in a message to instructors, students and staff. “We can now celebrate this huge achievement.”

The Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing is the national accrediting body for nursing education in Canada. It promotes the process as an objective method to assess professional education programs.