UWindsor president Alan Wildeman announced today that Sandra Aversa will retire from the position of Vice-President, Planning and Administration, effective December 31, 2016. Aversa will then take on a new role of Special Advisor to the President, effective January 1, 2017. In this role, she will have continued oversight of the downtown campus development and will focus on other strategic initiatives.

“Sandra has had a significant impact on many of the University’s initiatives and has served the University exceptionally well,” Dr. Wildeman said. “I am pleased that Sandra will take on the role of Special Advisor and continue her dedication to the transformation of our campus.”

The search firm of Odgers Berndtson has been engaged and has begun work on the search for a new Vice-President, Planning and Administration.

A day dedicated to percussion will be an excellent opportunity for professional development, inspiration, and networking, says UWindsor music professor Nick Papador. President of the Ontario Percussive Arts Society, he will host its “Day of Percussion” in the Music Building on Sunday, May 15.

Among the activities planned for colleagues in the region as well as international guests are:

• a drum set class with the University of Michigan’s Jonathan Ovalle;
• a concert percussion class with Gerald Noble from the Dayton Philharmonic and Wright State University;
• a third clinic or workshop to be announced;
• an afternoon concert by professional and emerging performers from the region—Jaime Drake of the TorQ Percussion Quartet; Michael Schutz of McMaster University’s Music, Acoustics, Perception and Learning lab; the University of Windsor Percussion Ensemble; multipercussionist Michael Murphy; drummer, composer and bandleader Jay Boehmer; Dr. Papador, percussionist and educator; and more.

Admission is $20 general admission, $10 for students, and free for Percussive Arts Society members. More details will become available as the event approaches. For more information, e-mail Papador at papador@uwindsor.ca.

As of January 1, the Ontario Ombudsman has jurisdiction to take complaints about universities. Deputy ombudsman Barbara Finlay will discuss what this means for people who have concerns about the University of Windsor in a free public presentation on campus next week.

The Ontario Ombudsman’s office is a confidential, independent and impartial service which can resolve issues, provide referrals, cut through red tape or launch a full investigation when warranted.

Finlay will speak at 3:30 p.m. Thursday, May 12, in the CAW Student Centre Commons. RSVP by May 4 to student ombudsperson Kris McInnis at ombuds@uwindsor.ca.

It can be difficult to find a hockey game in Mexico, so Alan Cabrera Arellano’s family sometimes goes to a restaurant to watch the sport on television.

His visit to hockey’s homeland meant a special souvenir for Cabrera, who received a Lancer hockey jersey during a tour of UWindsor athletics facilities last week.

Cabrera is part of a group from Instituto Ovalle Monday, a school in Mexico City, in Windsor to study English at Academie Ste Cecile International School. A class had been discussing Canadian sports and asked recruitment officer Katia Benoit to arrange a meeting with varsity athletes and coaches.

The April 27 visit was a great success, Benoit says, “thanks to the generosity of Lancer athletics.”

The Lancer baseball team will compete in the National Club Baseball Association’s playoffs this weekend in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. The Windsor squad is seeded second in the District V playoff after capturing the east conference title with a 13-2 record in the regular season.

The regional competition runs May 6 to 8 in a double-elimination format. Read the full story on goLancers.ca.

Are you interested in mentoring first-year students in your academic program or faculty?

As a mentor, not only will you receive the satisfaction of helping first-year students transition to university, but you will also:

• build your Co-Curricular Transcript;
• gain volunteer experience; and
• receive a program certificate and tokens of appreciation throughout the year.

If you are interested in advising first-year students as a Connecting4Success mentor for the 2016-17 academic year, visit the program website at www.uwindsor.ca/c4s and fill out the online application located in the right-hand column. The deadline to apply is May 16.

Retired dean of science and biology professor Datta Pillay is one of three members of the local south Asian community who will be honoured at a banquet Friday celebrating the 30th anniversary of the South Asian Centre of Windsor.

Dr. Pillay has been named Professional of the Year; Gurbax Bhullar, co-owner of Bhullar Imports, is Entrepreneur of the Year; and 13-year old national chess master Rohan Talukdar is Youth of the Year.

“These awards recognize top individuals in the South Asian community who have accomplished something superior in their fields and made the South Asian community proud of their contributions to the society at large,” says the centre’s president, Sushil Jain.

The May 6 dinner offers an Indian meal, classical and modern dances, and a keynote address by Adrienne Batra, editor-in-chief of the Toronto Sun. It will begin at 6 p.m. at the Caboto Club, 2175 Parent Avenue. For tickets and more information, visit www.southasiancentre.ca.