School of Creative Arts students and alumni will take to Maiden Lane on Saturday, July 16, for an afternoon of free public performances sponsored by the Downtown Windsor Business Improvement Association.

Music and Drama with the University of Windsor will feature activities from 3 to 9 p.m. as part of the Afternoons in the Alley series:

• free face painting and balloon animals by music alumnus Ted Hogan;
• the Creepy Crawlies puppet show and improvisational drama games by drama alumni Justin Caruana and Allie Miner;
• pop and rock by music students Rachel Loerts and Rob  Haynes;
• a series of short plays by acting grads Marina Gomes, Billy Chandler and Kai Novak; and
• a blues open jam and jazz performance by the Coffee House Combo, including music majors Austin Di Pietro and Sebastian Bachmeier.

Find a full schedule on the event Facebook page.

Standout performances at the Canadian track and field Olympic Trials over the weekend in Edmonton have earned two Lancer alumnae places on the country’s roster for Rio.

Athletics Canada nominated UWindsor grads Melissa Bishop (BHK 2010, B.Ed 2011) and Noelle Montcalm (BScN 2012) among the 65 athletes to represent Team Canada in athletics at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games from August 5 to 21.

Bishop set a Canadian championship record of 1:59.32 to win the 800m race; Montcalm claimed gold in the 400m hurdles with a time of 55.83. Read the full story, “Bishop, Montcalm qualify for Rio Olympics” at goLancers.ca.

Team Canada’s chef de mission, Curt Harnett, wished the athletes the best in their preparations for Olympic competition.

“The recent results of these nominees is very good reason for Canada to be excited about track and field,” he said. “This group continues to grow and I’m excited to see what they will bring to Rio.”

Noelle Montcalm took the top spot in the 400m hurdles at the Canadian Olympic Trials, earning the right to represent her country in the event at the Rio Games in August.

A master’s degree in sport management from the University of Windsor can be considered one of the best in the world, placing among the top 10 programs in this year’s Postgraduate Sports Course Rankings by SportBusiness International.

UWindsor’s Master of Human Kinetics in Sport Management program has been in the top 25 since the rankings were established in 2012, with this year’s ninth position earned through favourable class sizes, employment within three months of graduation, and student satisfaction. As in all previous years, UWindsor was the only Canadian school to make the grade.

“Our students come from all parts of Canada—we have students from as far away as British Columbia and Nova Scotia—as well as abroad,” says Jess Dixon, kinesiology professor and sport management program graduate.

“We currently have a student from Germany and have had students from China, Japan, New Zealand, Belgium and Ghana, among other countries. We believe this diversity of backgrounds and opinions helps to provide students with a broader base of understanding for how sport is managed in different parts of the country, but also on a global scale.”

Dr. Dixon says that while favourable post-graduation employment rates are considered for the survey, UWindsor also performs well in numbers of students who pursue a PhD following their completion of the master’s program.

“My pursuit of a doctorate in sport management undoubtedly stems from my master’s experience at UWindsor,” says Michael Naraine, a PhD candidate and part-time faculty member in the University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Health Sciences.

He says he was impressed with the ways in which the UWindsor program embraces innovation in research, enabling students to develop their own agenda while learning from an eclectic group of experts.

“I was encouraged to engage in collaborative efforts with peers and faculty members, guest lecture in undergraduate classes, and attend conferences to present research and build a network of contacts,” Naraine says. “The program also instilled the importance of student-focused teaching and learning, and service to the community—key values I have brought with me on my current endeavour. I am cognizant of the vast network of sport management alumni who have become leading experts in the field, a testament to the success of the program at UWindsor.”

Michael Khan, dean of the Faculty of Human Kinetics, says preparing graduates for success is the top priority for instructors.

“Congratulations to our team for this tremendous achievement,” he says. “These rankings reflect the hard work and dedication of our professors and staff towards this goal.”

Deep discounts on several books about Windsor may pose a difficult choice for readers, but a simple solution is at hand, says Martin Deck, marketing coordinator for the Campus Bookstore: “Buy them all.”

The store has reduced the price of five local works:

Rev E.C. LeBel and the Creation of the University of Windsor by George McMahon follows the first president of the University as he shepherds it from a Roman Catholic institution to a public secular school. Originally priced at $56.95, now $9.99.

A Show of Hands: Boxing on the Border by Marty Gervais pays tribute to the intensity and dreams of young boxers through photos and text excerpted from journals kept by the subjects. Originally priced at $25, now $7.99.

My Town: Faces of Windsor by Marty Gervais brings together more than 70 snapshots of the people and places that have called Windsor home. The author has sought them out and made their stories his own. Originally priced at $19.99, now $5.99.

Sculpture by the River: a Museum without Walls by Patricia and Lou Odette features photographs of artworks from the riverfront Odette Sculpture Park. Originally priced at $19.99, now $5.99.

Bob Monks’ History of Windsor touches on both major and seemingly insignificant aspects of the city with the trademark charm of the late cartoonist and community chronicler. Originally priced at $16, now $4.99.

“At these prices, you’ll want more than one of these books,” Deck says. “Buying all five will save you more than $100 off the total list prices!”