The University of Windsor Alumni Association will bestow its Alumni Award for Distinguished Contributions to University Teaching on three professors during Spring Convocation ceremonies this week: Betty Barrett of women’s and gender studies in the School of Social Work, Tanya Noel of the Department of Integrative Biology, and Patti Millar of the Department of Kinesiology.

The award honours faculty members — nominated by colleagues, alumni, and students — as incentive and encouragement for achieving excellence in teaching and learning at the University of Windsor.

Dr. Barrett is being honoured for her commitment to student-engaged learning and community building. The association notes her impact extends beyond the usual classrooms. She established the Walls to Bridges program at the University and has recruited additional faculty members for training in the program, which brings together university students with incarcerated students to co-learn in a course offered inside the prison.

Barrett will receive her award at the 9:30 a.m. May 30 session of Convocation.

Dr. Noel’s colleagues acknowledge her as a leader in the teaching and learning field. Her approach engages students in an extensive dialogue, striving to keep her classes relevant, personal, and meaningful while offering a variety of ways to learn. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she became a source with knowledge and experience in creating activities for effective remote learning.

Noel will receive her award at the 6:30 p.m. May 30 session of Convocation.

Dr. Millar’s teaching philosophy holds that learning occurs through a collaborative process of sharing knowledge, and by discussing different and sometimes opposing ways of understanding that knowledge. She believes in creating an environment which encourages students to participate and contribute to their learning and the learning of their peers, to inspire enthusiasm surrounding the subject matter, and to navigate the varying strengths of students.

Millar will receive her award at the 9:30 a.m. June 2 session of Convocation.

Convocation celebrations run in 11 sessions May 30 to June 2 at the Toldo Lancer Centre; tune in to the livestream at convocation.uwindsor.ca.

When the campus community gathers June 1 to celebrate the start of Pride Month, it will be under a new banner.

A ceremony at 1:30 p.m. Thursday will raise the Progress Pride Flag on the western side of Chrysler Hall Tower.

The design broadens inclusion of 2SLGBTQIA+ communities. Building on the rainbow flag, it adds chevrons of black and brown to recognize the important contributions of Black and racialized people in the pride movement; of white, pink, and light blue to represent the trans community; and a purple circle representing the intersex community.

The flag-raising ceremony aligns with one of the University’s newly defined strategic priorities, says Joyceln Lorito of the UWindsor Pride Committee: “Creating and promoting programming that enables all members of the campus community to develop greater knowledge of equity, diversity, and inclusion; the skills necessary to work, learn, and lead together in a diverse world; and the awareness that change is everyone’s responsibility.”

She says organizers hope to see a large turnout of supporters for movement toward equity, diversity, and inclusion.

The UWinPride Committee is also organizing a series of online lunch-and-learn sessions for June; watch for more details as they are finalized. Learn more about UWindsor Pride on its website.

Leddy Library archivist Sarah Glassford has been honoured with the 2023 Emerging Leader Award from the Archives Association of Ontario.

Created in 2018, the award recognizes early-career archivists whose work and service demonstrate consistent growth, leadership, and promise to the archives profession in Ontario.

Dr. Glassford joined the Leddy Library, where she oversees the University Archives as well as Leddy Library’s Archives and Special Collections, in 2019. In addition to her role in stewarding university and community archival collections and rare books, she is also the liaison librarian for history and goes above and beyond to demonstrate her commitment to teaching archival literacy and promoting archives to students.

“Dr. Glassford makes tremendous effort to advocate for the role of the archives and to ensure our campus is engaged with the library’s archival collections,” said University librarian Selinda Berg. “She provides unique practicum placements for students, offers tours and presentations of collections and archival space, and gets involved with the Windsor-Essex County community through events, research projects, public talks, and media interviews.”

She recently partnered with Leddy Library’s Centre for Digital Scholarship and the Essex County Black Historical Research Society to co-supervise graduate student Willow Key, who researched and curated an exploration of Windsor’s McDougall Street neighbourhood in the “We Were Here: Documenting the McDougall Street Corridor” digital exhibit.

In addition, she is also collaborating with the Windsor-Essex Rainbow Alliance to produce a “Queer Life in Southwestern Ontario” digital exhibit which highlights LGBTQ+ history in Windsor-Essex and surrounding areas.

Glassford’s collaborative work, archival advocacy, professional service, mentoring of future professionals, and outreach initiatives are just a few of the accomplishments that have contributed to this recognition.

“We are thrilled to have Dr. Glassford as part of our Leddy Library team and we are eager to see the tremendous impact her work will have for the archival profession for years to come,” added Dr. Berg. “Please join us in congratulating Dr. Glassford on this achievement.”

More information on the Archives Association of Ontario and its awards is available on the association’s website.

—Marcie Demmans

The Employee Engagement Survey Action Group has identified a set of key actions to enhance the University’s workplace culture and employee experiences.

Drawing on the results of the University of Windsor’s first Employee Engagement Survey launched in March 2022, the group has clustered the emerging actions into four overarching drivers of engagement:

• growth and learning,
• meaning and impact,
• connection, and
• workplace culture.

“This survey was an opportunity to better understand our strengths as an employer and identify opportunities for improvement to create the conditions in the work environment that allow everyone to do their best and feel valued, supported, and included, which contributes to the University's success,” says Clinton Beckford, interim vice-president, equity, diversity, and inclusion.

“Creating a work environment that fosters engagement is a journey, not a quick fix.”

As part of this journey, the Employee Engagement Survey Action Group was established in the fall of 2022.

“The Employee Engagement Survey Action Group focused its work on the areas of need identified by TalentMap, the third-party Canadian-based consultant that administered the survey, which resulted in 21 key actions that the University could undertake to enhance the workplace culture and the employee experience, which have been posted on the survey website,” says Marcela Ciampa, director, organizational and leadership development.

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank the members of the action group for their commitment to this initiative and their service to the University.”

Direct inquiries to engagementsurvey@uwindsor.ca.

A project of the Enactus Windsor team earned a cash prize at the organization’s national exposition in Montreal, May 1 to 4.

Windsor joined 40 other institutions from across Canada in Montreal with the goal of presenting about the social, environmental, and economic entrepreneurship solutions they developed.

Enactus Windsor is a student-run non-profit organization supported by the Odette School of Business which aims to identify needs and solve problems in the local community through social entrepreneurship ventures.

The Windsor team made it to the semi-final round of the competition, presenting on three projects.

One of them, Youthrive, earned the position of first runner-up and a $3,000 grant from RBC Bank. The funds will be used to support the extension of the 10-week financial literacy and entrepreneurial program to more elementary and secondary schools in Windsor-Essex and surrounding regions.

The team also received support from Windsor Family Credit Union and Altairix.

—Sienna Ducharme

The team responsible for implementing Brightspace is seeking input about the implementation of the Learning Management System (LMS) from any faculty, staff, and students who have not yet shared their feedback by 4 p.m. Thursday, June 1. This opportunity allows users to contribute their insights to ensure that Brightspace and associated resources meet the needs of the University community — and gives respondents the chance to win a prize.

The voluntary online survey is estimated to take 10 to 15 minutes to complete. All survey responses will remain anonymous, ensuring the confidentiality of participants. Participants will have the option to enter a raffle for a chance to win one of 13 prizes, including VISA cards of $250, upon completing the survey.

The survey aims to evaluate the initial experiences of faculty, staff, and students with Brightspace during the Winter 2023 semester and the available resources that supported the transitions. The results will help shape future resources and initiatives.

The University of Windsor Research Ethics Board has designated this project exempt from ethical review, as information is being collected solely for assessment and planning purposes. This meets the criteria for exemption established in the TCPS 2.

For more information, visit the dedicated Brightspace project and resources webpages.

Today marks a milestone as the first-ever cohort of students graduate with their Master of Science in Translational Health Science (MSTHS) degrees in the Department of Biomedical Sciences.

Established just over a year ago, the program caters to graduate students with an interest in health-related careers or pursuing advanced degrees in health professions.

The success of the program can be attributed to the breakdown of silos and strong partnerships forged through WE-Spark Health Institute. These collaborations have provided students with invaluable experiential learning opportunities through 12-month placements with local clinicians and researchers. This hands-on experience equipped them with practical skills and knowledge essentials for their future careers.

The 22 graduates of the MSTHS program will embark on diverse career pathways, contributing to the betterment of healthcare in various domains. Notably, some graduates have secured careers in clinical trial management and administration at such institutions as the Hospital for Sick Children and Henry Ford Hospital, playing crucial roles in improving patient outcomes.

Others have been accepted into professional schools, encompassing medicine and dentistry to contribute to medical progress. Complementing these pathways, select graduates have elected to pursue industry-oriented paths to advance knowledge and drive scientific discoveries. One of the graduates, Genesis Flores, has secured a position as the Knowledge Translation Research Associate with the WE-Spark Health Institute, where she will play an important role in enhancing the accessibility of health research to the public.

The achievements of these graduates exemplify the program’s dedication to providing a comprehensive education and exceptional professional development opportunities, empowering graduates with the skills and confidence necessary to excel in their chosen health related careers.

One of the program’s graduates, Ryan Palazzolo, shared his experience: “the MSTHS program is perfect for anyone seeking to gain healthcare research experience, network with professionals, and develop essential skills.”

Another graduate, Waffa Bakheet, expressed her gratitude in the program, stating “the professors played a pivotal role in creating a welcoming and supportive environment tailored to our individual career interests and goals.”

Andrew Hubberstey, head of the Department of Biomedical Sciences, congratulates the members of the inaugural class for their dedication and commitment, crucial to the program’s success. He thanks the clinical professors for their guidance and mentorship. Dr. Hubberstey also acknowledges program co-ordinator Martin Crozier’s exceptional contributions and visionary leadership in ensuring the program’s triumph and student’s remarkable achievements, which has attracted a record number of applications for the program’s second cohort.

The idea to create the MSTHS degree originated several years ago from Lisa Porter, executive director of the WE-Spark Health Institute and University of Windsor distinguished professor, and Caroline Hamm, oncologist at Windsor Regional Hospital.

“What a tremendous first year,” says Dr. Porter. “The calibre of students and the research that they were able to drive forward was nothing short of outstanding. We applaud Dr. Martin Crozier for his hard work and amazing leadership of this program. Congratulations to the first cohort in the Master of Science in MSTHS degree; you have made us all proud.”

Prospective students looking to enroll for the May 2024 cohort can visit the program site to learn more about its objectives, admission, requirements, and how to apply.

WE-Spark Health Institute is a partnership between the University of Windsor, Erie Shores Healthcare, Hôtel-Dieu Grace Health Care, St. Clair College, and Windsor Regional Hospital designed to elevate health research excellence across Windsor-Essex.

WE-Spark Health Institute hosts monthly networking events for members of the Windsor-Essex health research community to get to know one another through fun and casual conversations. There is no formal agenda, and all are welcome.