The University of Windsor Alumni Sports Hall of Fame will induct five standouts in a ceremony Nov. 24.

Lancer athlete inductees this year include runner Tracy Higgs (BHK 1996), football player Damian Porter (BA 2001), hockey forward Jordie Preston (BA 2007), basketball forward Greg Surmacz (BHK 2022), and volleyball star Kyle Williamson (BA 2016).

In addition, the 2014 Queen’s Cup champion men’s hockey team will receive the Team Achievement award.

Higgs, a women’s track and field athlete, was a two-time national gold medallist in the 60 metre hurdles and 4x200 m relay. She competed on five national championship teams throughout her career and captained the Lancer squad for four seasons.

Porter received the Olympic Shield as the University of Windsor’s male athlete of the year for his outstanding play on the defensive side for the Lancers. He was a two-time all-Canadian and a three-time Ontario University Athletics all-star.

Preston is one of the men’s hockey program’s most decorated players. He was named an all-Canadian and an OUA all-star throughout his university career. He earned OUA player of the year honours in 2007 after leading the country in scoring.

Surmacz was a two-time all-Canadian, three-time OUA all-star, and most valuable player in OUA men’s basketball. He received the Olympic Shield as Lancer male athlete of the year and helped lead his team to a provincial championship and a national tournament berth in 2007.

Williamson was the first player in Lancer men’s volleyball history to earn all-Canadian status, which he accomplished twice. He was the OUA men’s volleyball player of the year in 2011, a three-time OUA all-star, and received the Olympic Shield as Lancer male athlete of the year.

The 2013-14 Lancer men’s hockey team captured the Queen’s Cup for only the second time in school history, and the first since 1997-98.

The induction celebration is set for 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 24, in the Alumni Auditorium, CAW Student Centre. Seating is limited, so register no later than Wednesday, Nov. 20. Find more information and a registration link on the alumni association website.

Kimberley Medeiros’s career trajectory has been anything but linear. With a dream of becoming a teacher, she never imagined that earning a master’s degree in education would take her from the classroom to the boardroom.

Starting as a substitute teacher with the Windsor Essex Catholic District School Board, Medeiros secured a long-term placement teaching high school English before specializing in elementary special education.

Hoping to “open new doors” in her career, she enrolled in the course-based Master of Education program at the University of Windsor, focusing on curriculum development.

“I felt like it could be manageable while working full-time and help open doors for me within the teaching profession,” Medeiros reflected.

While completing her studies, she was inspired by her professors to consider roles beyond the traditional classroom setting.

“A lot of teachers and educators don’t necessarily know how many career opportunities await them outside of the classroom,” she noted.

Graduating just three weeks before the birth of her first child, Medeiros relocated to Toronto, where she worked for the Toronto Catholic District School Board, focusing on students with autism. It was here that she discovered the Build Our Kids’ Success (BOKS) program, which aimed to engage students through physical activity.

“One student I worked with was extremely active and was better able to learn and socialize when he was active in the mornings,” she explained.

“I began searching for resources and soon discovered BOKS — a partnership between Reebok, the Public Health Agency of Canada, and the CFL that provided free physical activity resources to schools to get kids active. It was perfect for my student as it was focused on movement, not sports.”

Recognizing the program’s impact, Medeiros integrated it into her classroom and subsequently reached out to Reebok to explore employment opportunities.

“I was really excited at the idea of joining the corporate world, especially in a role focused on outreach to schools across the country.”

Transitioning from teaching to the corporate sector was a significant leap, but Medeiros was able to use her curriculum development skills and knowledge to help modify and improve the existing BOKS curriculum to meet Canadian standards.

“It was really rewarding to be able to leverage my knowledge and skillset in such a tangible way.”

What began as a one-year contract turned into eight years, three promotions, and countless learning experiences.

In 2022, after Reebok was sold and BOKS disbanded in Canada, Medeiros secured a contract with Tennis Canada, helping to launch its Gender Equity in Sport Strategy.

Today, as director of community, government relations, and corporate citizenship at Woodbine Entertainment, Medeiros blends her educational background with a passion for community engagement and corporate responsibility.

Reflecting on her time at the University of Windsor, Medeiros emphasizes the lasting impression of her experience.

“The focus on innovation, collaboration, and creativity in the Master of Education program teaches transferrable soft skills that are valuable anywhere,” she said.

“To be honest, the boardroom is not that different from the classroom sometimes! I still focus on creating creative solutions to challenges, and I’m not afraid to admit when something isn’t working.”

Medeiros’ commitment to her own growth and education is part of what has allowed her to embrace adventurous career choices and set her apart in the job market.

Her latest project involves the revitalization of Woodbine’s Community Garden, where a local non-profit educates aspiring farmers traditionally excluded from agriculture due to race, gender, or socio-economic status. The farmers cultivate the land and donate hundreds of pounds of fresh vegetables to local racetrack employees, helping combat food insecurity.

“Myself and my colleagues now use our lunch hours and volunteer in the garden. It is extremely rewarding to see work like this come to fruition,” Medeiros said.

Monte McNaughton, Woodbine Entertainment’s executive vice-president of industry relations and people experience, describes Medeiros as a leader.

“Her commitment to our community is demonstrated every day,” he said. “She helps lead the Woodbine Cares Community Garden initiative, which is Canada's largest corporate community garden. This project — and a winter food program for our backstretch workers — is just a few examples of Kimberley giving back. She leads by example, and in turn, inspires others at Woodbine to do the same.”

Over Reading Week, Oct. 11 to 18, a social entrepreneurship class led by Odette School of Business professor Kent Walker visited Costa Rica to gain a hands-on understanding of eco-tourism.

The group visited two social enterprises: Wellness Park, an eco-lodge and nature reserve, and Two Little Monkeys, an ethically sourced craft chocolate company. Through research and analysis, students provided suggestions to the enterprises to help find solutions for real business problems they are facing.

“It was wonderful to see our senior Odette students care so much about the work they were doing as they sought to share their business expertise while demonstrating care for the environment and the Costa Rican people and culture,” says Dr. Walker. “The feedback from the small business owners was that it would dramatically impact their businesses and possibly lives.”

Students also had the opportunity to tour San José and Poás Volcano National Park, visit waterfalls, and hike in the rainforest.

Norma Nizam, a fourth-year business student specializing in accounting, reflected on her experience visiting Costa Rica and working with the local businesses.

“I am so incredibly grateful and honoured to have represented the Odette School of Business with this opportunity to build on my strategic and critical thinking skills,” she says.

Students received scholarships from the University of Windsor’s Go Global STEPs program to participate in this opportunity. Go Global STEPs is a Global Skills Opportunity project funded by Employment and Social Development Canada and jointly administered by Universities Canada and Colleges and Institutes Canada. The trip was also sponsored by the Odette School of Business.

Members of the campus community are reminded to register for UWindsor Alert to receive notification by text messaging, voice calls, and email in the event of a major incident.

The system provides registrants with an additional layer of security and protection in incident response, in conjunction with existing notification methods.

A test of its operation will occur in the coming weeks, so now is the right time to register, enabling officials communicate with you in the event of an emergency. Learn more and sign up on the program website.

A series of talks intended to foster community engagement and promote discussion exploring the future of Windsor's proposed National Urban Park will launch Thursday with a session at the Ojibway Nature Centre.

The “Parks Talks” series, led by principal investigators of the University of Windsor National Urban Park Hub, Catherine Febria, Clint Jacobs, and Anneke Smit, will bring together leading voices in environmental conservation, Indigenous stewardship, and urban development for conversation about the program.

The Nov. 7 event, “Elevating Indigenous Co-Governance and Leadership in Urban Parks: Possibilities, Challenges, and Pathways,” will feature speakers Clint Jacobs of the Indigenous Knowledge Table, Faisal Moola of the University of Guelph, and Allison Bishop of the Conservation Through Reconciliation Partnership at 7 p.m. in Ojibway Park at 5200 Matchett Rd.

Future entries in the series include:

• Anneke Smit, Rachel Felder, Grace Kim, and Ali Mokdad speaking on “Pathways to Nature: Equity, Access, and Inclusion around Windsor’s National Urban Park” at 7 p.m. Nov. 19 at Budimir Library, 1310 Grand Marais Rd. West, and
• Catherine Febria, Jacobs, Karen Cedar, and Karen Alexander addressing “Responsibility, Reciprocity, Relationality and Windsor’s National Urban Park” at 7 p.m. Nov. 26 at Riverside Library, 6305 Wyandotte St. East.

“This series is an opportunity to deepen our collective understanding of the environmental, social, and cultural dimensions that are key to creating an inclusive and sustainable urban park for future generations,” Dr. Smit says.

“This is your chance to gain valuable insights into the development of the National Urban Park in Windsor and to participate in meaningful dialogue that will shape the future of our community.”

Reserve a spot by registering at https://forms.office.com/r/h8imuXraDh.

Work is rapidly changing, making it challenging to keep up with emerging trends.

The Department of Continuing Education is committed to supporting our UWindsor community and the broader Windsor-Essex area by offering open-to-all training. A two-hour workshop on Nov. 13 will introduce learners to ethical considerations in GenAI, skills in prompt creation, and techniques for working with generated texts.

Nursing professor Sebastian Gyamfi, a past workshop participant, shared that the AI in Action workshop helped to “dispel some negative preconceptions and provided an understanding of some basic principles of AI, including ways professors could enhance teaching, learning, and student research output using personalized tools.”

The course fee is $69 + HST. It will take place Wednesday, Nov. 13, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. via an online classroom. UWindsor staff, students, alumni, and Hire UWindsor partners are eligible for a discount.

For more information and to register, visit the Continuing Education website.

The University will hold a ceremonial observance of Remembrance Day on Monday, Nov. 11. The program will begin at 10:45 a.m. outside the front entrance to Memorial Hall and will feature readings and music.

The Office of Human Resources has made provision for non-essential employees to attend the ceremony, which is expected to last no longer than 40 minutes. In particular, anyone on campus who has served in the military is especially welcome to attend.

The campus community is invited to a town hall meeting from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 13, in the CAW Student Centre’s Alumni Auditorium. The meeting will provide attendees with an update on the University’s financial planning.

The event will include a question-and-answer session with the audience. To submit a question for consideration in advance, use the online submission form.

This in-person event is open to all members of the campus community. A video recording of the presentation will be available at a later date for those who cannot attend.

Lancer basketball teams will play their first home games of the 2024-25 campaign this weekend, taking on the Lakehead Thunderwolves at the Toldo Lancer Centre on Friday, Nov. 8, and the McMaster Marauders on Saturday, Nov. 9. The women will tip off Friday at 6 p.m. and the men at 8 p.m. Saturday, the women play at 4 p.m. and the men at 6 p.m.

Blue and gold merchandise will be available for sale at the basketball games on Friday night for any fans looking for gear or an early start on their Christmas shopping.

The men’s hockey team is also in action at home this weekend, taking on the Waterloo Warriors at 7:30 p.m. Friday and the Laurier Golden Hawks at 4 p.m. Saturday at the Capri Pizzeria Recreation Complex.

Lancer volleyball will head up to Kingston for a doubleheader against the Queen’s Gaels, women’s hockey heads to Toronto to face off against the York Lions on Sunday, and members of the cross country team compete at the national championship on Saturday in Kelowna, British Columbia.

All games can be seen live on oua.tv or stay tuned to @WindsorLancers on X and Instagram for updates throughout the weekend.