On Wednesday, April 15, 2009, a reception was held to celebrate the establishment of the Mary Lou Dietz Equity Leadership Award, commemorating her contributions to the cause of employment equity at the University of Windsor.
Dr. Kathleen McCrone, Acting Provost and Vice-President, Academic and Dr. Janice Drakich, Director, Office of Faculty Recruitment and Retention (2009), unveil the plaque that will list winners of the annual Mary Lou Dietz Leadership in Equity Award.
The award was established by the association's Committee on the Status of Women to honour sociology professor Dr. Mary Lou Dietz, who died in December 2008. In her career at the University of Windsor, which ran 1967 to 1997, she served as head of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Coordinator of Religious Studies, and Director of the School of Social Work. Mary Lou pioneered many of the rights that women faculty enjoy today. She had many contributions to the advancement of women in Canadian universities and colleges.
The plaque will be displayed in the offices of the Windsor University Faculty Association in recognition of members demonstrating leadership in creating an equity culture on campus. The first recipient will be named in Spring 2010.
Nominations
The Windsor University Faculty Association's Status of Women, Diversity, and Equity Action Committee accepts nominations for the Mary Lou Dietz Equity Leadership Award.
The recipient will be a member of the faculty association who demonstrates the spirit of equity leadership by:
- public advocacy on equity;
- leadership in recruiting and mentoring diverse candidates and colleagues;
- scholarly work, including paper presentations, lectures, or publications on equity;
- service on equity committees;
- innovative strategies for creating a climate of equity on campus;
- service to the faculty association in the area of employment equity and human rights;
- providing mentorship, guidance, and support to students;
- excellence in teaching and innovative curriculum design to further the cause of employment equity and diversity.
Nominations must include the nominee's name and credentials, as well as a single page outlining the nominee’s accomplishments and contributions, addressing the criteria set out above, and should be e-mailed to wufa@uwindsor.ca as an MS-Word document by March 1. Review the WUFA site for more information on the award.
Recipients
2010: Dr. Emily Carasco (Law)
Law professor Emily Carasco was honoured as the first recipient of the Mary Lou Dietz Equity Leadership Award from the Windsor University Faculty Association's Status of Women, Diversity, and Equity Action Committee. Dr. Carasco has served as the University's human rights commissioner and on a number of campus equity committees, as well as the Canadian Bar Association for Ontario’s Gender Issues Committee, the Human Rights Code Review Advisory Committee for Ontario, and the Ontario Judicial Appointments Advisory Committee.
2011: Dr. Margery J. Holman (Kinesiology)
Dr. Holman has a long record as a leader, advocate, mentor and pioneer for equity at the University of Windsor and in sport. She created the University's first Employment Equity Office and worked on its first sexual harassment policy. She served as the inaugural faculty association representative on the Review Committee on Employment Equity and has served as an equity assessor since the start of this program.
She founded Leadership Advancement for Women in Sport (LAWS); was an invited member of a working group of the International Olympic Committee to develop a Consensus Statement on Sexual Harassment and Abuse in Sport; and has received a Trillium grant to create an Essex County network to increase women's involvement with sport.
The Employment Equity Award recognizes an individual's outstanding contribution to the Employment Equity Program. Equity assessors help to ensure fairness in faculty appointments, and promotion, tenure and renewal (PTR) decisions.
Recipients
2009: Dr. Janice Drakich (Sociology)
Sociology professor Janice Drakich received the 2009 Employment Equity Award at the 21st Anniversary of Employment Equity reception held on November 30, 2009 celebrating the work of employment equity assessors.
The award recognizes an individual's outstanding contribution to the Employment Equity Program. Equity assessors help to ensure fairness in faculty appointments, and promotion, tenure and renewal (PTR) decisions. Dr. Drakich volunteered as an employment equity / procedures assessor participating on many appointments, search and renewal, tenure and promotion committees. Dr. Drakich also served as the Chair of the Presidential Commission on Employment Equity (PCEE) over the past 10 years.
2005: Dr. Vladimir Bajic (Economics)
Dr. Bajic volunteered as an employment equity/procedures assessor in 2002, and has served on committees in business; communication studies; education; languages, literatures and cultures; and nursing.
2004: Ms. Leila Wallenius (Leddy Library)
Ms. Wallenius volunteered to be an equity assessor in 2002. Since then, she has served as an equity assessor on 29 Appointments and PTR committees in Civil Engineering; Electrical Engineering; Social Work; Mechanical Engineering; Industrial Engineering; and Nursing.
Leila Wallenius is Head of Reference Services at Leddy Library. She is responsible for coordinating reference services which includes managing a staff of four Library Assistants, plus student and Library Science Co-op student employees. Leila serves as library liaison for the Faculty of Engineering, providing them with Collection service and Information Literacy Skills training, especially for fourth year and graduate students. Leila is active in the Library Community, she is Director-at-Large for the College and University Libraries division of the Canadian Library Association, and on top of this she is Counsel president of l’ecole l’Envolee, where her daughter attends.
2001: Dr. Margery Holman (Kinesiology)
Congratulating Professor Holman, University of Windsor President Dr. Ross Paul said she personifies quiet leadership. He noted that she has served on search committees in most every area of the university, including for the appointment of the Dean of Business.
Dean of Human Kinetics James Weese adds that Marge has made immense contributions to championing equity practices in the Faculty of Human Kinetics as well as the sport and recreation programs on local, provincial and national scales. Dr. Holman has developed an international reputation in the area of gender issues in sport and physical activity. She has written and presented in the area, including a section of her new book that was recently published. She has received external funds to support research studies in the areas of sport and media in domestic violence, women in sport leadership and equity issues within sport and physical activity programs.
2000: Don Thomas
1999: Diana Mady Kelly
1998: Anne Forrest
1997: Mary Lou Dietz
1996: Lois Smedick
1995: Pamela Milne