Special Honours Conferred by External Agencies

In 2019, Dr. Iain Baxter&, UWindsor Professor Emeritus of the School of Creative Arts, was promoted to Companion of the Order of Canada, the Order’s highest rank. Dr. Baxter& is recognized as one of Canada’s first conceptual artists and among the most accomplished living artists in the country. His promotion to Companion of the Order of Canada was conferred in recognition of his prolific career and lasting contributions that continue to define Canadian contemporary art.

The Order of Canada recognizes individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to the nation, enriched the lives of others, and made Canada a better place through outstanding contributions to their field. Membership of the Order of Canada is considered one of Canada’s highest honours.

In 2019, Dr. Julie Macfarlane, Professor Emeritus of the Faculty of Law, was inducted as a Member of the Order of Canada. Dr. Macfarlane is committed to making access to justice affordable for all. Her activism has resulted in a paradigm shift for the courts. Notably, as founder of the National Self-Represented Litigant Project, she has inspired debate on self-representation and provided invaluable services, resources and education tools to individuals confronting the judicial system. A professor of law and a distinguished university professor at the University of Windsor for more than 25 years, she is also esteemed for her writing on sexual violence and her advocacy for survivors, as well as for her study of Islamic divorce.

The Order of Canada recognizes individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to the nation, enriched the lives of others, and made Canada a better place through outstanding contributions to their field. Membership of the Order of Canada is considered one of Canada’s highest honours.

In 2020, Dr. Hoda ElMaraghy of the Department of Mechanical, Automotive and Materials Engineering was inducted as a Member of the Order of Canada in recognition of the impact of her contributions to mechanical engineering and her work in advancing manufacturing systems in Canada and abroad.

The Order of Canada recognizes individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to the nation, enriched the lives of others, and made Canada a better place through outstanding contributions to their field. Membership of the Order of Canada is considered one of Canada’s highest honours.

Dr. ElMaraghy was one of only two women engineers appointed on November, 27, 2020. Since its inception on April 17, 1967 by her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, 7,326 people have received the Order of Canada. The first woman engineer was appointed in 2002, and the total number of women engineers as of 2021 is 12 (0.16%).

In 2019, Jonathan Wu of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering was inducted as a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering, which brings together the nation’s most distinguished and experienced engineers to provide strategic advice on matters of critical importance to Canada. Dr. Wu is recognized as a world-leading expert in the field of computer vision and machine learning who has developed systems for a wide variety of real-world applications.

In 2019, Dr. Ram Balachandar of the Departments of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Mechanical, Automotive, and Materials Engineering received the Camille A. Dagenais lifetime achievement award from the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering in recognition of his outstanding career contributions to the development and practice of hydrotechnical engineering in Canada. Dr. Balachandar’s research focussing on channel flows, fluid-structure interaction, and scour has resulted in significantly improved and sustainable design equations.

In 2020, the Government of Ontario awarded Professor David Tanovich of the Faculty of Law the David Walter Mundell Medal for excellence in legal writing. Professor Tanovich is a recognized expert in the fields of criminal law, legal ethics, and systemic bias in the criminal justice system.

The Mundell Medal, which honours those who have made distinguished contributions to law and letters, is awarded annually by the Attorney General on the recommendation of the Chief Justice of Ontario to a legal writer whose literary craftsmanship and clarity of expression work together to make legal ideas come alive.

The Chief Justice of Ontario said of Professor Tanovich that his “critical race scholarship challenges us to examine systemic bias and urges us to work towards more equitable solutions”.

In 2020, Dr. Waguih ElMaraghy of the Department of Mechanical, Automotive, and Materials Engineering received the Professional Engineers Ontario Oder of Honour at the Member level. The Order of Honour recognizes those PEO volunteers, including both professional engineers and others, who have made valuable contributions to the engineering profession.

Dr. ElMaraghy is a long-standing PEO volunteer, with service on the Academic Requirements Committee (ARC) since 1989. As the current ARC vice chair and chair of the Distance Education subcommittee, he has been developing guidelines and criteria for evaluating the credentials that applicants acquire through distance education courses/programs. In addition, Dr. ElMaraghy has volunteered with the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board (CEAB) and the Canadian Engineering Qualification Board (CEQB), and participated in many engineering programs accreditation committees, visits and meetings. He is currently a member of the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board.

Admission to the Order is the association’s highest form of recognition. Induction recognizes Dr. ElMaraghy’s substantial and long-lasting contributions to the engineering profession in Canada and beyond.

In 2020, Dr. Rupp Carriveau of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering was the recipient of the Canada Clean50 award in recognition of his status as a Canadian leader in sustainability and his contributions to the advancement of the nation’s energy economy. The Clean50 awards are conferred annual to thought leaders, advocates, and sustainability leaders in industry, academia, and government. In particular, Dr. Carriveau was recognized for the Climate Led Energy Evolution Network 2040 (CLEEN2040) that he established to increase awareness of operational, financial, and environmental opportunities for optimization of Canada’s energy economy.

In 2020, English and Creative writing Professor, Dr. Sandra Muse Isaacs, received the Thomas Wolfe Memorial Literary Award from the Western North Carolina Historical Association for her book, Eastern Cherokee Stories: A Living Oral Tradition and its Cultural Continuance. The award-winning book explores oral tradition, explaining how contemporary storytelling in this tradition is instrumental in the continuity of Cherokee identity and culture. The award is conferred annually for a publication that focuses special attention on Western North Carolina.

In 2020, Dr. Dana Ménard of the Department of Psychology received the Consumer Book Award from the Society for Sex Therapy and Research for Magnificent Sex: Lessons from Extraordinary Lovers. The Consumer Book Award recognizes the best book of the year for lay readers that contributes to the understanding of human sexuality and/or sexual problems. Magnificent Sex, which is based on the largest, in-depth interview study ever conducted with people who self-identify as having extraordinary sex, offers the reader accessible and attainable expert advice on improving sex and intimacy. In addition to its exploration of the myths and realities of exceptional sex, Magnificent Sex looks at a variety of factors, including empathetic communication and individual and relational qualities. Magnificent Sex has realized tremendous success and is now being translated into Spanish for the Latin American market.

In 2019, Professor Nick Hector of the School of Creative Arts / Communication, Media, and Film was the recipient of the Canadian Cinema Editors Best Editing in a Feature Documentary Award for his work on Sharkwater Extinction, a film that he produced and edited that exposes the illegal fishing industry and the threat it poses to sharks internationally.

The Canadian Cinema Editors is among the most prestigious film industry bodies in Canada.

In 2020, Professor Nick Hector of the School of Creative Arts / Communication, Media, and Film was the recipient of the Canadian Cinema Editors Best Editing in a Feature Documentary Award for his editing of the film, Prey. The highly acclaimed documentary chronicles the efforts of a sexual abuse survivor to seek justice in his court battle with the Catholic Church.

The Canadian Cinema Editors is among the most prestigious film industry bodies in Canada.

The documentary, Prey, co-produced and edited by Professor Nick Hector of the School of Creative Arts / Communication, Media, and Film won both the Best Feature Documentary Award and the Old Oak Audience Choice Award at the 2019 Forest City Film Festival. Prey was featured on opening night of the festival where it screened to a sold-out crowd.