Esther Anim looks at some of the posters of alumni on display in the Toldo Health Education Centre.Second-year psychology major Esther Anim looks at some of the posters of alumni on display in the Toldo Health Education Centre.

Alumni poster project springs up for fall semester

A new project titled “Your Degree. Your Direction.” aims to offer students a peek into the work lives of early- and mid-career UWindsor alumni with interesting, fulfilling, and often unconventional careers.

Led by the Office of the Provost, the campaign comprises several poster installations across campus, the largest of which are located in the Leddy Library Brown Gold Café and the atrium of the Toldo Health Education Centre.

The goal is to expose current students to a wide range of career stories, broadening the spectrum of professional futures to which they might aspire, says project lead Jesse Ziter.

“While some subjects are obvious superstars in their fields, all of them spend their days doing interesting work in thought-provoking and often unexpected ways,” he says. “We’re very excited to start relating real career stories that reflect the diversity of possibilities available to our graduates in the modern job market.”

For example, the initial collection of 12 posters includes a narrative director at a major videogame publisher, the president of an innovative materials technology company, and an internationally successful professional magician and corporate entertainer.

Patti Lauzon, director of alumni and donor communication and acting director of the university campaign, says the project is a great opportunity to celebrate alumni success.

“The alumni featured in the new poster project truly demonstrate the excellence of our UWindsor graduates,” she says. “We know our alumni are doing fabulous things around the globe and we excitedly celebrate these successes.”

An additional 30 faces presently populate the campaign website: uwindsor.ca/yourdirection.

“It’s been our distinct pleasure to reconnect with so many excellent young professionals, each of whom exemplifies the value of a University of Windsor education in their own unique and inspiring way,” says Jeff Berryman, associate vice-president, academic. “Our graduates are ambitious, accomplished, and agile — they are pursuing truly meaningful professional lives in Windsor, elsewhere in Canada, and around the world.”

The Your Degree. Your Direction. team encourages anyone who knows a University of Windsor graduate that belongs in this company to get in touch. Connect with academic initiatives officer Beverley Hamilton in the Office of the Provost at beverley@uwindsor.ca to recommend a candidate for a future feature.

image from Othello poster: candle snuffed outOthello’s themes of racial politics, betrayal, and jealousy are “incredibly relevant,” says director Tanisha Taitt.

University Players to stage Othello in historic first

University Players will open its season with its first-ever presentation of the Shakespearean tragedy Othello.

Director Tanisha Taitt describes the play’s combination of love, suspicion, and murder as incredibly relevant.

“We live in a time in which our sociopolitical divides are so great that we see the bloody manifestation of racial politics, which create circumstances that make villains out of victims and victims out of villains,” she says. “I direct contemporary work, but I very excited by how much of today and how much of human nature — which is timeless — dwells within this piece.”

Artistic director of Cahoots Theatre in Toronto, Taitt brings with her a wealth of experience as an educator, singer, playwright, director, and performance artist.

“I am compelled by the idea of making Othello feel more urgent and modern than people might expect, while still making it decidedly Shakespearean,” she says.

The production will open Friday, Sept. 27, in the Essex Hall Theatre.

A reception at 7 p.m. welcomes community partners, guests, season subscribers, and ticketholders. Tickets for this show or the season are on sale now at www.universityplayers.com or by calling the box office at 519-253-3000, ext. 2808.

Gundeep Singh, Darvesh Singh, Sehajdeep SinghMaster of Applied Computing students Gundeep Singh, Darvesh Singh, and Sehajdeep Singh enjoy a free burger on Turtle Island Walk.

Piano duo to entertain at free lunch Thursday

Faculty, staff, and students will enjoy free food, entertainment, and fellowship during a barbecue Thursday, Sept. 19, in the River Commons.

The annual Campus Community Barbecue, sponsored by the Office of the President with the support of Food and Catering Services and the University of Windsor Alumni Association, will begin at noon and continue while supplies last.

This year’s menu will feature halal beef burgers and vegetarian Beyond Meat burgers.

Rose City Duelling Pianos will bring their keyboard talents — and their keyboards — to the stage in the David Wilson Commons.

art work by Susan GoldArtist Susan Gold engages with patterns by Arts and Crafts designer William Morris in her exhibition “Talking to the Wall,” in the SoCA Gallery through Sept. 20.

Exhibition engages with Arts and Crafts designs

The School of Creative Arts is hosting an exhibition in its gallery featuring works by Susan Gold, visual arts professor emerita.

Talking to the Wall represents my fascination with patterns and philosophy of 19th century designer William Morris and a shared interest in the ways nature is embodied in our culture,” says Gold. “Morris’ patterns — Trellis, Strawberry Thieves, Iris, and Brother Rabbit, engage with photographs and ephemera from my studio.”

She will discuss this work in a free presentation at noon Wednesday, Sept. 18, in the SoCA Armouries, located at 37 University Ave. E.

A public reception celebrating the exhibition will run 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 19.

Talking to the Wall: Works by Susan Gold continues through Sept. 20. The SoCA Gallery’s hours are Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

—Susan McKee

Rami Khalaf with studentsAlumnus and Facebook software engineer Rami Khalaf (third from right) took resumés from students interested in careers with the social media giant.

Facebook software engineer meets with students

More than 75 students of computer science, engineering, and mathematics attended a special lunch-and-learn session Wednesday, organized by Career Development & Experiential Learning and the School of Computer Science.

Attendees heard UWindsor alumnus and Facebook software engineer Rami Khalaf (BSc 2014) speak candidly about his career path and how it led from the University of Windsor to one of the world’s largest tech companies.

Khalaf shared information such as the types of skills that companies are looking for and how to prepare for an interview. Afterwards, he took questions from students and surprised a lucky few with Facebook swag.

“I’m happy to be back to share my experience with students at UWindsor,” said Khalaf. “I’m hoping to see more UWin students at Facebook, building communities and bringing the world closer together!”

He accepted student resumés for internship, co-op, and full-time opportunities, adding that the company is in a hiring phase and that students should apply online as well.

“Events like these, hosted by UWindsor alumni, help current students visualize where their career path may lead after graduation.” said Judy Bornais, executive director of the Office of Experiential Learning.

—Sarah Overton