Laurie TannousLaurie Tannous will receive the Alumni Ambassador Award at the alumni association’s annual general meeting, Thursday, Nov. 14.

Alumni to recognize their own Thursday

As chief executive officer of the John McGivney Children’s Centre, UWindsor alumna Elaine Whitmore (BScN 1988) oversaw its growth into a state-of-the-art facility helping children and youth with special needs to reach their full potential.

Whitmore retired this spring after 17 years in that role, using her background in nursing and health background to propel the organization to a leader in caring for clients and families. Her passion and leadership have earned her recognition from the University of Windsor Alumni Association, which will present her with its Award of Merit during its annual general meeting Thursday, Nov. 14.

Helen Vasilic (BSc 1975, B.Ed 1976), a former educator and volunteer coach and official in track and field, will also receive this honour.

The Alumni Ambassador Award, which recognizes mid-career alumni who have reached significant achievements in their professional life, community and volunteer work, and as a UWindsor ambassador, will be presented to Laurie Tannous (BA 1999, JD 2002).

Tannous, an attorney specializing in immigration, serves as a special advisor to the Cross-Border Institute. She shares her expertise and insight to promote co-ordination among law enforcement, community and global partners.

In addition to the above awards, English professor Johanna Frank will receive the Excellence in Mentoring Award, and the Odyssey Award for alumni early in their careers will go to Marla Coffin (BA 2009), Stacey Robert-Tobin (BA 2006, B.Ed 2013, M.Ed 2014) and Jennifer Seedu (BComm 2013).

Thursday’s Annual General Meeting and Awards Presentation will begin at 5 p.m. in the Alumni Auditorium, CAW Student Centre. Find additional information and register on the event website.

Anne ForrestAnne Forrest will receive an Educational Leadership Award at the 14th annual Celebration of Teaching Excellence, Nov. 20 in Alumni Auditorium.

Educational leadership earns award for professor

The Centre for Teaching and Learning has awarded this year’s Educational Leadership Award to Anne Forrest, assistant dean for academic and student success in the Faculty of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences.

The award honours the contributions of individuals who have led significant and sustained initiatives to improve teaching, curriculum, teaching spaces and resources, and policies and procedures that promote effective teaching.

A nominator wrote of Dr. Forrest: “It is not hyperbole when I say that I know no one on our campus more deserving of this award.”

This sentiment was echoed more than once. Another nominator wrote, “To say that Dr. Forrest is a passionate, inspiring and innovative educator is an understatement and cannot truly capture the breadth and depth of her contributions to the promotion of high-quality learning experiences for all students.”

Some examples of Forrest’s educational leadership over the years include:

  • The development of the Bachelor of Arts in Women’s and Gender Studies and the Combined Bachelor of Social Work in Social Work and Women’s and Gender Studies programs.
  • Re-design of the Liberal and Professional Studies program.
  • Re-development of the Labour Studies program into the Work and Employment Issues certificate.
  • Co-development of the Bystander Initiative to mitigate sexual assault.
  • Institutionalizing the Walls to Bridges program.
  • Development of an emergency fund for students of Women’s and Gender Studies.

Letters of support also focused on her positive impact on students.

One graduate wrote, “Beyond the classroom, she helped me hone my inner strength and acknowledge my full potential in both my personal and professional life.”

Forrest, along with other University of Windsor professors, will be honoured at the 14th annual Celebration of Teaching Excellence, Nov. 20 in Alumni Auditorium.

André NarbonneUWindsor English professor André Narbonne guest-edited the current edition of “The Windsor Review.”

Literary gathering to toast more than 50 years of The Windsor Review

When the precursor to The Windsor Review was first published in 1965, the journal contained no literature, nor reviews.

In the intervening decades, the articles on such topics as alchemy and religion gave way to the works of such renowned writers as Marshall McLuhan, Joyce Carol Oates, and winners of Governor General awards, Pulitzer prizes, the Order of Canada, and other accolades for their literary work.

An event at Biblioasis bookshop Thursday, Nov. 14, celebrates 50-plus years of The Windsor Review. The family of the late Eugene McNamara, the journal’s first editor and founder of UWindsor’s creative writing program, will be on hand to accept a memorial photo commemorating The Windsor Review’s history.

The latest edition, edited by UWindsor English professor André Narbonne and published online for free public access, is a selection of works published over the journal’s six decades. The list of authors in what Narbonne calls the “special, retrospective issue,” reads like a who’s who of contemporary literature — poets laureate and iconic essayists, novelists, and authors of short stories.

“I wanted it to be representative of the journal Eugene McNamara created in 1965… a collection of important writing,” said Dr. Narbonne.  

Narbonne is the journal’s fiction editor. He guest-edited the current edition, carefully curating a collection of creative writing, interviews, poetry, and visual art.

“It’s such an easy project for me to get involved in,” said Narbonne. “These are foundational things for writers.”

Thursday’s event begins at 7 p.m. Biblioasis is located at 1520 Wyandotte St. E.

─Sarah Sacheli

giftsThe #UWinProud campaign will combine school spirit and holiday spirit to encourage participation in the campus Adopt-a-Family effort.

Pride prize to incentivize charity participation

The #UWinProud campaign is again looking to combine school spirit and holiday spirit with a prize to encourage participation in the campus Adopt-a-Family effort.

A program of the Windsor-Essex Children’s Aid Foundation, Adopt-a-Family collects gifts for local children and youths.

UWindsor offices and individuals may choose to sponsor a family as large as two parents with four kids or as small as a single parent and child. Also available for sponsorship are youths on extended care — individuals over the age of 16 years old attending school while living independently.

As part of its Windsor Proud spirit campaign, the Office of Student Experience is providing an incentive to participate, by awarding the department with the highest total donation a free coffee break and some #UWinProud swag to go with it.

A winner will be announced, on Dec. 5, once the donations are all received. Find details on the contest website.

To sign up as a sponsor, email Sabina Howell, administrative assistant in the Office of Public Affairs and Communications, who co-ordinates the campus campaign, at Sabina.Howell@uwindsor.ca.

people holding signs that read "We will not stand by"Coffee and cake in the student centre today will celebrate the Bystander Initiative against sexual violence.

Coffee and cake to show appreciation for anti-violence efforts

Members of the campus community are invited to join UWindsor’s Bystander Initiative for a Coffee and Cake event.

The Bystander Initiative is an important part of the University of Windsor’s ongoing commitment to fostering an environment that is free from sexual violence. Achieving this goal requires engaging the entire campus community and the ongoing support of administrators, faculty, staff, and students, says acting co-ordinator Frankie Cachon.

“We are very proud of the University of Windsor’s national leadership in addressing sexual violence and we want to thank our campus for the tremendous support of our efforts to prevent sexual violence,” said Dr. Cachon.

The Bystander Initiative, now in its second year of its campus-wide programming, seeks to activate students to take personal and social responsibility for the prevention of sexual violence. The end goal is a campus with zero tolerance of all forms of sexual violence.

The event is an opportunity to thank the many stakeholders who make Bystander programming possible and to celebrate collaborative efforts to make the campus safer for all. Stop by the CAW Student Centre for complimentary coffee and cake today — Wednesday, Nov. 13 — from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. or while supplies last.

Lili Dagraca models a ball cap and pashmina shawlTextbook buyer Lili Dagraca models a ball cap and pashmina shawl embroidered with the UWindsor shield.

Scarves widen scope of apparel appeal

A new item available for purchase in the Campus Bookstore adds another option for women hoping to participate in Windsor Wednesdays — a soft pashmina scarf embroidered with the UWindsor logo.

The #UWinProudWindsor Wednesday” initiative was launched last fall, and the Office of Student Experience has since received feedback emphasizing the need for more UWindsor business apparel suitable for women to wear in the workplace.

“We want the UWin Proud program to be open and accessible to everyone on campus,” says Ryan Flannagan, associate vice-president for student experience. “It is our hope this wonderful scarf will be used by a variety of people for a variety of purposes so that everyone can show UWindsor spirit.”

The scarf’s design also enables it to accommodate women who wish to use it as a head covering for religious reasons.

The Campus Bookstore has them in stock for $29.99. The store, located on the lower level of the CAW Student Centre, also has a limited number of special-edition baseball caps that combine the iconic D logo of the Detroit Tigers with the UWindsor shield.

Nye Thomas, Ryan FritschExecutive director Nye Thomas and counsel Ryan Fritsch of the Law Commission of Ontario will discuss its research into the impact of artificial intelligence on access to justice.

Lecture to discuss artificial intelligence and the justice system

The Law and Technology (LTEC) Lab at Windsor Law will host a discussion on the impacts of algorithms, automated decision-making, and artificial intelligence on human rights, due process, and access to justice at noon Wednesday, Nov. 20, in the Farmer Conference Room, Ron W. Ianni Faculty of Law Building.

Featured speakers include Nye Thomas, executive director, and Ryan Fritsch, counsel, both of the Law Commission of Ontario. The discussion will summarize the commission’s research and consultations on these issues and explore the extraordinary growth of this technology in the Canadian justice system and internationally.

The Windsor Law LTEC Lab is a community of interest that gathers University of Windsor faculty, students, and alumni whose research, teaching, work, and experiential learning initiatives revolve around the themes of law and technology — and whose work is embedded within institutional themes of access to justice and transnational law. The lab collaborates regularly with the Faculty of Law, campus faculties, and community partners to host workshops, conferences, and speaking engagements each year.

Event registration is free and open to the public: https://www.uwindsor.ca/law/LCO.

Craig GreenhamKinesiology professor Craig Greenham provided expert opinion to CBC News on Don Cherry’s firing from Hockey Night in Canada.

Cherry remarks offside, says professor

Don Cherry has been able to skate away from a lot of controversy in the past, but this time, his words caught up with him, says a UWindsor expert on sport media.

Kinesiology professor Craig Greenham teaches a course about Canadian hockey and provided commentary to CBC News on Monday’s announcement that Cherry lost his Coach’s Corner job after claiming on-air Saturday that new immigrants disrespect veterans by not wearing poppies in the lead-up to Remembrance Day.

“I don’t think he should have said it,” Greenham told reporter Katerina Georgieva. “Part of me wonders if Don really understood the magnitude of it.”

The Coach’s Corner segment has aired during the Hockey Night in Canada telecast since 1982. Cherry had played junior hockey with the Windsor Spitfires and the Barrie Flyers; his professional playing career included a single game with the Boston Bruins. He later served as that franchise’s head coach from 1974 to 1979.

Greenham said that the nature of Cherry’s departure may hurt his legacy and chances of induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame. Read the CBC News piece, “Windsor-Essex residents divided about Sportsnet firing Don Cherry.”

Jay Nagarajan asks a question.Jay Nagarajan, a doctoral candidate of electrical engineering, asks a question of UWindsor president Robert Gordon during a presentation on the Strategic Mandate Agreement planning process.

Town hall video available on Strategic Mandate Agreement website

UWindsor president Robert Gordon and other senior leadership hosted the second of two town hall meetings for students, faculty, and staff on Oct. 31 in the Alumni Auditorium, CAW Student Centre.

The event updated the campus community on the development of the University’s plan for negotiating Strategic Mandate Agreement 3 with the Ministry of Colleges and Universities.

The agreement will establish performance metrics, targets, and enrolment corridors related to ministry funding for the 2020-25 period. Beginning in 2020, approximately $23 million of the University’s existing provincial grant will be tied to achieving annual performance targets. By 2024-25, that amount will increase to nearly $56 million.

A video of the town hall session has been uploaded to the SMA3 Process website.