UWindsor prof earns recognition for combining academic and professional service

His selection as Academic of the Year by a national industry organization confirms the value of partnership between universities and professions, says Andrew Templer.

The Odette School of Business professor of management was honoured February 1 by the Human Resources Professionals Association, during its Summit Awards gala awards presentation at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

"I feel that students benefit from having teachers who are connected with and succeed in their chosen profession, but also from the valuable network of friends and colleagues that such connections bring," he said. "I appreciate the support of the dean, university and colleagues who have made it possible for me to spend so much of my time in professional service, but of course also of my many students who make it all worthwhile."

In announcing his selection, the association cited Dr. Templer as an example of an individual who has successfully combined a long and distinguished career bridging the academic and professional areas of human resources management.

"He has achieved distinction as a senior academic with the best internationally acclaimed educational and research credibility, but has also held several senior practitioner positions in his early career and continued an exemplary role as a consultant and leader in the profession and its accreditation," reads the citation.

His practical experience is illustrated in the fact that he has held senior management positions in several multinational corporations, including International Telephone and Telegraph and Urwick International and has just completed a 12-year term on the association’s board of directors and chair of its Professional Standards Committee.

It notes Templer was among the first academics in Canada to hold the Certified Human Resources Professional designation, and that under his leadership, Windsor's B.Comm program became one of the first in the country to offer the full set of courses in preparation for the CHRP exams.

In addition to having published more than 100 academic papers, he is currently the general editor of the Pearson Education Human Resource Series.

Allan Conway, dean of the Odette School of Business, offered his congratulations: “Andrew’s work and leadership as an academic in the HR field has been outstanding and this very prestigious award is well-deserved.”

The Summit Awards are designed to recognize individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the human resources profession and business community through the implementation of innovative human resources programs and practices as well as thought leadership, says the association's CEO, Bill Greenhalgh.