After more than five years of exemplary leadership and service to the University of Windsor, President and Vice-Chancellor Robert Gordon has indicated that he will retire from his role after this academic year. The Board of Governors was informed of Dr. Gordon’s decision recently to facilitate leadership transition planning, including the initiation of a presidential search process.

“Serving the University of Windsor community as President and Vice-Chancellor has been the greatest honour of my academic and administrative career,” said Gordon. “I’m extremely proud of our growth as an institution of higher learning during a period of unprecedented challenges.”

Gordon joined the University of Windsor in 2019 as its seventh president and vice-chancellor. He previously served as provost and vice-president academic as well as vice-president research at Wilfrid Laurier University. Additionally, he held the position of dean of the Ontario Agricultural College at the University of Guelph. Of his many awards and recognitions, he is a past recipient of the Premier’s Award of Excellence. Throughout his various leadership roles, Gordon has consistently maintained a robust research and student advising profile, publishing more than 180 refereed journal articles and supervising more than 60 graduate students and post-doctoral fellows.

Gordon was unanimously reappointed for a second term as president and vice-chancellor earlier this year. Regarding his intention to end his term early, Gordon said: “After thoughtful reflection and many important conversations, I have decided to retire after this academic year. I do plan on remaining actively involved in the University of Windsor’s administration and community during the next several months with a focus on moving forward a number of key priorities.”

Under Gordon’s leadership, the University achieved its highest-ever placements in prestigious international rankings and was identified earlier this year as the Canadian University that has risen the most in the QS World University Rankings over the past five years. He has made sustainability a key focus and priority for the institution, including launching a bold Carbon Neutrality Masterplan and has also effectively utilized public-private partnerships to assist the University in supporting enhanced student housing.

Gordon also led the development of the University’s first strategic plan, Aspire, in more than 15 years, installed a new executive leadership team, expanded the University’s downtown campus presence, opened the Toldo Lancer Centre, facilitated the transformation of the Ron W. Ianni Faculty of Law building, expanded community and research partnerships, and helped to advance Indigenous and equity, diversity and inclusion initiatives across campus.

“Dr. Gordon has been an exceptional president,” said chair of the University of Windsor’s Board of Governors, Helga Reidel. “The University of Windsor and surrounding communities have benefited immensely from his strategic vision despite unprecedented challenges, change, and uncertainty.”

Reidel praised Gordon for his dedication to engaging with the campus community, noting his unwavering commitment to attend as many campus events and Lancer Athletics games as possible.

“Dr. Gordon’s vision and leadership has enabled the University to be recognized for academic and research excellence while enabling student success,” added Chancellor Mary Jo Haddad. “It has been an honour to support his vision.”

The search for the University of Windsor’s next president and vice-chancellor will begin in the near future and will be led by a committee of representatives from the Board of Governors and Senate, supported by the University Secretariat.

A federal investment of $76 million to support 50 partner-led projects will empower local groups, including UWindsor researchers, to reverse the degradations from historic pollution in the Great Lakes and connecting waterways.

The announcement Friday at the University’s Freshwater Restoration Ecology Centre in LaSalle amounts to one of the largest single investments in freshwater restoration in Canadian history, said environment minister Steven Guilbeault.

“The importance of protecting and preserving Canada’s freshwater, including the Great Lakes, is crucial,” he said.

Among the projects funded through the Great Lakes Freshwater Ecosystem Initiative are:

• efforts led in part by the University of Windsor, the Essex Region Conservation Authority, and Flowers Canada Growers to tackle harmful algal blooms in Lake Erie by reducing phosphorus loads;
• work by the Essex Region Conservation Authority to restore and protect vital wetland habitats in the Detroit River Area of Concern, the largest and best quality wetland complex and re-create a historic open-water wetland at the south end of Fighting Island; and
• the Chippewas of the Thames First Nation implementing best management practices in the Thames River watershed to reduce phosphorus loads from reaching Lake Erie.

The fight against algal blooms will involve innovative technology to remove and recover phosphorus from surface water in the Leamington-Kingsville area, said professor Chris Weisener of the Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research.

“With significant support from Environment and Climate Change Canada and Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers, we will be able to advance our understanding of phosphorus dynamics and develop innovative solutions to reduce nutrient runoff,” Dr. Weisener said. “This partnership exemplifies how working together can lead to meaningful environmental improvements, benefiting both our agricultural sector and the health of the Great Lakes.”

Guilbeault said the investment is targeted toward improving water quality and ecosystem health so that wildlife can once again flourish in areas of concern, including the Great Lakes and Detroit and St. Clair rivers.

“With a legacy of industrialization, high population density and present day land use allocation dominated by agriculture, the Huron-Erie corridor of the Great Lakes is faced with unique challenges to maintaining the integrity of this valuable freshwater ecosystem,” said GLIER director Mike McKay.

“Today’s announcement of federal investment through the Great Lakes Freshwater Ecosystem Initiative will bring meaningful change to communities in our backyard balancing safeguarding of this important natural resource while promoting sustainable growth and prosperity for our region.”

Karl Mamer (BA psychology 1999) says his varied career in communications as a technical writer, columnist, educator, podcaster, and author owes a great deal to skills and experience he gained with student media at the University of Windsor.

Now documentation manager for the Toronto-based software company TouchBistro, Mamer co-hosted with his friend Terry Brown the comedy show “White Label Humour” on CJAM radio from 1987 to 1990 and served as a reporter and editor for the arts section of the Lance student newspaper from 1989 to 1991.

“Skills I picked up there led directly to job opportunities,” he says. “I was interested in going into writing copy for advertising. Unfortunately, I graduated into a recession and jobs that paid you to be creative were thin on the ground, so I learned that sometimes the way to where you want to go is to plot a path parallel.”

His experience at the Lance enabled him to find work in desktop publishing and, combined with his interest in computers, helped him open doors.

“It was the early days of the Internet, the gold rush days,” Mamer says.

He wrote a column for the Toronto Sun newspaper reviewing computer entertainment software, the Internet, and other elements of the industry, and that led to a publishing house commissioning his books Hot List & Cool Sites, Finding the News on Usenet, The Truth is in Here, and Fun & Games on the Internet.

Technical writing promised a career with stable employment and benefits; Mamer held a series of positions before his current role, while continuing to pursue side projects, including podcasting and self-publishing.

“When podcasting became a thing, that’s where CJAM skills came in: sound editing, levels — those sorts of things.”

He has produced more than 100 episodes of “The Conspiracy Skeptic” and appreciates the learning opportunities it has afforded him.

“Having a podcast means you can contact people you’d like to talk to and schedule a conversation, and it somehow makes you not seem creepy,” says Mamer.

When the COVID-19 pandemic eliminated his morning commute, he found himself with the time to complete two books: The Skeptic’s Book of Lists and The Conspiracy Skeptics Book of Lists.

“When you’re in your 50s, you wake up every morning at 5:30 whether you have to or not,” Mamer says.

He decided to make use of that time and the idea of a book of lists seemed fun.

“You don’t have to write in any order, just what you feel like that day,” he says. “Eventually, I thought I had enough content for a book.”

He designed both publications himself, again employing skills from his student journalism experience.

“I knew how to lay things out — leading, gutters, white space, all the technical stuff,” he laughs. “Then I completed it and threw it up on Amazon.”

He has already begun work on The Skeptic’s Book of Lists 2.

When he attended celebration’s last fall celebrating CJAM’s 40 years of broadcast, Mamer made a donation to found the station’s Innovation Fund, which supports a series of public outreach events.

“I had decided it would be nice to pay off my tab, given what I owed to student media,” he recalls.

“At the University of Windsor you can get a well-rounded education but you still need to pick up some skills applicable to employment. For me, it all comes back to my time in student media.”

Alumni Week continues today with Lancers for Literacy and readings by alumni authors Jim Weese (BHK 1980, MHK 1983) at 8:30 a.m. in room 140 of the Human Kinetics Building, Richard Peddie (BComm 1970, honorary LLD 2001) at 11:30 a.m. in room 123 of the Odette Building, and Dwania McLarty-Peele (BA 2011, BSc 2011) at 3 p.m. in the lobby of the Essex CoRE building. A Grab ’n’ Go breakfast for students begins at 8 a.m. Tuesday outside the Welcome Centre and Wednesday features both the Day of Giving supporting Lancer athletics and the barbecue lunch for the campus community starting at noon on the River Commons. Find a full schedule of Alumni Week activities.

An event Wednesday in the CAW Student Centre is intended to educate attendees about consent and how to practise it in everyday life, organizers say.

“Consent Fest,” 1 to 3 p.m. Sept. 25 in the student centre commons, presents games like the Consent Wheel, Jenga, and more. It is hosted by the Office of Sexual Violence Prevention, Resistance, and Support and the Bystander Initiative and is free and open to all UWindsor students.

“We’re so excited to offer UWin students an engaging event like this,” says Jessica Glazewski, sexual violence education assistant. “It’s a great opportunity to learn more about consent while having some fun. You’ll have a chance to win some merch and other prizes.”

Held for the first time, the event is an extension of Consent Awareness Week, an Ontario-wide campaign. Find more Prevent Resist Support events and workshops.

The Humanities Research Group opens its 35th year of free talks by leading thinkers with novelist and professor Randy Boyagoda, who argues that universities have always been expected to promote civil discourse and have never satisfied anyone’s expectations that they are doing so successfully.

In his presentation “Civil discourse or civil war? Ideas and Realities of the Contemporary University,” Dr. Boyagoda argues this gap between idea and reality is consistent with a larger gap between ideas and realities of the university, which are always subject to criticism and complaint from their constituents and from the public at large, that they are failing to fulfil their missions and instead sustaining endless conflicts and controversies.

“Do we assign seemingly unmeetable expectations to the university itself and can there be another way to close the gap between our ideas about it, and its realities?” asks Boyagoda. “And could a more durable conception of civil discourse itself be a way of doing so?”

Boyagoda is the University of Toronto’s advisor on civil discourse. The author of seven books, including four novels, a novella, a critical biography, and a scholarly monograph, he is professor of English at the University of Toronto, where he serves as vice-dean, undergraduate in the Faculty of Arts and Science. He contributes essays, reviews, and opinions to a variety of publications, including the New York Times, the Times Literary Supplement, and the Globe and Mail, while appearing frequently on CBC Radio. He served as president of PEN Canada from 2015 to 2017.

His talk, in the SoCA Armouries Performance Hall at 6 p.m. Sept. 26, will be recorded for national broadcast on the CBC Radio program, Ideas. Host Naylah Ayed will attend Thursday.

“We are so excited that CBC Ideas chose the University of Windsor as host to record this important and timely talk by one of the country’s most compelling thinkers and speakers,” says Humanities Research Group director Kim Nelson. “We hope that people spread the word and come early to get a seat to take part in this vital conversation and to show the country the robust intellectual community we have here in Windsor. Doors open at 5:30.”

Ideas is available on CBC Radio One, CBC Listen, and as a podcast.

The best university men’s volleyball teams are coming to the City of Roses, as U Sports has selected the University of Windsor to host its 2026 championship tournament.

The announcement was made at a media event Friday at the Toldo Lancer Centre, marking the first national championship to be awarded to the state-of-the-art venue that opened in 2022.

James Gravelle, head coach of Lancer men’s volleyball, said he is “thrilled” to have Windsor chosen as host.

“This is a testament to many people’s hard work and dedication and would not have been possible without the commitment to build such a great athletic facility as the Toldo Lancer Centre,” Gravelle said. “We are grateful for the opportunity to continue to help grow the game of volleyball in the greater Windsor area and look forward to competing for a national championship in front of our home fans.”

Athletics director Stephanie White called it a “natural fit” for the campus and the community.

“The University and the City of Windsor have a proven track record of hosting outstanding events, and I know this will be no exception,” she said. “I look forward to large crowds and entertaining competition as the best teams from across Canada vie for the Tantramar Trophy.”

U Sports director of sport Mark Alfano said the organization is excited to bring the national tournament to the Lancer Centre, calling the facility “magnificent.”

The championship will feature eight teams, including the host Lancers, playing 11 games from March 13 to 15, 2026.

Signing on to the Okanagan Charter commits the University of Windsor to embedding health into all aspects of campus culture, says Linda Rohr, co-ordinating committee chair and dean of the Faculty of Human Kinetics.

The international document calls on post-secondary schools to lead health promotion action and collaboration locally and globally. The University of Windsor has joined more than 40 colleges and universities across Canada in adopting it.

To celebrate this milestone, the co-ordinating committee is setting up an information tent at the annual campus community barbecue on Wednesday, Sept. 25, in the River Commons from noon to 1:30 p.m.

“We encourage students, faculty, and staff to stop by our tent to learn about the key actions of the charter, connect with wellness and mental health resources available on campus, and enter into a draw for prizes,” Rohr says.

More information about the Okanagan Charter, including the UWindsor commitments and a calendar of wellness related activities, can be found on the charter website. Direct any questions and comments to okanagancharter@uwindsor.ca.

Greg Vogel, an assistant professor at Cornell University’s School of Integrative Plant Science, will discuss breeding vegetables to improve crop qualities in a free public lecture Wednesday, Sept. 25.

Part of the AgUWindsor Speaker Series, the event will run 2 to 3 p.m. in room 204, Toldo Health Education Centre.

In his research, Dr. Vogel concentrates on breeding high-quality, disease-resistant vegetable crops that cater to the needs of both growers and consumers. His work explores plant-microbe interactions and disease resistance, aiming to increase crop resilience and consumer appeal. He’s particularly passionate about improving traits like flavour and quality while tackling diseases such as Verticillium wilt in eggplants and early blight in tomatoes.

Beyond his research, Vogel professes a deep commitment to outreach and extension. He values interactions with growers, seed industry professionals, and students, making his approach to plant science a true exchange of knowledge and practical solutions. His talk promises to offer both a look at cutting-edge technologies like genomic selection and a discussion of hands-on strategies for improving crop productivity and quality.

Students, researchers, growers, and anyone interested in agriculture and plant breeding can expect to gain valuable insights into how this work is shaping the future of vegetable breeding for the benefit of both regional and global agricultural communities.

Reserve your spot through the event page.

By partnering with the University of Windsor to provide co-op experiences for students, Rocket Innovation Studio is both preparing the next generation of tech professionals and securing a pipeline of talent for its future workforce.

Rocket Innovation Studio launched in Windsor in 2019, providing customized tech solutions for businesses, including back-end and front-end development, data science, and product development.

The firm hires multiple co-op and internship students from the University of Windsor each term.

“Part of our mission when we opened Rocket Innovation Studio was to establish a tech culture here in Windsor. We believe a way we can achieve that goal is by creating great partnerships with world-class academic institutions like the University of Windsor,” said Agostino Di Pietro, the company’s director of software development. “Students who have come to Rocket Innovation Studio from the University of Windsor have been amazing to work with and we hope to continue expanding this partnership in the years to come.”

Di Pietro says the success of UWindsor co-op students comes from their willingness to learn while at the same time bringing fresh perspectives and new ideas.

“Besides being talented programmers, students, and people, the openness to learning new technology has enabled these students to be successful. They are often faced with learning something new or applying something they learned in school in the real world, and have taken on that challenge in stride,” he says.

When hiring, Rocket Innovation Studio specifically searches for students with an entrepreneurial mindset and an eye for innovation, seeking those who stay on top of trends and can leverage what they learn in the classroom with concepts and resources they learn on their own.

From the day they join Rocket Innovation Studio until the day they leave, co-op students contribute meaningful work to active projects while learning firsthand from experienced developers.

“The co-op students we hire are fully integrated into our software development teams and learn about product development and software development firsthand,” says Di Pietro. “They are treated the same as any other member of the team and can take on work for our high-profile projects.”

One recent co-op student was Aya Madi, a fourth-year University of Windsor business and computer science student who worked as a product owner co-op from May until September, when she returned to her studies. Her role was uniquely positioned to connect technology and business, giving her the opportunity to interact with both the technical team as well as business stakeholders.

“During my work term, I was involved in projects that required collaboration with both internal and external stakeholders, as well as some teams on the Agile Release Train,” she said. “We operated within an Agile framework to develop custom software solutions, with products aimed to help clients achieve their dream of owning a home.”

In other projects, she was exposed to various testing techniques and stages, helping to enhance her ability to communicate effectively with developers.

“My co-op placement at Rocket Innovation Studio helped me gain a solid understanding of the product owner role. I was able to apply classroom skills to real-world projects and learned to think strategically by understanding the company’s product vision,” says Madi. “Getting the opportunity to work cross-functionally improved my communication skills while also expanding my professional network.”

Co-op students at Rocket Innovation Studio are paired with a mentor for the entirety of their work terms to help coach and support them to achieve their goals and meet expectations.

“We encourage our mentors to have paired programming sessions with the students so that they can learn first-hand the best practices and industry standards we follow to create elite software solutions,” says Di Pietro. “Our mentors and team leaders are also tasked with ensuring students have a great experience overall by involving them in any activities or additional learnings offered by Rocket Innovation Studio.”

Rocket Innovation Studio continues to nurture the next generation of talent in its industry through partnership with the University of Windsor, including hiring co-op and internship students, and participating in experiential learning opportunities like the Job Shadow Program, Tech Career Panels, and the WinHacks hackathon.

A new cohort of more than 200 Master of Engineering students has joined the campus community, and were welcomed with an orientation session on Tuesday, Sept. 3.

The students come from all over the world to acquire advanced skills, hands-on knowledge, and experience in industry, which prepares them for an engineering career in Canada.

The session included addresses by dean of engineering Bill Van Heyst, engineering’s wellness counselling staff and the International Student Centre, in addition to presentations on academic policies, course requirements, and faculty advising.

Darryl Danelon, acting associate dean for professional programs, says the event marked his favourite day so far in the position.

“Orientation is always an exciting time as students are excited to jump into this new world, but you can really feel the energy from these students, many of whom arrived in Canada from another part of the world just days before,” he says. “The room was absolutely buzzing with smiles and excitement.”

Following the formal program, attendees toured campus, grabbed lunch from Whamburg and returned to play bingo, a chance to meet new friends and learn about their new home.

A workshop on research security requirements will take place Sept. 30 for researchers applying for grants this fall.

Led by UWindsor research security co-ordinator Rahul Banerjee, the session will offer insights into compliance requirements for upcoming grant applications. Learn about the latest research security policies, how to complete attestation and risk assessment forms, and how to protect your research data and intellectual property.

The workshop will be held from 9:30 a.m. to noon in Room 239 of the Joyce Entrepreneurship Centre. Register for the workshop here.