An anonymous donor has stepped forward to establish a scholarship that will provide First Nations, Métis, and Inuit (FNMI) students with a full-ride scholarship in the fields of science, technology, engineering, or math.

The $500,000 gift will provide up to $20,000 per year to cover tuition, residence, and a meal plan, if required, to eligible students.

“I was shocked to learn of the discovery of unmarked graves of children who had died in residential schools,” says the anonymous donor. “I’m hoping this award does some good and helps FNMI students earn a degree.”

The LC Memorial Award for First Nation, Métis, and Inuit students in STEM will provide an opportunity for five students to receive an undergraduate degree at the University of Windsor.

“This ground-breaking award will change the lives of five fortunate students and benefit First Nation communities in Ontario in countless ways,” says Glen Gwiingos Hare, Ontario Regional Chief.

Kat Pasquach, UWindsor Aboriginal outreach and retention co-ordinator, says this opportunity is a game-changer. She looks forward to seeing the youth benefit from this scholarship.

“The generosity of this donation is a wonderful sign of reconciliation happening in our community and is breaking down the barriers to post-secondary educations that so many Indigenous youth face,” says Pasquach.

“Taking away the stress of financial obligations will provide students a chance to focus on their studies and allow them to explore all the wonderful programming our campus has to offer.”

The groundbreaking LC Memorial Award is great news during these stressful pandemic times, says Beverly Jacobs, senior advisor to the president on Indigenous relations and outreach.

“Even without the stresses of dealing with COVID-19, there are so many financial needs of FNMI students — such as childcare, housing, food security, IT supports, to name a few,” says Dr. Jacobs. “An award like this can assist in relieving financial stresses and can assist with their self-care and well-being in order to achieve their educational goals.”

The Faculty of Science will directly benefit from this gift.

“This generous support provides an important pathway for FNMI students to science and engineering at the University of Windsor,” says dean of science Chris Houser.

“This new pathway supports other initiatives in science to recognize and incorporate Indigenous knowledge in the curriculum, as well as provides space for knowledge keepers and support for Indigenous students.”

—Sara Elliott

Recipients of the Employee Recognition Awards demonstrate how leadership, collaboration, creativity, and perseverance can result in new and innovative solutions to address unprecedented challenges and build a strong community, Human Resources said in announcing the honourees.

The awards recognize and celebrate the outstanding contributions of individuals and teams to advancing the University’s mission.

Excellence in Leadership Award

• Daniel Heath, faculty, Department of Integrative Biology and Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research
• Dave Johnston, head, Leddy Library Access Services Department
• Fall Return Leads: Jennie Atkins, executive director of Continuing Education; Jess Dixon, head of the Department of Kinesiology; Chris Houser, dean of the Faculty of Science

Excellence in Health and Safety Award

• Shaun Dunford, third class maintenance engineer in the Energy Conversion Centre
• COVID-19 Screening Platform Team, view the list of team members

Impact Award

• Sherri Lynn Menard, manager of environmental health and safety, Human Resources
• Trevor Pittman, concert producer/operations manager, School of Creative Arts

Service Excellence Award (Individual)

• Christopher Ribble, application developer, Information Technology Services
• Graham Fawcett, application developer and consultant, Information Technology Services

Service Excellence Award (the First Five Years of Employment)

• Rachelle Prince, communications co-ordinator, Faculty of Law

Service Excellence Award (Team)

• Athletics and Recreational Services, view the list of team members
• Enrolment Marketing and Recruitment – Hybrid Fall Open House, view the list of team members
• Fall 2021 Technology Projects – Information Technology Services, view the list of team members
• University Players staff, view the list of team members

UWindsor Proud Award

• Sheri Lowrie, student recruitment officer, Office of Enrolment Management - Recruitment

The campus community is invited to a live virtual celebration March 3 at 11 a.m. to honour the award recipients and show appreciation to colleagues for their positive impact during these challenging times and throughout the year.

Go to the Employee Recognition website for more information and to register for the virtual event. Registrants will receive the link to join the celebration via e-mail the week prior.

The UWindsor.ca website has more than 40,000 pages with as many 2,500,000 unique visitors who access it yearly. Keeping the content relevant, accessible, and up to date is important. The Web Services team within the Information Technology Services department offers training options and valuable resources to help campus content editors effectively display their online information.

Content editors can sign up for live online Drupal 7 Web Accessibility Basic Training to brush up on their skills or get the fundamental instructions needed for beginner site editors, on Wednesday, Feb 2. The remote basic training offerings occur on the first Wednesday of every month and can be done from the convenience of the attendees’ desktop or laptop.

Other forms of training are the on-demand videos and lessons. These types of training are intended to provide experienced content editors with more independence in selecting the training topic at a convenient time.

“Our website offers multiple resources and we added weekly drop-in sessions to help staff with their web content,” says Mike Fisher, manager of web services and systems support in IT Services. “With the proper training, we encourage people to take control of their content.”

The half-hour online meeting with web development team leader, Rob Aitkens, is intended to resolve a specific issue or guide on the best web practices. An appointment can be booked online.

As always, the web services group is available to help by creating a ticket.

A series of webinars presented in February by the Department of Human Resources promise to hone the skills of UWindsor employees.

The scheduled offerings include:

The Who, What, and Why of E-mail Communication
Feb. 1, 9 to 11 a.m.
E-mail is quick and efficient, but it can lead to miscommunication. This session will highlight components of well-drafted e-mails and tips to avoid common mistakes.

Managing Time through Office 365 Productivity Tools
Feb. 3, 1 to 3 p.m.
This session will highlight some of the Microsoft Office 365 tools that can support planning and prioritize tasks, managing projects, and collaborating with colleagues.

Compassion, Empathy, and Kindness in Service Interactions
Feb. 9, 9 to 11 a.m.
This session will incorporate practical tips for creating a service culture grounded in compassion, kindness, and empathy.

Working on Campus and Remotely - Ergonomic Reminders
Feb. 15, 9 to 10:30 a.m.
This session will provide practical tips on making simple changes to workstations at home and on campus to help avoid discomfort and prevent injury.

Microsoft Excel: Intermediate/Advanced
Feb. 16, 2 to 4 p.m.
This session will explore intermediate and advanced features of Excel beyond the traditional spreadsheet.

Visit the Professional Development website for facilitator information and to register.