The University of Windsor will confer honorary degrees during Spring Convocation ceremonies June 13, 14 and 15, on individuals who have made outstanding contributions to science, literature, the performing arts, politics and law.

Receiving honorary degrees are:

• Paul Hebert, a Tier One Canada Research Chair in Molecular Biodiversity at the University of Guelph, director of the Biodiversity Institute of Ontario, and scientific director of the International Barcode of Life Project;
• Nino Ricci, Leamington native and internationally acclaimed writer;
• Gordon Pinsent, actor and author;
• Sandra Pupatello, director of Business Development & Global Markets, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and the former MPP for Windsor West and Minister of Economic Development and Trade;
• the Honourable Catherine Anne Fraser, Chief Justice of Alberta.

Paul Hebert will receive an honorary Doctor of Laws degree during the 3 p.m., Wednesday, June 13, session of Convocation. Dr. Hebert is a graduate of Queen’s University; University of Cambridge, UK, and the University of Waterloo.  Among other honours, he was a Woodrow Wilson Fellow; received a Commonwealth Scholarship and Rutherford Fellowship; was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada; twice received the Premier’s Research Excellence Award; and was named a Senior Canada Research Chair in Molecular Biodiversity in 2008.

He has consistently supported public awareness around the need for investment in science, particularly in the Arctic, and has been active in providing students with field research experience in such diverse locations as the high Arctic, Australia and meso-America.

An outstanding mentor and faculty advisor, Hebert is Scientific Director of the International Bar Code of Life Project, the largest biodiversity genomics initiative ever undertaken, and one that promises to create a digital identification system for life. In this capacity he has provided educational opportunities to the general public on this exciting field of research through articles in Canadian Geographic; Chemical and Engineering News; Discover; Esquire; National Geographic, Popular Science; Science News; and has provided informed commentary on the subject for newspapers, radio and television news around the globe.

Nino Ricci will receive an honorary Doctor of Laws degree during the 10 a.m., Thursday, June 14 session of Convocation. He is a Leamington, Ontario native and internationally acclaimed writer of Lives of the Saints, which was published in 20 countries, spent more than 75 weeks on the bestseller list and won a host of awards including the Governor General's Award for Fiction and the Books in Canada First Novel Award. In England, the book won the Betty Trask Award and the Winifred Holtby Prize.  It formed the first volume of a trilogy that was completed by In A Glass House and Where She Has Gone, which was shortlisted for the Giller Prize for Fiction. 

The Lives of the Saints trilogy was adapted as a miniseries starring Sophia Loren and Kris Kristofferson. The trilogy is particularly well-loved in the Windsor and Essex County area for its close-to-the-bone depiction of Italian immigrant life in the southern Ontario farming community thought to be modeled on Ricci’s hometown of Leamington, located just outside of Windsor.

Ricci is also the author of Testament, winner of the Trillium Award, and The Origin of Species, which earned Ricci his second Governor General’s Award for Fiction as well as the Canadian Authors Association Fiction Award.  Ricci's most recent book is a biography of Pierre Elliott Trudeau, part of Penguin’s Extraordinary Canadians series.  He is currently completing his sixth novel. 

Ricci was recently recognized with the Order of Canada for his contributions to Canadian literature as a renowned author. The University of Windsor Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, will be Ricci's first honorary degree.

The University of Windsor Leddy Library gratefully acknowledges Mr. Ricci's publishers, including Capri Films, Cormorant Books, Doubleday Canada, Les Éditions du Boréal, McClelland & Stewart and Penguin Canada for their generous donations of Ricci's works to the Library's Special Collections and circulating collection.

Gordon Pinsent will receive an honorary Doctor of Laws degree during the 3 p.m., Thursday, June 14 session of Convocation. Pinsent, widely regarded as a Canadian acting legend, began his career on CBC radio in the 1940s and later made the move to the CBC TV children’s series The Forest Rangers in the early 1960s.

His extensive career has included lead roles in such films as Away From Her, The Good Shepard, and Flight of the Butterflies. He has had regular roles in television’s Powerplay, Due South, Road to Avonlea, Republic of Doyle, and was host for CBC’s Life and Times.  He is a theatre performer who has appeared in productions across Canada, including the Stratford Shakespeare Festival, and is the author of three novels. Most recently, Pinsent was noted for his hilarious dramatic reading from Justin Bieber’s autobiography on This Hour Has 22 Minutes, which went viral on the internet in October, 2010.

Pinsent is a Companion of The Order of Canada, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, and received a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame in 2007.

Sandra Pupatello (BA 1986) will receive an honorary Doctor of Laws degree during the 10 a.m., Friday, June 15 session of Convocation. Pupatello is currently Director, Business Development and Global Markets for PricewaterhouseCoopers Canada, and was MPP, Windsor West from 1995 to 2011. She served as Minister of Community & Social Services from 2003 to 2005, where she created the Jobs Now program to help welfare recipients enter the workforce, and the Passport Program to support people with developmental disabilities. She was Minister of Education in 2005 and implemented a small class size policy, the first of its kind in North America.

Pupatello was Minister of Economic Development & Trade from 2006 to 2011 and among other contributions, created the Open For Business Secretariat to review, improve and standardize government services to best support economic development, while eliminating nearly 70,000 regulatory burdens for Ontario businesses to support growth and business prosperity. She introduced Ontario’s class-leading electric vehicle initiatives and programs; established the Ontario-Quebec Trade and Economic Agreement to increase investment and trade between the provinces; signed trade and investment cooperation agreements in such global markets as China, Mexico and the European Union; initiated and hosted the province’s first-ever global industrial Aerospace show in 2010; and established a rare agreement to further collaboration and investment and operations in Ontario with General Electric, Siemens and Cisco.

Among other honours, Pupatello has received the CAMM and CTMA Award; the Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters Advocacy and Leadership Award; The Athena Award for Inspiring Women in Business Leadership; Windsor Woman of the Year; Honorary Rotary Club of Windsor Member, and Paul Harris Fellow; University of Windsor’s Charles Clark Award for University and Community Service; and Italian of the Year for Windsor-Essex County.

The Honorable Catherine Anne Fraser, Chief Justice of Alberta, will receive an honorary Doctor of Law degree during the 3 p.m., Friday, June 15 session of Convocation. Chief Justice Fraser was appointed Chief Justice of Alberta in 1992 and was the first woman to be appointed chief justice of a Canadian province.

She has been a member of the Canadian Judicial Council since her appointment as Chief Justice in 1992, and among other roles, has served as Chair of the Council’s Education Committee. She currently has a role as a member of Council’s Administration of Justice Committee, whose mandate includes improving the quality and delivery of judicial services for Canadians. Chief Justice Fraser also serves on the Judicial Independence Committee which is responsible for protecting and promoting the independence of the judiciary.

She played a leadership role in the CDC’s decision to endorse judicial education programs on such social context issues as gender equality, racial and ethnic equity and Aboriginal justice for Canadian judges. Over the past 20 years, Chief Justice Fraser has been instrumental in advocating for the rule of law, judicial independence and human rights internationally. She has been in involved in judicial education initiatives across the globe, including those in Australia, New Zealand, England, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Serbia, Croatia, Taiwan, Zimbabwe, and most recently, in the Palestinian Territories.

Krysia Bussiere didn’t have to wait until she graduated for her education in the Visual Arts and the Built Environment program to land her a job. She has a summer position in Toronto working with B+H Architects, the design firm behind the Centre for Engineering Innovation.

When she crosses the stage at Thursday’s Convocation, Bussiere will be among the first class to graduate from the program. She says it has given her a good foundation to build on.

“I am just starting out, but even now I am applying skills I learned in my classes,” she says. “I am working in AutoCAD (a drafting program) and with contract documents.”

After graduating with a three-year general degree, Bussiere and her classmates will take one year of courses at the University of Detroit-Mercy to earn a B.Sc. in architecture. She plans to complete co-op placements to pursue a career as a licensed architect.

Her current opportunity working with B+H arose because professor Veronika Mogyorody, the program’s coordinator, had contacts through the CEI project.

“A principal of the firm critiqued some of our projects,” Bussiere says. “I guess I did pretty well.”

She says that it was fun to be part of the program’s inaugural class.

“Everyone around us was so excited,” she says. “Because we were the first, the faculty was very open to our suggestions and input.”

Bussiere says the experience formed some of her best friendships.

“Just being in a studio setting is unique. You work together so much,” she says. “You become so close to everybody.”

Learn more about Visual Arts and the Built Environment on the program’s Web site.

As much as he loves his job as a special constable with the Campus Community Police Service, music is his real passion, says Kevin Jarvis.

“It’s kind of cathartic to have this outlet,” he says. “This is my way to unload and just let things go.”

Jarvis has been playing guitar and singing since he was 17 years old and has just released his first solo CD, seven original songs he composed despite having no formal training in music.

“Some people can sit down with a pen and paper and write songs,” he says. “I would rather just get together and do it.”

For his album, Beautifully Gloomy, he assembled some of the musicians he has admired and played with over the years—“the best of the best,” Jarvis says—and recorded with producer Martin Bak of SLR Studios.

“Marty is an amazing professional,” says Jarvis. “The production is just as good as anything you’ll hear.”

Jarvis describes his sound as acoustic rock and says his songs draw on episodes from his own life.

“Now with the births of my children, the death of my father, working through my career and marriage, I have real experiences to share,” he says. “I am really proud of this disc because when I listen to it, it brings me back to those experiences.”

The album retails for $15 and is already on the local authors shelf at the University Bookstore. It is also available digitally; hear a preview of each of the songs on the Beautifully Gloomy YouTube video.

Jarvis will perform live during the Relay for Life cancer society fundraiser, June 15 at LaSalle’s Vollmer Culture and Recreation Complex.

Does Aspirin cause the “phantom” ringing in the ears known as tinnitus?

Thanks to the scholarship support he has received, biology doctoral student Chirag Patel has been able to concentrate on his innovative clinical research into this question.

“Over the past two years I have received the Drs. Roger and Audrey Award for Clinical Research, allowing me to worry less about the constant financial pressures of making ends meet,” he said June 5, at a reception for donors to student scholarships.

Patel said he was happy for the opportunity to thank his benefactors personally. He presented the Thiberts with a bouquet of flowers and had a chance to express his appreciation face-to-face.

“I am grateful not just for myself, but for their support of other graduate students every year,” he said. “I am glad to thank the donors of my award specifically and the other donors for their generous support to both the funding of scholarships and for their continued commitment to the University of Windsor.”

The reception drew about 100 donors who heard from students and administrators on the difference their support makes for recipients.

Patel said his work investigates the effects of salicylate drugs, including Aspirin, on the central auditory system.

“The disorder of tinnitus affects about 14 per cent of the population and the numbers are increasing,” he said. “I am looking at whether certain neurotransmitter receptors are linked to the changes that occur in neural activity due to tinnitus-causing medications.”

It is intense work. Patel said he appreciates every bit of funding that helps him to stay in the lab: “I told the Thiberts personally that they have helped me. It was important to actually get to meet them.”

To make a tax-deductible contribution to student scholarship funds, visit www.uwindsor.ca/donations.

The President’s Committee for the United Way invites applications for the 2012 sponsored employee (previously known as a loaned representative).

The sponsored employee functions as a member of a team with a reporting relationship to the associate director of resource development at the United Way, which supports charitable organizations and community services in Windsor and Essex County.

The University of Windsor is sponsoring a campaign associate, who will work in partnership with an assigned resource development manager for day-to-day supervision and work assignments.

This person receives a paid release from regular work duties on campus for a 14-week period from September 4 to December 7. Applicants must obtain approval to participate from their immediate supervisors. The successful candidate will receive daylong basic orientation training on June 25 and August 8.

Candidates must be highly motivated, possess good presentation and public speaking skills and be proficient in Microsoft Word, Excel, Publisher and Powerpoint. They must also have access to a vehicle; all mileage will be reimbursed. For more job description details or other questions, contact Patricia Fantin at 519-253-3000, ext. 2059.

To apply for this position, contact the President’s Committee for the United Way, c/o Rita LaCivita, chief human resources officer—fax 519-971-3688, e-mail lacivit@uwindsor.ca or write the Department of Human Resources—by June 20.

Colleagues and friends of registrar Gregory Marcotte are invited to celebrate his retirement at an open house reception Wednesday, June 20, from 2 to 4 p.m. in Katzman Lounge, Vanier Hall.

Marcotte will retire at the end of the month after more than 40 years of service at four universities and the Ontario Universities’ Application Centre, where he served as executive director for 14 years.

He joined the University of Windsor in May 2004. During his time here, he has been honoured with a Going the Extra Mile (GEM) award, a support award from the Faculty of Science and, most recently, a Friend of Students award from the Organization of Part-time University Students.

Since its inception in 1968, the UWindsor Shinerama campaign has raised more than $170,000 for the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

This year, coordinator Johnathan Weedmark-King hopes to cross the $200,000 threshold.

“In order to reach this mark we are going to need the participation of various societies, departments, organizations, sororities, fraternities, businesses and clubs,” he says. “The ability to engage others and develop partnerships can accomplish some amazing things.”

The campaign has staffed a booth during the Head Start orientation program, which winds up today, trying to recruit new students in advance of the September campaign kick-off.

“These partnerships that we've begun to develop with groups and are continuing  to develop this summer can help to form a stronger sense of pride within the City of Windsor and for the University of Windsor community,” Weedmark-King says.

“We have some exciting plans for the Shinerama campaign this year and we look forward to turning our campaign into one of the best across Canada. To do so, we need a lot of help to Shine!”

To volunteer, e-mail shine@uwindsor.ca or visit the campaign’s Facebook page.

Kayla Zikic and Shinerama coordinator Johnathan Weedmark-King have a blast raising awareness about cystic fibrosis at Head Start 2012.