A new residence built by Canterbury College demonstrates commitment to students, UWindsor president Robert Gordon said Thursday at an event to mark its official opening.

“We’re all passionate about the future and this fantastic facility,” he said outside the building at 210 Patricia Rd.

The three-storey structure will provide 32 single apartments and 30 rooms for shared accommodation arranged around common kitchens and living spaces. It is divided internally into five “houses,” each with a head student selected from the residents.

Canterbury College is the Anglican Church of Canada affiliate of the University of Windsor.

Its principal, Gordon Drake, is a UWindsor professor emeritus of physics. He said the new residence will elevate the college’s profile.

“It solidifies the future of Canterbury College and ensures we will continue to be an important part of student life at the University of Windsor,” said Dr. Drake.

Summer Harb, a third-year Windsor law student, is the student head of college. She chose to make Canterbury her home when she came to Windsor from Hamilton, citing its sense of community.

She says her move to the new residence was an upgrade: “Everyone has their own washroom and shower. You basically have your own suite — it’s like being in an apartment.”

Tomorrow — Tuesday, Oct. 8 — is the deadline for UWindsor employees to sign-up for the Volunteer for Convocation program, a joint project of the Department of Human Resources and the Office of the Registrar that recruits faculty and staff to help make convocation a success.

Fall Convocation will be held on Saturday, Oct. 19. Volunteers are needed to make Convocation a truly special occasion for grads, their families, and friends. Duties include greeting and ushering from 8:30 a.m. to noon for the morning session and 1:30 to 5 p.m. for the afternoon session.

Experience the excitement and pride felt by UWindsor graduands and their guests. To participate, sign up online on the Volunteer for Convocation website.

Alberta’s oilfields are taking the place of a classroom for UWindsor undergraduate and graduate students conducting research to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from oil and gas wells.

“Canada has one of the world’s most environmentally regulated oil and gas sectors, but our producers still want to do things better,” said Scott Mundle, a professor in the department of chemistry and biochemistry who is leading the study.

Dr. Mundle’s students relish the experiential learning opportunity.

“This learning experience was unique because it allowed me to play an active role in decreasing greenhouse gas emissions to help reduce the environmental impacts of the energy demands for the global community,” said graduate student Karly Dominato.

Fellow graduate student Meagan Beaton said her participation in the study gave her insights beyond what she could learn in a textbook or lab.

“The fieldwork provided an insider look into the relationship between operators, regulators, and how this industry is working to reduce their environmental impact,” she said.

Mundle and his students are partnered with Court Sandau from Chemistry Matters, Nick Nickerson from Eosense, and David Risk from St. Francis Xavier University to develop best practices for industry that will reduce methane and carbon dioxide emissions from the oil and gas sector.

Methane is a potent greenhouse gas with a global warming potential 25 times greater than carbon dioxide over a 100-year period, Mundle explained. Oil and gas sector facilities are thought to account for around 26 per cent of total greenhouse gas emissions and are also Canada’s largest emitters of methane. Given the importance of methane in emissions, Canadian federal and Albertan provincial targets are aligned to reduce methane emissions by 40 to 45 per cent from 2012 levels by 2025.

“Global demand for oil is still rising, so to make a real impact on climate change we need to move past the polarizing sound bites and continue to develop innovative approaches to produce oil responsibly,” Mundle said.

Mundle and his team are funded for three years by the Alberta Upstream Petroleum Research Fund (AUPRF) and the Mitacs Accelerate program.  The AUPRF is a collaborative program between the Government of Alberta, the Alberta Energy Regulator, and industry, led by the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers and the Explorers and Producers Association of Canada, and managed by Petroleum Technology Alliance Canada.

The AUPRF was created to support innovation and collaboration, targeting strategies to minimize the environmental impact of the oil and gas industry in Canada.

Sue Skrobiak’s career of almost 40 years dedicated to the Odette School of Business will receive recognition with a new award. She joined the University’s staff as a secretary in the Faculty of Business Administration in 1980, and died in November 2018.

The Sue Skrobiak Award for Excellence will be presented annually to a recipient who has positively impacted the Odette School of Business MBA Program for a sustained period.

“Sue worked for the School of Business for almost 40 years and most of that time was devoted exclusively to our MBA program,” explains dean Mitch Fields. “The entire Odette team — faculty, staff, students, and alumni — really wanted to recognize her contribution.”

Award recipients can be an alumnus of the program, a past Odette faculty or staff member, or an engaged individual or organization. The Sue Skrobiak Award for Excellence will be bestowed at the Odette Dean’s Dinner, the culmination of the fall MBA orientation and an event that Skrobiak cherished.

In addition, an annual bursary will be given to a current MBA student in honour of the Sue Skrobiak Award for Excellence recipient. The school plans to raise funds for an endowment to support the student bursary.

Donations given beyond the endowment target will be directed to other worthy causes related to the Odette MBA program and its students. Priority will be given to the refurbishment of the Odette MBA student lounge; upon its completion, the space will be renamed in honour of Skrobiak. Any additional funds will be directed to activities and projects, like MBA case competitions, MBA leadership forums, and updates to the main MBA classroom within the Odette School of Business.

The Sue Skrobiak Award for Excellence was developed in consultation with her husband John and daughters Amie and Melissa.

“No words can express the devastating loss our family has endured,” explains John Skrobiak. “This award will be a constant reminder to us and others of Sue’s contributions, efforts, care, and kindness that she exhibited throughout her life and her career. We are honoured and humbled that Sue’s name will live on through Odette, the MBA program and in our family’s hearts forever.”

Donation information is available on the Odette website.

The Organization of Part-time University Students (OPUS) invites nominations for its awards to recognize professors and staff members and celebrate the contributions of part-time students and the organization’s members.

All part-time undergrads, as well as UWindsor alumni, staff, and faculty members, are welcome to submit nominations for these awards:

• Distinguished Service Award
• Lifetime Achievement Award
• Friend of Students Award
• Teacher of the Year Award
• Volunteer of the Year Award
• Faculty Award(s)
• Support Staff Award(s)
• Staff/Faculty Leadership Award
• Student Solidarity Award
• Disability Campus Community Recognition Award
• Appreciation Award

The nomination deadline is Friday, Feb. 7, 2020. The 2020 OPUS awards will celebrated during its 28th annual banquet on March 20.

In addition, part-time students may apply for a variety of monetary awards and bursaries. Find more information on http://www1.uwindsor.ca/opus/opus-1.

UWindsor instructor Marty Gervais, the city’s poet laureate emeritus, and current poet laureate Mary Ann Mulhern, will host Poetry at the Manor at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 8.

An intimate evening of poetry and discussion with guest poets laureate from across Canada, it is set in historic Willistead Manor, 1899 Niagara St. Admission is free and limited seating is available on a first-come, first-seated basis.

The event will feature A.F. Moritz of Toronto, Steven Ross Smith of Banff, Victoria Butler of Barrie, and Micheline Maylor of Calgary, as well as Windsor’s youth poet laureate, Samantha Badaoa.

Find more information on the event website.