The way the UWindsor community honours its graduates has changed due to the necessity of social distancing, but in a video message delivered during Convocation week, president Rob Gordon said the spirit of the celebration and pride in their achievements remains the same.

“I know there are real people and real stories behind each and every diploma handed out on Convocation day, and though we won’t be gathering in person for the time being, I want you to know that your stories are important to me and to everyone at the University of Windsor,” he said.

Dr. Gordon called on the newest alumni to take their educations and make their marks in the world: “Not just for yourselves, but for those who’ve supported you, and for those in the world who need what you now have to offer.”

Watch the entire video, produced by the Office of Public Affairs and Communications.

The University of Windsor Alumni Association continues to offer its diploma framing service to UWindsor graduates. Those graduating this spring can still choose from a selection of Canadian-made wood frames.

Order online and receive free shipping within North America until June 30. See a list of styles and options for ordering on the alumni website.

The Faculty of Science has created a video to congratulate the graduating Class of 2020 and holding a virtual celebration via Zoom this morning — Wednesday, May 27 — at the time that science students would have been walking across the convocation stage.

“Because we are not able to celebrate the accomplishments of our graduating students in person, we thought that it was essential to recognize this memorable moment in their lives,” says Chris Houser, dean of the Faculty of Science.

The video includes a message from UWindsor president Rob Gordon and a welcome by the Alumni Association, along with congratulatory (selfie) videos from faculty, staff, and students across the Faculty of Science.

Footage for the video was shot by Dylan Kristy of Public Affairs and Communications, and the video was produced by Sameer Jafar, an alumnus of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry who now runs his own production company, Blackcap Ltd, in Toronto, highlighting science stories.

The video is available through the Faculty of Science YouTube channel at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywfh7sfp0I4&feature=youtu.be.

It has been just over two months since the University of Windsor moved to an essential services model, with the majority of our faculty and staff working remotely. We appreciate that this was a challenging adjustment for many. Recently, there has been an increased number of individuals on campus, and while we appreciate that some of you may be returning to retrieve items necessary for your work, we want to strongly remind everyone that only those who have been deemed to be performing essential services should be in workplaces and facilities.

Faculty and staff who are working remotely at this time should not attend campus unless they have been requested – or have requested and been authorized – to be on campus. This should only be in exceptional circumstances.

We have taken this measure to comply with provincial directives and to ensure we do everything possible to place our campus community’s health and safety at the forefront as we deal with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Anyone who finds it necessary to come to campus should notify well in advance the person from whom they ordinarily receive work assignments, so as to inform them of the time of, and reason for, their attendance on campus.

If you have received University authorization to conduct critical research on campus, you may do so, but will need to adhere strictly to health and safety procedures and to access only the areas that have been approved.

Entry to a building should be made only through an external automated door, accessed with a fob or keycard. But even in this limited circumstance, employees should take careful measures and precautions to remain safe to minimize any risk to themselves and others.

Please do not stay on campus any longer than necessary. If you need to stay more than a few minutes, notify Campus Community Police so that they are aware that you are on campus and alone.

We encourage the University of Windsor campus community to continue to visit our COVID-19 website for regular updates.

Thank you for your understanding. Stay well!

Sincerely,

Douglas Kneale, Provost and Vice-President, Academic
Michael Siu, Vice-President, Research and Innovation
Rita LaCivita, Vice-President, Human Resources
Anna Kirby, Vice-President, Planning and Administration (Acting)

The seasonal return of hot weather makes a perfect time for a cooling salad, says Paolo Vasapolli, executive chef in Food and Catering Services.

His recipe for tomato-melon salad combines several summer favourites to make a fresh-tasting entrée or side dish.

Tomato Melon Salad

Ingredients

• 2 or 3 medium vine-ripened tomatoes, diced
• 1 cucumber, peeled and sliced
• 1/2 cantaloupe peeled and diced
• 1/4 red onion, diced
• 1-2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• dried oregano, optional
• 1 bunch arugula, rinsed and dried

Instructions

1. Mix tomatoes, cucumber, melon, and red onions in the oil, vinegar, and seasonings and let that sit for five minutes.
2. Lay out the greens on a serving platter.
3. Top with the seasoned fruits and vegetables. Serve immediately.

As a variation, Vasapolli suggests adding avocado and cutting everything into one-inch cubes, then placing to create a puzzle salad, finished with a drizzle of balsamic reduction.

Find more recipes — as well as a place to submit your own — on the Healthy Eating website.

The work of the Supply Chain Advancement Network in Health (SCAN Health) is more important than ever, says its scientific director and CEO, Anne Snowdon.

“Today, health systems are struggling to manage a pandemic sweeping across every jurisdiction in the world,” she writes in the organization’s 2019 annual report, posted Tuesday to its website.

“An integrated and digital supply chain infrastructure leverages predictive analytics to enable clinicians and supporting staff to track and trace all aspects of a healthcare journey to ensure healthcare provider teams have the products and equipment required to deliver safe and high-quality patient care.”

Among the year’s highlights identified in the report are:

• The Government of Canada’s Networks of Centres of Excellence (NCE) Monitoring Committee awarded SCAN Health an exceptional score for progress in 2018-19 and noted its approach could be adopted as a model for other areas.
• Dr. Snowdon mobilized knowledge of supply chain best practices in health systems through presentations around the world, including events in Australia, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Thailand, and the United States, as well as Canada.
• At the Asia Pacific conference of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society, Snowdon explored how the Clinically Integrated Supply Outcomes Model is bringing supply chain and clinical teams together to realize quantifiable and sustainable value-based care for patients and families.

Read the full report on the SCAN Health website.