People, Equity & Inclusion

By John-Paul Bonadonna

After an extraordinary 38-year journey at the University of Windsor, Diane Rawlings is retiring.

Her last day marks not just the end of a remarkable career, but the celebration of a life woven into the fabric of campus.

“There’s just an energy around education and on college and university campuses that you really can’t be compared,” remarked Diane.

"At the heart of it, I wanted students to have the same kind of positive experience I had.”

Master of Nursing student Kasia Zurawski’s work in psychiatric and mental health nursing has earned her the first Chapman Harm Reduction Scholarship from the Registered Nursing Foundation of Ontario. 

The scholarship, with a value of $1,000, is awarded to a practicing nurse or nursing student who has demonstrated commitment to a career focus on harm reduction in the field of addictions and mental health. 

Preserving Local History 

In the basement of Leddy Library, behind an unassuming door, relics of the past reside — rows upon rows of documents with ink faded by time, rare and first-edition books, and preserved memories of Southwestern Ontario. 

The space is home to Archives and Special Collections, which holds community records, historic documents, photographs, and other items preserved and cataloged by dedicated archivists. 

In his home country of Nigeria, civil engineer Samuel Ehikhuenmen worked as a faculty member at the University of Lagos. Moving to Windsor to take up doctoral studies, he soon realized making important connections was key.

That’s where The CUBE came in.

A hub providing resources, networking, and a platform for Indigenous and Black scholars to thrive, it launched in September 2023, led by director Kemi Anazodo, an assistant professor at the Odette School of Business.