Professor emeritus Karl Jirgens, founder of the international literary journal Rampike, continues to write, create visual art and participate in scholarly work beyond the classroom. (KYLE ARCHIBALD/University of Windsor)
By Victor Romao
Long before Karl Jirgens earned a PhD, founded an international literary journal or stepped into a university classroom, a high school teacher helped him see writing in a different light.
“Writing is just another medium with its own peculiarities,” he says, recalling a lesson from high school teacher Alan Bevan that would help shape a career spanning literature, publishing, visual art and education.
— Published on Oct 5th, 2026
University of Windsor alumnus Justin Langlois builds connections across art, research and community through a collaborative and socially engaged practice. (PERRIN GRAUER/University of Windsor)
By Victor Romao
Long before stepping into a senior academic leadership role on Canada’s West Coast, Justin Langlois developed the foundations of a multidisciplinary practice at the University of Windsor.
Langlois (MFA ’09, BA Hons. ’07), now associate vice-president, research and dean of graduate studies at Emily Carr University for Art+Design, has built a career that blends art, research and community engagement, an approach rooted in his time as a student in Windsor.
— Published on Oct 2nd, 2026
Alumna Mia Kairouz and partner Simão Santa Barbara opened VeloFit in Amherstburg in July 2026 (PROVIDED BY M. KAIROUZ/University of Windsor)
By Kate Hargreaves
At just 24, Mia Kairouz (BA ’25) jokes that she’s already lived many lives.
She’s been a lifeguard, a first responder, an endurance athlete, a personal trainer and a cancer survivor.
In July, she became an entrepreneur, opening VeloFit Performance and Fitness Coaching in Amherstburg, with her partner Simão Santa Barbara.
“In general, my goal is to help people,” Kairouz says.
— Published on Oct 2nd, 2026
Sav Riley: Factory Reset opens at Art Windsor-Essex Oct. 15, 2026 (PROVIDED BY S. RILEY/University of Windsor)
By Kate Hargreaves
From paint-splattered jeans to shredded denim on its last legs, UWindsor alum Sav Riley (BA, Communications, Media and Film, ’26) is giving donated textiles a second life as wearable art.
— Published on Sep 29th, 2026
Participants in a 2024 Creative Ecologies SMArt Masterclass sketch outside a Leamington-area greenhouse. (Cri Kosti/University of Windsor)
By Sara Elliott
Science students are learning to create original works of art to explain scientific research.
In a new University of Windsor research-creation project, undergraduate students will explore how sculpting, painting and drawing can be used to convey research.
— Published on Sep 23rd, 2026
The Black Scholars Institute at the University of Windsor will host a three-day symposium in October (FILE/University of Windsor)
By Kate Hargreaves
The University of Windsor Black Scholars Institute (BSI) will bring scholarship and community together this October during the three-day symposium Futuring Black Thriving.
— Published on Sep 22nd, 2026
Dayna Pidhoresky was the women's winner at the Sept. 13 Windsor Waterfront Half-Marathon (PROVIDED BY D. PIDHORESKY/University of Windsor)
By Kate Hargreaves
On a muggy September morning, Dayna Pidhoresky (BSc ’09, BA ’10) lined up with more than 1,500 runners on Windsor’s Riverside Drive, awaiting the start of the second annual Windsor Waterfront Half-Marathon.
Just over 71 minutes later, she broke the tape at the finish line, at the same time taking down a personal best (PB) that had stood for 15 years.
“It did feel very humid warming up, and we were unsure if a PB would be possible on a day like that,” Pidhoresky recalls.
— Published on Sep 29th, 2026
Elizabeth Szymanski is a doctoral candidate in education researching pre-service teachers' familiarity with social-emotional learning (PROVIDED BY E. SZYMANSKI/University of Windsor)
By Kate Hargreaves
Being a teacher is about more than getting kids up to speed on their reading, writing and math.
Teachers also support students as they solve problems, build relationships, set goals and manage emotions.
These skills are part of social-emotional learning (SEL), which takes place every day in elementary and secondary schools. But PhD researcher Elizabeth Szymanski (BA, ECE, BEd, MEd) says that teacher candidates don’t necessarily feel prepared to take it on.
— Published on Sep 18th, 2026
Dr. Wayne Ambrose-Miller and the School of Social Work have been working on embedding Indigenous Ways of Knowing into the program (MICHAEL WILKINS/University of Windsor)
As part of the launch of the Turtle Island — Indigenous Student Services Centre's Indigenous Allyship Guide, we are asking allies across campus to reflect on their allyship journeys.
Dr. Wayne Ambrose-Miller is director of the UWindsor School of Social Work.
Q: How would you describe what Indigenous allyship means to you?
— Published on Sep 14th, 2026
University of Windsor Visual Arts and Built Environment program coordinator and architect Jasson Grossi standing at the front at the Queen's Dock Cultural Pier in Windsor, Ont. (PETER MARVAL/ University of Windsor)
By Lindsay Charlton
At the foot of Mill Street in Windsor’s Sandwich Town, a new pier is giving residents a fresh perspective on the Detroit River.
Within moments after the Bexhigoyaak Pier, also known as the Queen’s Dock Cultural Pier, opened this spring, people were casting lines into the water — something pier and park designer Jason Grossi was happy to see.
— Published on Sep 10th, 2026
Professor emeritus Karl Jirgens, founder of the international literary journal Rampike, continues to write, create visual art and participate in scholarly work beyond the classroom. (KYLE ARCHIBALD/University of Windsor)
