Equity and Inclusion

By Kate Hargreaves 

Belonging has always been at the heart of everything University of Windsor alumna Joan Simpson (BSW ‘06, MSW ‘14) does. 

From supporting newcomers and those facing socioeconomic barriers to co-founding the Beauty is Me non-profit, Simpson’s work is all about empowerment and reminding people that they belong. 

It’s a drive that has been with Simpson since her youth.  

By Sara Meikle

As Canada faces ongoing health-care worker shortages, internationally educated nurses (IENs) are increasingly relied upon to fill critical roles.

Research by Dr. Edward Cruz, a professor in the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Windsor, suggests many of these nurses continue to encounter systemic barriers that limit their ability to fully integrate into the workforce — even as they are actively recruited to meet demand.

By Kate Hargreaves 

The University of Windsor’s Faculty of Education has launched its new strategic plan for 2025-2030. 

Grounded in extensive consultations with faculty, staff, students, alumni, community members and school boards, this plan will help shape teaching, research, partnerships and impact over the next five years. 

“Central to this plan is the Faculty’s commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion and decolonization,” says Dr. Ken Montgomery, dean of the Faculty of Education.  

By Kate Hargreaves 

Over 100 families attended this year’s Togetherness Initiative, an annual event organized by teacher candidates in the Faculty of Education. 

As part of the service-learning course Vulnerability, Marginalization and Education (VME), BEd students planned and implemented the event at Frank W. Begley Public School in Windsor, offering activities and supports for local families facing economic and social barriers. 

Marium Tolson-Murtty’s year started with an exciting email announcing her as a 2026 Top 100 Accomplished Black Canadian Women honouree. 

“This organization, run by trailblazers themselves, recognizes the accomplishments of Black women across Canada from various industries, whether it’s education, entrepreneurship or STEM,” says Tolson-Murtty, director of human rights, conflict resolution and mediation. 

The University of Windsor is home to unique archival collections that document elements of the Black history of Southwestern Ontario.  

Stewarded by the Archives and Special Collections Team in Leddy Library, these collections reflect a long-standing commitment to preserving histories that have shaped the region socially, culturally and intellectually.  

By Sara Meikle

How does Canadian public law shape our lives — and who really holds the power behind it?

Critical Conversations in Canadian Public Law, a new edited collection that brings together voices from across the country, considers these questions and offers a critique that is often overlooked in traditional legal education.

By Kate Hargreaves 

When Bachelor of Education students Jillian Wawrow and Jessica Mladenoski pack their suitcases this April for their trip to Tanzania, they’ll also be loading up bags of school supplies, toiletries and menstrual products. 

Wawrow and Mladenoski are two of the 16 participants in this year’s Teach Tanzania trip, which has allowed students to make the three-week trip to Tanzania each spring since 2008.  

Black History Month in Canada reaches a milestone in 2026, marking three decades of official recognition.

Looking back on generations past as well as into the future, the Canadian government has declared this year’s theme to be “30 Years of Black History Month: Honouring Black Brilliance Across Generations – From Nation Builders to Tomorrow’s Visionaries.”

At the University of Windsor and in the Windsor-Essex community, events throughout February are planned to celebrate Black histories and futures.

By Kate Hargreaves 

Kathleen Rose (MEd ’25) calls herself a long-time gamer, playing early role-playing games (RPGs) like Baldur's Gate since the 1990s. 

As the mother of young children at the time, and as a woman in the male-dominated video gaming space, she began to wonder about what messages these games were sending to players about gender and bodies. 

“As an English teacher, games are a text. They’re a media text like anything else,” she explains.