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Dear OISE Community,

Many within our community are hopefully finding the summer a bit of a change of pace from the past several months. I myself will be slowing down the frequency of community updates over these next few months, even as our leadership team will continue to meet to discuss critical matters. I will be sure to keep you informed of any items that arise that are vital to the OISE community. In the meantime, here are a few items of information.

 

Membership of OISE Climate Action Advisory Group

We have established the OISE Climate Action Advisory Group that will provide me with advice on a strategic climate action plan for OISE. My thanks to the many individuals who indicated an interest in participating in this process. The advisory group, which has been asked to develop a draft plan by the end of this year, includes the following members:

• Megan Abley, Graduate Student, APHD
• Julie Blair, Indigenous Education Network Coordinator
• Yiola Cleovoulou, Faculty Member, APHD
• Helen Huang, Chief Administrative Officer, OISE
• Alysse Kennedy, Graduate Student, CTL
• David Montemurro, Faculty Member, CTL
• Fikile Nxumalo, Faculty Member, CTL
• Sadia Rahman, Graduate Student, LHAE
• John Robinson, Presidential Advisor on the Environment, Climate Change and Sustainability
• Jennifer Sumner, Faculty Member, LHAE
• Amanda Trigiana, Graduate Student, SJE
• Jenaya Webb, Librarian, OISE Library
• Terezia Zoric, Faculty Member, SJE

The work of this committee will be supported by Hilary Inwood (CTL) who has agreed to assist me in leading this initiative, Iman Fouad (Dean’s Office), and a number of graduate students who will be conducting research for the committee, including Wahaj Alam and Sunnya Khan.

 

Announcement of Distinguished Professor

I am delighted to announce that Professor Creso Sá of the Department of Leadership, Higher and Adult Education has been appointed Distinguished Professor in Science Policy, Higher Education, and Innovation for a five-year term from July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2025. The University of Toronto offers the Distinguished Professor Award to a select number of faculty with highly distinguished accomplishments, who maintain an extraordinary level of activity in their research and scholarly work, and who have achieved pre-eminence in their field.

Professor Sá is an internationally leading scholar of the connections between science policy, higher education, and innovation. He is co-author of Tapping the Riches of Science: Universities and the Promise of Economic Growth (Harvard University Press, 2009) and The Entrepreneurship Movement and the University (Palgrave Macmillan, 2015). In 2015, he was awarded the Research and Scholarship Award, conferred by the Canadian Society for the Study of Higher Education, for his distinguished contributions to research. Professor Sá is Editor-in-Chief of the Canadian Journal of Higher Education and Associate Editor of Studies in Higher Education. He is also is a public facing scholar who regularly contributes to policy dialogue, and whose work has been profiled and cited in Nature, The Scientist, the Times Higher Education, Inside Higher Education, University Affairs, The Hill Times, The Postmedia Network, and The Globe and Mail.

Please join me in congratulating Professor Sá on this very prestigious appointment!

 

SGS Initiatives to Support Students

Students whose academic progress through their program has been significantly impeded due to COVID-19 related disruptions, may apply for a tuition exemption for up to one academic session, normally at the conclusion of their program. OISE will provide more information shortly on the internal process to apply to a Tuition Fee Exemption.

 

OISE Restart and Recovery

As communicated in the June 15^th Deans Community Update, OISE is working on plans for restart and recovery. We continue to develop guidelines in collaboration with various units at the University and OISE, as well as with non-OISE units that reside in our building. Please note that working and learning from home will continue to be the default, and any use of the OISE building now and into the fall will continue to be highly restricted and limited to very specific activities consistent with our emerging guidelines and plans. We are working collaboratively with OISE departments and units to establish guidelines that can be considered for approval. As things progress we will communicate COVID-19 related processes and ensure that the community knows of the plans.

 

New OISE Alumni Association Executive Board

The OISE Alumni Association have a Newly Elected Executive Board who started a two-year term on July 1, 2020. My congratulations to the new leadership team including President Matthew Stodolak (MT '17), Vice-President Internal Nikoletta Papadopoulos (MEd '13), Vice-President External Jamie Philip (MEd '16), Treasurer Janet Fu, (PhD '11) and Secretary Amy Christine Parker (BEd '79). These volunteers play an important role in sustaining our relationships with alumni, and furthering OISE’s mission and goals.

 

Thank you to our OISE alumni community for participating in the election process.

I wish everyone a peaceful and restful summer.

Take care,

 

Glen A. Jones, Ph.D.
Professor and Dean