Faculty Awards Archives | Faculty of Education /edu/category/faculty-awards/ Reinventing education for a diverse, complex world. Thu, 15 Jan 2026 13:07:53 +0000 en-CA hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 /edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2020/07/favicon.png Faculty Awards Archives | Faculty of Education /edu/category/faculty-awards/ 32 32 Celebrating Excellence in Research and Teaching /edu/2025/06/17/celebrating-excellence-in-research-and-teaching/ Tue, 17 Jun 2025 14:16:16 +0000 /edu/?p=43425 The Faculty of Education is proud to honour two exceptional faculty members whose contributions to research and graduate education continue to shape our community in profound ways.

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The Faculty of Education is proud to honour two exceptional faculty members whose contributions to research and graduate education continue to shape our community in profound ways.

Professor Lisa Farley (left0 with Associate Dean Research, Khaled Barkaoui (right)
Professor Lisa Farley (left) with Associate Dean Research, Khaled Barkaoui

Graduate Teaching Award – Lisa Farley
The Graduate Teaching Award honours the impact of teaching, curriculum development, and pedagogy and recognizes those who display substantial, significant, and sustained excellence, as well as commitment and enthusiasm to the multifaceted aspects of teaching at the graduate level.

We are thrilled to announce the recipient of this year’s award, Professor Lisa Farley.  In nominating her for this award, students commend Farley as “an outstanding graduate teacher, supervisor, and mentor who demonstrates an unwavering commitment to fostering students’ academic and professional growth through sustained and meaningful mentorship. Her approach to supervision is distinguished by accessibility, opportunity, humility, and her teaching invites students to engage deeply with difficult and disruptive knowledge. Through her mentorship, she has helped countless graduate students develop not only as researchers and educators, but as thoughtful contributors to the field of education.

Assistant Professor Natalia Balyasnikova (left) with Associate Dean Research, Khaled Barkaoui
Assistant Professor Natalia Balyasnikova (left) with Associate Dean Research, Khaled Barkaoui

Dean’s Research Impact Award – Emerging Stream – Natalia Balyasnikova
The Dean’s Research Impact Award highlights research excellence, leadership, and innovation in the Emerging Stream. The award celebrates promising scholars whose work already demonstrates significant impact and potential for long-term leadership in the field.

We are excited to announce that this year’s award has been granted to Professor Natalia Balyasnikova. In nominating her for this award, colleagues highlighted Balyasnikova’s “ability to identify critical issues, develop context-specific solutions, and create unique methodologies to explore and address these challenges”. Balyasnikova’s expertise, commitment, attention to detail, remarkable ability to engage and critically explore a wide range of significant topics, research methodologies, and theoretical frameworks, and contributions to academic excellence make her an outstanding researcher.

“As we celebrate Professors Farley and Balyasnikova, we also celebrate the broader culture of excellence, mentorship, and innovation that defines our Faculty”, commented Associate Dean Research, Khaled Barkaoui. “Their work not only advances knowledge, but also exemplifies what it means to lead with care, insight and impact in the field of education”.

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Best of Education: 2024 Highlights /edu/2024/12/19/best-of-education-2024/ Thu, 19 Dec 2024 14:28:30 +0000 /edu/?p=42013 A look at some of the top stories in the Faculty of Education for 2024.

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The Faculty created a consulting initiative called ED Global, which will work collaboratively with school boards, educational organizations, governments and diverse communities to help them maximize positive change.

Investments made by the Faculty in talent, research, infrastructure and leadership were recognized by its place in the Top 100 education faculties worldwide as designated by the 2024.  

The Faculty launched a new promotional video as a part of York’s Pan-University Faculty video series and its ED Faculty new identity video series.  

Professor Carl James was honoured with an Honorary Doctorate from McGill University.

Doctoral graduate Isaac Garcia-Sitton (PhD ’24) was awarded two prestigious national awards for his doctoral dissertation in the field of international higher education.  

The 첥Ƶ Education Alumni Network (YUEAN) hosted its first in-person event centered around the question, “What professional pathways can a degree in Education lead to, in addition to the classroom?”

The Faculty completed a transformative renovation of its original 1960s-era building on the Keele Campus positioning it as a modern, welcoming and accessible hub for the next generation of educators.

Alumna Pamela Farrel (BEd '07) was recognized in the 2024 Top 25 Women of Influence list for her impact and contributions to driving meaningful progress and to the advancement of women in her respective fields.  

The Faculty launched a new certificate in Undergraduate Educational Studies to enhance preparation and career options in the field.

Associate professor Vidya Shah was recognized with President’s University-wide Teaching Award at the 2024 Spring Convocation ceremony.  

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President’s University-Wide Teaching Award recipients honoured /edu/2024/06/19/presidents-university-wide-teaching-award-recipients-honoured/ Wed, 19 Jun 2024 18:10:40 +0000 /edu/?p=40149 Three 첥Ƶ faculty members will be recognized during the 2024 Spring Convocation ceremonies with President’s University-Wide Teaching Awards for enhancing quality of learning and demonstrating innovation and excellence in teaching.

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Three 첥Ƶ faculty members will be recognized during the 2024 Spring Convocation ceremonies with President’s University-Wide Teaching Awards for enhancing quality of learning and demonstrating innovation and excellence in teaching.

This year’s President’s University-Wide Teaching Award recipients – selected by the 첥Ƶ Senate – are representative of three categories: full-time faculty with 10 or more years of teaching experience; full-time faculty with less than 10 years of experience; and contract and adjunct faculty.

Each winner will not only be recognized during a convocation ceremony this spring but will have their name engraved on the University-Wide Teaching Awards plaques displayed in Vari Hall on the Keele Campus.

This year’s recipients are:

Full-time tenured faculty with 10 or more years of full-time teaching experience

Danielle Robinson, School of the Arts, Media, Performance & Design (AMPD)

Danielle Robinson
Danielle Robinson

Robinson received the award in recognition of her ability to create an interdisciplinary learning environment where students from diverse academic backgrounds can work collaboratively and approach problems from contrasting directions. That ability has, in part, been channelled into her leadership around the Cross-Campus Capstone Classroom (C4) initiative, an experiential education opportunity for students that allows them approach real-world challenges with social impact in interdisciplinary ways. 

“In my collaboration with Danielle, I find her a passionate advocate for our students, excellent at organization, caring and interested in those she works with and one of the most hard-working colleagues I know,” said Robinson’s nominator, Professor Franz Newland, a C4 co-founder and co-academic lead. “She achieves this with a sense of fun, recognizing its importance when doing hard work. I believe she is an irreplaceable asset to York.”

Robinson has been the recipient of several other awards, including the Dean’s Teaching Award for Junior Faculty (from AMPD), and the Airbus and Global Engineering Dean’s Council’s Diversity Award.

Full-time faculty with less than 10 years of teaching experience

Vidya Shah, Faculty of Education

Vidya Shah
Vidya Shah

Shah received the award for her collaborative approach to pedagogy, which looks to honour students’ voices and recognize their needs, interests and agency – often by incorporating their views into the content of her courses. The award also acknowledges Shah’s ongoing efforts to address inequities within the larger academic community, often through inspiring a rethinking of practices in the areas of racial and social justice, as well as teaching and learning.

Her nominator, Myrtle Sodhi, a PhD candidate in the Faculty of Education, said of Shah, “Her ability to support a large number of students who are under-represented through various stages of their academic career speaks to Dr. Shah’s commitment to student learning, mentorship and social change.” She added: “Dr. Shah’s research, teaching, collaboration and mentorship has changed the landscape of the 첥Ƶ academic community in profound ways. She continues to inspire leadership, social justice action and academic pathways.”

Shah is also the recipient of the Faculty of Education Graduate Teaching Award. In 2022, she was awarded the Leaders and Legends Award for Mentor of the Year by the Ontario Institute of Studies in Education.

Contract and adjunct faculty

Heather Lynn Garrett

Heather Lynn Garrett, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies

Garrett was honoured in recognition of her her ability to engage with and motivate her students, incorporating story, anecdote, music and various media to bring course material to life. She has provided valuable mentorship to students in her program, notably through her support of the Sociology Undergraduate Student Association (SUSA). She has served as a faculty mentor of SUSA’s annual Falling in Love with Research project, guiding students in conduction sociological research on a topic chosen by SUSA members.

Garrett has twice received the John O’Neill Award for Teaching Excellence by the Department of Sociology, and has been nominated for the Ian Greene Award for Teaching Excellence.

Article originally published in the June 18, 2024 issue of

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Faculty of Education unveils new videos “Leaders Supporting Future Leaders in Education” to help mark its 50th Anniversary Year /edu/2023/06/07/leaders-supporting-future-leaders-in-education/ Wed, 07 Jun 2023 14:52:18 +0000 /edu/?p=35705 The Faculty of Education at York introduces a new four part video series inspiring and showcasing its bold leadership in education which helps create more just communities. The videos visually represent the Faculty’s commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion and decolonization. They reflect the positive change which the Faculty helps drive, and experiences in return, by […]

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The Faculty of Education at York introduces a new four part video series inspiring and showcasing its bold leadership in education which helps create more just communities.

The videos visually represent the Faculty’s commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion and decolonization. They reflect the positive change which the Faculty helps drive, and experiences in return, by working with its various stakeholders including students, alumni, community partners, donors, faculty and staff.

Also highlighted is the Faculty’s new Five-Year Strategic Plan (2023-2027) which launched earlier this year. In helping to sharpen the Faculty’s focus, the team continues to deeply consider and respond to the way in which inequities play out in the 2020’s. Its reputation for sustained engagement and action plays a key role in society.

“The diversity and range of research in the Faculty addresses many of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and in how we think about all societal challenges as connected to our environments. Our work has international impact.” - Dean Robert Savage

The unveiling of the new videos marks a significant time for the Faculty as it celebrates its 50th Anniversary Year this June.

Meaningful education is ever-changing, engaging as it does, as it must, with society. As a Faculty we are thinking holistically about this dynamism across all of the ideas, innovations, partnerships, sectors, and fields with whom we engage, to continue to provide transformative research teaching and experiential learning experiences and environments for all our diverse students as they go on to become future leaders in all our communities. - Dean Robert Savage

Leaders Supporting Future Leaders in Education: Students & Alumni

Leaders Supporting Future Leaders in Education: Community Partners

Leaders Supporting Future Leaders in Education: Research & Scholarship

Leaders Supporting Future Leaders in Education: New Savitri Ahuja Education Award

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Associate Professor Roopa Desai Trilokekar receives 2022 CSSHE Research and Scholarship Award /edu/2022/08/24/associate-professor-roopa-desai-trilokekar-receives-2022-csshe-research-and-scholarship-award/ Wed, 24 Aug 2022 14:41:20 +0000 /edu/?p=32527 Associate Professor Roopa Desai Trilokekar is the winner of this year’s Research and Scholarship Award presented by the Canadian Society for the 첥Ƶ of Higher Education (CSSHE).

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Faculty of Education associate professor Roopa Desai Trilokekar is the winner of this year’s Research and Scholarship Award presented by the Canadian Society for the 첥Ƶ of Higher Education (CSSHE).

headshot of Roopa Desai Trilokekar
Roopa Desai Trilokekar

The award recognizes research and scholarship on higher education and/or topics directly relevant to Canadian higher education which can include the socio-political context, access, governance, teaching and learning, institutional studies, or education and employment.

The award is conferred on a practicing mid-career scholar who, in addition to having an established reputation for scholarship will continue to contribute to research in the field for some time to come. The individual nominated also has a significant publication record, and an established reputation for publishing research on aspects of Canadian higher education.

“This award is extremely special to me because it was only some 20 odd years ago, that I came to Canada as an immigrant, with practically no knowledge about the Canadian higher education system,” said Desai Trilokekar. “I owe this accomplishment to my mentors who have firmly supported my growth and guided me throughout my professional journey. They remind me of the importance of mentoring and making time for young and upcoming professionals. It is so important that we be kind and generous with each other and invest in the spirit of collegiality.”

Desai Trilokekar’s research interests are focused on government policy in the internationalization of Canadian higher education, student experiential learning through international education and internationalizing pre-service teacher education. 

She has co-edited three volumes, International Education as Public Policy in Canada under contract with McGill-Queen’s University Press, Making Policy in Turbulent Times; Challenge and Prospects for Higher Education and Canada’s Universities Go Global and has published over 30 book chapters and journal articles. 

Her 2020 co-edited book International Education as Public Policy in Canada, along with Tamtik, M (Manitoba) and Jones, G. A (Toronto) was awarded the Catalyst Award by the Canadian Bureau of International Education for bringing cutting‐edge knowledge to the field of international education and made it to The Hill Times’ List of 100 Best Books in 2020. 

“The Faculty of Education congratulates Professor Roopa Desai Trilokekar on being awarded the prestigious Research and Scholarship Award granted by the Canadian Society for the 첥Ƶ of Higher Education,” said Lisa Farley, Associate Dean Research in the Faculty of Education. “This achievement is an important recognition of her outstanding contributions to the study of higher education, internationalization, and public policy. Professor Desai Trilokekar’s research will no doubt continue to inform policy directions and decision-making in education, with keen attention to social justice and equity.”


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Charles Hopkins Receives Lithuanian State Award /edu/2022/07/14/charles-hopkins-receives-lithuanian-state-award/ Thu, 14 Jul 2022 13:46:55 +0000 /edu/?p=32405 첥Ƶ UNESCO Chair Charles Hopkins was awarded the Lithuanian State Award on July 6 by the President of the Republic of Lithuania..

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첥Ƶ UNESCO Chair Charles Hopkins received the Lithuanian State Award on July 6 from President of the Republic of Lithuania Gitanas Nausėda

첥Ƶ UNESCO Chair  was awarded the Lithuanian State Award on July 6 by the President of the Republic of Lithuania, Gitanas Nausėda. 

Lithuanian and foreign citizens were presented with state orders and medals for their services to the Republic of Lithuania. 

Nausėda recognized Hopkins for making a significant contribution to the preservation and free transfer of unique documents of the history of Lithuanian diplomacy to the Lithuanian Museum of Canada. 

Among the 60 individuals who were awarded for helping to build sustainable international ties of peace, friendship and cultural exchange, Hopkins’ work in rescuing and safeguarding documents representing international treaties proving the Lithuanian independence during the period of 1918 to 1940 was recognized as important work to public service and life.  

“I am humbled by this recognition by the government of the Republic of Lithuania. I share the respect for these tangible documents as proof of the existence of the Lithuanian state as an independent nation, especially during times when ground truth and facts are questioned,” said Hopkins.  

Hopkins found the documents on a rainy morning in the 1980s when he noticed a pile of books and documents abandoned on a neighbour’s driveway after the home was being put up for sale. He had known that his neighbour, the late wife of the former Lithuanian Ambassador to Canada, had several formal government documents stored in the house from her late husband’s years of diplomatic service, and so Hopkins decided to retrieve the boxes, knowing he would ensure they were taken care of properly. 

Hopkins discovered documents signed by Japanese Emperor Hirohito, Russian leader Vladimir Lenin, Pope Pius XI, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, King George V and many more, including a large, detailed map outlining the border with Russia and other neighbouring countries. 

After several attempts working to return the documents to the Lithuanian community, the documents sat in Hopkin's basement for up to 40 years until 2021. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Hopkins came upon the Lithuanian Museum-Archives of Canada located in Mississauga, Ontario during one of his walks with his wife.  

When Hopkins spoke to the exhibition curator, they recognized the items Hopkins had owned and understood the value of the documents. The items were then handed over to the Lithuanian State Historical Archives in Vilnius. 

“I was relieved when we finally turned the documents over to Lithuanian authorities. I had tried before but with no luck. While I did not see their eventual significance, I took them in. I always knew that my neighbours had gone to great lengths to get these boxes to safety and felt I needed to protect them. I knew it was the right thing to do, and I am glad I was able to return these documents to their rightful owners, ending their 80-plus years in hiding,” said Hopkins. 

Since April 2021, the documents have been returned to the government of the Republic of Lithuania in Vilnius. They have been restored and are now available to the public to view at the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania. 

For his efforts in keeping the long-sought documents safe and returning them, Hopkins was also awarded the honour of the National Archive at a ceremony in Toronto in November 2021. 

In addition to travelling to Lithuania to receive his award, Hopkins is adding further value to his travels to Europe in support of the  initiative. He has held meetings with the National Education Agency in Lithuania with university network partners to discuss perspectives on recent United Nations developments in education and initiated new projects for future teachers in Lithuania. During this trip, he is also spending time at the Global Citizenship Alliance in Salzburg, Austria, working with a new generation of higher education faculty and administrators from the United States to engage in the global pursuit of sustainability.  

For more information and to view a virtual exhibition of the Lithuanian international treaties, visit  

Article originally published in the July 14, 2022 issue of .


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Membership Awarded to Talented Course Director Dr. Lorin Schwarz /edu/2022/07/13/membership-awarded-to-talented-course-director-dr-lorin-schwarz/ Wed, 13 Jul 2022 12:30:00 +0000 /edu/?p=32359 Faculty of Education course director Dr. Lorin Schwarz is the recipient of an awarded membership presented by the International Psychohist...

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Standing Photo of Lorin Schwarz

Faculty of Education course director Dr. Lorin Schwarz is the recipient of an awarded membership presented by the . Schwarz received the award after attending a conference sponsored by the International Psychohistory Forum earlier this spring.   

While attending the conference, Schwarz asked a few questions and engaged with the speakers. Afterwards, he wrote to the organizer, Paul Elovitz, thanking him for organizing and putting on such a dynamic and informative weekend of speakers and conversation. “I usually do that when I can because organizing a conference is such a big deal, I think organizers deserve some support, but in this case, it was really a good conference and I wanted to let them know how much it meant to me,” said Schwarz.   

Elovitz wrote back saying that he was glad it was meaningful and that Schwarz’s contribution to the discussion was noticed. He then asked Schwarz to write a review of what he learned from the conference for their journal . Schwarz obliged and was awarded a membership presented by the International Psychohistory Forum based on his written review. Another 첥Ƶ scholar, Jun Lu, a Ph.D. student in the Social and Political Thought program was a co-recipient of the award.  

 “Applying Freudian ideas to the study of history offers the same insight and advantage that an attention to interiority provides for the teacher: when we remember that everyone has an unconscious, that there's always more going on than we know, that we carry invisible histories around with us --and that the emotional world is always at play in everything that happens and how we react to what we encounter, we then act in ways that hold the possibility for more thoughtful, compassionate and rational relations with the world and with ourselves,” says Schwarz on how he applies Freudian thinking towards teaching. “Psychoanalytic thinking offers a chance for us to choose complexity over superstition and an "us against them" mentality, dynamic experience overtaken-for-grantedness, and care --perhaps even love? -- over a sense of isolation and indifference.” 

The Psychohistory Forum is an international group of scholars who apply psychoanalytic thinking and the ideas of Freud to engage with and better understand, history and culture. For more information visit their website at .


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Two York professors receive provincial award of excellence /edu/2022/01/27/two-york-professors-receive-provincial-award-of-excellence/ Thu, 27 Jan 2022 12:55:48 +0000 /edu/?p=30568 첥Ƶ Professors Don Dippo and Dawn Bazely are among 30 recipients of the Minister of Colleges and Universities’ Awards of Excellence.

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white male hand holding a small sign that reads "Awards"

첥Ƶ Professors Don Dippo and Dawn Bazely are among 30 recipients of the Minister of Colleges and Universities’ Awards of Excellence.

The awards, which were launched in 2020, recognize the leading work of Ontario’s faculty and staff during the pandemic. More than 675 nominations were received.

Don Dippo

headshot of professor Don Dippo wearing a hunter green sweater and standing in front of a bookshelf in his office
Don Dippo

Dippo is a professor in the Faculty of Education and a former elementary school teacher. In 2011, Dippo received the title of University Professor by York in recognition of his leadership in teaching, learning and the student experience.

Dippo is the recipient of the Minister’s Award of Excellence in the Equality of Opportunity category, which recognizes faculty and staff who have excelled at opening post-secondary education to marginalized and underrepresented groups. His nomination for the Minister’s Award of Excellence recognizes Dippo’s instrumental and visionary roles in developing programs with a focus on eliminating systemic barriers to university access.

Dippo spearheaded the Advanced Credit Experience, a partnership between the two Toronto School Boards, the 첥Ƶ Faculty Association (YUFA) and the Faculty of Education. The partnership aims to enhance access to university to students from local high schools in the Jane and Finch community in Toronto. During Grade 12, students take a university course at York, upon successful completion of the program they receive a university credit that can be applied at any university. Students participate in on-campus cooperative placements to build academic and life skills. Based on their grades, they automatically receive a scholarship to 첥Ƶ. Dippo has played a key role in this program both as the Faculty of Education champion and as an ambassador to the program with YUFA.

His unwavering focus on accessibility is also evident through his work with Success Beyond Limits, an organization with a focus on reducing the impact of external factors that negatively affect the educational success of youth in the Jane and Finch community. Success Beyond Limits takes the form of a summer program and is sponsored by the Faculty of Education and housed at 첥Ƶ.

The award also recognizes Dippo’s instrumental role as one of the co-founders and the current director of the Borderless Higher Education for Refugees program, a project that aims to make educational programs available where refugees need them. Under his direction, students in the Dadaab Refugee Camp in Kenya participating in the program are awarded degrees from York through courses delivered onsite and through camp-based university education. One of the cornerstones for this program has been the pursuit of gender equity and inclusivity by taking all necessary measures to ensure the participation in all of the academic programs by women, ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities, and students with disabilities.

Dawn Bazely

Headshpt of Dawn Bazely wearing a brown sweater with a green scarf
Dawn Bazely

Bazely is a professor in the Department of Biology in the Faculty of Science and the former director of the Institute for Research in Innovation in Sustainability at 첥Ƶ. In 2015, Bazely was accorded the title of University Professor by York in recognition of her leadership in research, teaching and service to the institution.

A field biologist and accomplished science communicator, she is the recipient of the Minister’s Award of Excellence in the Future Proofing category, which recognizes faculty and staff who are leading the way in adapting programming that supports new ways of learning for Ontario students.

Her nomination for the Minister’s Award of Excellence recognizes her work in “future proofing” students enrolled in her Applied Plant Ecology course and students working in her research lab. Her future-proofing activities began in January 2020. Drawing on her expertise in science communication, policy and citizen science, she incorporated media coverage of the emerging threat of the SARS-CoV2 virus and other zoonotic diseases into her teaching in relation to biodiversity loss. In February 2020, she began preparing all students to end their term through online synchronous classes and meetings. Recognizing the dilemma of international students in the face of a pandemic and the impending travel restrictions, Bazely also worked to support them to either return to their home countries or seek accommodation on York’s Keele Campus.

Her tremendous foresight into the impending pandemic restrictions propelled Bazley to also act as to future proof students enrolled in the Ontario Universities Program in Field Biology (OUPFB) involving 17 partner institutions. Through her role as the 첥Ƶ representative on the OUPFB (which encompassed 30 shared courses that were eventually cancelled due to the pandemic), Bazely designed an online field course, Biodiversity & Watershed Management, to meet the summer field course requirement for 40 students so they could complete their degrees. The course was one of only two courses to run early in the pandemic, with no other Canadian University launching a virtual field course.  

In 2021, Bazely continued her activities and actively mentored international professors on transitioning laboratories online. She also expanded the virtual field course to five Ontario universities, to ensure that students could meet their field course requirements virtually and inexpensively. Ethics-approved surveys on Bazely’s field courses found that much of the pandemic student learning mirrored the in-person field course experience.

Dippo, Bazely and the 28 other award recipients will be featured on the social media channels of the Ministry of Colleges and Universities over a two-week period starting the end of January and continuing into February. The 30 recipients were announced by the Ministry of Colleges and Universities on Jan. 24.


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Professor Susan Dion awarded 2021 F.E.L. Priestly Prize /edu/2022/01/14/professor-susan-dion-awarded-2021-f-e-l-priestly-prize/ Fri, 14 Jan 2022 18:29:36 +0000 /edu/?p=30458 Congratulations to Faculty of Education Professor and Associate Vice-President Indigenous initiatives Susan Dion (첥Ƶ) and Jane Griffith (Ryerson University), on being awarded the prestigious 2021 F.E.L. Priestly Prize for their article “Narratives of Place and Relationship: Bev Sellar’s Memoir They Called Me Number One”. The award was presented by the Association of Canadian College and University Teachers of English (ACCUTE).

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Pictured left to right: Professors Susan Dion (첥Ƶ) and Jane Griffith (Ryerson University)

Congratulations to Faculty of Education Professor and Associate Vice-President Indigenous initiatives Susan Dion (첥Ƶ) and Jane Griffith (Ryerson University), on being awarded the prestigious 2021 F.E.L. Priestly Prize for their article “Narratives of Place and Relationship: Bev Sellar’s Memoir They Called Me Number One”. The award was presented by the Association of Canadian College and University Teachers of English (ACCUTE).

The F.E.L. Priestley Prize recognizes and acknowledges the best essay published in ACCUTE’s scholarly journal, English Studies in Canada, over the past year. The 2021 F.E.L. Priestley Prize Committee was constituted by Shama Rangwala (첥Ƶ), Heidi Tiedemann Darroch (Camosun College), and committee chair Hannah McGregor (Simon Fraser University). The committee agreed that “Narratives of Place and Relationship: Bev Sellars’s Memoir They Called Me Number One,” is notable for how it diverges from traditional academic essays, using Sellars’s memoir as a starting point to develop a broader understanding of place and relationality building upon Indigenous scholarship.

The committee made the following comments about the article:

Dr. Dion and Dr. Griffith’s article is notable for how it diverges from traditional academic essays, using Sellars’s memoir as a starting point to develop a broader understanding of place and relationality building upon Indigenous scholarship. In this illuminating and engaging work, Dr. Dion and Dr. Griffith propose using a framework of recuperation (rather than reconciliation or resistance) to read the Secwepemc author’s autobiography. They argue persuasively that “They Called Me Number One offers the potential to learn from Indigenous knowledge acquired through place and story to act on obligations to live in relationship premised on reciprocity, protection, and care.” They go on to demonstrate how these reciprocal relationships are interrupted by institutions including residential schools as well as hospitals and jails, part of a systematic and deliberate “disruption of Indigenous ways of being in relationship with the land.” They conclude by looking at Sellars’s interest in strategies of recuperating land and Indigenous ways of knowing, connecting her memoir to her contemporary organizing: “Outside of her memoir, Sellars is literally taking back land and insisting on relationship.”

In addition to offering a significant new reading of Sellars’s memoir, this article is also methodologically sophisticated; its nuanced and well-researched analysis is grounded in the writing of Indigenous scholars, including Secwepemc authors Marianne Ignace and Ronald E. Ignace, in order to foster a reading of Sellars’s work that is attentive to the specificity of place, nation, and identity. Drawing on extensive scholarship and rich historical context, the article connects textuality in life-writing to relationality and land in a compelling way, modeling how the study of literary texts benefits from deep engagement with Indigenous scholarship and philosophy.

We would also like to emphasize the article’s structural innovation; it moves away from conventions of distanced critique by explicitly acknowledging the subjectivities of the authors, building the practices of collective authorship into its politics from the first page. A model of clarity and accessibility, this article offers a broad range of readers, without specialized knowledge of the field of Indigenous literary studies, a welcome introduction to Sellars’s work, and its aesthetic, social, and political significance. We believe that this article will be particularly useful for teachers interested in introducing Sellars’s memoir into their classrooms, and hope that it will be read, taught, and cited widely.

Hannah McGregor (Simon Fraser University), Shama Rangwala (첥Ƶ), and Heidi Tiedemann Darroch (Camosun College)

Click to read the article through the 첥Ƶ Library system.

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Course directors recognized at annual Student Accessibility Services end-of-year celebration /edu/2021/06/23/course-directors-recognized-at-annual-student-accessibility-services-end-of-year-celebration/ Wed, 23 Jun 2021 18:20:45 +0000 /edu/?p=27722 Course Directors Diane M. Vetter and Lorin Schwarz were recently recognized for their ongoing support of Student Accessibility Services and its students in the pursuit of diversity, equity and inclusion.

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Course Directors Diane M. Vetter and Lorin Schwarz were recently recognized for their ongoing support of Student Accessibility Services and its students in the pursuit of diversity, equity and inclusion. Vetter and Schwarz were presented with certificates of recognition at , which was held on April 30, 2021. The event was MC’d by Faculty of Education student Hazel Yllana Quemi who completed her community placement at Student Accessibility Services this past academic year.

The Student Accessibility Services Certificate of Recognition aims to honour individuals who contribute and subscribe to ideas and values of inclusivity; are student-focused and inclusive in their curriculum design or event planning; embed a “caring” model approach to their work with students with disabilities; and, through their actions and values of inclusivity, are using their knowledge to create products or inclusive practices. Faculty and staff were nominated for their exemplary contributions to the values of accessibility captured within the pillars of Collaboration, Student-Centricity, Care and Innovation.

Head Shot of Diane M. Vetter

“Diane has been a wonderful partner to Student Accessibility Services and with her support and sensitivity to the accommodation needs of students with disabilities, many have gone on to achieve their goals of becoming a teacher,” said Karen Swartz, Associate Director at Student Accessibility Services.

Vetter worked closely with Student Accessibility Services to establish a pro-active protocol where incoming education students met with their Student Accessibility Services counsellors prior to their practicum placements to anticipate what supports might be needed. Students were also assisted with their communications to their Practicum Facilitators and host schools to ensure a smooth transition to the practicum environment and to facilitate their success in the practicum.

“I am honoured to receive this recognition and most grateful that amidst the pressures of Covid students made the time to show appreciation of our work through this nomination," said Vetter. "Open communication and strong professional relationships are at the heart of everything we do in education.”

Course Director Lorin Schwarz was also recognized for his many contributions to Student Accessibility Services and commented on how the pandemic prompted him to shift his courses to accommodate students.

Standing Photo of Lorin Schwarz

“When I realized how the year was going to unfold, I asked myself a few questions to frame how my courses would be redesigned to accommodate students within this new learning environment,” said Schwarz.  “How can I make the courses I'm teaching an experience for my students that has value within a virtual format?"-- and, “how can I design courses that find the human, the vulnerable, the tender within the midst of all this chaos and still give my students and I a chance to think together inclusively and deeply about what all this means for teaching and learning?”

Schwarz looked for ways to answer these questions and tried to actualize them. Instead of looking at the virtual format as a problem to solve, Schwarz and his students looked at it as a new way to foster thinking and being together that honoured diversity and many voices. Schwarz says he was honoured to be recognized alongside Vetter. “Knowing that I got the same recognition as Diane makes me feel even more proud and grateful. She is truly an amazing educator and to be in such good company is really special for me.”

Associate Dean Academic Programs Don Dippo offered his congratulations to both Diane and Lorin. “Creating safe and inclusive learning environments is central to our work in the Faculty of Education,” said Dippo.  “Diane and Lorin have shown tremendous commitment to creating accessible and exciting learning opportunities in practicum settings and online environments.  The Student Accessibility Services Certificate of Recognition is a well-deserved testament to what they and their students have been able to achieve.”

Student Accessibility Services provides academic accommodation and support to students with disabilities in accordance with the Ontario Human Rights Commission’s  and 첥Ƶ Senate Policy on .

Student Accessibility Services provides support to:

  • students with temporary or permanent disabilities;
  • students enrolled in full-time or part-time studies at York’s Keele Campus;
  • students registered in undergraduate or graduate studies, and
  • students enrolled in the School of Continuing Studies.

To learn more, visit the .

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