Lucianna Ciccocioppo

Renowned scholar Juna Kollmeier named director of U of T’s Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics

Christopher.Sorensen — Wed, 31 Mar 2021 14:25:48 +0000

Renowned scholar Juna Kollmeier named director of U of T’s Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics

Christopher.Sorensen Wed, 03/31/2021 - 10:25

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Juna Kollmeier, who will become the new director of CITA on July 1, is an observationally oriented astrophysicist whose research focuses on supermassive black holes, the Milky Way and the intergalactic medium (photo by Bret Harman/TED)

Lucianna Ciccocioppo

Topic

Global Lens

Alumni

Astronomy & Astrophysics

Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics

Faculty of Arts & Science

Ted Sargent

United States

Renowned astrophysicist Juna Kollmeier, on faculty at the Observatories of the Carnegie Institution for Science, has been named the new director of the University of Toronto’s Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics (CITA), a research centre focused on the origin and evolution of the universe and other phenomena discovered by modern astronomy.

An observationally oriented theorist – uncommon in astrophysics – Kollmeier is the founding director of the Carnegie Theoretical Astrophysics Center and director of the Sloan Digital Sky Surveys (SDSS-V). A scientist committed to public outreach and the “inalienable right to physics” for everyone, she studies how structures grow and evolve in the universe, and focuses on supermassive black holes, the Milky Way and the intergalactic medium. Her 2019 TED Talk has attracted more than 2.6 million views and, among other documentaries, she was in an episode of the series Genius by Stephen Hawking.

“I am thrilled to welcome Juna Kollmeier to the University of Toronto to take on this important leadership role,” says Melanie Woodin, dean of the Faculty of Arts & Science, which is home to CITA. “This appointment is truly an outstanding ‘brain gain’ for Canada. An impressive scholar, passionate scientist and mentor, she is also brilliant at engaging the public in understanding our universe. She will undoubtedly advance CITA’s remarkable research and novel discoveries in astrophysics and cosmology to new frontiers.”

Kollmeier’s appointment is the result of a comprehensive, global recruitment process and underscores the university’s commitment to diversifying leadership across disciplines. When she begins on July 1, 2021, Kollmeier will be the first woman to lead CITA.

“CITA is Canada’s hub for research and discovery in theoretical astrophysics,” says Kollmeier. “It's been a tremendous global force, has contributed to cosmology, to our understanding of black hole growth and evolution, to star formation and to high energy astrophysics. I think U of T shines brightly as a place where excellence thrives and grows. This is an incredible opportunity to lead an incredible organization.”

Kollmeier holds a bachelor of science in physics with honours from the California Institute of Technology, and a master of science and PhD in astronomy – both from The Ohio State University, where, in addition to her thesis work, she designed, built and deployed instrumentation parts for two telescopes as part of the Ohio State Astronomy Instrumentation Lab team. She was an Institute for Advanced Study Visiting Professor in 2015-16 and a Fulbright Scholar, and received Hubble and Carnegie-Princeton Fellowships. She is a CIFAR Fellow and, most recently, has been selected the 2022 International Solvay Chair in Physics.

“She is an exceptional scientist, mentor and collaborator,” says Norman Murray, current director of CITA. “I'm excited that she will help advance our mission to expand Canada’s capacity in theoretical astrophysics and grow our national and international networks, as our post-doctoral fellows go on to teach and innovate at many other leading universities.”

Kollmeier replaces Murray, who is completing his third term as director. She says she is looking forward to joining an extraordinary community of scholars at U of T this summer.

“We are arriving at an incredibly exciting point in the overall history of astrophysics, where we have these rich datasets. And they allow us to explore a variety of deep questions, all open questions that are on the verge of breaking apart,” she says. “Joining this community will take my own research to the next level, and that's tremendously exciting.”

Ted Sargent, U of T’s vice-president, research and innovation, and strategic initiatives, says Kollmeier is a globally celebrated scholar.

“Her appointment exemplifies the outstanding calibre of researcher U of T continues to attract,” Sargent says. “Under Professor Kollmeier’s leadership, CITA will continue to achieve transformative discoveries, build national and global networks, and will continue to advance as one of the world’s leading theoretical astrophysics research hubs.”

U of T alumna Wendy Freedman, an astrophysicist at the University of Chicago, hired Kollmeier as the first theorist at the Observatories of the Carnegie Institution for Science, when Freedman was its director.

“Juna is remarkably bright and enthusiastic about whatever she does, and it's hard not to get caught up in her infectious enthusiasm for whatever problem she’s working on,” says Freedman. “She's unusual in that she has a real interest in observations, not just the theory. And she chooses projects that interface very well with what observers are doing, and what you can learn from the observations. It's a great niche area where she can bring together groups of theorists and observers to initiate new projects that can benefit from that kind of analysis. I was delighted when I heard the news. It struck me as a really good match.”

“Juna is very knowledgeable and knows lots of people,” says colleague Matias Zaldarriaga, a cosmologist at the Institute for Advanced Study. “And I think that's a very good combination for someone leading CITA, to recruit and attract people with a wider range of research topics, and to create an atmosphere where people can collaborate and learn new things. She will bring this breadth of interest and expertise that I think will be very noticeable and very attractive to a lot of people.”

Hans-Walter Rix, director at the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Heidelberg, Germany, has known Kollmeier since her time at graduate school. “Even back then it was very obvious she just was in a different category than most grad students,” says Rix. “This is a fantastic appointment for CITA because I think it is a role that fits her ambitious capabilities. She brings a vision and an energy that will be a tremendous boost for the place.”

As the first woman to lead CITA, Kollmeier will have a formidable impact, says McGill University’s Victoria Kaspi, physics professor and director of the McGill Space Institute.

“I think she'll be a tremendous role model and a mentor to the next generation of women in astrophysics and in STEM in general,” says Kaspi. “In addition, she also is an incredibly creative, versatile person, and she has tremendous energy and drive. I think she is going to shake the place up and bring CITA to new heights.”

Meg Urry, director of the Yale Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics, and a former president of the American Astronomical Society, says she has seen “Juna’s impressive leadership up close.” Urry serves on the executive committee of the advisory council of the SDSS-V project. “That she is a distinguished theorist selected to lead this important institute – well, it shows Juna is a star on all fronts.”

Karen Chapple named director of U of T's School of Cities

Christopher.Sorensen — Tue, 08 Dec 2020 21:27:31 +0000

Karen Chapple named director of U of T's School of Cities

Christopher.Sorensen Tue, 12/08/2020 - 16:27

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Karen Chapple, a renowned urban planning and data science academic, will become director of U of T's School of Cities on July 1, 2021 (photo by Shoey Sindel)

Topic

Faculty of Arts & Science

Global

Trinity College

Urban planning and data science academic Karen Chapple has been named the new director of the School of Cities at the University of Toronto, where she will continue to amplify the school’s successes in helping cities and regions grow sustainably as they face increasingly complex challenges in today’s world.

Chapple is currently professor and chair of city and regional planning at the University of California, Berkeley, where she holds the Carmel P. Friesen Chair in Urban Studies. She is also an affiliated faculty member at Berkeley’s School of Information and was previously the senior faculty adviser at the university’s Division of Data Sciences. She holds a bachelor of arts in urban studies from Columbia University, a master of science in city and regional planning from the Pratt Institute and a PhD from Berkeley. She was also on faculty at the University of Minnesota and the University of Pennsylvania.

Renowned for her community engagement and innovative use of analytic methods including data science, Chapple’s research focuses on inequalities in the planning, structure and governance of regions in the U.S. and Latin America, with a focus on economic development and housing. She co-founded the Urban Displacement Project, an online research hub examining patterns of residential, commercial and industrial displacement, as well as policy and planning solutions. Chapple was recognized with a Fulbright Global Scholar Award to explore expanding the Urban Displacement Project to cities in Europe and Latin America. Her scholarship on climate change and tax policy won the UC-wide competition for the Bacon Public Lectureship, which highlights evidence-based public policy and creative thinking for the public good. In addition, Chapple received the 2017 UC-Berkeley Chancellor’s Award for Research in the Public Interest.

“On behalf of the University of Toronto, I am delighted to welcome Karen Chapple as the new director of the School of Cities,” said U of T President Meric Gertler. “The school plays an important role in bringing together U of T’s extensive community of urbanists to tackle the pressing problems confronting the world’s cities. Phenomena such as growing income polarization and social exclusion, lack of affordable housing, aging infrastructure and declining sustainability predate the current pandemic. But COVID-19 has exacerbated all of these challenges.

“U of T has an important leadership role to play in addressing these issues, and I very much look forward to working with Karen as we collectively strive towards a brighter urban future. I would like to take this opportunity to offer my sincerest thanks to Matti Siemiatycki for leading the school since its launch in 2018, building strong partnerships with our communities, and positioning it well for future success."

As the innovation centre for the new science of cities, the School of Cities is a solutions incubator for urban-focused researchers, educators, students, practitioners and the general public to explore the complex global challenges facing urban centres. A living laboratory, the school leverages urban data to improve policy and decision-making, and collaborates with city leaders around the world to make local decisions that have real impact.

“Toronto is one of the very best cities in the world in terms of cultural diversity and an exemplary public sector. Canada always looks stellar from the U.S. side of the border,” said Chapple. “It's also the right time for an innovative centre like the School of Cities to build on President Gertler’s vision of connecting the community to the university, connecting the dots between urban institutes across the world, and leading with urban solutions to counter threats against democracy and to fight climate change.”

Chapple has been published widely and her recent books include Planning Sustainable Cities and Regions: Towards More Equitable Development (Routledge, 2015), winner of the John Friedmann Book Award from the American Collegiate Schools of Planning; Transit-Oriented Displacement or Community Dividends? Understanding the Effects of Smarter Growth on Communities (with Anastasia Loukaitou-Sideris, MIT Press, 2019); and Fragile Governance and Local Economic Development: Theory and Evidence from Peripheral Regions in Latin America (with Sergio Montero, Routledge, 2018).

“Karen Chapple is an outstanding scholar who will advance the successes and ambitions of the School of Cities not only in Canada but also around the world,” said Melanie Woodin, dean of the Faculty of Arts & Science. “I am excited to have her join us here at Arts & Science, where she can engage with our faculty, students, staff and alumni to work toward more sustainable and prosperous growth for cities that is also inclusive and just for its citizens and for society. I am also grateful to Matti Siemiatycki for his leadership and for guiding the school’s success.”

Chapple has been a visiting scholar at New York University’s Center for Urban Science and Progress, University College London’s Centre for Advanced Spatial Analytics, Polytechnic University of Madrid, the University of Sydney, the University of Buenos Aires and the Universidad de los Andes.

Her project funders include Microsoft’s C3.ai Digital Transformation Institute, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, Facebook and the Ford Foundation, among many others.

“I’m thrilled that Karen Chapple will be joining the University of Toronto to lead the School of Cities,” said Siemiatycki, the school’s interim director. “Karen is a noted urban scholar with a tremendous track record in research focused on equitable development and the planning of sustainable cities. I have no doubt she will make significant contributions in our communities through her leadership of the school during what will be a critical next few years.”

Siemiatycki will continue to serve as interim director until June 30, 2021.

Chapple begins her post at U of T’s School of Cities on July 1, 2021 and will hold her academic appointment as professor with tenure in the department of geography and planning. While she’s new to U of T, she is proud of a family connection: her great-grandfather Henry Chapple graduated from Trinity College with a medical degree in the mid-1880s.

With support from The Weeknd, U of T's Ethiopic program soars past $500,000 endowment goal

Christopher.Sorensen — Mon, 02 Nov 2020 17:12:13 +0000

With support from The Weeknd, U of T's Ethiopic program soars past $500,000 endowment goal

Christopher.Sorensen Mon, 11/02/2020 - 12:12

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Bikila Award president Tessema Mulugeta presents Arts & Science Dean Melanie Woodin with The Weeknd’s cheque for $30,000 – pushing the Ge’ez course’s endowment past the $500,000 goal (photo by Diana Tyszko)

Lucianna Ciccocioppo

Topic

Our Community

Centre for Medieval Studies

Ethiopic

Faculty of Arts & Science

Near & Middle Eastern Civilizations

New College

U of T Scarborough

The future of the University of Toronto’s Ethiopic program – the only one of its kind in North America and among a handful in the world – just got brighter.

The endowment that makes the program possible has surpassed its goal of $500,000 thanks to another gift from Toronto native, Abel Tesfaye, the international, award-winning singer, songwriter and recording producer known as The Weeknd. This support enables U of T to offer at least one Ge'ez language course each year.

“Our heartfelt thanks to The Weeknd for his ongoing commitment to Ethiopic studies at U of T,” said Professor Melanie Woodin, dean of the Faculty of Arts & Science. “This gift means the endowment celebrates a significant fundraising milestone. For us, it signifies an important partnership with the Ethiopian-Canadian community, one we hope to continue to grow.

“We share a vision and an understanding of the value in preserving the Ge’ez language. The impact of The Weeknd’s continued support is truly appreciated, for current and future faculty, students and alumni.”

Ethiopic studies at U of T launched three years ago with a course on Ge’ez, an ancient language used primarily for liturgical Christian services. Currently, U of T is the only university in North America, and one of the very few universities in the world, that regularly offers a course on Ge’ez. It’s part of the Semitic group of languages, including Hebrew, Arabic and Aramaic, and remains a fundamental language for classical studies such as Latin and Greek.

The program, jointly run by the Faculty of Arts & Science’s department of Near and Middle Eastern civilizations and the Centre for Medieval Studies, was just shy of reaching its fundraising goal when The Weeknd, recently named one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of 2020, made a $30,000 gift.

This is The Weeknd’s second donation to U of T in support of the Ethiopic program. His first was a $50,000 gift in 2016, as part of the fundraising drive led by the Bikila Award – an Ethiopian-Canadian organization that fosters academic and business excellence and encourages volunteerism – to galvanize its community to support the new endowment.

From left: Bikila Award president Tessema Mulugeta, Bikila board member Behailu Atnafu, The Weeknd’s parents Walelegne Teshome and Samrawit Hailu, Faculty of Arts & Science Dean Melanie Woodin and Professor Michael Gervers (photo by Diana Tyszko)

Tessema Mulugeta, president of Bikila, called it “a pivotal moment in our history here in Toronto” while recently presenting The Weeknd’s cheque together with board member Behailu Atnafu and The Weeknd’s parents, Samrawit Hailu and Walelegne Teshome, to Woodin on a fall day at the Faculty Arts & Science.

“U of T’s Ethiopic studies will illuminate to the world the hidden, untouched millennial scripts in Ge’ez and uncover rich texts of philosophy, grammar, mathematics, astronomy, history, medicine and law,” said Mulugeta. “During this modern age, current and future generations of U of T students can continue to access Ethiopia’s past and unlock tantalizing deposits of wisdom from distant eras of human history.”

For Professor Michael Gervers, who teaches Ethiopian history at U of T Scarborough and the St. George campus, more than 40 years of scholarly research, including digitizing church manuscripts in Ethiopia, has emphasized “how significant and important this culture is.” He gave the first gift in 2015 to launch the endowment campaign.

“I spent decades in Ethiopia and saw that almost every single church I went to had manuscripts that nobody was reading except the monks and priests for their daily or weekly services. But there was all this other literature just sitting there.”

Gervers explained that not many people are aware that the king of Ethiopia converted to Christianity before the Roman emperor Constantine did in Byzantium. “It goes right back to somewhere around 333 to 340 CE. And you can’t have a religion without a book,” said Gervers.

With Ethiopia having a written historical tradition older than any other country in Africa, that’s a lot of books. In fact, it’s been recently discovered that the oldest complete Gospel manuscript in the world is from Ethiopia, opening up a plethora of new scholarship questions.

Undergraduate student Saba Ebrahimpour, a member of New College who's studying Ge'ez, said it’s very important for her to read the literature in its original language.

“When I was studying for this course, I was going through the Bible in the English translation and the professors were teaching us how to translate it,” she said. “I compared the two languages, and there were some differences between the two.”

Ebrahimpour searched for other sources but found there weren’t any. And she said there are few professors who can teach Ge’ez, “So U of T has a very big job to do.”

Ge'ez will be a significant component of graduate student Arshan Hasan’s research – and this first course is a vital start.

“Of the classical Semitic languages, Ge'ez is one of the most understudied despite it being one of the most unique,” said Hasan. “It has a unique script in its family that really needs to be taught alongside the language, rather than self-taught. Grammatically it is so remarkable and so different from its sister languages while also still being very familiar.

“It reopens many lost horizons.”

Ge’ez student Arshan Hasan (photo courtesy of Arshan Hasan)

Highlighting, remembering and teaching the history, languages and cultures in this cradle of civilization in the Horn of Africa are just some of the reasons Ethiopians in Canada have supported and continue to give to U of T’s program.

“We were and are people of many literatures,” said Mulugeta. “The study of Ge’ez will help us make sense of ourselves, our early civilizations, our beliefs and cultures and, most importantly, our interconnectedness in the world.”

The program, and particularly the Ge’ez course, has put U of T “on the map because we're doing it and nobody else is,” said Gervers. “The Ethiopic program at U of T has enormous potential.”

Students’ Indigenous human rights clinics receive US$100,000 from American College of Trial Lawyers

lanthierj — Wed, 27 Mar 2019 17:06:50 +0000

Students’ Indigenous human rights clinics receive US$100,000 from American College of Trial Lawyers

lanthierj Wed, 03/27/2019 - 13:06

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Pro Bono Students Canada, pictured above at a conference in May, will receive a US$100,000 grant to assist with two pilot clinics (photo courtesy of Faculty of Law)

Topic

Pro Bono Students Canada (PBSC), an organization founded and headquartered at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law, has been recognized with the 2019 Emil Gumpert Award for its groundbreaking proposal to pilot two Indigenous human rights clinics in Ontario.

The award, given by the American College of Trial Lawyers (ACTL), comes with a US$100,000 grant.

“These pilot clinics are needed, important and timely,” said Kim Snell, the organization's interim national director. “This generous award allows us – PBSC and our partners – to make a real step forward in redressing the human rights of Indigenous Peoples. We are so grateful to the ACTL for believing in our vision.

“We will build clinics that will make us all proud.”

The PBSC clinics are to be located in Toronto and Ottawa at the Ontario Federation of Indigenous Friendship Centres (OFIFC). They will be staffed by law student volunteers and pro bono human rights lawyers who will provide culturally sensitive legal services to Indigenous Peoples in a safe and welcoming clinical setting.

The legal services offered will include:

Assisting clients to identify, draft and file human rights complaints with provincial and federal human rights bodies
Providing pro bono representation to clients in mediations or at hearings before human rights tribunals
Developing and delivering public legal education workshops
Assisting community organizations to document systemic human rights abuses, over time creating an evidentiary foundation for advocacy, law reform and litigation, with and on behalf of Indigenous communities.

“The college is proud to facilitate the creation by Pro Bono Students Canada of these pilot Indigenous Human Rights clinics,” said Jeffrey S. Leon, ACTL president and a U of T Law alumnus. “Promoting access to justice is fundamental to the college’s mission to maintain and improve the administration of justice in Canada and the United States.

“We recognize the particular importance at this juncture in Canadian society of providing culturally sensitive legal representation, as part of the truth and reconciliation process for those Indigenous individuals who are in need of legal services. This imaginative project captures the spirit and essence of our Emil Gumpert Award and we are so pleased to be able to provide financial assistance for this most worthwhile endeavour.”

PBSC’s legal and community partners, such as the OFIFC, are an integral part of this project. The OFIFC is the largest urban Indigenous service network in Ontario. In addition, McCarthy Tétrault LLP, one of Canada’s leading firms and PBSC’s national law firm partner since 2004, will provide lawyers to represent Indigenous clients pro bono at human rights mediations and tribunals.

Other important partners include the Canadian Human Rights Commission, the Ontario Human Rights Commission, the Human Rights Legal Support Centre (Ontario), Thomson Reuters, the University of Toronto Faculty of Law, Osgoode Hall Law School at York University and the University of Ottawa Faculty of Law.

PBSC will be honoured at a ceremony on April 24 at the 18^th annual symposium sponsored by the Advocates Society and ACTL.

Indigenous languages art installation unveiled at U of T's Faculty of Law

Christopher.Sorensen — Fri, 01 Feb 2019 21:38:10 +0000

Indigenous languages art installation unveiled at U of T's Faculty of Law

Christopher.Sorensen Fri, 02/01/2019 - 16:38

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Rochelle Allan, left, acting manager of the Indigenous Initiatives Office, views the language installation with U of T law students (photo by Lucianna Ciccocioppo)

Topic

Truth and Reconciliation

Five long, horizontal wood plaques with crisp black lettering are now displayed one above the other on a wall in the Jackman Law Building at the University of Toronto's Faculty of Law.

They are part of a language art project produced by U of T's Indigenous Law Students’ Association, together with alumna Amanda Carling, who is on leave as manager of the Indigenous Initiatives Office (IIO), and Rochelle Allan, who is currently its acting manager.

Each plaque displays the name “Indigenous Law Students Association,” in font type Aboriginal Sans, in the Michif, Oneida, Cree, Kwak’wala and Anishinaabemowin languages. They are made of different types of wood, such as pine, oak, cedar and maple, to reflect the trees native to the Indigenous community the language represents. And there is plenty of wall space to add more language plaques, as the Indigenous law students’ community grows and changes each year.

“A lot of us didn’t grow up around these languages and have very complicated relations with that, so representation – seeing it in places and hearing it spoken – can be very emotional,” said Allan after she acknowledged the traditional land with a statement (see below) that she read in Anishnaabemowin.

“This installation is really great, but it’s a small piece of 100 years of work by Indigenous people to protect, preserve and to resist all of the powers that be within this territory who have tried to erase us for so long.”

The installation was unveiled Jan. 25 to mark the International Year of Indigenous Languages, as proclaimed by the United Nations.

Indigenous Law Students Association language plaques (photo by Lucianna Ciccocioppo)

Law student Conlin Delbaere-Sawchuk, who is Métis, said language representation in the law school “is part of our commitment to bringing Indigenous issues to the forefront, particularly in law, and it serves as a reminder that these languages, like the people, are alive and well.”

Associate Professor Douglas Sanderson, an alumnus and a member the Beaver Clan of the Opaskwayak Cree Nation, said reconciliation is about taking major steps forward, but he stressed small steps are important too.

“At the law school we often see Indigenous culture at the point of conflict with the law, but in the background I’ve been working to try to have Indigenous culture present, not just in the case law, but to hear our languages in the hallways, and hear the drums, and smell the sweetgrass and see the signs with our writing,” he said.

“So getting used to hearing those sounds and singing those songs is a step in growing together as a culture, and as a people, and it’s how we will achieve reconciliation.”

Traditional Indigenous foods, such as bannock, were served in a celebratory lunch for everyone as part of the unveiling (photo by Lucianna Ciccocioppo)

Alumnus John Borrows, a professor at the University of Victoria law school who is currently here to teach an intensive course, said he was pleased to see what was happening and what was being honoured with the installation. Borrows is Anishinaabe from the Cape Croker community in Ontario’s Bruce Peninsula.

“Language is life,” said Borrows. “The ways to understand who we are and what’s possible are formulated by our relationship with language. And those languages are formed by the ecologies that we’re from. So as we revitalize language, we find ourselves understanding more about the natural world of which we’re a part in Algonquin Haudenosaunee language groups.”

Borrows went on to say he was happy to understand the various languages the speakers spoke in their remarks, something he had to learn as an adult while teaching at the University of Minnesota law school, home to three academics who spoke and taught Anishinaabe.

“The work I am seeing here, and up and down the walls as eventually others will be added, is a very exciting thing...and warms my heart,” he said.

Land Acknowledgement in Anishnaabemowin:

Maanda aki gii-dibendaanaawaa giw Huron-Wendat miinwaa Petun Nitam Anishinaabeg. Seneca miinwaa dash gwa Anishinaabeg Desnaang teg bezhig emkwaan wampum gchi-pizowin nendmoowin aawan maamowi sa nji gonda Naadek ezhi-maamowiziwaad miinwaa dash Anishinaabe Nswi Ishkoden debendgik ji-mina-maamowi nakaazong miinwaa ji-maamowi gnowenjigaadeg kina gegoo eteg gaataaying Gchi-gmiing.

Gchi-oodenaang gewii zhi-naaknigaade nji sa maanda gchi-kwiinwin ezhnikaadeg nji sa gchi-gimaanaang oodi Canada miinwaa dash gewii Mississaugas oodi Credit, ezhi-kenjgaadeg wi sa Gchi-oodenaang giishpinajigewin. Gchi-oodenaang pane gii-aawan gaa-nji-aash-toon-geng nji sa ntam Anishinaabeg.

U of T launches $30-million campaign to help law students financially

noreen.rasbach — Fri, 28 Sep 2018 14:19:21 +0000

U of T launches $30-million campaign to help law students financially

noreen.rasbach Fri, 09/28/2018 - 10:19

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The Faculty of Law launched its Campaign for Excellence without Barriers on Thursday (photo by Dhoui Chang)

Topic

Rotman School of Management

Subheadline

The University of Toronto's Faculty of Law has announced a $30-million campaign to significantly deepen the financial aid pool and enhance the law student experience.

The Campaign for Excellence without Barriers, with a specific goal of raising $20 million for student financial aid, is the largest bursary-focused campaign at any Canadian law school. The money raised also supports co-curricular programming for students, such as legal clinics, mental health initiatives, and professional opportunities while in law school.

Increasing accessibility to the Faculty of Law for students who merit admission is a top priority. The Faculty of Law awards bursaries only on the basis of financial need, and to those students who need it most. Increasing the financial aid pool helps support applications by top candidates with financial need, alleviates stress for students during law school, and helps graduates make career decisions based on their choice and passion – often in social justice and public service areas, benefitting our communities.

“It's fundamental that we continue to get the very best students interested in studying law here no matter their backgrounds,” says Professor Edward Iacobucci, dean of the Faculty of Law. “We need to have a diverse profession that reflects the range of experience that we’re so proud of in this country. I think a great deal would be lost if financial obstacles prevented a broad range of people from attending the Faculty of Law.”

Thursday's campaign event was attended by former Ontario lieutenant-governor, former U of T chancellor and Faculty of Law alumnus Hal Jackman, third from left, and U of T President Meric Gertler (photo by Dhoui Chang)

To date, U of T Law alumni and other supporters have given more than $24 million to the campaign for students, including $14.8 million for student financial aid.

“For a number of Canadians, the choice to go to law school or not is dependent on whether they can afford it,” says Alexandra McLennan, a JD candidate. “For me, financial aid has made possible what initially seemed impossible. I would not be able to attend law school without this support. I would encourage future donors to consider the impact of their monetary donation on a future student’s life.”

“The impact of receiving the bursaries is immense,” says Maressa Singh, a student in the JD/MBA program. “It alleviates financial stress and allows me to focus on my studies. I absolutely would not be able to attend law school without the help of the student financial aid program.”

“I’m here at the Faculty of Law because other people believed in me,” says Wanekia Dunn, a JD candidate. “I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for their generosity. Donor support is critical to my being able to complete my law degree.”

A number of factors, including declining government support for post-secondary institutions, have created a sobering reality for many Canadian law schools. The Faculty of Law’s tuition fees, $36,720 for 2018-19, make possible a world-class academic experience and robust co-curricular programming, such as clinical and internship opportunities, combined degree programs, career services, to name a few, in addition to one of the best legal educations in the world.

Campaign Co-Chair Mark Wiseman, an alumnus of the LLB/MBA program who is global head of active equities for Blackrock and chair of Blackrock Alternative Investors, says: “I am pleased to be a campaign co-chair because I’m an ardent supporter of the Faculty of Law’s vision. I understand first-hand the imperative to deepen financial aid. I received financial assistance during law school, and I worked throughout my studies.”

Co-Chair Melissa Kennedy, an alumna of the LLB program who is executive vice-president and chief legal officer at Sun Life Financial, says: “I am a proud alumna and owe much to the law school which I believe has helped my career and I know has forged many lifelong friends. Like many students, I both worked to pay for my education and received financial aid, so I understand the importance of deepening financial aid at U of T’s Faculty of Law.”

“Student financial aid is important because it is an investment in the leaders of the future, who will have to tackle the challenges that our community faces,” says first-year student Ahmed Elahi. “Hence, investing in students is tantamount to investing in the future.”

Adds first-year student Sarah Feutl: "To donors: Thank you, thank you, thank you. Your gifts allow me to focus on my schooling without the constant weight of financial stress on my shoulders. The money you donated gives me a level of freedom to choose jobs and activities that will help me shape the well-rounded lawyer I one day hope to be.”

The campaign is expected to wrap up by December 2019. “The momentum for the Campaign for Excellence without Barriers has been tremendous. Through their generosity, our alumni have dramatically opened up opportunities for many brilliant and talented law students, and we are truly grateful,” says Iacobucci.

U of T alumna, women's-rights advocate Sheilah L. Martin nominated to the Supreme Court

rasbachn — Wed, 29 Nov 2017 22:46:05 +0000

U of T alumna, women's-rights advocate Sheilah L. Martin nominated to the Supreme Court rasbachn Wed, 11/29/2017 - 17:46

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Sheilah L. Martin's nomination means there will now be four U of T Faculty of Law alumni on Canada's highest court (photo courtesy of University of Calgary)

Topic

Justice Sheilah L. Martin, an alumna of University of Toronto's Faculty of Law, has been nominated to be the newest justice on the Supreme Court of Canada, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced today.

Martin, who received a doctorate of judicial sciences from U of T in 1991, is an academic, practitioner, judge and women's-rights advocate. She was one of the first women to be called to the Alberta bar in non-sexist language.

Her nomination brings the total number of U of T law alumni currently on the highest court to four, along with Justices Rosalie Silberman Abella, Russell Brown and Michael Moldaver.

Martin, appointed to the Courts of Appeal of Alberta, the Northwest Territories, and Nunavut in 2016, pursued her doctoral work at U of T under the supervision of Bernard Dickens, co-director of the international reproductive and sexual health law program and now professor emeritus of health law and policy, and Justice Katherine Swinton. Martin's thesis was titled “Legal Controls On Human Reproductions In Canada: A History Of Gender Biased Laws And The Promise Of The Charter.”

“We are so very proud of our alumna Justice Sheilah L. Martin on this prominent nomination today,” said Faculty of Law Dean Edward Iacobucci. “She has had a rich variety of experiences as a scholar, practitioner, advocate and jurist, and has earned a glowing reputation as an intelligent and thoughtful leader. The SCC appointment is a crowning achievement in her outstanding career. I extend to her our warmest congratulations.”

A Montrealer by birth, Martin graduated with common and civil law degrees from McGill University in 1981, and a master of laws from the University of Alberta in 1983.

Martin moved to Alberta and was called to the bar there in 1989, where she typed in the word ‘person’ over ‘man’ in the professional oath, to be more inclusive, as reported in the Calgary Herald.

Education, equality and Indigenous rights were significant passions in her illustrious 30-year career, as was diversity and increasing the number of under-represented groups in law schools and the legal profession.

As an academic in the mid-1990s, she lectured, served as acting dean and then dean of the University of Calgary’s Faculty of Law, where she taught courses in commercial transactions, feminist legal theory and advanced constitutional law.

From 1996 to 2005, she moved into private practice in Calgary, working on a variety of critical issues for Canada. She dedicated pro bono hours for the Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund and the Alberta Association of Sexual Assault Centres in cases before the Supreme Court of Canada.

In 2000, she was an expert witness in the Thomas Sophonow Inquiry, for her knowledge in the area of compensation for the wrongfully convicted.

At the invitation of the Assembly of First Nations National Chief Phil Fontaine, she joined the team working on remedies for the Indigenous victims of Canada’s infamous residential schools system, and her contribution, alongside others, helped to arrive at the ground-breaking and monumental Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement.

Her commitment to teaching and education followed her into her career on the bench, and she has been lauded for her advocacy work. She has received the Distinguished Service Award for Legal Scholarship, the Law Society of Alberta’s Certificate of Merit, and the YWCA’s Advancement of Women Award.

“I am pleased to announce the nomination of Justice Sheilah L. Martin to the Supreme Court of Canada,” said Trudeau in a media release. “I am confident that, with the wealth of experience she has gained over a distinguished thirty‑year career, she will be a valuable addition to the Supreme Court, an institution well respected in Canada and around the world for its strength, independence, and judicial excellence.”

Martin’s appointment, once finalized, will fill the vacancy when Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin retires and steps down on Dec. 15.

U of T law professor one of five to receive Trudeau Fellowships

rasbachn — Tue, 19 Sep 2017 17:42:20 +0000

U of T law professor one of five to receive Trudeau Fellowships

rasbachn Tue, 09/19/2017 - 13:42

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Audrey Macklin will use her Trudeau Fellowship to research why Canadians stepped up to sponsor refugees in the last few years (photo by Lisa Lightbourn)

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Audrey Macklin, director of the University of Toronto's Centre for Criminology & Sociolegal Studies, is one of five scholars in Canada to receive a 2017 Pierre Elliott Trudeau Fellowship, in recognition of her outstanding scholarship and pro bono work advocating for immigrant and refugee rights.

“I will be using my Trudeau funds to support research into why thousands of Canadians have decided to sponsor refugees in the last couple of years,” says Macklin, who is also professor and chair in human rights at U of T's Faculty of Law and teaches at the School of Public Policy & Governance.

“I want to learn more about the sponsors’ backgrounds, motivations, experiences and reflections,” she says. “That means inquiring not only into what sponsors do for refugees, but what the refugee sponsorship does for the sponsors. I ask how the project of making refugees into citizens remakes the citizenship of sponsors.”

The Trudeau Fellowships, valued at $225,000 each over three years, are awarded each year to researchers in the social sciences and humanities who are productive and committed to communicating their work to the greater public.

The interdisciplinary nature of Macklin’s base at U of T – at the intersection of social sciences, humanities and law – will support and enrich her project.

“I know I will benefit from the advice and expertise of my colleagues from other disciplines as we move forward. This is a perfect place for me to be in terms of pursuing the Trudeau Fellowship.”

“This project opens up a new research direction," says Macklin. “As a legal scholar, I am mainly at my desk, reading, thinking and writing. The core of this project is empirical; I want to gather evidence from the field. Working with terrific social scientists from University of Toronto and York University, along with talented graduate students, we have launched an online survey of private sponsors of Syrian refugees. Thanks to the Trudeau Fellowship, we can amplify our reach, and expand into individual interviews and focus groups. Our project has already attracted inquiries from researchers in other countries, who look to the Canadian model of private refugee sponsorship with great interest.”

The Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation is an independent, non-partisan charity established in 2001. Its fellowships are awarded to notable scholars focusing on issues in four key areas: human rights and dignity; responsible citizenship; Canada in the world; and people and their natural environment.

Macklin is the eighth U of T scholar to receive the notable fellowship, and the third at the Faculty of Law.

#UofTGrad17: Law grads look back, forge ahead

ullahnor — Fri, 09 Jun 2017 21:37:55 +0000

#UofTGrad17: Law grads look back, forge ahead

ullahnor Fri, 06/09/2017 - 17:37

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Class of 2017 law grad Zachary Al-Khatib (third from left) participated in the Grand Moot in front of well-known Canadian jurists with classmates, from left to right, Giorgio Traini, Sarah Bittman, Victoria Hale (photo by Holly Sherlock)

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For Zachary Al-Khatib, highlights of his time at U of T's Faculty of Law included mooting in front of some of Canada's most distinguished jurists.

“I was extremely privileged to get to moot in front of some of Canada’s most distinguished jurists: Justices [Rosalie Silberman] Abella, [Russell] Brown, and [Michael] Moldaver of the SCC in the Grand Moot, Justice [Malcolm} Rowe of the SCC in the Gale Cup finals, and Justice [George R.] Strathy, the Chief Justice of Ontario, in the Callaghan Moot. We had the chance to practice in front of many of the best litigators in the country.”

The law student, who grew up in Inuvik, Edmonton and Damascus, also has a history and English degree from the University of Alberta, plus a degree in classical Arabic and Islamic law from Syria. He is part of the Class of 2017, among the many students who graduated Friday from the Faculty of Law.

Altogether, U of T's Class of 2017 is made up of more than 18,000 students, almost 14,000 graduating in 27 ceremonies running from June 6 to June 22.

Al-Khatib will be clerking at the Alberta Court of Appeal this year, and then at the Supreme Court of Canada next year for Justice Abella.

Sinead Charbonneau (left with her mother) is from the WS'ANEC' territory, Lkwungen, and Wyomilth peoples of the Coast Salish Nation. She came to U of T after completing her undergraduate degree at the University of Victoria in women’s studies and Indigenous studies and worked on a cross-disciplinary project during law school as part of a fellowship with the Jackman Humanities Institute.

Up next, she will be articling with the Office of the Children's Lawyer.

JD/MBA graduate David St. Bernard (right) says finishing law school felt like “a long time coming.” Most of his classmates had already graduated with their JD. Before coming to law school, he had already completed two undergraduate degrees from York University, first in kinesiology, then in psychology.

He counts “Looking Ahead: Blurred Lines of Technology, Body and Mind” with Professor Ben Alarie and Adjunct Professor Dan Debow as a stand-out, favourite course.

“Looking Ahead was a great mix of contemporary tech issues and legal principles that was like no other law course I encountered.”

After the bar exam, says St. Bernard, “I plan to take a much needed breather, then article at Bennett Jones LLP.”

#UofTGrad16: Business legend Gerry Schwartz

lanthierj — Fri, 03 Jun 2016 19:44:52 +0000

#UofTGrad16: Business legend Gerry Schwartz lanthierj Fri, 06/03/2016 - 15:44

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(all photos by Steve Frost: Frost Photo)

Jennifer Robinson

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You’d think the board room would be the preferred location of choice for a captain of industry. But for Gerry Schwartz, the energizing nature of university campuses is a magnet. They keep drawing him back.

From helping hand-pick provocative works of art to adorn the walls of Harvard’s business school to providing advice to past presidents of U of T, Schwartz has, in many ways, never left school.
Today, U of T will recognize him with a Doctor of Laws, honoris causa for his tremendous business and philanthropic achievements in Canada and abroad, as well as his longstanding close relationship with U of T — including a daughter who is an alumnus.

“It’s wonderful to be recognized by something that I really care about,” explains the chairman of the board, president and CEO of Onex, one of Canada’s largest and most successful private equity firms.

“U of T is it for Toronto. It is the intellectual heart of the city. It’s where I am, if not who I am,” says the graduate of the University of Manitoba and Harvard.

The honorary degree is Schwartz’s fourth but “I have no desire to collect degrees. The ones I have are from institutions that are very special to me — only — and that’s all I want.”

His contributions to U of T’s vision and success have been far reaching. From 1986 to 1994, he served on the university’s Governing Council and provided valuable counsel to the president as a member of the Executive Committee from 1992 to 1995.

In 1996, he and his wife Heather Reisman, the founder, chair and CEO of Canadian book giant Indigo, also supported Canada’s first endowed chair for nursing research, in partnership with the University of Toronto and Mount Sinai Hospital.

“I grew up in Winnipeg in a pretty socialist family,” Schwartz says. “The idea of helping people and reaching out — not just reaching in — was how I grew up. It’s not very special. It was just part of life.

“Heather and I have just come to find that supporting something financially . . . we get more out of it than we put in.”

In particular, Schwartz is deeply involved with U of T’s Faculty of Law. He provided valuable support for the construction of the new Rosalie Silberman Abella Classroom, has enriched the experience of countless students of constitutional law with his support for the annual visits of Justice Aharon Barak of the Supreme Court of Israel and supported the endowment of the Prichard Wilson Chair in Law and Public Policy.

“Gerry Schwartz has made contributions to business and community that are each remarkable in their own right, and collectively are nothing short of exceptional,” says Ed Iacobucci, dean of U of T’s Faculty of Law. “We are very pleased to be able to bestow this honour on someone who so deeply deserves it.”

He also tries to make it back every year to personally meet the three recipients of the Gerald W. Schwartz Medals, which are awarded by the Faculty of Law to JD/MBA students with the highest overall academic achievement in a combined program.

Some of those students, like gold medal winner Mark Wiseman, best known as president and CEO of the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, have even become his good friends, Schwartz says.

“When I went to law school . . . I didn’t intend to be a lawyer long term,” he says.

But in looking back, he says he can see how the lessons he learned in law school have had a profound impact on how he’s approached his business and his life. It’s made him “more measured” in his decision-making and taught him that life is full of unintended consequences.

Asked what wisdom he’ll share today in his convocation speech, he politely declines, preferring to save his thoughts for his fellow graduating students. But he promises to be quick — no hook will be needed to drag him off the stage!

Gerry Schwartz will speak today at the 10 a.m. ceremony for graduands from the Faculty of Law, Munk School of Global Affairs and School of Graduate Studies. A video of his speech will be available on U of T’s YouTube channel following the event.

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U of T alumna, women's-rights advocate Sheilah L. Martin nominated to the Supreme Court

U of T law professor one of five to receive Trudeau Fellowships

#UofTGrad17: Law grads look back, forge ahead

Read more about the Faculty of Law's Class of 2017

#UofTGrad16: Business legend Gerry Schwartz