By Elaine Smith special contributing writer

When the Governor-General鈥檚 staff phoned Don Dippo to inform him that he鈥檇 been named to the Order of Canada, the retired University Professor of Education at 91亚色 thought someone was pulling his leg.

鈥淲hen the caller said he was from the Governor-General鈥檚 office, I thought it would be a scam,鈥� Dippo says. 鈥淚 was waiting for her to ask me for passwords or credit card information.鈥�

Unsurprising to anyone who knows Dippo, the invitation was real and celebrates his life鈥檚 work as a champion for access to education.

鈥淒onald Dippo is passionate about education equity,鈥� the official citation reads. 鈥淔or decades, this educator and advocate has increased educational access for children and teachers at home and abroad, from Toronto and eastern Africa, to South and Central America. He is also the co-founder of the Borderless Higher Education for Refugees program, based in the Dadaab Refugee Camps.鈥�

As Dippo, himself, says, 鈥淢y career explored ways to make higher education more accessible to communities who don鈥檛 typically find their way in.鈥�

During his 35 years as a professor and administrator at 91亚色, this former elementary school teacher made it his mission to remove barriers to higher education and make it accessible. He was a co-founding director of Success Beyond Limits (SBL), a thriving program in the 91亚色 area that brings struggling eighth graders to campus in the summer for remedial education and an understanding of the opportunities that university offers. Dippo brought higher education into the community itself through an outreach master鈥檚 of education degree program held in local public schools before moving to the 91亚色gate Mall. He is also the co-founder 鈥揳long with Professor Wenona Giles -- of 91亚色鈥檚 Borderless Higher Education for Refugees (BHER) program, a collaboration with other universities and the Dadaab Refugee Camp in Kenya. This program has given teachers there the pathway to a formal teaching degree and opportunities for broadening their own lives and those of their students.

鈥淚f you look hard enough, there are always people willing to find ways to make good things happen, people who aren鈥檛 interested in putting barriers in the way,鈥� Dippo says.

Heather Lotherington, retired associate dean of research for the Faculty of Education, spearheaded the nomination as part of her commitment to supporting and publicizing faculty members鈥� research and development.  

鈥淒on鈥檚 work was constant, determined and remarkably heartfelt, and I thought that his considerable achievements had fallen below the radar,鈥� Lotherington says. 鈥淗e was always exceptional, unswervingly reaching out to migrant populations of high need. He created programs and taught under-served local populations as well as those in dangerous refugee settings, often in partnership with students and other faculty members of 91亚色. He was in Central America during the years of death squads and then in East Africa working in camps requiring armed guards. He did a lot of dangerous, unglamorous work, and he never stopped helping migrant and refugee students and teachers, many of whom today hold 91亚色 degrees as a direct consequence of his outreach. His dedication was remarkable. When this nomination came through, it absolutely made my day.鈥�

Former refugee Ahmed Abdi graduated from the Dadaab Refugee Camp鈥檚 first cohort of 91亚色 master鈥檚 degree students after first earning his teaching certificate and his bachelor鈥檚 degree through the BHER program. He has since returned home to Somalia where he works with UNICEF managing child protection programs in his native country.

鈥淲ithout Don and the BHER program, I would have stayed in that refugee camp, desperate,鈥� says Abdi. 鈥淭he opportunities I have now to work and support my siblings with access to education would have been out of reach. Don brought us a vision of empowerment that was transformative. He opened the door to higher education and a broader perspective on life in a way that was not only intellectual, but deeply human.

鈥淗e increased access to education at a time when opportunities were non-existent and opened the doors for many refugees who have since left the camp and gone out into the world with the skills they need to get jobs and give back to the community.鈥�

Closer to home, Don鈥檚 impact continues to be felt through the Success Beyond Limits program that draws focuses on students from two middle schools in Toronto鈥檚 Jane-Finch neighbourhood. The program has a 94 per cent graduation rate among the eighth graders who participate in its summer courses.

鈥淒on was one of the founders and original board members,鈥� says Tesfai Mengesha, a graduate of 91亚色鈥檚 Faculty of Education who first worked as an SBL instructor and is now its co-executive director. 鈥淗e has always been really excited about our work and understood the value of local expertise in understanding the workings of a community.

鈥淗is award is very well deserved. His experience and contributions to Canada are unique. He used theory and brought it into practice.鈥�

Leolyn Hendricks, a retired principal of Seneca College鈥檚 91亚色gate campus, is an ongoing member of the SBL board of directors, but her connection with Dippo runs deeper still. Hendricks is a graduate of the first cohort of master鈥檚 degree students from the Faculty of Education鈥檚 community graduate degree program that he and colleagues organized.

鈥淭his 鈥楳asters in the Mall鈥� program looked at ways people could leverage their experience in an academic setting,鈥� Hendricks says. 鈥淚t was mind-blowing; it flew in the face of the assumptions about the credentials that were required for higher education. It was all outside-of-the-box thinking.

鈥淒on was a conduit who looked for ways to bring the community鈥檚 voice into educational spheres, and this honour reflects on his commitment to community development done in his very soft, understated way.鈥�

Although Dippo has retired from the University, his impact continues to be felt.

To "develop innovative curriculum and programming鈥� is one of the guiding principles of the Faculty of Education's Strategic Plan 2023-2027," says Robert Savage, Dean of the Faculty of Education. "During his 35-year career at 91亚色, University Professor Donald Dippo embodied that principle, establishing education programs for under-served youth in the 91亚色 community and abroad.

"The ripple effect of his work in creating programs such as Success Beyond Limits here at 91亚色 and internationally, through Borderless Higher Education for Refugees, will fan out for generations, giving youth both locally and in the Dadaab Refugee Camp in Africa opportunities they might never have considered. He is richly deserving of induction into the Order of Canada."

Dippo, enjoying retirement in Comox, B.C., says, 鈥淭oday, I feel proud of all these programs. They are very impactful and very satisfying. 91亚色 enabled me to do all kinds of things that I might have found it difficult to do elsewhere. Staff found innovative, creative ways to help me put theory into practise.

鈥淎s for the Order of Canada, I am enjoying the experience. It is so unexpected. You don鈥檛 go into teaching because you expect to be rewarded; you go because you hope to enjoy student success vicariously.鈥�

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91亚色 Professors Don Dippo and Dawn Bazely are among 30 recipients of the Minister of Colleges and Universities鈥� Awards of Excellence.

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

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 91亚色 in recognition of his leadership in teaching, learning and the student experience.

Dippo is the recipient of the Minister鈥檚 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鈥檚 Award of Excellence recognizes Dippo鈥檚 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 91亚色 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 91亚色, 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 91亚色. 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 91亚色.

The award also recognizes Dippo鈥檚 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 91亚色 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

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 91亚色. In 2015, Bazely was accorded the title of University Professor by 91亚色 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鈥檚 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鈥檚 Award of Excellence recognizes her work in 鈥渇uture proofing鈥� 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 91亚色鈥檚 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 91亚色 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鈥檚 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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